Last week it was difficult not to see media stories about Donald Trump Jr. and the PR man, Rob Goldstone, who apparently arranged a meeting for Donald Trump Jr. with a lawyer allegedly linked to the Kremlin.
Yet at least one story excluded mention of that incident. An item in the Wall St Journal reported how “podcast nuts” find time to listen to multiple podcasts: They speed-listen using apps that accelerate podcasts. Some apps move things along at three times normal speed. Some people claim their retention increases at higher speeds.
Podcasts aren’t only for nuts, though. 40% of Americans 12 and older have listened to one, a new Edison Research report says. And there’s growth: 112 million Americans have listened, up 11% from 2016. Brands are finding podcasts attractive vehicles for raising awareness and engagement. It’s little wonder podcasts are becoming yet another item in brand communicators’ tool kits. We talked to Jessica Cavalero, senior account executive, Prudential Financial, and Monica Norton, senior director, content marketing, Zendesk, for tips about podcast best practices.
Senior Account Executive
Prudential Financial
You Can’t Force People to Listen:One of the first things Cavalero and Norton emphasize is that a podcast should be about your brand without mentioning your brand. Huh? Brands make a mistake when they shoehorn their CEO and other thought leaders into a podcast. “Nobody will make an appointment [or subscribe] to listen [to a podcast about] your sales pitch,” says Norton of Zendesk, which makes customer-service software. The best practice is for brands to take a “light touch…with podcasts you’re a storyteller, not a salesperson,” she adds. A podcast isn’t about your brand, it’s about the audience. Podcasts that provide value and entertain will gain subscribers, Norton says. “The lighter the brand touch, the greater the brand impact.” That’s the sweet spot for brand podcasts.
Prudential’s podcast series, Everyday Bravery, looks at examples of courage, even though its business is in insurance and investments. It feels bravery is a Prudential brand value. It also underlies a person’s choices when he or she makes insurance and financial decisions, Cavalero says. Playing in this emotional space, but not making a sales pitch, ultimately will benefit Prudential by humanizing the brand and making it more relatable, she adds. Since Zendesk’s software is in the customer relationship space, it decided to produce a podcast series about certain types of relationships, Norton says.
Senior Director of Content Marketing
Zendesk
Topic Ideas, Zoom Out: How does a brand move outside its sales pitch to find the right podcast topic? Norton recommends a three-step method called Zooming Out. Answering three questions helped Zendesk settle on relationships as its podcast topic. Question 1: What does your brand do? 2: What is your brand’s broader category? 3: What high-level topic has your brand earned the right to discuss? After that, do a gut check, she recommends. Will your customers be confused if they hear a podcast about the topic you’ve chosen? Another point about avoiding using your sales pitch as your podcast topic, Norton says, is the topic likely will appeal to a larger universe than just your customers.
Do Your Homework:Similar to nearly every communications endeavor, Norton and Cavalero recommend conducting extensive research about your audience prior to launching a podcast. Social listening or surveys will work, they say. Besides asking about topics that interest them, find out how long their commute is (many subscribers listen to podcasts on the way to/from work); what other sources of media they consume and in what formats. A tip: Include your employees in the research, as they likely will be part of your audience. When Prudential used social to gauge the potential of bravery as a podcast topic, it received many stories about the subject. It has used some for the podcast, Cavalero says.
NOTE: This content appeared originally in PR News, July, 17, 2017. For subscription information, please visit: https://www.prnewsonline.com/about/info
CONTACT: [email protected] @monicalnorton