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If you have been writing blogposts for some time, maybe you are now ready for ways to tell your story or share your ideas.<\/p>\n
If you haven\u2019t tried other content formats other than the editorial aspect, to begin with a podcast is an excellent alternative.<\/span><\/p>\n A podcast is an on-demand radio program that\u2019s generally conducted by one or more people.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n It can be focused on the individual opinion of the podcaster or focus on a topic or both. Since they are previously taped, your audience can listen to them wherever and whenever they want.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Content with an audio format is being used in creative ways by the most prestigious content marketing brands such as Slack<\/strong> (Slack Variety Pack<\/a>; Work in Progress<\/a>)\u00a0or HubSpot<\/strong> (The Growth Show<\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n Compared with other popular content formats (like for example videos or blogposts), implementing a podcast cycle as a tactic in your content marketing strategy<\/strong> and offers a series of advantages that I explain bellow:<\/span><\/p>\n Let’s take a look at the statistics for a second. According to a report from Edison Research<\/a>:<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The number of podcast listeners has increased 71% in the last 3 years<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n 1 out of 4 people between the ages of 12 and 54 have listened to a podcast in the last month <\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n 21% of Americans (approximately 57 million people) listen to podcasts. Want to know who has the same number of users in this country? TWITTER.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n However\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>30 million active blogs exist on the Internet, but only 200.000 podcasts are active\u201d.<\/span> \u00a0\u2013\u00a0Rob Walch<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u00a0And according to the latest studies regarding content marketing in the USA <\/a><\/span><\/strong>and LATAM<\/a>,<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n only 10% of the brands are using podcasts within their content strategy.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n 2014 Information – Content Marketing Institute<\/p><\/div>\n \u00a0As you enter a content format that is less used<\/strong>, you have greater possibilities of reaching your audience easily and without much noise. <\/span><\/p>\n Even if you position yourself in podcast directories such as iTunes (we take a look at this later on) you can have a prominent place in the less conventional search engine brands, but commonly used by users.<\/span><\/p>\n Creating a podcast can improve your conversions and sales. Some case studies <\/a><\/span><\/strong>discovered that the audio itself has increased the conversion rate up to 10,4%.<\/strong> Even, if you are successful with your podcast, you can offer your brand alternative ways to generate revenue<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n With a podcast, you can share information with your audience and position yourself as an industry expert. For example, you can interview leaders and industry experts regarding valuable topics<\/strong>. You can even generate greater confidence with them if you talk about them instead of just exchange emails.<\/span><\/p>\n This improves your reputation, makes you stand out from your competition, motivates your potential clients so they search for more information about you and you get the attention of new talent (or even the press).\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Slack got the attention of the media such as Fortune, AdWeek\u00a0or Fast Company when it debuted in podcasts. Image: our own file.<\/p><\/div>\n It allows you to build a greater connection with your audience.<\/span><\/p>\n To listen to someone’s voice generates more proximity than your words do on a screen.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n With this type of connection, you gain the confidence of your audience and get their attention in less time than it takes to read a post.<\/span><\/p>\n In terms of brand content, a blogpost worth reading with 1,500\/2,000 extension words probably gets the attention of your audience for 5 or 10 minutes.<\/span><\/p>\n However, if it were longer, you probably wouldn’t read it all the way or end up scanning it. A podcast can be listened to for at least 30 minutes<\/strong> and your audience won’t be distracted with something else.<\/span><\/p>\n In addition, your audience can take you wherever they go, without interrupting their tasks.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Podcasts are different than any other forms of content since they demand all our attention and can be consumed while we do other tasks<\/strong> simultaneously.<\/span><\/p>\n Just like reading a book (?)<\/p><\/div>\n And you know what the best part is? To start off with a podcast requires less time, effort and money than you can imagine<\/strong>. Below I show you all you need to know to create a podcast for your brand.<\/span><\/p>\n Many will say that the first step in creating a podcast is to buy a microphone. MISTAKE!<\/span><\/p>\n As in all the content marketing tactics, the first step to begin making podcasts is to answer some questions:<\/span><\/p>\n What are your goals?