What’s all the fuss about podcasting?
The name Joe Rogan may not be familiar to many; however, Joe recently inked a deal with Spotify for $100 million! The world’s largest audio platform also added Kim Kardashian-West to its podcast stable, as it continues to invest in a medium that still has many wondering what it’s all about. IN Noosa’s resident podcaster John Caruso explains how to make the most out of the platform.
When someone asks me about podcasting, their first question, is “what is it?”, followed by, “how do I listen to it?” and then “where do I find it?”
My response, almost always, includes the line about how people didn’t know what Netflix was a decade ago, now, almost everyone has an account. Streaming video on demand (SVOD) is part of our entertainment landscape and the growth and investment in podcasting; streaming audio on demand, will be an important part of that landscape too.
For us, the 80+ episodes of our podcast, Conversations IN Noosa, is about complementing the IN Noosa brand and continuing that local story-telling arc, however, there is no limit to the kind of content that’s discoverable in the podcast environment.
As we move forward in this post-lockdown world, adding a podcast to the digital side of your brand could make good business sense.
Steve Pratt is a blogger and founder of Pacific Content, makers of podcasts with brands, and he recently wrote about utilising your own brand’s channels for distribution, when it comes to growing the podcasting pie and having your content reach an audience that already has a relationship with your brand.
Say you run a business. You’re a savvy operator who’s budgeted for marketing and advertising and you have a social media presence as well. There’s a loyal, growing number of clients/customers that support you and you’re cultivating those customers and developing a sold relationship with them, turning them into ‘super fans’ of your brand.
Podcasting is an effective, intimate way of continuing to grow your relationship however you’re dwelling on the ‘how do I reach an audience’ part of the process. Right?
Steve writes that being part of a larger podcast network umbrella is great, however reaching and finding the right audience that connects with your brand can still be a tricky process. So, why not use the channels that you’ve already created? Does your brand have a website? An app? Social media sites with decent traffic?
“A considerable portion of the people that your brand can reach are not regular podcast listeners, however, by using your own channels effectively, your brand can be one of the sources of growing the overall podcast industry, plus you’re not preaching to the converted and you’re growing the pie all at the same time. And as a brand, who wouldn’t want to have the opportunity to give a new listener their first ever podcasting experience?” says Steve.
So now that you’ve established that you’ve got all the right channels, right under your nose, to branch out into the podcasting landscape, how do you go about creating the right content?
A podcast that simply bangs on about your own brand will come off sounding like an infomercial and there’s little-to-no value at all for your audience. Workshop ideas around your business strategy, goals and values and then decide on what ‘voice’ your podcast should have. Explore and establish a sweet spot between an area of interest to your brand and an area of interest for your audience (customers/clients). The area
where those two interests overlap? That’s the content for your podcast.
Who knows, from humble beginnings, your podcast just might be the next one Spotify invests in!
I’m not greedy, by the way, so Joe if you could loan me a mere million out of your $100 million, I’d be a happy camper.
Contact John Caruso on 0414 436 732 or john@innoosamagazine.com.au to talk about how podcasting can benefit your brand and catch-up on the latest Conversations IN Noosa podcasts on your favourite podcast platform.
