3 Reasons Why Podcasts Should Be Included in Your Communications Strategy
Twenty-five years ago, reading the daily newspaper with a cup of coffee was a ubiquitous component of the average American’s morning routine. On the car ride to work, a radio talk show was likely playing in the background. Virtually every American household had at least one TV set, according to US Info. Now, over two decades later, it nearly goes without saying that the typical American’s day of media consumption has vastly changed, and a major contributor to this paradigm shift can be attributed to the rise of podcasts.
In 2004, the modern podcast officially entered the mainstream and forever shifted the trajectory of news dissemination and media consumption. Today, podcasts are the new newspaper, morning talk show, comedy club and everything in between. In fact, PEW Research reports that over 41% of Americans ages 12 and older have listened to a podcast in the past month, underscoring the growing significance of this medium in millions of Americans’ daily lives.
For PR professionals, now is the time to incorporate podcasts into your media relations and communications strategy. Here are 3 reasons why.
Podcasts exist for nearly every niche.
With hundreds of thousands of podcasts widely available across several platforms, almost anyone can find at least one podcast that resonates with their personal or professional interests. From the biggest shows like The Daily to niche food & beverage podcasts, each comes with a dedicated audience of listeners–an audience that may be a target group of consumers for your client’s brand. If you’re able to secure a guest spot for a client on a key podcast, the brand has the potential to garner industry-wide, or even worldwide, exposure.
When conducting research ahead of building your first podcast media list, the sheer volume of podcasts in existence may be overwhelming. It’s important to keep the overall goals of your client’s PR programs top of mind. Is your target audience a niche group of wine connoisseurs? Or are you hoping for your client to be selected as a guest for a nationally renowned business podcast, such as NPR’s How I Built This? Once you solidify the overarching goals for your podcast media relations strategy, you’ll be able to tailor your research to your client’s specific needs. To streamline the podcast list process, consider utilizing a podcast search engine, such as Podchaser. These search engines will help you discover and filter thousands of different shows based on topics, listenership, user ratings and more.
Podcast appearances can help position your client’s spokesperson as a thought leader and subject matter expert.
Many listeners tune into their favorite podcast with the goal of learning more about a specific industry or topic. Thus, securing an interview for your client on a target show gives the opportunity for the spokesperson to share his or her expertise on the subject matter and offer unique perspectives that may resonate with listeners. Positioning your client as a thought leader via podcast appearances will also help establish the brand’s credibility in the industry, which may result in other podcasts and media outlets seeking the spokesperson as a go-to media source for other storytelling opportunities.
Podcast appearances can be used as a valuable marketing asset.
Similar to a strong piece of traditional media coverage, podcast interviews should be added to your client’s marketing materials. Even if the podcast has a small audience, every piece of content helps strengthen the brand’s library of assets. A few ways to leverage past podcast appearances include highlighting the episodes on the press page of the company’s website, adding the links to digital newsletters and email blasts and sharing the episodes widely via social media.
Want to learn more about how to integrate podcasts into your communications and marketing programs? Reach out to our team to learn more, or check out our company podcasts to gather additional insights.