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Benefits of Podcasts

WHY DO I NEED PODCASTS?

It seems that podcasts have really boomed in popularity in the last year or so despite being around for at least a couple of decades.  Here is why podcasts are beneficial for small businesses.

1. They provide networking opportunities.

In the past, the only way a brand new business could get off the ground was by going door-to-door and personally advertising or making cold calls.  That makes for uncomfortable conversations (no matter what your business is).  With podcasts, however, you can reach out to people in your industry and ask them for an interview where your conversation is relaxed and much easier to simply flow.  LinkedIn is a great place to shop for potential interview guests and target customers.

2. It’s a very quick way to gather lots of content for your website.

For many, staring at a blank page knowing you need to write something meaningful is a super painful and laborious task; but podcasts make talking about your industry significantly easier than simply writing about something.  Having a conversation with someone who knows the business just like you allows for interesting questions to be asked and answered and provides an enriching, informative experience to your audience.  But how does that translate to content for your website?

The audio you collect from your podcast can be used to write out everything that was discussed.  If you’re not comfortable with the writing process yourself, you can hire a writer or you can turn the interview into a transcript using a tool like Temi (costs $0.10/minute).  These transcripts can be turned into a blog post or lead magnet for your website.

3. It builds awareness for your brand.

In order to succeed, people need to know your business exists.  Even if you only have a small number of people who listen to your podcast and share it with others, you are gaining new awareness and your business can still grow.

THE CHALLENGE OF CREATING PODCASTS

Expensive items aren’t necessary

I’m sure if you’ve done your research into podcasts to see if this route would work for you, you may have gotten bogged down by all the equipment and technicality advertised to you.  However, this does not have to be ridiculously complicated.  The quality of your podcast does not have to rival NPR.  So, with that in mind, let’s talk about how to begin your podcast. 

What do you need?

  • A phone

That’s right!  All you actually need to start is your phone.  Cell phones have remarkably good quality microphones built in them.  No need to drop $500 on a high quality microphone (unless you want to, of course).

This is a free app which you and your guests will download onto your phones.  Then you can both speak into the app and it records everything for you.

ADAM’S HOT TIPS FOR PODCASTING

  • Don’t use a personal computer for recording.  They often do not have the quality microphone that your phone will have (unless it’s an Apple MacBook Pro).
  • Set up your room with soft items to absorb the sound, or have open space.
  • Use the clap test and listen to see if you hear an echo. Your recording WILL pick it up.
  • Put a pillow behind your microphone (if you have one) and a blanket on top of your computer.  Speaking into soft things enhances audio quality.
Arranging your room with soft items to buffer the sound

FINAL TOUCHES

  • Find someplace for your audio files (mp3) to live.
  • You need a distribution system for the podcast (Apple iTunes, Google Podcast, Spotify, etc) so people can listen.
  • Anchor (at anchor.fm) is a free platform that provides a media player you can place on your website.
  • Don’t forget to get a transcript of your recording (from Temi) or write up show notes to boost your SEO each time you publish a podcast.

We hope this helps take away some of the fears surrounding the unknown technology of creating podcasts.  If you have a guest to interview, you could be up and running your podcast by this afternoon. 

You don’t need to know any technical elements for this to complement your Launch Kit and gain exposure for your business.  Please reach out to us with any questions and we look forward to hearing about your success using podcasts!

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