Podcast Marketing: How to Do It and Why It’s So Profitable

Cheap, easy to produce, easy to promote and does wonders for credibility and brand identity: Podcasts are taking the world of digital advertising and marketing by storm, yet you can still stand out and get real value from them

In an era of instant stimuli and limited attention spans, the boom of podcasts is no small surprise. It is the good old audio, devoid of fireworks and pyrotechnics, that is now, 120 years after the first radio broadcast and a hundred years after the first radio advertisement, enjoying peak popularity. This is happening, of course, with a significant twist: it is no longer the preference of the editor, the programming or the broadcast schedule, but each person and their taste, their interests and their free time. It is possible that its quietness, together with the desire to focus on the content itself, explains the success of the format. This is alongside the great practical advantage: the mobility and multitasking that it allows. A good podcast is pleasant to listen to even while jogging on the promenade, training with weights, driving in traffic or cooking a meal for Shabbat.

In the world of digital advertising and marketing, the rise of podcasts is a great opportunity. First, it is a relatively inexpensive format: all you need is a microphone, basic editing software and usually an interviewer or guest. There is no need for a studio, photographers, editing rooms and complex technical knowledge (even in videocasts, the filmed podcast format, it is usually a simple room and a stationary camera – viewers have no expectation of any other visual quality). Second, thanks to podcast apps or services like RSS, accessibility and promotion are also relatively simple. It is of course advisable to give them an additional boost via social media.

But that is only part of the story. Because a good podcast can help build trust in the brand, and it has great value when it comes to strengthening the relationship with listeners, i.e. customers and potential customers. When they hear our voice, and not just read the message or rely on this or that presenter, they feel more connected. They perceive us as having authority, professionalism, and credibility in the field and are also exposed to a more human side, for example, the dilemmas we raise. And unlike reading an article or watching a video, they can maintain engagement even while doing completely different tasks and activities.

What to record

It is important to understand that there is more than one way to create a good podcast, and there is no “right” or “wrong” here. Here is a question: Should we bring in guests, or will we appear alone? Inviting experts and famous people will help brand us as a significant factor in the field, and will also contribute to promoting the podcast through their followers. Should we record ourselves solo, or will we invite an interviewer to “speak” to us about the topics we wanted to cover and refine? There are advantages here and there: a one-man show gives you full control over the content and 100 percent of the listeners’ attention, provided of course that we have the ability to host such a broadcast alone. And that’s not trivial.

More dilemmas: Will it be an ongoing series, or a short and focused one? Will we address current affairs, or would we prefer it to be suitable for all times (evergreen content)? Either way, it’s recommended to go on air with more than one available episode in the first launch. This conveys seriousness and continuity, helps create weight right from the start, and encourages listeners to continue with us.

And here’s something that should never be done: Even if we’re very confident in ourselves, swimming in the material and reciting it in our sleep, we shouldn’t come to a podcast without a script, a list of questions, topics for discussion, or at least chapter headings and keywords that will remind us of what we wanted to cover. It’s also important not to overdo it: Whether we chose to be alone in the recording (or filming) or whether we went ping-ponging with an interviewer or guest, it’s worth keeping it short. Short answers, short sentences, without too many ramifications and sections – anything that will make it easier for listeners to connect and stay in the picture.

Quite a few podcasts, inspired by traditional radio broadcasts, take short breaks. Incorporating music clips can be a good idea, which will help lighten the atmosphere a bit and divide the topic into sub-chapters. Obviously, this won’t be appropriate for every topic, and it also depends on the length of the entire episode. As for the content itself, here too there are several ways to present the topic. Will it be general or specific? How will the different chapters be divided and what will make each chapter unique? A popular format in the world of podcasts is the How To, and it is advisable to include as many practical tips and unique “magic solutions” as possible.

How to Stand Out

The number of podcasts active worldwide at the end of 2020 is estimated at 850,000 (and it’s likely that a few more were born while you were reading this). While this format has long been a part of life in the United States, it arrived in Israel fashionably late, with the year of the Corona pandemic being the year of its big breakthrough: Spotify reported a 148% jump in the number of listeners during it, with half a million Israelis doing so for the first time in their lives.

With so many options and such an influx, it’s recommended – and certainly possible – to stand out: humor, flow, a special way of storytelling, audience participation and increased engagement through puzzles, inviting questions or even phone calls, and most importantly – real value for listeners, whether in a general field of interest or in a specific professional niche. And finally, don’t be lazy with the packaging: a well-designed cover for a podcast, conveying the look and feel it’s supposed to convey, can help it attract attention among its thousands of competitors on apps.

Bottom line, a podcast is a wonderful way to market a brand. It’s relatively easy and cheap to produce and promote, and belongs to a world that is growing at a rapid rate year after year. And as anyone who has already tried and recorded will attest, it’s also a lot of fun.

For all episodes of “Time to Think”, the Goffman Creative podcast >