MESSAGE HEARD MEDIA HUB
How to Become a Better Podcast Host
How to Become a Better Podcast Host
The best corporate podcasts have something in common: great hosting! While anyone can try their hand, it takes something special to be a capable podcast host. We share our three golden rules to becoming a better podcast host.
What does it take to be a great podcast host? Here’s what you need to know to make successful podcasts.
Podcasting is one of the most popular forms of media right now. The best corporate podcasts have something in common: a great host! While anyone can try their hand in front of the mic, it takes something special to be a capable podcast host. After all, contrary to popular belief, an engaging podcast isn’t just about creating a conversation — it’s about how you curate that conversation for the listener. So, what can you do to become a stronger podcast host? Here are our tips to get you started.
Start preparing early
Hosting a podcast can be intimidating - most of us aren’t used to being recorded! This means that having confidence on your subject matter is a great way to start, as well as preparing yourself for what needs to go into the episode you’re making.
Recently, we worked with NatWest to produce a branded podcast. Our hosts were first-timers to the world of podcast production, and one of the hosts, Burcu Karabork, had this to say about the process:
“There is a tremendous amount of discipline and experience required in knowing where to stop conversations, what questions to ask, where to prod a bit deeper...So the question becomes; can you afford that learning curve? Often we only get one chance to impress listeners, after which they turn away from us and don’t come back. It’s imperative to get it right the first time so we don’t alienate them.”
While a lot of podcasts sound ‘off the cuff’, chances are there was still a lot of preparation behind this. That means: having questions in mind, knowing what subjects or information you need to cover, and having thought through the way you want to articulate this. Even some of the most natural, and famous, podcast hosts are scripted.
Practice makes perfect
The great thing about podcast production is that you can always re-take a line if you mess it up. So give yourself room to practice! Try out recordings, and listen back to yourself. While this can be awkward at first, it’s essential to know how you are coming across, and whether you need to mix things up. Give it to someone else to listen to: do they know what you’re trying to convey?
The style of delivery required for a podcast is different from simply talking in everyday life, though it’s not too far removed. The art of hosting is about staying true to your style and tone of voice (as it represents who you are as an individual!). However, learning how to do things like clearly delivering the words in your script; conveying emotion through your intonation and pacing your delivery, are skills that different you from a rookie podcaster and host with command of the mic.
So if you’re new to this… practice, practice practice! Get you phone recorder out and give your read of the script a go (or two). Listen back to your way of delivering information, try different versions of the same thing as you are recording, and have patience. The process does become easier.
Work with a producer
A producer can be a huge help for making a successful podcast. In the case of NatWest, our Head of Production, Sandra Ferrari, was there to provide support and advice along the way. In Burcu’s words, “When you know that you’re being looked after and that you have a safety net, you relax. When you relax you say things in the moment that are more genuine and authentic to yourself, which in turn makes you far more engaging for listeners.”
Sandra was there to guide our hosts through to creating their vision. Burcu adds:
“It’s difficult to know what your artistic vision is if you’ve never worked on that before and Sandra was instrumental in helping us to discover ours. She went above and beyond to introduce variations into the podcasts, allowing us to pick and choose what we liked and discard what we felt didn’t speak to our authentic selves. I really appreciated being allowed to push my own boundaries in that way, expanding my views on what I thought our podcast should sound like, all the while feeling in control enough to let go of what I liked less.”
Producers are there as a trusted minder, to help you stay on track and create the episode you planned to make.
At Message Heard, we specialise in guiding your project through to completion. Whatever part of the process you’re struggling with, from ideation through to distribution, we can help.
It takes skill to become a great podcast host. Whether it’s your first time trying it out, or you’re a seasoned professional, the same skills apply. Take a look at our Business of Podcasting section for more great advice on creating amazing podcasts.
Want to learn more? At Message Heard, we make podcasts that help your brand reach new audiences. Find out how we can help you by getting in touch.
Educational Podcasts: The perfect teaching tool
Educational Podcasts: The perfect teaching tool
Podcasts are already a popular tool for self improvement. Tap into this appetite by creating engaging, evergreen and accessible audio content.
Podcasts are already a popular tool for self improvement. Tap into this appetite by creating engaging, evergreen and accessible audio content.
Podcast production is a brilliant tool for education companies who want to find more engaging, evergreen, accessible ways to cater to meet the needs of their students.
