Offering a way in which listeners can passively consume podcasts, whether it be on the commute, in the gym or at work, the audio format has become a staple for many businesses and their marketing efforts. In this article, we will be taking a closer look at exactly how to structure a podcast for your company, as well as what the potential benefits of choosing to invest in podcasting are when compared to traditional marketing methods.
The content of a podcast
The first thing that should be said about the content itself: you want to provide as much relevant, useful and entertaining information as possible. Podcasts are there to engage, and definitely not to sell your product or service; in many ways, this is the same for all forms of content marketing. Think about the latest news in your specific industry, memorable anecdotes and relevant information that your listeners will be able to take for free. You want to create a ‘fanbase' of sorts; without building this initial level of engagement, your listeners will never move down your funnel and into the lower stages.
The length of a business podcast
Podcasts can vary widely in duration. Some are as short as 5 minutes, whilst others last hours. Like all things, there are positives and negatives to the different durations, and the answer to what is the ideal length for my podcast will always be - it depends. It depends on your format, your content, your audience, your industry, and more. However, if we look at the data, the trend for average podcast duration has been decreasing over the years, suggesting that on average people prefer consuming shorter podcasts.
I recommend you aim for between 25 to 25 minutes for your podcast. This gives enough time to introduce the host, deliver useful content and throw in a few personal stories that your audience can relate to. However, don't be afraid to make your podcast longer or shorter; some of the best business podcasts are only five minutes long, in which they provide one highly useful, specific piece of information for the listener. At the same time, if you have a superstar guest featuring on your episode, then by all means consider making it longer. It all comes back to providing as much useful information to the listener, without boring them and having them disengage.
Part 1: The introduction of a business podcast
In your introduction, you should mention who you are, your mission for the podcast, and (very briefly) what your business does. The key takeaway here is that the business introduction should be very brief; this is not a sales pitch. If you are a sales company, for example, you would want your mission to be something like ‘helping to improve your sales techniques one day at a time'. This will also help to focus the podcast, and it should be kept in mind with everything you record.
One great way to grab listeners attention early on is to front-load content, tease them of what's to come in the episode in the introduction to keep them listening until the end.
Part 2: The bulk of the content
This is likely what you've spent the most time thinking about whilst planning your podcast. One important decision that needs to be made is what format your podcast will be. Will it be a solo podcast, with one speaker directly addressing the audience? Will it be co-hosted, with two speakers discussing a topic with the audience listening in? Will it be interview based, bringing on different guests each episode to share their expertise?
Once you have chosen your format, you can then start working on the content. The main section should focus on a specific topic within your niche. Again, if we are a sales company, you would want to write an episode on ‘making your customer the hero'. Within the episode, you would define exactly what the concept is, how the listener can actively implement this, some personal anecdotes (without overselling your services), and potentially a guest that could contribute to the discussion.
Part 3: The outro to the podcast
Wrapping up the podcast should involve summarising the key takeaways that your audience should remember and a call to action. Call to actions typically include telling the listeners to subscribe to the podcast, share with their friends, and connect with you on social media. One great way to engage your listeners is to tell them to ask you a question that you'll answer in the next podcast, as well as tease what the topic, or guest, of the next episode will be.
Lastly, if you have guests on your show, be sure to thank them and give them the opportunity to share with the listeners how they can engage with them. Make sure any links that are mentioned in the episode are listed in the show notes, such as links to your socials, emails, and website.
Creating a podcast for your own business
Podcasting is a brilliant way in generating a loyal fanbase for your business, allowing you to captivate listeners at almost any time of day; all they need are a pair of headphones!
If you would like to find more information on producing your own business podcast, you can visit Story Ninety-Four's podcasting page.
