The Joy of Podcasting

April 22, 2011 by Susan Long-Molnar
Filed under: Marketing Communications 

By James Applebach, PR Associate

There are many options for communicating with audiences today. We can keep in contact with customers on websites such as Facebook and Twitter which provide up to the minute updates with the newest thing our brand has to offer and help to develop social relationships. These are quick and easy ways to send and receive information.

However, one thing these tools do not provide is a channel to catch and keep someone’s attention for an extended period of time. We’re always concerned with ‘cutting through the noise’ in the over saturated media market. Rather than being the loudest or the brightest, you can entice your audience to come to you by becoming a source of entertainment.

To do that most effectively follow these guidelines:                                                                                                                                                                       Be Likeable – Podcasts can be fun, and people want to listen to something that will make them feel good. You will not get listeners if your podcast is too dry, or too heavily focused on a product or service. People respond to good humor and humility.

Also, your host or hosts should be upbeat, funny, authentic, and people who sound like they know what they’re talking about.  Production values such as music, good sound quality and a well planned script can also add an air of professionalism to your show. More on this later.

Don’t come on too strong – Mention your company only once or twice during the podcast (perhaps once at the beginning and once at the end). Your podcast shouldn’t be about you, but about your audience. What do they want to know? How can you use your knowledge to fill that niche?

Don’t use jargon – It’s important that your audience knows what you are talking about. If they don’t, they will surely get frustrated and turn you off.

Here is an example of a format a health Insurer could use:                                                                                                                                                  

After an audio brand and music interlude, the hosts should introduce the show with a recurring theme, such as the health tip of the day, and proceed with news on a current issue (such as heart disease). The hosts would then provide information to the listener about measures to prevent this issue from affecting their lives by promoting health guides, their website, and any other resources they can offer for further information. The host could then close the show by reminding the listeners of the company sponsored 5k that’s coming up.

This is a brief description of how a podcast might go. In my next blog, I will discuss how to create a podcast and distribute it to the masses.

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