With the pandemic changing how schools and universities operate, remote learning and educational technology have become more important than ever and setting up a podcast is great for reaching students where they are. They’re also informative, engaging and accessible – the perfect mix for learning. Let’s break it down.
1. Podcasts are informative
People are hungry for podcasts that teach them new things about history, science, language, and so much more.
Teachers are already using existing podcasts as classroom resources. They’re listening to them in lessons or recording their lectures to help students catch up. So why not make the most of this trend and create your own educational podcast?
We know how much audiences appreciate informative podcasts because we’ve made some ourselves.
One listener to our podcast about the Middle East, Conflicted, thanked us, saying, “I've really gained a lot of new insights.”
And the podcast we made with Remembering Srebrenica was the perfect way for this charity to educate people about a little-known genocide in Bosnia.
“Education is a pivotal part of our work at Remembering Srebrenica, so we wanted the podcast to be an educational resource as well as interesting for listeners.”
Kate Williams, Education Manager, Remembering Srebrenica
2. Podcasts are engaging
So many people give their full attention to their favourite podcast series in a way that teachers dream of. An amazing series can have people binging episodes, just like a good TV show.
Why is that? Well, podcasts use dialogue, music and storytelling to captivate audiences. The same people who might be drifting off after three minutes of reading could be hooked on a podcast for an hour or more.
It’s also because the experience of listening to a podcast is participatory and intimate. You feel connected to the host, you start conversations with fellow listeners, and you create a community together.
3. An alternative to video
Podcasts hold attention for longer than video because they stimulate the imagination – the student’s mind is free to visualise and fill in the gaps.
Sitting down to watch an educational video can be unappealing for those who’ve been at work or school all day, staring at a screen. Plugging in your headphones and turning away from the computer is much more enticing after a long day.
Podcasts are also easier to fit into a busy schedule than videos or reading. They allow you to multitask by listening on the commute, at the gym, or while doing the dishes.
Not only is this a time-saver but while the student is distracted by a routine activity, the information is more likely to sink in.
4. Podcasts are accessible
Podcasts are a flexible resource which allows the student to participate at any time, in any place.
Most people already have an easy-to-use podcast app on their phone. This means the educator can push out new episodes and as long as the student has subscribed, the material will arrive in their hand with no extra effort.
Adding auditory resources like podcasts to your educational mix also opens up the world of learning for so many people who may otherwise be excluded. It gives more options to students with learning difficulties or visual impairments or those who are studying a new language.
They can pause, rewind, and repeat small sections or even entire episodes. In other words, every learner can go at their own pace.
Create your own!
For the student, listening to a podcast feels intimate and personalised – it seems as if the host is speaking directly to them. In reality, the same show could be heard by thousands, if not millions, of people.
So podcasting gives education companies the valuable possibility of reaching a vast audience where each individual feels personally catered for.
Educational podcasts are already out there and popular with listeners. Creating your own means you can tailor the information and the style to suit your students.
Want to learn more? At Message Heard, we make podcasts that help your brand reach new audiences. Find out how we can help you by getting in touch.
Podcast KPIs: How to measure the success of your podcast
Podcast KPIs: How to measure the success of your podcast
When it comes to making a successful podcast, download numbers aren’t everything. Here’s what else you should be measuring.
Podcast KPIs: How to measure the success of your podcast
When it comes to making a successful podcast, download numbers aren’t everything. Here’s the KPIs you should really be measuring.
Here at Message Heard, we preach the gospel of measuring podcast performance. It helps us learn, iterate and improve from season to season.
When we’re talking with clients and partners, we also encourage them to set goals to measure performance against. However, we too often see people hung up on one particular measurement: number of downloads.
Whilst the reach of your podcast is important, it's definitely not the only measure of success and should always be looked at in the context of other metrics.
To avoid being blinded by the light of download numbers, you should set out clear goals at the start of the podcasting process that align directly with what you want to achieve.
Using KPIs to set strategic goals
So, how do you go about figuring out the right numbers to pay attention to?
When we launch a show, we like to think about who we’re trying to reach and how we want them to react and engage. We then select 3 or 4 key metrics which to track closely through the season.
For example, if your show is about something niche or aimed at an internal audience, there are natural caps to listener numbers but audience engagement levels or listen through rates might tell you more about what you're actually achieving with your podcast.
Or if you're looking to grow your personal brand, press hits and invites onto other media would be a good measure of success. Want to grow an engaged audience? Why not create a Facebook or LinkedIn group, promote it in your podcast and track the growth.
