Successful Podcasts' Share Seven Qualities

Posted by James Obermayer on Sep 28, 2018 1:49:17 PM

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You may not realize it, but B2B podcasts from you and your company create multi-use content, testimonials, thought leadership, and relationships with industry leaders. Plus, podcasts create a personal brand for the host.  Podcasts introduce you and your products to thousands of potential customers and those that refer customers, but there are seven things you must have in mind to be a success.  

  1. You must be consistent: To gain followers (listeners and subscribers) you must produce a show that they can follow. Once a month programming is very good, twice a month for moderately sized companies provides visibility and a following. Weekly programs published from large companies and marketing departments are better when they can use the enormous amount of content which comes from each podcast.  Podcasts Reach Weekend Listeners with Work-Related Content
  2. Your show needs professionalism: After all, this is entertainment, but the host’s actual voice isn’t as important as the content, editing, timing, and commercial delivery.  Sound, host and announcer quality are important.  Music introductions, transcripts, separate announcers and commercials add interest and entertainment value. Professionally produced podcast agencies can produce a podcast for the host and company including the storage site, studio, announcer, music, artwork, embeddable code, etc., for as little as $500 per episode. 
  3. Content must be interesting: Each program’s title and its content must be stimulating and worth the time invested by the listener. Programs with “How-To” or similar titles are the most popular and long lasting.   Using an industry personality’s name may help, but you have to use a giant name such as Marc Benioff in the title to benefit from it.
  4. Your company can use the content many ways:  See 16 Ways a Podcast Creates Useable Content. Podcasts produce so much potential content that each show provides a plethora of content options.   This multi-use content is used in testimonial quotes, blogs, nurture messages, ebooks, hard cover books, guest websites, white papers or case studies.
  5. It takes time to build the brand:  Whether it is your company name or your name, it takes more than a few episodes to build a following.  At 6-12 episodes, people recognize the company and that you are hosting a regular podcast.  With each succeeding show you gain listeners, followers and a reputation.  Considering how little time you put into a podcast (22-30 minutes a show) it’s a good investment.  How to Measure Podcast Contributions to Revenue.
  6. Guests are easy to get:   Guests want the exposure as much as you do.  90-95% of the people you ask to be guests will agree.   With over 500 executive interviews I can count on one hand the people that have turned me down, usually because of timing.   Guests love to be heard, they feel honored that you ask.   After all, it is all about them.
  7. The ideal show length:  An ideal program length should be determined by how much time a listener will give you.  An hour is too long (most producers will agree) because the listener has probably reached their destination, come in from walking the dog or run their training circuit.  22-30 minutes is ideal for the listener who listens on a mobile device away from work.  Longer than that and your guests may also run out of things to talk about; keep it short and less boring.

Follow these tips and you too can join the podcast personalities that reach thousands of listeners with thought provoking guests.  Today’s mobile listeners want business entertainment and training without the pitch of so many social media outlets. 

 


About the author:  James Obermayer is the founder of the Sales Lead Management Association and the publisher of the Funnel Media Group which produces programming for the Funnel Radio Channel.  Can you recognize the program personalities on the Funnel Radio Channel?


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Topics: Podcast


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