Podcasts are becoming an increasingly popular way of sharing information and engaging with...
Podcasting for business: 101
Over the past year, at least 21.8% of South Africans have spent an average of 46 minutes listening to podcasts each day. This is an increase of almost 10% from this time last year and the numbers are set to rise.
According to Oberlo, there are over 2 000 000 active podcasts and almost 50 million episodes currently available worldwide, which tells me that podcasts are hot right now and research tells us they’re only going to get hotter.
Here in South Africa, people are opting to listen rather than read in increasing numbers.
One reason for this may be that it’s simply easier to listen today. After two years that saw us transition from sitting in our cars listening to 702 on our way to offices where we engaged face-to-face, to spending our time in largely remote situations that suddenly required additional tech like headphones and second monitors – it’s no surprise that listening, in general, is on the rise.
In fact, 60% of podcast content is consumed from the comfort of the listener’s home, but of those still driving in cars, 19% are saying they prefer to listen to podcasts in transit over listening to the radio.
Podcasts are not only upping their game in as far as popularity worldwide, but they’re also proving to be an easy way to monetise your thought leaders. In fact, TechCrunch tells us that, in the US, podcast revenue is projected to reach $2Bn this year and top $4Bn by 2024.
But what makes for a good B2B podcast and how might a very busy person go about setting things up?
To answer the first question is easy because a good B2B podcast (actually, any good podcast) does four things:
- It educates
3. It informs
4. It inspires
People listen to podcasts to learn something new and if what you have to say achieves this while remaining human at the same time, you’re onto a good wicket.
Like I said, easy.
The how is a bit more challenging.
But only a smidge.
How to build a smashing B2B podcast
As a start, you’re going to have to decide what your podcast is going to be. Is it a solo podcast or will you look at multi-hosts or an interview-style format? How often will you post a new episode? What format suits your niche best?
For the purposes of a business focussed cast, the solo podcast is the best option for those wishing to position themselves as a thought leader. This personal approach lets you delve deeply into your topics, sharing intelligence and learnings that establish yourself not only as an authority on your topic of choice but also as someone willing to educate, share knowledge and, all going well, inspire your audience.
As for everything else, to start, it’s best to follow the ideal, which, in this case, is to publish your 22-minute-long podcast on a Tuesday or a Wednesday morning, every week. As your podcast grows in audience and popularity, you can engage your audience to gauge changes in frequency and length.
Don’t phone this in
Running a podcast with intention means more than just buying a cool microphone and clicking record – it takes a dedication to delivering what audiences want – to learn new things, to be entertained, to stay informed, and to be inspired. As I’ve already indicated, competition is stiff and podcast fans aren’t sticking around unless you make an impact and give them the respect they deserve.
To check these boxes takes planning and time. Whether you plot a six-month podcast content calendar including an overview and speaking points for each podcast or employ the services of a content team to assist you in doing so, this is vital to success in the podcast world.
And to reach the type of listener you need, content specialists can also support the efforts to promote your podcast, whether this be through the writing of the blogs that should ideally follow each broadcast or creating social content that helps drive listeners to your podcast.
Stay tuned to this frequency for an upcoming blog where we talk about monetising your soon-to-be very popular podcast!
Podcast platform favourites:
For more info on how to up your podcast game, get in touch.
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