Podcasts have increased their popularity over the past years, and today research says that over 50% of adults in the USA already listen to them.
While many of us have given podcasts a go and listened to them, how many have considered using them as a marketing tool? Read the tips below and get practical tips to include podcasts in your marketing toolkit!
Plan the structure of your podcasts
While recording a podcast may sound like something you can swing on the go, it is always better to plan the structure beforehand. One possible schedule, created by Voices.com, is the following:
- Opening: A quick musical jingle or your brand’s sonic logo.
- Introduction: A monologue-style intro outlining your guests and what you plan to talk about on your show.
- Segue: This can be achieved using music or podcast sound effects, or a vocal segue.
- Topic 1: Discuss the first topic for X number of minutes.
- Vocal Segue: “We are going to move on and talk about…” or “In other news this week…”
- Topic 2: Discuss the next topic for another X number of minutes.
- Ad Insertion: This is the moment to insert a sponsored message or a podcast advertisement. It can be pre-recorded and inserted in post production (think radio commercial break) or you can speak about the sponsor in a conversational style that doesn’t feel like a commercial break.
- Segue #2
- Topic 3: Discuss this for X number of minutes.
- Closing remarks: Thank your listeners and your guests, then provide a sneak peek of what will be discussed on the next show.
- Closing Musical Jingle
By creating a schedule you know what is coming and how the podcast will play out. This helps you to efficiently walk through the recording and makes sure that the listener can follow the final product easily.
Keep the length and publishing time optimal
Stitcher, an online radio and podcast site, says that the average listener stays connected for 22 minutes. The science of attention spans supports this number, too. TED Talks have an 18-minute maximum length because scientists believe that people cannot hold attention to a single presenter for any longer before we check out.
In addition, publishing a new episode in a set schedule is preferred by the audience, with the most popular rhythm being once a week.
Make a script but don’t read from a paper
Possibly the hardest part of podcasting is to walk through it without sounding like you are reading from a paper while still sticking to your script. A good script helps you to keep your podcast on the topic and makes sure you walk through it in a logical order while sticking to your time schedule. However, this often comes with a downside of the podcast losing some of its natural flow and can make it sound like one is reading from the paper instead of having a natural chat. Try practicing the podcast for a couple of times before recording and instead of full text, only write down keywords and other important things.
Recording with someone else can also help as the other person can stick to the role of a host, making sure that the schedule is being followed, while the one in the role of a guest can focus more on speaking without caring too much about the schedule.
Don’t try to cover too much per episode
As peoples’ attention span is limited, don’t try to push too much information on them at once. Choose a narrow topic and stick to it. Remember that you have plenty of opportunities to talk about other topics in the future episodes. Also, remember to name the episodes in a way that clearly tells the topic of the episode.
Edit your podcast
While podcasts are supposed to sound authentic, always edit your podcast. Make sure the background noise is reduced to minimum, the voices of the host and guests are on the same level, unnecessary parts are cut out, and the final product has a nice, pleasant flow. Feel free to cut away parts that seem unnecessary or don’t take the episode forward or offer anything interesting to the audience.
Engage with your audience
Podcasts are great for building communities. Think about ways to engage with your audience. Can you invite people from the audience as guests? Can you take topic ideas from them? Can you include their questions in the future episodes? Think about the different ways to bring the audience in on making the podcast.
Invest in a microphone
While podcasts can be recorded by using the microphone of your phone or laptop, for a more professional end result a proper microphone is recommended. Luckily, good microphones can be found at an affordable price from places such as Amazon and your local electronics store.
Make sure your microphone catches as little background noise as possible and that echo is reduced to minimum. Carpets, wall decoration, and curtains help to reduce echo further, and when combined with a good mic, the results are much more pleasant to listen to than the ones recorded with your phone.