<\/strong> To generate notoriety, get more engagement with your audience, add value to your users\u2026 <\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n How do you differentiate from the rest<\/strong> of the podcasts that are circulating out there? Does a niche exist that no one is covering? Does a topic exist where you can speak better about (or at least differently) than the rest?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n In the same way that you plan content for your blog or social networks, if you plan your podcasts, the routine production will be easier.<\/strong> It can also help you get a clearer picture about what you need to produce in each episode.<\/span><\/p>\n It’s important that you define:<\/span><\/p>\n Name and logo<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n How many episodes<\/strong> it will have<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n How frequently<\/strong> will it come out<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n What topics<\/strong> will be covered<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n What format<\/strong> will it have (only one speaker, two speakers or invited guests and interviews\u2026)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n How long<\/strong> will each episode last<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Studies show that 22 minutes is the magic number: but as usual, you end up finding out what the magic numbers is. Image via: http:\/\/rainnews.com\/<\/p><\/div>\n This way your podcast is organized and professional:<\/span><\/p>\n Make a list of the tentative tittles for each episode<\/strong> and create a calendar<\/strong> and follow a chronological order.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n You don’t need an exhaustive script. Simply write a guide to point our the main program blocks and the topics you want to cover<\/strong>, that way you know how to direct the conversation and how many minutes you can spend on each block.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n Practice beforehand<\/strong> what you are going to say, that way you are prepared when you press the REC button.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Many blogposts related to this topic recommend that you spend a fortune on quality microphones, a start and ending curtain for each episode, rights to a song\u2026And the list goes on and on.<\/span><\/p>\n I’m not saying these elements aren’t important (on the contrary, they add to a quality podcast) but at the beginning, you can get away without them.<\/span><\/p>\n Instead, I recommend that you invest a minimum amount in creating a podcast<\/strong> and use the elements you have at home (such as Art Attack, but please) test the reaction of your audience.<\/span><\/p>\n Apart from that, you can make some adjustments and start to invest in some USB microphones, a designer to create your podcast logo and a narrator for the introduction of your podcast.<\/span><\/p>\n When you record a podcast, you can follow this simple recipe: <\/span><\/p>\n Call your conductors or guests<\/strong> on Skype or Google Hangouts.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n Tape their conversation<\/strong> with software such as Call Recorder for Skype<\/a><\/span><\/strong>, Google Voice<\/a><\/span><\/strong> or Pamela<\/a><\/strong><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n When you have finished, edit the audio file<\/strong> with GarageBand<\/a><\/span><\/strong> or Audacity<\/strong><\/span>.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n If you want to increase your combo podcast, record a good post-production<\/strong> with Auphonic<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n And look for music and sound effects on Freesound<\/a><\/span><\/strong> or Free Music Archive.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n A few tips:<\/span><\/p>\n Make sure you make the call in a quiet environment.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n If you have co-conductors, consider the possibility of having each one tape their conversation on their own computers.<\/strong> If you have several audio files and combine them in post-production, the sound comes out cleaner.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
Why do brands use podcasts in their content marketing strategy?<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n
\u00a01. Creating podcasts guarantees a greater reach <\/span><\/h3>\n
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![\"giphy\"](\"https:\/\/s3.postcron.com\/blog-en\/2017\/01\/giphy.gif\")
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<\/a>2. Creating podcasts can be an excellent way to increase your conversions <\/span><\/h3>\n
\u00a03. Creating podcasts positions you as a leader in your industry<\/span><\/h3>\n
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![\"Slack](\"https:\/\/s3.postcron.com\/blog-en\/2017\/01\/Slack_podcast.png\")
<\/a>4. Creating podcasts generates greater engagement with your audience <\/span><\/h3>\n
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\u00a05. Creating podcasts gets the attention of your audience longer <\/span><\/h3>\n
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![\"Just](\"https:\/\/s3.postcron.com\/blog-en\/2017\/01\/giphy-book.gif\")
<\/a>Incorporate this Technique into your Marketing Strategies:<\/span><\/h3>\n
How to Create a Podcast<\/span><\/h1>\n
Step 1: Planning<\/span><\/h3>\n
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![\"Studies](\"https:\/\/s3.postcron.com\/blog-en\/2017\/01\/podcast_duration.png\")
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\u00a0Step 2: Record<\/span><\/h3>\n
![\"simpsons\"](\"https:\/\/s3.postcron.com\/blog-en\/2017\/01\/simpsons.jpg\")
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