What success looks like for branded podcasts
The takeaway: success looks different for everyone.
As an example, let’s compare our show we measure the success of Conflicted versus how Buffer measured the performance of Breaking Brand.
With our show Conflicted, we boiled down success to three KPI’s (key performance indicators):
Download Numbers - Listener reach is important to us as this is a general interest show where we’re looking to reach as many ears as we can.
Revenue - We wanted to generate revenue via ads and sponsorships to create a sustainable show.
Engaged Audience - We wanted to build an engaged audience across various social channels so listeners could become more involved in the show.
As an independent show, these are quite direct, mercenary concerns. However, a branded podcast with broader goals of building brand and raising awareness would naturally have completely different measurements of success.
Ash Read, Head of Editorial at Buffer, told us their key measurement was how long listeners spent listening to the show. And Breaking Brand saw strong completion rates — on average, people are listening to 83% of each episode.
Hear more about how Buffer measured the results of their podcast.
This means that the audience isn’t just showing up, they’re sticking around and engaging with the content. For Ash, this has a lot of potential: “If we continue to publish content in this feed, they’ll continue listening. That feels really valuable for us.”
So what are the metrics you should use to measure success?
What KPIs should I actually be measuring?
Again, it's all about selecting the right metrics for your podcast strategy. So as you read this list, ask yourself why you're making a podcast and what you want to achieve.
These are all great metrics to select as your key performance indicators, but yet again, they need to be tailored to your individual podcasting goals.
Downloads - Do you want to reach the broadest, largest audience possible?
Demographic data - Are you trying to reach a particular group? Can you see that audience growing?
Consumption Rate - Arguably the most important stat as it measures depth of engagement. How much of each episode are the audience listening too? Are people not just coming but staying till the end?
Social following - Do you have an engaged audience that are sharing?
Mailing list - Similarly, have you a dedicated audience engaging with your content?
Group members (eg. Facebook, LinkedIn) - Are you looking to have a conversation with your listeners or build a community? Groups are a great way to do that.
Press - Are you looking to raise your hosts’ profile? What coverage has your podcast achieved and has it put you in front of new audiences?
Inbound leads - If you’re an agency, maybe you’re using your podcast to draw in leads. If you haven’t already, could you start tracking where leads, asking specifically about the podcast come from??
Revenue - Are you looking to monetise your show? Is the revenue covering costs?
Engagement with sponsors - Are you driving a good amount of traffic to your sponsor? This might be important for keeping them onboard.
Engagement with a competition - Are you running giveaways or competitions? You should track social shares and entries.
Website traffic - Is your podcast driving a large amount of traffic to your website?
Have we missed anything off this list? I’m sure we have! There are going to be even more specific things which will tell you if your podcast is working for you.
Send any suggestions this way, and we can continue to expand the list.
Want to learn more? At Message Heard, we make podcasts that help your brand reach new audiences.
Want to create a podcast that exceeds your brand KPIs? Get in touch!
What's your perfect podcast marketing mix?
What's your perfect podcast marketing mix?
When it comes to podcast marketing, there is no one size fits all solution. Instead, we break down the tactics and approaches that will help you create a podcast marketing plan that is built for purpose.
Grow your podcast audience by creating a tailored marketing plan.
When we get asked “What is the best way to market our podcast?”
The answer is always: “Well, that depends…”
Very unsatisfying we know! But it’s true.
For some clients the budget for splashy ads might not be on the cards, or others might have existing channels we can cross-promote - like a blog or a youtube channel. Some podcasts have a very niche audience, and others have a mass appeal. With so many factors at play, every marketing plan has to be bespoke.
So, the bad news is: there is no one size fits all solution.
The good news though: there are repeatable tactics and approaches. You just need to select the right ones for your podcast.
In this post, we’ll give you the building blocks of a podcast marketing plan that is built with purpose.
But first, let's talk choosing the building blocks that work for you.
What is a podcast marketing plan?
Having a strategic marketing plan is key to growing your podcast audience. And, to build these plans for each of our shows, we first ask:
What is your marketing resource for this project?
Who is your target audience?
And, how will you measure the success of your podcast?
With the answers to these questions in mind, we start to create a marketing mix that will help you build the audience you want, and deliver against your goals.
This is when those key ingredients we mentioned earlier come into play.
