Branded Podcasts: Marketing Your Business With Podcasts

The Q'd Up Podcast on Podcasting

As podcasting continues to grow, independent podcasters and networks aren’t alone in creating podcasts. Businesses and organizations are finding branded podcasts offer quite a lot of benefits with audiences willing to listen

Companies are looking to do things like further engage with their customers, improve their brand awareness, and advertise their products and services; and branded podcasts check all those boxes.

On this episode of the Q’d Up Podcast on Podcasting, Matthew Stevens and John Luckenbaugh take a closer look at branded podcasts and how they can help companies. From creating engaging content that is effectively just an ad without feeling like one to creating even more content for your marketing strategy, branded podcasts offer a wide variety of benefits.

Listen to John and Matt discuss branded podcasts:

Scribd going public (1:43)

Amazon competitor Scribd is looking to go public with a $1 billion valuation. Scribd offers many of the same services Amazon does, including audiobooks and podcasts. Matt and John discuss what Scribd’s valuation and IPO could mean for the podcasting industry.

Pocket Casts gets bought (6:50)

Wordpress developer Automattic has acquired the podcast app Pocket Casts but why? John and Matt take a look at what Automattic might be thinking with this purchase and what we could see coming to Wordpress.

BBC Sounds launches Audio Lab (11:21)

The BBC is looking for the next wave of podcast creators. Launching something called the “Audio Lab,” the BBC is looking to team up with a few podcasters to produce, distribute, and market new shows. It’s a great opportunity for independent podcasters to step their game up and for the BBC to find some unique ideas and new content creators.

What is a branded podcast and why are they needed? (14:37)

Matt and John go over what a branded podcast really is and some of the reasons they are great opportunities for brands.

The value of branded podcasts (16:36)

Podcasts have already shown their value, seeing a majority of listeners take an action after listening to a podcast. This means they’re perfect for businesses looking to extend their reach, further engage with customers, and improve brand recognition.

What makes a successful branded podcast (19:13)

There are a number of goals a brand could have with their podcast. Matt breaks down some of the most common ones.

KPIs that are most important for branded podcasts (20:27)

The number of downloads isn’t the most important metric branded podcasts need to be paying attention to. Matt provides some KPIs (key performance indicators) that brands can use to tell how successful their podcast is at meeting its goals.

3 keys for a branded podcast (24:23)

There are three things every branded podcast needs to have in mind before ever sitting down at the microphone.

5 important characteristics of a successful branded podcast (26:03)

As we’ve noted, branded podcasts offer so much more value than simply downloads. Matt gives over five things a branded podcast will leverage to guide them closer to their goals.

Long-term strategy (30:46)

Whenever a new marketing initiative is launched, looking at the long-term picture is critical. For those brands thinking about doing a podcast, Matt believes thinking of it as tentpole content that you can turn into other forms of marketing content is a great idea. John provides some of the advantages for those companies that integrate podcasts into their marketing strategy.

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Links from the show:

Bloomberg - Scribd plans to go public at $1 billion valuation

Inside Radio - Pocket Casts acquired by Automattic

PodNews - BBC Sounds launches Audio Lab to amplify the next generation of podcast creators