Podcasts are part of life for many digital professionals including writers, designers, coding experts and anybody else who needs a little background company while working. This unique and still relatively new medium is fertile ground for advertising, especially from a digital marketing perspective. Providing you don’t overload your listener with relentless sales pitches, they can even be used as a direct marketing tool themselves. Here’s Probella’s guide on how to use podcasts and audio content for marketing.
Sponsors
Whether you’re a content creator or a business looking to get their brand message out to as many people as possible, the idea of sponsorship is now integral to the podcast landscape. If you’re a business, choosing a podcast that represents your ethos and appeals to your core audience is the best approach. Music driven podcasts are often sponsored by record labels or ticket sellers, whereas comedy podcasts often enjoy lucrative partnerships with drinks companies and confectionary makers. As a content creator, securing the correct sponsor is also important. A larger brand is almost always a good option; however, it must be relevant to your audience in some way. A dense and very industry specific discussion about the pros and cons of specific financial technology probably won’t sound very professional if its book ended by adverts about cleaning products.
How to approach sponsors
Short list a few potentials first and narrow down which of the ones on your list are the most appropriate to get in touch with. Don’t ask for money straight away and always make sure you phrase any emails in way that presents this an opportunity, rather than a request for “help.” Once you have found an interested party, discuss how you can help each other. This could involve a full-scale advert during the podcast itself or just a few mentions of a company here and there.
Industry Specific Podcasts
Like blogging, podcasting is now an accessible medium that attracts people from all walks of life and a myriad of industry sectors. As a way of building up an authoritative reputation in your industry, this type of audio content can be a cheap, and relatively simple way of reaching both potential customers and other professionals in your area. The key with this type of content is to make it as interesting and entertaining as possible. That means striking a balance between dry, jargon heavy discussions about the latest industry develops and a little light-hearted chat or even music-based content to break things up a little bit. In digital marketing, podcasts tend to focus on one issue or a specific area that the participants are willing to discuss. So, for example, trends in graphic design, this year’s best analytics tools or a q and a based around customer service. With any potentially “dry” material like this, it’s important to keep in mind that feeling you get when a presentation goes on for a little too long. This is the exact opposite of how you want your audience to feel. Breaking up the content into clear sections, perhaps using short adverts or mentions of a sponsor as segue can be a good strategy to combat this.
Finding an audience of industry specific podcasts
Use your existing base of followers on social media. Linked in can be particularly good for this kind of content as most people browsing that network are already in a “work” mindset, meaning they’re likely to be receptive to industry specific content. Twitter and Facebook links also work, but you’ll need to make sure you’re posting at the right time and targeting the right people. With this type of content, no matter how professional it is, casual listeners with no interest in the subject are unlikely to stick around for long.
Product Review Podcasts
This style of content is extremely popular as it merges the worlds of consumer advice and entertainment. Influencers who review footwear, games, food products and even less glamorous items such as stationary can enjoy thousands of views if they target the right people. The same can be said of audio podcast that are focused on products. Ideally, you shouldn’t just review your own items as there can appear nepotistic, however, mentioning something alongside your competitors in a positive light can work quite well.
Language and tone
This is key when creating this style of podcast as you don’t want to sound as if you are selling too hard. The accepted convention for most podcast content is relatively casual, easy going and free flowing language that isn’t too challenging to listen to. Conversations should sound natural, not forced and any mentions of specific products should happen organically, rather than sounding as if they have been crowbarred in at the last minute.
Other Audio Content
Local radio adverts plus streaming services such as Spotify and Soundcloud can provide savvy marketers with plenty of opportunity for advertising space. A quick, 30 second audio advert at the beginning of an album is often a great way of getting a message across succinctly and though it can be expensive to advertise on the most popular sites, the reach is massive, meaning you can expect more engagement. Radio adverts can vary in cost depending on the time of day you want your message to be heard and on the station you approach. Like podcast content, it makes sense to present your advert during a show that fits with your brand ethos and audience demographic if possible.
What to avoid
Poor quality sound, mumbled conversations, in jokes that your audience don’t understand and anything else that could potentially repel your listeners. Think about how podcasts are consumed. They need to sound natural, organic and be enjoyable to listen to. As soon as you start to grate on your listener, they will simply seek entertainment elsewhere. Competition is fierce and the quality of audio content matters just as much as anything written or visual.