Your Perfect Podcast Marketing Mix
Whilst every podcast needs a bespoke plan, you don’t need to start from scratch for each show.
We think about a marketing mix in three channels: paid, earned and owned:
Paid is anything where you exchange money to secure promotion, namely advertising.
Earned is where you depend on someone else’s curation to gain coverage or promotion - like a feature on Apple Podcasts or a review in a newsletter. There are sometimes external costs involved with this, such as award entries.
Owned covers the activities conducted on your channels like your website or social media.
With these channels in mind, as well as the budget, audience and goals for the podcast, we then pull out different tactics from each channel to build the perfect marketing mix.
Here are all the different channels and tactics to consider:
This is by no means an exhaustive list! All podcasts will have unique real-estate they can use for promotion. Do they have an app they can promote on? A print magazine? For example, our client Buffer uses their login page to put the podcast front and centre:
These are simply the building blocks we use to create a balanced marketing mix that will allow you to grow your audience strategically. This is also an ever growing list, have we missed any key ways you grow your audience? Let us know!
Want to learn more? At Message Heard, we make podcasts that help your brand reach new audiences. Find out how we can help by getting in touch today.
Podcast publishing 101: Where to publish your podcast?
Podcast publishing 101: Where to publish your podcast?
Podcast publishing is a bit of a minefield — but getting it right is key to creating a successful podcast, so it's worth investing some time in. We've learned a lot from publishing our own shows, and we're here to share our learnings with you, so you don't fall into the common traps.
A guide for checking your podcast is published everywhere it needs to be.
Podcast publishing is a bit of a minefield — but getting it right is key to creating a successful podcast, so it's worth investing some time in. We've learned a lot from publishing our own shows, and we're here to share our learnings with you, so you don't fall into the common traps.
We’ll share our tips about podcast publishing, and share our ever growing podcast platform checklist that you can use to make sure your podcast is accessible on whatever app your listeners are using.
Why is podcast publishing important?
From Apple to Google Podcasts, there are so many places that listeners can discover, listen, rate and review your podcast.
With our show Conflicted, we can see that listeners use over 26 different podcast platforms and there is still a large chunk of unattributed listens which could come from any number of other podcast platforms.
The vast majority of listens come from a few big players: 68% Apple Podcasts, 14% Spotify and the remaining 19% split between over 20+ other apps.
A table showing some of the places people listen to our show, Conflicted.
But no matter the size of listenership on that platform, it’s important your show can be accessed everywhere as it improves the experience of every potential listener you have. Think of those potential super fans who will be very annoyed that they can’t find your awesome show on their chosen app!
The good news is it’s pretty easy to do, but there are a few factors to consider especially when it comes to timing.
When should you publish your feed?
It makes sense to focus on making sure your podcast is on the biggest podcast platforms first.
We discovered the hard way that Apple Podcasts, which along with Spotify, is widely one of the most common places people listen to podcasts, encourage you to allow up to 10 working days for them to approve your feed once it’s submitted.
So to avoid any last minute panics, we now make sure all our feeds are set up with the trailer uploaded 10 days before we planned to start promotion.
Once the feed is created via your chosen hosting platform, you will generate an RSS feed link. We then make sure this link is submitted to the top players:
Apple Podcasts - Submit your feed here via iTunes Connect. Make an account if you don’t already have one, and you can also see analytics through this portal.
Spotify - Submit or ‘claim’ your RSS feed through Spotify for Podcasters. You’ll also need to create an account, and similar to iTunes Connect, Spotify offers specific analytic via this portal.
Google Podcasts - Google now have a podcast manager portal as well where you can submit your feed directly. You can log in with any google account, and as with the others, you will need your RSS feed link at the ready.
From there, we’ve found your RSS will be automatically picked up by most other podcast platforms. This may take some time, so you can also check and submit your feed via the links in the list below!
Where else should you make sure your podcast is published?
As we mentioned, the RSS feed does a lot of the hard work for you and you might find your podcast has found its way on to many of these platforms without you submitting it directly.
So, we suggest waiting for up to 10 days and once you see your link appear on these platforms you have already submitted to:
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
Google Podcasts
Then go through and check your podcast is displayed on these players, if not you can add them via the links or instructions below:
Overcast - There is no specific way to submit to Overcast, they say you should see your podcast on Overcast 2-3 days after you submit to Apple.
