5 key milestones for business podcasting success

Entrepreneurs are often looking for effective new ways to promote their brands, and podcasting can be one of them. Increasingly popular in the last decade, podcasts have become attractive to a large number of companies doing business online. If you are willing to

Upgrade to a new level of communication with our audience, increase reach and acquire loyal customers, podcasting is the right choice for your business.

The number of active podcast listeners grows year by year. In the US alone, the podcast audience is estimated to reach 57 million people by the end of 2016, increasing by 75% since 2013. This can be compared to a number of monthly active users of a large social network, like Twitter. A new study has shown that nearly 65% ​​of podcast listeners are likely to buy a product after hearing a call to action. All of this makes podcasting a really smart investment for businesses. The following 5 milestones will help you get started on your business podcast and make it a success.

1. Define your podcast format

In the initial stage, you need to map everything: what will be the format, duration and consistency of your podcast? You can include various types of content, such as solo, interviews, co-host, and video podcast (vidcast). For the best effect, you should mix different content that corresponds to the topic. The recommended podcast duration is no more than 60 minutes, as it can be difficult to memorize more information. Create a list of 5-6 key topics and break them down into a few episodes. This will help keep your audience excited and motivate them to visit your podcast again when the next episode comes out.

two. Get sound recording equipment

Although podcasting is not usually too expensive, it still requires some voice recording equipment and software. What’s really cool is that you can get started even with your smartphone, which has a built-in microphone and free sound editing apps. As a beginner, you’ll need to test the waters in podcasting before increasing your spending. In the future, it is recommended to buy a professional microphone and mixer; Good quality should be your top priority!

3. Start your first recording

Before starting the first recording, review the text you will need to say. Don’t worry too much about doing the show. Rest assured that your audience knows what to expect. Speak slowly and clearly and don’t panic if you make a mistake. Even professionals can get confused from time to time. Once the recording is ready, listen to it several times to make sure nothing has been missed.

4. Posting on podcast hosting platforms

To maximize audience reach, make sure to post your content to at least one of the most popular sites. podcast hosting platforms like SoundCloud, iTunes, Archive.org, Amazon S3, Ourmedia.org, Podomatic, PodBean, Buzzsprout. Sometimes finding the right hosting platform for podcasting can be a difficult task. The choice may depend on audience size, functionality, ease of use, and price. Since podcasting platforms take care of hosting your content, you don’t need to buy a large storage space for your website to make it available online. Popular podcast hosting platforms have hundreds of thousands of monthly active users, so you will definitely find the audience that will be interested in your content. Some podcast websites even allow you to record and edit audio online, helping to simplify and streamline the time-consuming process of editing podcast audio at home.

5. Add a podcast player to your own website

When you run a podcast about your business, it is important to add it to your own website as well, so that customers who are already familiar with your brand can hear your audio content and new website visitors are motivated to spend more time on it. . . This can be done with a built-in podcast player. Do not worry; You don’t have to be a technically advanced person to add a podcast to your website. In most cases, you just need to copy an embed code from a podcast hosting platform like SoundCloud (where you’ve already started publishing) and paste it on your website right where you want the podcast player to appear. If your website uses a CMS like WordPress, you can install one of the many podcast plugins available and publish podcasts directly from your website’s control panel.

Podcasting is a powerful opportunity that companies must seize to engage their audience, build trust around the brand, and increase lead generation and sales. Popular podcast hosting platforms can give you great reach, and your own website should be a target destination for active podcast listeners, where they are more likely to become real customers.