getting started with b2b podcasting – 8 quick tips for first-time podcasters
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We've put together eight content tips to help you get started on your way to producing your first B2B podcast.TRANSCRIPT
Getting Started with B2B PodcastingEight quick tips for first-time podcasters
1 Wiretapping Potential Listeners
2Hunting for Content
3 The Lay of the Land
4Size and Punctuality Matter
5 Thinking Like Radio
6Drawing Blueprints
7 When It’s Okay to Use Megaphones
8Look and Listen
Coming up
Left to right: Fiona Campbell-Howes (Managaing Director, Radix), David McGuire (Associate Writer), Emily King
(Research and Marketing Executive) recording an episode of the Radix Copycast.
I’m Emily King and I began podcasting in 2008 and currently produce two podcasts, including the Radix Copycast. I’m involved at all stages of production, from outlines to
recording, editing to uploading.
About
1Wiretapping Potential Listeners
Who’s the target audience and what do
they want to hear?
It’s time to create some listener personas (profiles of typical listeners) to help give direction in picking potential subject matter for the podcast.
And look at discussions on social media and blogs to discover what the podcast’s
intended audience are potentially interested in.
Persona 1: Account Manager, Marketing Agency.
Wants to know how cats affect
copywriting.
Hypothetical Radix listener personas
Use LinkedIn job ads to create personas.
Persona 3:Freelance
Copywriter. Would like to know if
memes have a place in B2B copy.
Persona 2:Marketing Executive,
Cloud Software Company. Interested in the perils of using cat
jargon.
No spamThe
most listened-to podcasts are ones that share knowledge
and enthusiasm for a given topic. No one wants to listen
to a sales pitch, so tread with care when promoting
products and services.
2Hunting for Content
Where to look for ideas
Launching your podcast based on what your target audience is interested in is fine, but you need to stay up-to-date on what they’re discussing within your subject area.
That means social media will be your main resource for episode ideas.
Social posts to keep an eye out for:
Questions people are asking that are related to your business or area of expertise
The hot topics of debate that you can offer insight on
Discussions with you about the podcast
Repurpose contentWritten
a blog post or ebook that’s generated
a lot of interest? Revisit the themes and ideas discussed
in it, but this time bring a guest on board to offer a different perspective. You could even
bring in people you used quotes from.
3The Lay of the Land
Researching existing shows
Listen to comparable podcasts. Check out how long they are and how often they release, plus how long they dedicate to topics – do they manage to maintain your interest?
Don’t try to be the same as these podcasts. Many of them have well established
audience bases, but do think about how you could improve on their formats and do
things differently.
Places to search for existing podcasts:
iTunesStitcher
Libsyn
As well as searching for podcasts via search
engines, consider looking for shows via these podcast directories.
Five B2B marketing podcasts that inspire us at Radix
Expert Interviews with Greg
Elwell
Content Marketing Podcast
The Social Media Show
Marketing Smarts from Marketing
Profs
Internet Marketing Podcast
4Size and Punctuality Matter
There are no set rules for length and frequency
Length and frequency are affected by:
The amount of content in each episode
How often you’re planning on releasing episodesThe time you have
available to plan, record, edit and promote each episode
These three things will affect the length of your episodes and how often you release them.
Locating the “sweet spot”
Generally, there are no set rules for frequency vs. length in podcasting, but the sweet spot is somewhere
between:
15-90 minutes
Regardless of frequency.And it’s perfectly fine to experiment with length.
Avoid burning through ideas You
don’t want to exhaust your ideas
in the beginning and struggle to find new ones for each
episode.
5Think Like Radio
Choosing a format is important. (That’s episode
format, not audio file format.)
Whether the podcast is pre-recorded or broadcast live, it’s best to stick to a set format for the show.
Covering news only really works if your podcast is going to be released more than
once a month – otherwise it will sound stale.
Possible formatsInterview with a thought leader in your industry.
Discussion of industry issues, and a best practice section – with input from a
guest.
Discussion of current industry news and an
advice section.
Keep it dynamicTry
including a range of
views. Differing opinions make for interesting
listening.
6Draw Blueprints
Plan your content, because good podcasts
need direction
Get an editorial calendar together and use it to plan and track any content that isn’t based on news.
EPISODE # MONTH TOPICS GUEST
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Email subject lines
B2B marketing videos
Storytelling
Marketing event coverage
Content length
Jargon
Case studies
Comics
-
John Hancock
Jane Doe
-
-
-
John Smith
-
Don’t be tempted to script the entire episode. Reading from a script will make it sound very unnatural.
Instead, write a broad outline for the episode, and only script the introductions
and outros.
Things to include in your outline
OUTLINE EPISODE 1
Segment length
What needs to be covered
Points to kick-start discussion
Script for intros and outros
Even footingInclude
copies of or links to resources
that will help podcast participants
to research the topic.
7When it’s Okay to Use Megaphones
Tips for promoting your podcast
Once you have a few episodes uploaded, make a trailer for your podcast. Editing trailers from existing episodes helps people to quickly decide whether your podcast is right for them.
Here’s the trailer we did for the Radix Copycast (obviously yours doesn’t have to
be as dramatic).
Recipe for a podcast trailer
Sound bites from podcastepisodes
Theme music
Ingredients
MethodEdit to three minutes or under
Upload to your website
Promote
1
23
A narrator
The power of the network
If any influencers
come up in discussion during your podcast,
mention them in your social media posts – they may be
intrigued enough to listen and share. Guests and interviewees
will also often be keen to share episodes they
appear in.
8Look and Listen
Stats and social media feedback let you know
where you need to improve
Keep an eye on episode download numbers and stats for your RSS feed. Compare episodes – if one is listened to more than another, try to understand what made it popular.
Check out what’s being said about your podcast on social media. You’ll see if it’s reaching your intended audience, and if people are happy with the quality of the
podcast.
Don’t use registration forms with podcasts
SUBMIT
Forms can get in the way of podcasts from being syndicated, which means you can’t make it available on services like iTunes.
While lead generation is always a priority, podcasts are primarily a way of reaching out to your community and relaying your
authority.
Missing the mark?There’s
a good chance that your B2B
podcast will have a niche audience, so don’t expect thousands of listeners. But
if your target audience isn’t engaging with
it, try something different.
About Radix
Radix is a copywriting agency for the content marketing era. We work with marketers to develop programmes of content that guide customers through every stage of the buying process.
We specialise in the B2B technology sector, with expertise in enterprise hardware and software, networking and electronics.
We’ve written for innovative tech companies large and small, including Fujitsu, GFI, Oracle, Rackspace, Salesforce and Spirent.
Our monthly podcast explores trends and issues in B2B technology copywriting. You can listen to it here.