Acast - Scroll down to the green button where it says ‘add your show’
Downcast - Downcast also don’t have a direct submission and use Apple Podcasts, but if your show is not appearing you can email them: support@downcastapp.com
Doggcatcher - Doggcatcher also doesn't have a direct submission. If you can’t find your show, you can try using their support forum.
Alexa - Lots of podcast apps already have skills which you can use to access your podcast, but some shows also create your own skill but this requires custom development.
Entale - You can add your shows to Entale if you wish to add reference materials like images or links.
This is a running list we have compiled. Have we missed any? Let us know if your favourite podcast platform isn’t listed and we’ll add it along with the link to submit.
Want to know more about marketing and distributing your podcast? At Message Heard, we make podcasts that help your brand to reach new audiences. Find out what we can do for you. Call today: 02081036034 or email us at: contact@messageheard.com.
The SEO Benefits of Branded Podcasts
The SEO Benefits of Branded Podcasts
We explore three ways that podcast marketing will help boost your brands SEO performance, ranking and visibility.
Want SEO success? Think podcast marketing! Here’s why...
There are A LOT of reasons why brands want to rank high in the search engine listings. This page details most of them, but here’s a quick summary:
Search engines matter. Search engines are vital for driving traffic to your site. They account for 300% more traffic than social media.
High rankings matter. 75% of people only look at the first page of results.
Search engine visibility matters. 50% of people are more likely to click a result if a brand appears multiple times in their search engine results.
Here’s the second thing to note: Google is far and away the king of the search engines. Check out the stats:
Of searches done on mobiles and tablets, 94% of the traffic comes via Google.
Google also holds 75% market share of desktop and laptop searches.
Google processes over 57,000 searches, every second.
Third thing to note: podcasts boost your search engine rankings.
The SEO Benefits of Branded Podcast #1: Increased Search Engine Visibility
Podcasts increase your search engine visibility – and therefore increase your ranking.
Google now surfaces individual podcast episodes in its search results. Why does that matter? Because this means that every episode of your podcast increases your chances of Google ranking you.
Google has had the tech capacity to index your audio since 2019. This means the search engine isn’t reliant on your podcast’s title or subtitle or meta-description: it’s looking content. So, if you create a podcast (or a podcast series) that focuses on aspects of your business or industry in which you have core expertise, that valuable content will be recognised and surfaced: enhancing your SEO.
The other takeaways?
The more episodes your branded podcast has, the more likely it is that your content will reflect popular search results.
The quality of your podcasts will count. This is about content but it’s also about the quality of your audio. Great audio = easy transcription = enhanced results.
Podcasts with expert guests will boost your results. Google will pick up their presence on your podcast and surface you in response to searches for those guests.
Underlining Google’s commitment to podcast, in 2018 the company’s Podcasts Product Manager Zack Reneau-Wedeen said that his team’s mission is, ‘...to help double the amount of podcast listening in the world over the next couple of years.’ In other words, the biggest search engine in the world is actively trying to grow your podcast audience.
The SEO Benefits of Branded Podcast #2: Greater Brand Awareness and Reach
Podcasts are a popular and evergreen form of customer-attracting content.
Why does any piece of branded online content matter? You know the answer: it’s because it gets the brand exposure; highlights your areas of expertise; builds your credibility and extends your reach. In this sense, podcasts are another channel for your quality content. And the benefits they bring in this regard are three-fold:
Podcasts give you the opportunity to present the same content in two forms – audio and written. You can multiply the content from your podcast in very simple ways. You can create a transcript. You can use extracts from your podcast as a springboard for blog posts. You can tweet about upcoming episodes. You can even create visual content off the back of your podcast, by creating click-worthy episode art. These are all avenues that use your podcast content in slightly different ways to broaden your reach.
Podcasts reach a different audience. People listen to podcasts on the go: often when they’re moving or driving. At these times, it’s not possible to engage with written content. So, podcasts reach an audience who want to consume information in a different way. Your audio content complements your written content and grows your audience.
Podcasts take you to new (online) places. Podcasts are hosted in spaces that are not reached by other means! With a branded podcast, you find a home on channels like Apple Podcasts and Spotify (plus a plethora of other hosts). New audiences have a chance to discover you in these locations by using a podcast app search, which scours titles and episode descriptions for relevant content. It’s yet another way of building your base.
The SEO Benefits of Branded Podcast #3: Attract Quality Backlinks
Podcasts attract the backlinks that build your base and boost your ranking.
