Podcasting may not be as popular (or sexy) as video, but it’s proven to be a medium that can effectively reach a targeted audience. As content marketers, we all have the common goal of connecting with our target audience. Most of us also seek to find ways to differentiate from our competitors. Podcasting can be a big differentiator in your content strategy.
If you are thinking about podcasting, it’s easy to get noticed when you use the interview format.
Select a theme and name
The first step in effective podcasting is to develop the theme of your podcast show. Give thought to the topics you can cover in your industry and the people you can interview. Select a theme and stick with it. Give your podcast show a name. As you build your audience, a commitment to your theme is what will build loyalty.
Commit to a schedule
It’s important to think of podcasting as a show. It’s a commitment, just as any other element in your marketing plan, such as a blog. You should commit to a podcast episode at least once per month, preferably more frequently.
Strongly consider using the interview format
While you could do a podcast that features only you in a monologue (or someone in your company), you need the personality and content to pull it off. Truthfully, this can be tough. I personally like (and use) the interview format. The interview format has some distinct advantages.
It offers variety The biggest advantage to the interview format is that you have nearly endless options in guests and relevant topics no matter your industry. There are so many different types of guests you can have, including:
Clients
Strategic partners
Competitors (not joking)
People you encounter at conferences and events
Industry thought leaders including analysts, authors and celebrities.
You may be surprised how willing people in your industry will be to be a guest on your podcast. The podcast medium lends itself well to busy schedules because your guest can be on your podcast show from the comfort of any location that has an Internet connection. A typical podcast interview lasts between 20 and 60 minutes.
You benefit from the popularity of your guest The interview format works well because you can benefit from the popularity and subject matter expertise of your guests. Once you publish your podcast and begin to promote it, your guests and their loyal followers can help you drive listeners to your podcast. In most cases, your guest will willingly share and promote their interview with you.
You create goodwill But, what if you interview someone who isn’t known at all? Turn it around and help build awareness for your guest by sharing and promoting the interview. It’s not realistic to expect every podcast episode to be equally as popular, and your audience will be forgiving if one guest is not as appealing as previous guests (which is a subjective sentiment). The magic is in consistently producing podcasts with interesting guest interviews that build loyalty in your audience.
You build a personal brand Yet another reason I like the interview format is that it helps build your personal brand. As your podcast portfolio builds, so too does the brand and popularity of your podcast show. In time, you’ll receive requests from interested people who want to be guests on your podcast show.
Promote the podcast on your blog
Of course, each of your podcast episodes should be summarized in a blog post (aka show notes) with a photo of your guest and links to their content. Then, share that blog post using conventional social media:
Tweet it up
Post it to your Facebook page
Bookmark it
Email it to select people who may have interest in the podcast interview.
Make sure people can easily subscribe to your podcast through RSS and iTunes.
Remember, that when you interview someone, it’s all about them. Promote your guest. By making the podcast interview all about your guest the content marketing value of your podcast will come back to you in multiple ways.
Do you have any tips or stories of podcasting? We’d love to hear from you in the comments!
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