Are you looking to launch a branded podcast in 2024? This article is for you!
Today’s landscape underscores that content is king—be it from brands, content creators, influencers, or even your neighbor. Content is everywhere! 😵💫
Podcasts have emerged as a beacon in the sea of media, offering a unique form of storytelling that combines intimacy, accessibility, and authenticity.
For brands, this presents a golden opportunity to forge stronger connections with their audience while reinforcing their identity and values. But how do you create a podcast? How can a brand transform a simple idea into a captivating podcast that resonates with its audience and consumers? 🤔
In this article, we’ll explore how to create a branded podcast, whether you’re a company employee, an entrepreneur, or a freelancer looking to strengthen your personal brand; whether you’re a startup seeking visibility or an established company aiming to enhance customer relations, this guide is for you. 💪
From defining your target audience to airing your first episode, through creating a brand identity both sonically and visually, we will cover all the key steps to successfully launch your podcast.
Table of Contents:
- What is a podcast?
- The podcast: a goldmine for brands
- Defining your listener persona
- Defining your podcast’s concept
- Creating a brand identity for your podcast
- How to create an in-house brand podcast
- Hiring an agency to produce your podcast
- Hosting your podcast
- Promoting your brand podcast
- Analyzing your podcast and its successes
What is a podcast?
The media universe has always been extremely dynamic, with trends and phenomena following one after another. But in recent years, a new form of media has appeared and is increasingly being integrated into brand strategies: the podcast.
So, what exactly is a podcast?
Definition and Origins
The term “podcast” is a blend of “iPod” (Apple’s media player) and “broadcast” (transmission).
Historically, the concept of podcasting emerged in the early 2000s when the internet and new technologies enabled the creation and distribution of audio files. 🎙️
A podcast is essentially a series of audio episodes that users can download or stream on their devices (mobile or desktop). This format mixes traditional radio broadcasting with the freedom of the internet. 💥
What is a Podcast?
Characteristics of a Podcast Unlike traditional radio, podcasts offer unprecedented flexibility. Listeners can subscribe, download, and listen to episodes wherever and whenever they want.
Whether during a car ride 🚗, a workout session 🏃♂️, or even while preparing dinner 🍳.
This ease of access, combined with a wide range of topics, quickly makes podcasts extremely popular among a diverse audience.
Podcasts come in two forms:
- It can be audio content created by an independent or a brand on a specific topic. This is known as a native podcast.
- Or it can be the replay of a radio show that airs on the waves and that you want to re-listen to whenever you want. It can also be the audio of a video such as a conference or a YouTube video. This is known as a podcast replay.
The Evolution of the Podcast
Today, podcasts are not just a form of entertainment or information. They have become a powerful tool for storytelling and marketing for brands. 🔥
Thanks to their intimate and engaging nature, podcasts allow brands to create a strong and authentic connection with their target.
The podcast: a goldmine for brands
An ever-growing audience
Today, podcasts are no longer just a trendy phenomenon and are no longer a niche medium.
According to the Infinite Dial from Edison Research, 80 million people in the US tune into their favorite podcasts weekly. Podcast consumption has nearly doubled from five years ago. 📈
Who are the podcast listeners?
So who are these famous podcast listeners? What is their typical profile? Well, know that this is a target audience that is usually quite difficult to attract for marketing professionals. 🕵️♂️
- Target upper middle class with high education levels
- High consumption of cultural products: books, video and audio streaming platforms
- Hyper connected to social media
- Consumes a bit of all media. They are very up-to-date with the news.
- Generally aged between 35 and 45 years and with a roughly equal gender distribution.
A Format Conducive to Connection
Podcasts offer a proximity and personalization that few media can match. The voice 🗣️, the central element of the podcast, creates a sense of intimacy and trust between the listener and the narrator.
For a brand, using the podcast as a storytelling tool allows it to humanize its communication, share its values, and build a relationship of trust with its audience.
Defining your listener persona
For a branded podcast to be effective, it is crucial to understand and define precisely WHO you want to address. This essential step allows you to produce content that truly resonates with your target audience.
What is a Listener Persona? 🤔
A listener persona is a semi-fictional representation of your ideal listener. Based on real data and informed assumptions, it describes the characteristics, behaviors, motivations, and goals of your target audience.
Knowing your listener persona will help you tailor the tone, style, and content of your podcast to be as relevant and engaging as possible.