People link to your page when they feel that your page is providing quality information that matters to their audience. To put that another way, every link you attract has the potential to grow your audience. And there’s another reason why backlinks scatter gold dust over your brand: they function as a powerful search engine magnet. Search engines love sites with lots of links because the links tell them that your site has content that people value.
What does that have to do with podcasts? Everything!
When you create a quality branded podcast, you are creating content that ticks at least one of the following link-attracting boxes. A podcast that’s...
Informative
Entertaining
Useful
OR
Newsworthy
...will entice people to link it to their website. This builds your brand in three ways. Firstly, it feeds into brand awareness and reach. That website’s followers become aware of your brand. Secondly, it allows you to create clever internal links. Your podcast page; your transcript; your show notes; your podcast-related tweets can all lead to your website or even to your website’s conversion pages. Thirdly, it builds your search engine visibility. SEO appeal!
Want to know more? At Message Heard, we make podcasts that help your brand to reach new audiences. Find out what we can do for you. Call today: 02081036034 or email us at: contact@messageheard.com.
Two Seasons In, Here’s What We've Learned About Podcast Marketing
Two Seasons In, Here’s What We've Learned About Podcast Marketing
We have been creating and releasing our podcast Conflicted since February 2019. It’s taught us first-hand how hard building a podcast audience is — it’s not enough to make great content and throw it into an RSS feed. Here’s what we’ve learned so far.
When it comes to podcast marketing, do you feel like you’ve tried everything, or that you don’t even know where to start?
Frustrated your podcast isn’t getting the audience it deserves? Confused as to why your downloads plateaued? We know the feeling… we know all the feelings.
We have been creating and releasing our podcast Conflicted since February 2019. It’s taught us first-hand how hard building a podcast audience is — it’s not enough to make great content (if we say so ourselves) and throw it into an RSS feed.
But, after two seasons, we’re feeling positive about the progress Conflicted has made:
We’ve received coverage in The Guardian, The Telegraph and The Times.
99.6% of listeners say they would recommend it to a friend, family member or colleague.
For Season 2, average listenership over the first 7 days has grown 62% compared to Season 1 for the same time period.
We’ve grown an engaged listener community — 96.3% of the members of our Facebook Group have actively posted, shared or reacted.
And the cherry on top: we were nominated for an ARIAS (the Audio Oscars) for Best Independent Podcast alongside some of the world’s biggest podcasts.
We know there is still work to do, but at this juncture we wanted to share a whistle stop tour of what we’ve learned over the past two years of distributing and marketing our flagship podcast.
Our growth: Season One compared to Season Two.
Plan, Plan, Plan
For every podcast we make — either under our Originals umbrella or for our clients — we preach the gospel of strategy.
Thinking critically about who your podcast is targeted at and how you plan to reach them is vital, as is adapting that plan as you release your podcast and learn more about your audience.
We have tried different tools for planning, including Trello and Monday.com, but for Season 2, it was a good old fashioned word doc which really helped capture our strategy as well as the tactics we’d use.
How we map out our thinking.
We also recommend creating a master copy document to create consistency and make sure you tailor your messaging to each channel, including your podcast’s metadata. This metadata includes your podcast title, podcast description, episode titles, show notes and other data like tags you input when you upload episodes to you podcast hosting platform. Using a master document helped us keep our language consistent but also acted as checklist prompting us to input all the data correctly each episode.
Marketing Needs To Be Baked into Production
Before you even press record, you need to have a production and marketing strategy in place – especially if the people producing and promoting the show are in separate teams.
Why? There are so many marketing considerations which overlap with the way your show sounds and what you capture during recording:
Audience Development - Who is this podcast targeted at? Who are you actually speaking to when you step behind the mic?
Audio Branding - Theme tunes, music beds, jingles, archival tape. What audio-materials will you use to create your distinctive sound?
Visual Branding - How will the look of the show capture the podcast’s tone and attract your target audience? A consistent visual identity across all brand touch points will professionalise your brand and attract new listeners.
Tone of Voice - Again, your show’s voice needs to be consistent across all touch points. The language of the show and language used in marketing need to complement, not quarrel.
Call to Actions - How do you plan on engaging your audience? Are these CTA’s scripted? Will they cut through?
Social Media Assets - Are you capturing the assets you need to promote the show during production ?
Trailers and Teasers - What are you sharing? And when are you sharing it? Do you need extra voice overs for your trailers? How are you building excitement?
