WHAT MAKES A GREAT BRANDED PODCAST?

AT WILL MEDIA is a full-service audio production solution which creates branded and original content. Past and current clients include: GQ, The Atlantic Magazine, Morgan Stanley, Town & Country, WeWork, Viacom, New York Public Library, and 1 Hotels.

Having worked with some of the most notable brands across several industries, our team at At Will Media has built a successful track record rooted in long-lasting business relationships. Below, we share some best practices for creating a branded podcast that will help grow your audience, and your brand.

BEST PRACTICES

Don’t Force It

The goal is to create compelling content surrounding your brand, not a commercial for it. Your podcast should feel organic, and in-line with your brand strategy and goals, but your audience should not feel like they are being forced to listen to a 30-minute ad.

Think Outside of the Box

The priority should be to use the best content, not necessarily the one that speaks about the brand the entire episode. Sometimes the best content is not even directly related to the brand. For example, a daily morning show brought to you by a coffee company makes sense because your audience may drink coffee while listening to the news on their morning commute; it does not have to be a show about coffee bean farming which includes a lecture from the CEO of the coffee company on how it gets brewed.

Host Matters

Your host and/or narrator makes a big difference when it comes to properly representing your brand, clearly communicating your message, and (hopefully) helping you promote your show. Especially in an interview-style format, your host should be the driving force of the show. If episodes feature guests — fantastic, but your show should not solely rely on guests to bring in downloads.

Quality Control

Plenty of CMOs and brands still believe that setting up a microphone and a recording device in their office and adding some music in the beginning
is the way to being their podcast aspirations to life. Over the past few years, however, podcasting has gotten more sophisticated. The level of quality which has come to be expected from listeners has increased significantly; not to mention the format, structure, tone, and originality of the content. In short, the quality of your audio and content should match the quality of your brand. Is your website sleek? Your sales materials professional? Why should your public-facing podcast be any different!

Episode Count

We are often asked about the idea number of episodes, as well as their cadence. The truth is, every project is different. For example, a successful branded podcast in that launched in 2018 consisted of only three episodes. Some are in seasons of eight. Some are spread throughout the year. The concept, brand strategy, time of year, and format are just some of the things we consider when determining the best strategy for a show specific to your brand.

Episode Length

There is no magic number here, though it’s important to know that asking
for 30+ minutes from a newly formed audience is a tall order. Especially considering most avid podcast listeners listen to 4–5 podcasts weekly. You are potentially asking them to either increase their time spent consuming audio, or you are asking them to replace a show in their rotation with yours. Some of our best productions consisted of episodes 5–10 minutes in length. With unlimited content available to your target consumer across all media platforms, quick, bitesize episodes are sometimes an easier way to command consistent listenership, especially early in the launch period.

Star Power

There is a great deal of confusion these days in regards to talent. It is often believed that the bigger the celebrity guest you have, or the larger the social following your guests have, the bigger the bang. In our experience, that is not always the case. While this may have been true a few years ago (when most celebrities or thought-leaders had never heard of a podcast) these days, you can find the same celebrity guests on countless different podcasts. It is not as meaningful of a differentiator anymore. Celebrities may spike your listens, but we do not encourage that shows rely on them completely.

Contact us at info@atwill.us and visit us at www.atwill.us