One of the terms that have suddenly caught the attention of podcasters is “branded podcasting”. But what is branded podcasting and what are the things that you should know about branded podcasting, as an individual podcaster, and as a brand.
We will discuss all of that in this week’s episode.
Branded podcasting is a huge topic in itself. So stuffing everything into one episode won’t really make sense. Instead, we will break it down into small chunks.
Each of these chunks will be a part of a series of episodes that are consumable in bite-sized discussions.
We will also look at bringing in some of the hosts of a few branded podcasts and hear from them how podcasting has worked or, not worked for them.
And while we are on that, don’t forget to tune in the next week for the first of this series of discussions that I will have on branded podcasting. I have a guest who has seen how branded podcasts can work for brands and we will be discussing more about, branded podcasting and how he has seen it work for podcasts and a little about his thoughts on the future of branded podcasting.
Branded Podcasting – What you need to know!
Let me ask you a question first – Did you know that McDonald’s had a podcast by the name of “The Sauce“?
If not, then do check it out. It is worth listening to. And you will get a different perspective on how a podcast can be used for a specific purpose.
In the early 2000s blogging had taken off and the world had started realizing the importance of written long-form content.
Companies and brands too realized how a blog post could help them get more eyeballs to their brand and products.
There started the addition of a blog to every company website. It is unlikely that you won’t find a blog section on a company website. But as content generation became more and more demanding and difficult, blogging became a challenge and businesses started to move away from blogging.
But there was one thing that was clear.
A platform where the brand can tell a story around their brand, products, and consumers was the easiest way they could get additional attention and create awareness for their brand.
But blogging wasn’t a solution that businesses could rely on at least at that point.
As content marketing changed forms, from long-form content in the form of blogs to long-form video content and then to micro-content in the form of social media, brands adapted to it.
But the void that blogging had left was still there.
Now with Podcasting becoming the next big thing, there is a good chance that this void can be filled.
And branded podcasts are what can do this job.
With high engagement and retention rates, podcasting has everything that is required to build brand awareness. So why shouldn’t companies look at podcasts?
Coming back to what is a branded podcast, the simple definition is –
A branded podcast is a kind of podcast that is created by a brand with a specific marketing objective in mind. While this objective might necessarily not be promotional in nature, this sure ties into the brand’s overall objective and messaging.
But then why should brands use a podcast as a medium to create awareness?
It is because stories are to be told/narrated. It isn’t something that should be left to be read by the audience. The narrative style gives a totally different impact to a story in comparison to how I would feel if I had read it.
Stories are best consumed when it is narrated either in audio or, video formats. And narrated stories are what can create inquisitiveness in an audience, intrigue them and create awareness for a brand.
Now, with that platform being set, it is easy to pitch the case in favor of podcasting primarily because of the cost involved. The cost of creation in the case of a video is much higher than in the case of audio.
So, to answer that question of “why should a brand consider podcasting“, I would respond with a reframed question, “why shouldn’t a brand use podcasting as a medium to create awareness?”
In 2018, Fast Company had called branded podcasts, “the ads that people actually want to listen to”.
And there’s a reason why they said that!
A study by NPR showed that 75% of podcast listeners take action in response to a sponsored message on an episode, including branded messaging.
A study by eMarketer also showed that 54% of podcast listeners are either somewhat or, much more likely to buy a product after listening to an advertisement in a podcast.
Now imagine if that messaging about the product wasn’t an advertisement. Instead, it was a full episode on a podcast!
The impact could be so huge.
Another important thing is that we have only been talking about creating awareness all this while.
But it is also important to note that podcasting is more than a medium to create awareness. It can in fact help you with generating leads for your business, with sales, and even with internal communications.
How?
These are things we will be discussing in the coming weeks with very specific examples.
While you wait for the next episode, I will recommend that you go and check out “The Sauce” which is a 3 episode podcast that McDonald’s did.
Listen to it and if you can identify the objective with which it was created, drop me a message using the contact button on this page, with your opinion about what you think was the objective.
You can also send me a direct message on Instagram. Follow me on Instagram.
And before I leave you there, did you know that we did a branded podcast long back in early 2019 for a masala brand. You can search for “Tadka Laga ke” on your favorite podcasting platform.
Resources that I recommend for Branded Podcasts
Here are some of the resources that I use and recommend to all podcasters. If you are planning on creating podcasts for a brand, then I would recommend that you use these for the best results.
- Acast Podcast hosting – I host with Acast and recommend them too. Podcast hosting is one of the most critical things in podcasting and it is important that you pick the right host. Acast has both a FREE as well as a paid hosting option. You can always start with FREE and then when you are ready for the long term, upgrade to their paid hosting.
- Behringer Audio Interface – If you are not using a USB microphone, then you will need an audio interface. This is the best and easiest to use audio interface.
- Zencastr – If you are planning on recording interviews, then Zencastr is the best option available out there. It is FREE to begin with. If you are looking for additional features, you can always upgrade to a paid option.
- Audacity – The best audio editing software
- Blue Yeti USB Microphone – My recommended microphone
Thank you for Joining!
I hope you enjoyed this conversation about branded podcasting. We will be discussing more about branded podcasts and how this can help you as a podcaster in the coming episodes.
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