Guest Engagement - How will you work with the guests on your show to maximise your combined reach?
Press Assets and Reels - What sizzlers do you need to sell your show to the press?
Cover The Basics
Making sure you are covering the basics is key before you start exploring marketing approaches tailored to your show.
As a company, we are now at a place where we have a best practice approach for all the shows we produce and release.
How to build your own best practice? When something works - write it down. Build a checklist as you learn. And execute that checklist. Every. Single. Time.
Doing core promotional activities for each episode also helps you spell out what actually works, as you can compare and see how things like content, topic and guests affect downloads or engagement. It’s about tracking the individual items AND the combinations of items to create a clear picture of what actually works.
Engage Your Audience
Tailoring your engagement strategy to your audience means finding the right channels for your podcast.
For the launch of Conflicted Season 2, we have focused on building a Facebook Group and running weekly giveaways. We’ve also started to see the benefit of having distinct social channels for each show, especially on Twitter, we’re people can tag, share and recommend the show to others.
An example of listeners engaging with the hosts via our Facebook group.
These were invaluable step for us in creating a dialogue with our listeners — but for your show the best channels and tactics may be different. Think about who your audience is, what engagement you want from them, and how to reward those who interact, share and feedback.
Test, Iterate, Improve
There is no silver bullet. There isn’t one scalable, repeatable thing that will get you a committed audience of millions overnight.
We do believe however, that there is a cocktail of things that will get you there one day. Working out that magic marketing mix involves testing, iterating and improving.
That is why we conduct thorough retrospectives after each season of the show. This entails:
Reviewing the Data – Dig into your analytics. Examine your growth, listenership trends and demographic data. Don’t just focus on the numbers —make sure to factor in any qualitative insights from Apple podcast reviews, emails and tweets, too.
Collecting Audience Feedback – We did our first audience survey for the end of Season 2. This has become an incredible resource for data about what our audiences enjoys and what they want to change. You can see our survey here, and Bello Collective also have a great resource on making an audience survey.
Doing a Team Review - We asked: what we do well, what went wrong, and what we could improve when it comes to marketing, production and monetisation of the show. Out of this process we have an actionable list of improvements to take forward.
Some of the results from our Audience Survey.
What isYour Unique Opportunity?
Every podcast needs to play to its strengths, as well as the resources you have at your disposal.
In this example, Conflicted is a discussion show so it made sense to focus on platforms that allow listeners to engage more deeply and run giveaways that provide ‘further reading’. It’s also personality-led, so we wanted our content and coverage to profile our hosts and allow their personalities to shine.
Ask yourself what unique opportunities your podcast has — is it the profile of your guests, your social media reach, your connection with listeners? These are the building blocks you need to grow your show.
If you want help developing a podcast marketing strategy that plays to the strengths of your brand and speaks directly to your target audiences — get in touch.
Click here to contact us about our services!
Conflicted - Wall Street
Conflicted - Wall Street
In this episode, Aimen draws on his experience as a helping banks combat financial terrosism as our hosts explore the 2008 Financial Crisis and its impact on the world order.
From a bomb maker to double agent to… banker?
In this episode, Aimen draws on his experience as a helping banks combat financial terrosism as our hosts explore the 2008 Financial Crisis and its impact on the world order.
You can listen to the episode wherever you get your podcasts, and you can also find the transcript below.
Read the transcript here:
Working Remotely? Use Podcasts to Boost Employee Engagement
Working Remotely? Use Podcasts to Boost Employee Engagement
2020 has seen a steep rise in the numbers of employees working remotely. It’s a situation in which clear internal communication – always important – becomes critical. Podcasts offer a creative solution.
Unprecedented numbers of employees are now working remotely.
It’s a situation in which clear internal communication – always important – becomes critical. Podcasts offer a creative solution.
If you haven’t yet explored the possibilities of podcasts for your internal communications, now is the time to do so. This form of audio has distinctive features that help to facilitate certain forms of communication.
It’s a preferred means of communication for many younger workers. Plus, it’s a medium that is particularly well-suited to the needs of remote workers or for highly distributed organisations. Here’s the run down:
The distinctive features of podcasts
The types of internal communication that suit podcasts
How podcasts facilitate remote working
“Podcasts are a proven and popular channel. They enable us to communicate in an effective and timely way, connect, share important updates and build a common purpose.
