Thinking of starting a podcast for your brand? Here are a few questions to consider.
1) Why are you doing it? Producing a great podcast consistently takes a lot of work, so it’s important to believe in its mission. Is your goal to educate your potential customers or the community at large? Do you want to create awareness of your industry and encourage a larger conversation about it? Are you hoping to tell stories about your company’s employees or showcase your products in action? Whatever your motivation, make sure everyone on the team understands and is committed to the same purpose.
2) How will you serve – and build – your audience? There’s no shortage of podcasts these days, so it’s important to differentiate your content and/or the style of your presentation. What’s your plan to create must-hear audio for your target audience? Does your brand have a unique perspective that’s likely to engage listeners long-term? Then, how will you spread the word about your podcast? Develop an ongoing marketing plan to maintain your fans and attract new listeners.
3) Do you have the resources? Depending on the budget, your podcast might have a large production staff or the effort might be yours alone. At the very least, you’ll need a host; a producer to generate topic ideas and book guests; a writer / researcher to create questions and provide background information on those topics and guests; and a tech-savvy person to record, edit and distribute your podcast. Selling advertising or sponsorships? You’ll need a salesperson, too. If only one or two people will handle all those tasks, remember to consider their other responsibilities. The podcast will require a lot of time.
4) What’s the end game? How do you hope to benefit from your podcasting efforts? How will you define victory? By the way, there’s no rule that says your podcast has to live forever. You could design it to have a limited number of episodes or a specific end date. Later, you might start another podcast with a different focus or personality.
With our team of writers, recording engineers, voiceover talent, strategists and account managers, we can serve as consultants or help you design and execute your podcast. For details, email Steve Evert or call him directly at 419/724-7311.
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