4 Reasons Why Podcasts Are Great For Content Marketing
Chicago is famous for many reasons, but more recently it garnered attention not for a museum or restaurant, but a podcast. Serial, produced by the Windy City’s own WBEZ, took the United States on a wild ride via weekly podcast posts that discussed a murder, the victim, and the offender’s alleged mistrial (Seriously, if you haven’t listened, do so now.).
Per CNN, more than 40 million listeners downloaded the podcast last year, creating a tipping point for podcast producers and entering this medium into the mainstream.
Content marketers should learn from this frenzy. Podcasts are a multitasking platform that allow people 20-60 minutes to listen to you weekly, and they could be a great way to bring in the storytelling element that your current content is missing. Here’s why you should consider the podcast when planning out your digital marketing strategy:
1. Podcasts Are “Push” Audio Content
“Push” content is like a digital newsletter- As soon you produce this form of content, it reaches a targeted audience made of those who want to engage with your content, a “push.” Podcasts offer something different from newsletters, however, in that the are intended for listening on the move. All your listeners need is a smartphone or MP3 player to subscribe.
2. Generate Guest Content Easily
Want to invite an influencer in your field to create guest content? One of the biggest hurdles might be getting them to sit down and write something, even though you’ve taken the time to build a good rapport.
In this case, writing an article might be too much, but they’re probably open to a 15 minute phone call. Come up with a topic, develop a few questions, and ask your influencer if they would be willing to chat for 15 minutes over phone. Record the conversation, and boom! You’ve got material for your podcast!
3. Podcast Transcriptions = Written Content
You might be worried that your optimized title and meta-description might not be enough to keep your SEO thriving. By providing a transcript of the audio, however, you can use your podcast’s target keywords to provide a solid written transcript of what was said that goes up with the podcast.
And, let’s say you come up with six different questions for your influencer or other interview subject. If you provided a transcript of those six different questions and answers, you’d wind up with six different blog posts and a podcast to boot!
4. The Podcast Process Is Simple
Do you have Garageband? Do you know what Audacity is? Perfect. You have everything you need to create a great podcast.
The editing process is simple through either one of these platforms: Record your conversations, add a short introduction (and maybe some music for polish, but watch out for copyright issues!), listen a few times for hairy spots, and it’s done! Save it as an MP3 file and post it to your site.
Need a little help?
This is where the Geek Chicago team would love to step in. Drop us a line when you’re ready to begin designing a digital marketing strategy that meets the needs of your growing business!