Creating your listener persona: the Ausha model
At Ausha, we know how crucial this step is but also how difficult it can be to execute. That’s why we have created a template that you can download for free on our website to help you.
To fill out this listener persona sheet, ask yourself a series of questions. The goal here is to put yourself in the shoes of your target listener:
- Who is the listener you want to address?
- What motivations drive them to listen to your podcast?
- What are their barriers to listening to your podcast?
- What other content does your listener consume?
- What is a typical day for your persona?
- On which communication channels are they particularly present?
- What are therefore the possible points of contact?
- etc.
To answer these questions, start by collecting data. Use demographic information (like Ausha’s geolocation statistics, for example), listening habits, content preferences, and feedback from current listeners. 📈
👉 You can find all this in the dashboard of your Ausha manager. 💜 cf part 10 of this article. 👇
Surveys, interviews, and analysis of social networks are excellent ways to gather this information.
Once the data is collected, create one or more persona profiles. Include details such as age, gender, profession, interests, and challenges they face. The more detailed your persona, the easier it will be to create content that speaks directly to your audience.
Adapting Your Podcast Content to the Persona
Finally, use your listener persona to guide the creation and promotion strategies of your podcast. From choosing topics to how to approach them, every aspect of your podcast should be designed to please and interest your ideal listener.
Well-targeted content increases the chances of engaging and retaining your audience. 💪
Defining the concept of your podcast
After defining your listener persona, the next step is to find a captivating concept for your branded podcast.
Brainstorming Concepts 💡
Start with a brainstorming session. Consider the interests of your listener persona, the values of your brand, and the topics that could create a deep connection with your audience. Don’t be afraid to explore innovative ideas or to step outside the box.
Once you have a list of ideas, it’s time to validate them. Ask yourself crucial questions:
- Does this concept reflect our company’s values?
- Is it likely to engage our listener persona?
- Does it have long-term development potential?
- Is it ROI-effective in relation to our marketing objectives?
- etc.
Refining the concept is an iterative process that may involve adjustments based on feedback, current trends, and the evolving objectives of the brand.
A Unique and Memorable Concept 🌈
Your goal is to create a concept that stands out in the podcast universe. Whether it’s a unique angle on a popular topic, an innovative narrative approach, or an intelligent integration of the brand’s voice, your concept must be both memorable and engaging. ✨
Let me nuance this point: if you see that another podcast on the same theme as yours exists, don’t give up! This doesn’t mean that your concept won’t work. On the contrary, it means that an audience exists in the podcast market! It’s up to you to go and capture it! 🥰
As for the podcast that deals with the same subject as you: make it an ally by cross-promoting!
Brand Consistency 🎙️
Finally, make sure that the concept of your podcast is in harmony with the overall identity of your brand. It should complement and reinforce your message and values, creating a complete and coherent brand experience for your audience. 👌
Defining a brand identity for your podcast
The brand identity of your podcast is essential to distinguish it in a crowded market. Remember: 2024 is a time when attention is very expensive. A strong and consistent brand identity with your company creates a memorable experience for listeners and strengthens your brand recognition. 💪
Step #1 Extend your brand’s charter to your podcast 📚
Your podcast should be an extension of your existing brand identity. This means that the visual and sound elements of your podcast should reflect the graphic charter and values of your brand.
Think about the colors, logos, fonts, and visual style that must be in harmony with your overall brand communication. 🎨
Step #2 Create an attractive cover ✨
The cover (or thumbnail) of your podcast is the first visual element that your potential listeners will see, so it is crucial that it is attractive and professional.
It should capture attention while conveying the essence of your podcast. 👀 Use colors, images, and typography that catch the eye while remaining true to your brand identity.
👉 Read our dedicated article on creating a podcast cover. You will find all our best tips for making your podcast stand out visually.
Step #3 Ensure your brand identity is visible on all platforms 🎧
Your podcast’s identity should be consistent across all platforms—whether on podcast apps, social media, or your website.
Visual consistency will help build your brand recognition.
How to create an in-house branded podcast
Launching a podcast internally may seem daunting, but with the right preparation and tools, it is an enriching process that can add great value to your brand. And it can especially save you budget! 💰
Step #1 Buy the right equipment 🎤
Audio quality is paramount in podcast production.
Invest in good microphones, an audio recorder, headphones, and editing software. You don’t need the most expensive equipment, but choosing quality gear will significantly improve the listening experience.
