5 Podcasting Tips for Businesses

Podcasts have become an increasingly popular means of communication in recent years thanks to their versatility and adaptability. They can serve diverse purposes, from promoting products or services to fostering deeper connections with clients or customers. Additionally, podcasts can be easily transformed into written or visual content, making them an efficient and cost-effective way to create a variety of marketing materials.

If you're considering launching or enhancing your podcast, we're here to help. Below, we've compiled five expert tips to get you started and ensure your podcast succeeds. 

1. Choose a Niche and Stick to It

A podcast's topics can make or break it. Good topics can attract thousands of listeners, but too broad of a topic or a lack of focus can quickly lead to a loss of audience. For this reason, it's essential to select a very specific topic. Instead of writing a general podcast about health, start smaller. Focus on exercise tips and routines or special diets such as paleo or keto. These two specific topics can produce many subtopics. 

2. Get on iTunes / Apple Podcasts

Although there are some restrictions on content, iTunes is a popular platform for podcasting. iTunes already has a vast audience with 52% of the listening market share, eliminating many of the initial problems with reaching people. That's not to say a podcast should only be published on iTunes, but it's a big help with establishing an audience for it.

Other top podcast directories include Spotify (the number two listening destination}, Google Podcasts, and Tunein. 

3. Choose a Podcast Model

While it's important to choose a niche for a podcast, choosing a model is equally important. A podcast can be used to market products and services, drive traffic to a website, or attract attention to an organization, or the podcast itself can be a product.

A common way to utilize podcasts is to write content around sponsors and sell advertising spots. Many podcasts that feature product reviews or spotlights will have at least one spot for a sponsored product. Podcasters are paid to write a review on a product or are given a product as compensation. Advertisements can also be sold much like radio advertisements. Some writers include a short break in the middle or at the end of the podcast for such advertisements.

Podcasts can be sold as information products. A podcast might feature weekly web building tips that users pay to listen to. Courses can be hosted as a podcast with worksheets or workbook downloads as a bonus for purchasing the podcast. In this model, it's essential to create a call to action, whether it's subscribing to an email list, completing coursework, participating in community discussion, or anything else. Information products often rely on community engagement. 

4. Utilize Social Media Platforms

To gain listeners, it's a good idea to utilize social media. Facebook and Twitter are two of the top social media platforms but don't rule out Instagram and Pinterest. There are many tools available to help streamline social media management so that you don't spend much time posting and marketing podcasts on social media. However, user engagement is also essential. Creating graphics for podcasts and posts and engaging with users can be time-consuming. Many businesses have dedicated positions or outsource their social media marketing.

Don't forget email as a way to grow your podcast. You can let people know about new episodes, special offers, or anything else related to the podcast!

5. Don't Overthink SEO

SEO has become such a big thing that many people tend to focus on it too much. Keywords are vital so that users can find relevant podcasts. However, stuffing titles and descriptions with keywords just to try to help rankings can come off as being "spammy," driving away potential listeners. In the long run, too much focus on SEO can hurt ranking more than help it. SEO should never detract from an audience's experience.

Final Thought: Transcribe Your Podcast

Transcribing your podcast audio should be part of your marketing strategy.

If you are interested in turning your podcast into text, we can help. Albright Administration offers high-quality transcription services for podcasters who want to reach a wider audience, improve their SEO, or create additional content from their audio. Whether you need a full transcript, a summary, or a blog post based on your podcast, we can deliver it accurately. Contact us today and let us know what you need. We are always happy to answer questions or provide you with a free, no-obligation quote.