For us, they have brought our solutions to life, bringing clarity in the messaging in a succinct way and have summarised some key points. ”
The distinctive features of podcasts
Connection-building: One of the greatest strengths of podcasts is that they build intimacy between speaker(s) and audience. That simple experience of hearing an individual human voice creates a sense for the audience that they ‘know’ the speaker. So, podcasts humanise your messages and – in so doing – help to build connections and community.
Flexibility: Podcasts are infinitely variable. They don’t have to conform to a particular length or format. That means you can use them to convey clear, top-line information or news or use them to explore an issue in depth. You can feature one speaker or many speakers. You can find a style that works for you – but you can also be creative and surprise your audience! Even recording can be done remotely. Our head of production, Sandra Ferrari, says “with new available technologies and some guidance from a professional, you can get quality sound at home.”
User-friendly: When it comes to featuring guests, experts and speakers, many people find podcasts a less ‘scary’ option than video – for the simple reason that they don’t have to feel self-conscious about their appearance. That means it’s easier to find people to feature on podcasts, which boosts the value of the content.
High engagement: The stats show that podcasts engage and retain their audiences. Plus, the technology allows you to track this, so you know which content keeps people listening.
Convenient: The other stand-out feature of podcasts is just how convenient they are. Once a podcast is published, your audience can access it at any time that works for them. They can listen while carrying out other tasks. They can take a screen break while engaging with your content. They can access them on the move. This means that podcasts can be digested in a way that just isn’t possible with other mediums.
The types of internal communications that suit podcasts
CEO / news updates: A short and sweet podcast giving key company/ industry updates. This keeps everyone in touch with the need-to-know information and helps them to feel connected and part of the business.
Explaining strategy/ corporate policies:
Podcasts are ideally suited to expressing complex messages about change or weighty company decisions. The issues can be laid out and explored in depth, with time to answer questions about why a decision was made; what the likely consequences will be and how it will affect colleagues.
Sharing colleague views:
In a longer podcast format, there’s plenty of opportunity to explore issues in-depth and to introduce a range of colleague voices. That can be done using recordists (when we’re not in lockdown!); via voice notes and memos or by utilising easy to use online recording platforms.
Sharing projects:
The podcast format allows you to think creatively and tell stories about your business and industry. Are there projects you want to celebrate? Work your colleagues would like to understand? Volunteering projects that colleagues take part in? Podcasts lend themselves to human interest tales and storytelling are around the great work being done in your organisation that may need more visibility.
On-boarding:
Either...
A stand-alone podcast - talking new employees through the culture and values of a company.
Or...
Episodic content that talks through different aspects of a company and how each part fits into the greater whole.
Learning and development:
This is a form of evergreen content which can be embedded on your website or intranet to be share with employees around career miles stones or transitions. It could cover issues such as:
Internal progression
The value of lateral moves
How mentoring works
Up skilling
Colleague career paths
Colleague career tips
Industry-relevant niche topics
How podcasts facilitate remote working
The accessibility of podcasts – and the intimacy of the format – bring people together and help them to feel as though they are part of something bigger: even when they are working at a distance from their colleagues. This is content that’s made for them; features them and offers them information that’s valuable and inclusive.
And that’s not all. Podcasts build relationships between different parts of your organisation. They bridge the gap between remote workers, between senior leadership and other teams, between teams that can otherwise feel siloed and out-of-touch and between colleagues who may work in different countries and time zones. They create a community around a shared listening experience.
And that’s not all. Podcasts take account of the needs of colleagues who work remotely: providing an information stream that fits into people’s days and is there to be accessed when needed. They offer the clarity of being only audio: so that people focus on what is being said, without the distraction of visual clutter.
And even that’s not all! Podcasts also allow you to explore a whole range of topics at a depth that is unappealing in other mediums, or to quickly parcel up important information and share it widely in a cost-effective way. It gives your workforce – even when working remotely - a unique content library that benefits them and your business.
Want to know more? At Message Heard, we make podcasts that help your business to reach its employees, wherever they are. Find out what we can do for you. Email us at contact@messageheard.com.
Conflicted - China 3.0
Conflicted - China 3.0
Listen to Conflicted, a politics podcast. This episode explores the role of China in the New World Order.
From the protests in Hong Kong, to the persecution of the Uighurs and the building of the New Silk Road, this episode explores the role China played in the New World Order.
Listen now where ever you get your podcasts, and find the whole transcript below.