👉 Here is an article with all the equipment you need to launch your first podcast.
Step #2 Write the script for your episodes ✍️
Even if you want a natural and conversational tone, having a script or detailed plan is essential for quality output.
This ensures that you cover all important points and will also help you maintain a coherent structure for your episode. In short, it will prevent you from going off on tangents! 😵💫
Of course, the script should reflect the tone of your brand and speak directly to your listener persona. 😉
Step #3 Record your first episode 👍
Choose a quiet environment to minimize background noise. If you should remember only one piece of advice from this entire article, it might be just this one: record in a carpeted room, where the sound does not bounce! 🎙️
Recording may require multiple takes to achieve the right tone and pace. Don’t forget to take breaks and breathe – this will make editing much easier.
Another little tip: record with a glass of water next to you. Already because it’s important to stay hydrated and also because it will prevent you from recording mouth and saliva noises at the microphone. 👄
Step #4 Edit your first episode 🎚️
Editing is the stage where you can really refine your podcast. This includes cutting unnecessary sections, adjusting sound levels, and adding music or jingles.
Software like Audacity or Adobe Audition can be used for this step.
Hiring an agency to produce your podcast
Sometimes, entrusting the creation of your podcast to a specialized agency can be the best option, especially if you have time or resource constraints. Here’s what to consider when collaborating with an agency:
Advantages of Working with an Agency 💼
- Professional Expertise: Agencies bring technical and creative expertise, ensuring high-quality sound and content.
- Time Savings: Entrusting production to an agency frees up your time to focus on other aspects of your business.
- Resources and Networks: Agencies often have access to extensive resources and networks, including professional voice actors, music composers, and marketing specialists.
How to choose the Right Agency for your branded podcast 🔍
- Experience and Portfolio: Look for an agency with experience in your sector and an impressive portfolio.
- Understanding of the Brand: The agency must understand the identity and objectives of your brand to create content that resonates with your audience.
- Transparency and Communication: Good communication is essential. The agency should offer transparency regarding costs, timelines, and the production process. Even when working with an agency, your involvement remains important. Provide clear guidance, constructive feedback, and stay involved throughout the process to ensure that the final product reflects your brand’s vision and values.
Evaluating the ROI of your podcast 💹
Don’t forget to evaluate the return on investment (ROI) of your podcast. Determine how you will measure success (listens, engagement, conversion, etc.) and make sure the agency understands your expectations regarding performance. 🤝
Hosting your podcast
Once you’ve created and refined your podcast, the next step is to make it accessible to EVERYONE. 🎧
Choosing the right podcast hosting platform is essential. Today, you have the choice between several types of podcast hosts. So that you choose the one that perfectly matches your project and that you do not hinder the success of your podcast, here is what you should pay particular attention to…
Ensure you have unlimited storage 🔄
Some hosts limit the number of episodes you can upload to their platform or the number of listens you can record per month. To push back this limit, they offer you to switch to a more expensive but less restrictive subscription.
This is your first point of vigilance: do not hinder the success of your podcast with a limited number of episodes or listens. Opt directly for a host that does not block you in the creation and publication of your episodes.
You do not know what your podcast can become. It could become a reference in its field and help you establish your expertise on the topic you have chosen.
It would therefore be a shame if your host were the reason why your podcast could not evolve.
👉 At Ausha, you can host your podcast unlimitedly. No limit to your success: publish when you want and the number of episodes you want.
Choose a host connected to ALL listening platforms 🎧
The vast majority of podcast hosts offer broadcasting on the largest listening platforms on the market like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Deezer, or Google Podcasts. But not all offer the possibility of referencing your show on other applications that may seem secondary at first glance but nevertheless record many listens every month.
Depending on the devices used by your listeners, these listening platforms differ. It would therefore be a shame to deprive yourself of part of your potential audience by contenting yourself with broadcasting your show only on the largest platforms.
Save time with an easy-to-use platform 💪
Creating a podcast takes enough time and energy to lose unnecessarily with your host. On the contrary, a hosting platform should make life easier for podcasters.
And this notably involves ease of use, an attractive design, and easy-to-use features. Choose a hosting platform that offers a fast and simplified broadcasting process with the ability to reference your podcast on all applications in one click.
The importance of statistics
Do not settle for following your number of listens, go further!
