How to create compelling podcasts: a 5-step approach

Are you currently deciding whether podcasts should become part of your marketing activity? Want to know more about the benefits of creating them and how to make your series stand out from the crowd?

Find out more as we chat with Steve Austins, Co-Founder and Director of Bengo Media in episode 4 of our new podcast series, the Marcomms Heart to Heart. Whether you’ve already produced podcasts or are a total newcomer to this space, you’ll learn lots of great advice from this episode.

Here’s five top tips we discussed in this podcast all about podcasts!

1. Stand out from the crowd with a strong concept

Did you know that people spend far more time on podcasts than they do with other traditional forms of media – which makes them powerful! Having a strong concept will help you engage with people for longer.

2.Plan your podcast positioning

Do your thinking well in advance to get your podcast positioning right. Start with deciding what the podcast is about and who it’s for. What are you trying to achieve, for example, engagement or brand-building? Podcasts are narrowcasting niches – so make your listeners feel special.

3.Help people to make the crucial decision to press play

Nobody stumbles on a podcast. There are a number of important elements to the process which will help make people make that crucial decision to press play. This includes the name of your podcast, the artwork, the way that you describe and promote it, and tailoring the content to your audience.

4.Get good tech and give your podcast a health check

The good news is that you don’t have to be a technical whizz to create a decent podcast. A good laptop is the podcast engine –  add a USB microphone, headphones and the relevant recording and editing software and you’re ready to go. However, not concentrating on good audio is a big pitfall. If your podcast sounds bad, people won’t continue to listen, so give your content a health check! Outsourcing part or all of the process is a good option.

5.Don’t let initial metrics lead to ‘podfade’

Hold your nerve, as early download figures can kill off a lot of podcasts that have the potential to be great. When you start a series it’s a gradual build up, and a common pitfall is ‘podfade’, where organisations stop their podcast all of a sudden, and without notice. An important metric, which people don’t tend to focus on, is episode retention. If the content is right, you should be getting an episode retention rate of 60 per cent or higher. Tie in specific key performance indicators for your business and include a call to action e.g. driving people to your website.

You can hear more of Steve’s insights on creating compelling podcasts by listening to episode 4 of our new podcast series The Marcomms Heart To Heart. Tune in at www.marcommshearttoheart.co.uk