Podcasts are ALL the rage: well-produced, engaging and well presented, they are essentially bites of bespoke speech radio. Can anybody do it?
So your firm has decided it’s doing a new podcast.
Marketing and communications has decided the subject area with some exec input and it’s looking promising.
Now you just have to cast it, record and edit it, and distribute your masterpiece. Easy right?
But let’s take a step back and ask ourselves a few questions;
Firstly: why are we doing this and do we have all the skills in-house?
Who is our audience and do we have something genuinely interesting to say to them?
Casting is key: who will host the podcast and can they carry it?
Could we sponsor a well-produced existing podcast which covers our business themes and save all the hassle?
Are we prepared to invest in training our hosts and team to make this as professional as it can be?
Would it be easier to hire a professional podcast (radio) host and/or producer?
To get the most from the opportunity, have our participants been media trained before appearing as podcast guests?
There’s a start – and if your senior team get to appear as guests on other people’s podcasts, the last point about media training for them is essential.
The issue a number of my colleagues in radio and broadcasting note here, is that people think making and presenting radio is easy. Podcasting is no different, but it is part of a trade craft, where there are absolutes and rules which must be followed. When they are not, at best, the results may be messy and dull. At worst, they may be downright unlistenable.
For example, as a skill, interviewing takes trained journalists some years to perfect. You’ve probably been irritated by seasoned presenters interrupting answers, so imagine how challenging editing your podcast might be with your rookie in-house presenters?
Podcast production companies charge many thousands of pounds to craft a professional series and my media training organisation can train you and your team to get results if you choose instead, to make it in-house.
But you'll need to plan strategically and be realistic about what is achievable within your resources: shorter 10 minute episodes? Roundtable discussion? Location recording? Frontline day in the life? Cross-sector insights?
There’s a lot to consider before you get started, depending on the level of engagement you’re looking for.
Have you thought about the sound design? Audio bumpers, stings, and what part will music play?
Have you thought: if it’s really good, it’s probably not that easy?
We’re regularly asked to provide media training for leaders who appear on podcasts, but we can help you develop your own content, style and delivery so that memorable and engaging audio can be another part of your communications mix.
For more information on how to conduct remote media interviews, as well as face-to-face exchanges, see our range of CPD accredited media coaching courses here