Even if this data is very important (it is probably the compass for many podcasters), it is not the only statistic to monitor to measure the success of a podcast. A host has access to a lot of very valuable data that allows you to follow your evolution.
👉 Not all hosting platforms offer the same level of analysis. With Ausha, you have access to the most advanced data on the market, all in a practical and intuitive dashboard!
Carefully study the marketing tools offered by the host
Once you have hosted and then broadcast your podcast on all listening platforms, the next step is communication and promotion of your new episodes. Without that, you will not be able to get listens. To help you make your show known, to convince your target audience to listen to it and to retain them afterwards, pay particular attention to all the services and features that your host offers you.
Ausha offers you a whole constellation of marketing tools to propel your podcast:
- Customizable Video Clip
- Newsletter
- SEO optimized web page
- Audio Player (Smartplayer)
- Unique link (Smartlink)
- Social Media Manager
- …
Broadcasting your podcast
After creating and hosting your podcast, effectively broadcasting it is essential to reach and captivate your target audience and achieve your marketing goals. Here’s how to proceed to maximize the impact of your branded podcast. 💥
Thanks to the RSS feed created by the host you chose in the previous step, you will be able to broadcast your show to everyone on listening platforms like Spotify, Deezer, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Music.
Should you be broadcast on all platforms or should you choose them? 🤔
The more you are referenced on all listening platforms, the better! Depending on the devices on which your listeners listen to their podcasts, the platform may be different.
For example, if you have an Apple smartphone, you probably have the reflex to go to Apple Podcasts. If you use rather an Android, you do not have an application installed by default. Do not put all your eggs in one basket! 🥚🥚
To settle for one single listening platform would mean depriving yourself of part of your audience.
The Ausha hosting platform is connected to more than 20 French and international listening platforms. In 1 click, your show is broadcast everywhere and everyone can listen to it!
Communicating on your branded podcast
Once your podcast is created, hosted, and broadcast, it is crucial to set up an effective communication strategy to promote it and expand its audience.
Use All Available Communication Channels
Your communication strategy must be omnichannel. 👀
This means exploiting all the channels at your disposal to promote your podcast. Social networks, email newsletters, your website, and even press releases can be used to announce new episodes, share highlights or striking quotes, and encourage your audience to listen and share your podcast. 💪
Create Engaging Content Around Your Branded Podcast
Beyond simply promoting each episode, create engaging content that can accompany your podcast. This can include blog posts, videos, infographics, or even interactive posts on social media. 📱
This additional content can deepen the topics covered in your episodes, thus providing added value to your audience.
Use your company’s existing communication channels
Do not underestimate the power of communication channels already established within your company.
Whether it is:
- Your company website,
- your newsletter,
- your blog,
- or your professional social networks Each of these channels represents a valuable opportunity to promote your podcast.
For example, integrate links to your podcast in your email signature or mention it in your blog posts with Ausha’s Smartplayer.
Example 👇
Using these existing channels not only maximizes the visibility of your branded podcast to your current audience but also reinforces the consistency and integration of your podcast in your overall corporate communication strategy.
Analyzing your branded podcast and its successes
Once your branded podcast is being broadcast, analyzing its impact and the effectiveness of your communication strategies is crucial to ensure ongoing success and improvement of your program. 💥
Track your statistics on Ausha or your host 📈
Most podcast hosting platforms provide analysis tools that can give you valuable information about your audience’s behavior.
At Ausha, we offer you the most comprehensive data to accurately measure the performance of your branded podcast. This data can include the number of downloads, average listening duration, geographic location of listeners, and much more. Use this data to understand what resonates with your audience and what could be improved.
Evaluating the Engagement of your Listeners
In addition to quantitative statistics, assess qualitative engagement.
This includes:
- listener comments,
- shares on social networks,
- mentions in other media,
- … These indicators can help you assess the real reach of your podcast and the impact it has on your audience.
Measuring the Effectiveness of Communication Strategies
Based on these analyses, make adjustments to your content, your distribution strategy, or your communication approach. 😄 The world of podcasts is dynamic and constantly evolving, so being adaptable and responsive to feedback and trends is essential to stay relevant and effectively engage your audience.
Finally, document your learnings and share them with your team. Each podcast episode, each promotion campaign, and each interaction with listeners brings new lessons. By sharing this knowledge, you can continuously improve the quality and effectiveness of your branded podcast.
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