Since 2014, we have seen a boom in the number of people who listen to podcasts, as well as those generating content to be listened to. Many things make starting a podcast highly attractive from a brand perspective, however, there are a few things to consider with this kind of content creation from a marketing viewpoint.
Pros
- Podcasting is cross-media friendly: Although the majority of social media platforms are visual or text-based, that doesn’t mean you can’t also share your audio content through them too. Whether you choose to embed the full length of your podcast on your blog, or share snippets on Instagram using a third-party host, rest assured your podcast can benefit from the same sharability as your other content.
- Curate content on your podcast: Coming up with episode topics doesn’t have to be complex, especially if you have a backlog of content. Go through your old articles, campaigns and Q&A videos, and work out what can be grouped under a theme. It’s then a case of repackaging that content so it appeals to your auditory audience.
- The format is fluid: You don’t have to worry about sticking to a set format for your podcasts. Flip from having special guests one episode, to going solo on another, talk about industry news or answer audience questions. This is great because you can tailor your episode to be in sync with other campaigns you are running or brand-specific events you want to highlight. When it comes to podcasts, what matters is that topics are linked to your chosen niche.
- Hands-Free access: One of the ultimate benefits of podcasts is that they can be consumed whilst the listener does other things. Whether that be driving, exercising, or cleaning, they are unique when it comes to their form of consumption. The allowance for multitasking explains why 8/10 podcast listeners can spend up to seven hours per week listening when average podcast episode lengths reach 50minutes.
Cons
- Tricky to find your place: It was last recorded that Apple hosts 1.96million podcasts, and more than 47million podcast episodes with over 700,000 of those podcasts being active. This is a mix of company backed/funded podcasts and personal ones. This figure is constantly expanding, and with this kind of continued growth in the market, you might find it challenging to find your niche.
- The average listener: More people listen to podcasts in the US (41%) than in the UK (24%). More men tune into podcasts than woman, whilst the average age for listeners fall within the 12 to 34 (56%) category across the board. If you are looking to expand your audience out of this age range you’ll need to be smart in the content your'e offering up through podcasting.
- Consistency is key: When trying to build up a following it is important to have a strict posting schedule whether that be uploading one episode a week or just one episode a month. Podcast listeners are notorious for their loyalty but you will find that if you don’t stick to a routine your listeners may abandon you. It’s more than consistency if you are choosing to start a podcast for your brand, it’s about commitment too.
Starting a podcast to aid in marketing your brand, and content is a decision that requires you to weigh the long term benefits and costs. If you are looking for another way to bring in an audience that falls into a very narrow window and can dedicate the time to do so, then podcasting might be the way forward for your brand. If on the other hand your plate is full balancing other more successful platforms, and you won’t be able to commit to recording and posting, the key pillars to cultivating a loyal audience, then perhaps podcasts as a form of content marketing is not the move for you.
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