These days, it seems like every brand has a podcast—no matter the industry, subject matter or area of expertise. With so many online resources and podcast production tools at our fingertips, it’s easier than ever to figure out how to start a podcast, but does that mean it’s the right move for everyone?
Podcasting is an accessible medium that anyone can learn to use effectively, so there’s no harm in experimenting with a podcast of your own. The only reason you might want to think twice about starting a podcast is if it doesn’t seem like an appealing idea to you, but even then, you can always outsource the work to people who are passionate about podcasting (as long as you’re passionate about the subject matter).
There’s no downside to launching a podcast as an extension of your brand because at the very least, it can serve as a fascinating branding exercise that will ultimately help you enrich your key messaging and dive deeper into your topic. If you’re still looking for a reason to get started, here are 10 signs your brand might be ready for a podcast:
Whether you’ve achieved a PhD or written a successful book about your subject, if you can confidently call yourself an expert, a podcast may be in your future. Even if you haven’t reached any big milestones in your area, you may feel like you’ve garnered enough knowledge over the years to speak about it for hours, which is a sure sign you’d be great at podcasting.
With podcasting, you have the unique opportunity to chat about your subject for upwards of an hour, which presents an easy and effective way for brands to tell their stories and connect with listeners. If you have a strong brand story or message you’d like to get across to your audience, a podcast would be the best place to start.
Do you often find yourself lost in conversation with people who are interested in the same things as you? You might want to turn that passion into profit by hitting ‘record’ before your next chat session (well, it involves a little more work than that, but you get the idea!).
4. You’re well-spoken by nature.Podcasting is an auditory platform, so if you tend to shy away from writing but speaking is your jam, a podcast may be the right fit for you. Put that gift of gab to good use and share your knowledge far and wide. Even if you don’t consider yourself a natural speaker, there are plenty of ways you can work on improving your voice and tone overtime.
While there’s nothing wrong with launching a podcast at the same time as your company, it could be wise to leave a little buffer time so you can really nail down your brand messaging before branching off into new mediums. Take some time to drill down on your company’s values, ideologies and area of focus so you and your audience are crystal clear on what you’re all about.
If you’ve never launched a podcast before, you’ll likely run into a bit of a learning curve as you dive in. While you probably already have plenty of transferable skills that can be applied to podcasting, you’ll need to learn about new tools, platforms and software apps to help you make your show the best it can be. A willingness to learn and consistently improve can take you far in the podcast industry (or any industry, for that matter!).
While this isn’t necessarily a requirement for starting a podcast, research skills can really come in handy during the process of planning and writing episodes. Diving deep into a topic and pulling out interesting tidbits can be a great way to add some colour to your script and entice listeners.
If you answered “yes” to number three on this list, you’ll likely be enthusiastic about featuring guests on your podcast. Again, featuring guest interviews isn’t a hard-and-fast requirement, (hint: there are no hard-and-fast requirements when it comes to podcasting!) but speaking to leaders, innovators or changemakers in your space can be a great way to showcase new and interesting perspectives on your topic.
Creating a podcast about a niche topic not many people are talking about is definitely a viable option, but it’s also not a bad sign if there’s already some buzz online about your topic. We’re supporters of getting more specific with whatever topics you cover, but with that being said, you don’t want to go so niche that you have a total of five listeners that can relate to your subject matter. So overall, it’s always safe to select a topic that will stand out from the crowd but also tap into a significant audience segment.
10. You’re willing to put in the work.With great podcasts comes great responsibility. Just kidding, but if you’re planning on launching a podcast, you’ll need to put in some effort to stay consistent with your goals and continue growing through communications tactics like social media, newsletters, blogs and more. You can always hire an agency to help you out, but at the end of the day, behind every successful podcast there’s at least one passionate person working overtime to make it happen.
Mackenzie Patterson is Quill Inc.’s digital content strategist.
