How to build a profitable podcast.
This article outlines the benefits of podcasts as a marketing tool
Let us welcome our guest writer Kate Parish!
Kate Parish discusses the advantages of podcasts as a marketing tool for promoting goals, advocacy, and company success.
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Are you looking for new ways to promote your company? Then, you should definitely try podcasting. It’s a marketing tool, a communication channel, and an advertising platform all rolled into one.
The number of podcast listeners is constantly growing. But despite the expanding audience, competition in this niche is still relatively low compared to other forms of content marketing. And that’s great news for businesses. According to Statista, podcast ad spending in the United States will reach $2.7 billion in 2025. And that’s only in one country. So, join the growing podcasting audience to expand your reach.
Let’s delve into the benefits of podcasts as a marketing tool. We’ll explain how to host them and why you should do it at all.
A podcast is a digital audio recording. People sometimes compare them to radio broadcasts. Yes, a podcast can have a host, guests, and a specific topic, just like a radio show. However, podcasts are more effective because they’re recorded. You can save the file to your phone or computer and listen to it later.
Where can your listeners explore podcasts? Typically, they find them on music streaming services and blogs.
Podcast distribution platforms include:
Note that these platforms don’t store your show as hosting services do. Instead, they allow people to find you and subscribe to new episodes.
If you share a podcast on a website as part of your content plan, ensure the added content doesn’t slow down the page loading speed. It’s especially important for the mobile version of the site because people turn on podcasts on the go, be it driving, cleaning, cooking, or traveling.
According to statistics, 53% of mobile users won’t wait for the page to load for more than three seconds; they get tired of waiting and close it. As a result, this leads to a high bounce rate and wastes your money. So, how do you ensure high load speed? You need to know how to increase Magento website speed or optimize whatever platform you use.
One more option to maintain your load time is to use podcast hosting services. They store your large media files so users can listen to and download your podcasts during a spike in traffic. There are many podcast hosting services, both free and paid. One of them is bCast, a podcast hosting service with a 14-day free trial.
Usually, podcasts are a choice of companies that offer self-improvement services. These can be:
Podcasts also prove their efficiency for promoting high-bill services like:
However, retailers such as Sephora, eBay, and others don’t shy away from podcasts either. Here’s a screenshot of the home page of the #LIPSTORIES podcast on iTunes. Its creator is the Girlboss Radio team, in partnership with Sephora. How did they integrate storytelling and products? In each episode, they invited influential women to share what inspires them. These #LIPSTORIES feature a well-known product, delivering a powerful and motivating message.
There aren’t so many podcasts yet. It can be a drawback because advertisers have limited choices. But it’s a chance to fill your niche before competitors do.
What’s more, podcasts don’t have an expiration date. You can distribute, store, and promote them for as long as you need. Listeners can find older episodes to refresh them in the memory or learn more about a subject. Let’s focus on other podcasting benefits.
Why do marketers invest money and effort into this channel? Podcasts are growing at a slower pace than social media. However, they unite a more mature audience representing people aged 26-35 with a higher average income.
These people don’t come to podcasts to buy something. Instead, they come to relax or to get helpful information. In most cases, it’s an audience eager to study and self-improve. And that’s very lucrative for marketers, isn’t it?
If you can integrate your ads organically into your podcast content, it’ll look like another great piece of advice worth listening to.
Podcasts attract a target audience. After listening to a preview or an entire episode, your listeners decide whether to subscribe or not. They’ll understand what the presenter is talking about and his perspective on various issues.
If they agree with it, they won’t abandon your podcast. Thus, you get loyal subscribers. It’ll save the budget on unnecessary filtering efforts and give a better ROI compared to social media, where the audience can be mixed.
Just like the video format, audio recordings help convey emotions better than texts or blog posts. Your listeners perceive podcasts to be natural, emphasizing brand transparency. They feel like participants in a conversation with their fellows.
Making a podcast can add an extra touch to your company’s messaging. It sets you apart from your competitors and draws attention.
