According to Ofcom, around one in eight people in the UK listen to podcasts weekly, with regular listeners consuming an average of seven each week. These figures are rising yearly, showing that long-form content is still a powerful medium in a TikTok and Instagram Reel world. We know that listeners actively carve out time to listen to their favourite shows, like when they’re cooking, at the gym, on a walk or getting ready for work. If you have a weekly or monthly show, your audience will actively seek new episodes rather than passively stumble upon them.

Although there are many benefits to an audio-only format, such as a break from a screen for consumers and less pressure for hosts and guests, podcasts needn’t be audio-only. Many of the most popular podcasts are available in both audio and visual formats. Here at AVC, we offer solutions for both. We can also record an audio-only podcast but take video footage for promotional content on your website and social media.

If you’re a solopreneur, business leader or marketer and are wondering whether this medium is for you, here are 5 reasons to launch a business podcast.

1. Business podcasts are easy

Yes really! Once the concept, strategy and posting schedule are agreed upon, podcasting can be an incredibly low-lift marketing endeavour. Virtual podcasts (recorded with remote guests and hosts) are the easiest because you can record them anywhere. They’re also easier to edit because you’ll have separate audio streams and can easily mute or remove mistakes and background noise.

Face-to-face podcasts are slightly harder logistically because both host and guest(s) need to be in the same location, which might mean booking dates further in advance. However, the benefit of face-to-face is more compelling content in the form of video. Although less visually compelling, you can share videos of remote podcasts, too, such as this great discussion between Russel Brand and Ricky Gervais, which has been viewed over 3m times.

We recommend the following steps per episode:

1. Schedule a date for host and guests
2. A 30-minute planning meeting to confirm topics, angles, and show structure and for the producer to prep guests
3. 20-minute pre-podcast chat before recording with guests in a situation with mics to get comfy and build rapport
4. Record the show
5. Edit the show
6. Distribute across audio networks
7. Create and share promo items such as video clips, blogs, emails, and social media posts.

Although steps 5, 6, and 7 can take a long time. That’s what businesses like us are here for. We’ll edit your show to a professional quality and distribute it across audio networks such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Soundcloud on your behalf. We can also ghostwrite a blog and email update from your host for each episode and promote it for you on social media.

2. Allow your experts to talk directly to your customer with a business podcast

All other marketing materials involve a marketer talking to your direct customer. For example, the blogs on your website are likely written by a marketer, and so are your emails, social media posts and all other customer touch points.

This isn’t negative, someone with knowledge in areas such as SEO, tone of voice, and more must create your content, but when it comes to a podcast, it’s great to have your technical specialists on the mic talking directly to your audience. When I was the producer of Series 2 of the Naked Security Podcast, we regularly had guests on the show from parts of the business that would rarely talk directly to consumers. Given the sometimes complex topic of cybersecurity, we were able to add a depth of knowledge to the content not possible when delivered via a marketer.

Regardless of your industry, getting people from around your business to appear on your show as host or guests adds credibility and builds trust with your audience.

3. Build trust and rapport with your target audience through a business podcast 

On that note, podcasts are an incredible way to build trust because they give you a format to chat directly with your audience regularly. This casual, long-form medium and slower pace allows you to discuss the biggest things happening in your industry, offer an opinion, and become a resource people look to when things happen.

If people know you’re passionate about sustainability and something changes which could help or hinder this for your target audience, become a timely voice offering insight and knowledge.

4. Up-skill yourself and your team with a business podcast

They say that the best way to become an expert in a topic is by teaching it to someone else, and I think there’s a lot of truth here. As a stand-in host and sometimes guest of a popular cybersecurity podcast, I had to deliver talks and interview specialists on topics such as spyware, ransomware, hacking and more. To ensure I could get interesting answers from guests or properly discuss the topic, drawing a wide range of sources, I had to research and educate myself.

Whether you or a team member, whoever becomes your podcast host will inevitably become expert in the field they’re discussing. Plus, this will help them become a more confident and articulate public speaker, which may lead to guest spots on other shows or to lead talks at online or in-person events with more brand exposure.

5. Engage with and learn from your audience

As marketers and business leaders, we can sometimes make assumptions about our target audience based on our preferences. Podcasting offers a space to get direct feedback from your audience, for example, by saying “email us with your feedback and suggestions” or “leave a comment on SoundCloud”. You can also hold polls on sites like Linkedin and Twitter about which stories you want to be discussed.

You can also use polls, forms and forums to present research within your show for example, you could ask how much of a priority sustainability is for your audience of small business owners and then present the results in the next episode. Things like this help people feel part of the show and build return listeners and retention rates.