Russell Goldsmith, auderecommunications.com
What does the podcast format offer to companies in terms of reaching an audience that more traditional media do not? Podcasts are listened to on the commute, in the car, in the gym, out walking or running, or doing household chores. The other thing to consider is that a listener has specifically chosen to find, subscribe and download your content, so they are probably going to be interested in listening to it! The challenge, therefore, is not whether they will listen to a podcast, but why are they going to listen to yours, how are you going to keep them engaged.
What’s the most effective format for reaching a bigger audience?
I personally don’t think about success on reaching a bigger audience – it’s about reaching the right audience. For wider audiences, it really depends. Having a format of a panel discussion, for example, works well as having more voices on the podcast, mean there are more people, and their companies, you can tag on social to help spread the content. Another good format is to record at events.
If a brand is launching a podcast, they need a strategy of how they are going to get people to listen – as you are starting from zero followers/subscribers. So think about it like any other form of content marketing – it will need PR/ promotion, organic and paid, social, and so on – to get people to subscribe to you on Apple, Spotify, etc. And perhaps some paid podcast advertising slots too – that all comes down to budget of course.
How do you see the business of podcasting evolving – what’s the next step?
The challenge is no longer about whether or not someone listens to a podcast, it is how and why should they listen to your podcast. So you need to think about how you can differentiate – whether that’s in content or format. Think about what is different about your podcast compared to all the others out there. Russell is founder of Audere Communications, producers of B2B podcasts for clients that include SAP, Octopus Energy, AWS, and the London Stock Exchange among others.