The podcast host becomes your company’s voice, conveying your values and views. They transmit their passion to your listeners. So, building a strong brand voice with a podcast is a great way to build loyalty and convert listeners into buyers.
Thirdly, podcasts are inexpensive and universal. You don’t need to buy a lot of equipment, work in complex processing programs, or rent a studio. Unlike video, where you need to rent a professional studio, buy a camera, and take care of your looks.
You can make your podcast releases with the help of your phone, laptop, microphone, and headphones. Some presenters record them even from home. The main thing is to prepare the room so that there is no echo.
What sets podcasts apart from watching videos and reading texts? You don’t have to look at the screen to listen to them. Therefore, you can expand your reach and gain new customers where visual content fails.
Despite their advantages, podcasts remain a mystery for many companies. The reason is the complexity of measuring podcast success.
What are the options to track it today? Offer a specific promo code or attach a special link in the description. It’ll help you find out the number of clicks and sales gained from podcasting. But it’s still unclear how to measure the actual number of people who listened to the advertisement.
All things considered, let’s see how to start your podcast.
How do you know what to offer?
For instance, Mac Prichard’s podcast is called “Find Your Dream Job: Insider Tips for Finding Work, Advancing your Career, and Loving Your Job”. This show is dedicated to job seekers who are struggling to land their dream job. Each episode provides insightful strategies and career advice to implement at any stage of your job search process.
What is more, it’s essential to regularly collect feedback from your listeners to see if you are moving in the right direction. Adjust your episodes based on the reviews and ratings. It’ll help you attract new customers with high conversion potential and keep the existing ones.
You can’t record your podcast without a clear goal of what you will broadcast, right? List valuable content you could share. That will be your content plan. Write down:
Also, be sure to select the material for the first audio in advance. At least if you don’t want to improvise on the go. Decide on the format of podcasts. Is it an interview or a first-person narration?
Then, select a podcast title. It should be descriptive and immediately arouse the interest of the listener. Think of it as a landing page title that grabs attention and engages your audience.
So, now comes the time to turn on the microphone and record your show. Generate a tone of voice specifically for the audio format. If you want a more businesslike podcast, you can turn it into a professional presentation. Or you can create a light atmosphere with humor and slang.
A prerequisite for creating podcasts is to create quality original episodes. Try different types of content:
Who can you invite to podcasts? Your colleagues, partners, and clients. You can discuss the latest industry news, your new projects, and success stories.
For example, “The Digital Marketing Podcast” by Ciaran Rogers and Daniel Rowles is a compilation of interviews with global experts. They give tips on tools, strategies, and techniques to improve listener’s digital marketing activities.
You can promote not only your business but also your personal brand. How can you add personality to podcasts?
Make your podcasts an integral part of the listener’s life. It’s vital to do podcasts regularly so that the client forms a habit of listening to them, for example, once a week.
Are you limited in time and content resources? Determine episode frequency that you will handle, but record podcasts systematically.
To expand your audience and reach, take full advantage of the omnichannel experience by sharing your podcast across multiple sites and other channels. Remember to promote your podcast on your blog and social networks.
Here is an example of how Trellis promotes their podcast on the blog. The ad box is highlighted in color, and the link leads to the podcast page.
Your podcast can be a great way to communicate with your audience. But what about making money?
Yes, podcasts allow you to grow the income of your business in various ways.
The greatest strategy to expand your business is to be open to different marketing methods and technologies. Why do I need to be unique in my approach, you ask? The more distinctive your style is, the more likely people will remember you.
Podcasts are picking up steam in the digital marketing world. And if you know how to use them effectively for your organization, you’ll be successful.
Podcasts aren’t just about promoting your brand or company. It’s also a powerful way to interact with your customers and increase your company’s visibility with little effort. Develop original and appealing material for your audience, make use of your expertise, and unleash your imagination, and you’ll see how podcasts contribute to your long-term business prosperity.
