Podcast Audiograms

Promotion and branding are key in ensuring that your podcast can effectively reach its audience. With so many podcasts available, however, simply sharing episodes and posting images is often not enough to make a podcast stand out.

As the gap between the audio and visual aspects of podcasting gets smaller and smaller, audiograms are a great way to create highly engaging content that will drive more traffic. This post will cover what makes audiograms so essential and some practices for making them discoverable and captivating.

What is an audiogram? 

Simply put, an audiogram is a video made from a static image layered with audio tracks, soundwaves, and text to create a engaging asset for your podcast.

They will normally contain your podcast artwork, an audio snippet as well as sound waves or subtitles.

The combination of these visual and audio elements creates an intriguing and easily shareable clip for different kinds of marketing platforms. Audiograms go beyond a still image or text link and they are highly associated with podcasts, allowing them to further capture the attention of desired audiences.

Take a look at an audiogram from an episode of the NHBF Shines On podcast.

What makes an audiogram effective? 

With the nature of podcasts rooted in high-quality audio first content, creators may face challenges when trying to promote their work to potential followers and keep current ones engaged. Additionally, a lot of popular online sharing platforms such as Youtube, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter prioritise visual content over audio. 

Audiograms have proven to serve as attention-grabbers that will boost engagement. For example—in a study carried out by Headliner—audiograms generated five times more traffic compared to static images when a podcast episode was shared on Facebook. Not only did the number of impressions increase, but the click-through rate quadrupled and the cost-per-click was $0.08 for audiograms compared to $0.42 for the static image. Another study by the New York Public Radio in 2016 concluded that “the average engagement for an audiogram is 8x higher than a non-audiogram tweet.”

The importance of video for promotion cannot be ignored—and for those who do not have a video podcast—audiograms are an invaluable asset that creators should have in their arsenal. 

Need help making audiograms to successfully promote your podcast? We’ve got you covered. 

How to make audiograms for podcasts

The steps for making a podcast audiogram are really simple! First you need to select which platform you’d like to use to make the clip.

There are a number of different tools on the market but some of our favourites include Headliner, Riverside and Wavve.

Then all you’ll need to do is:

1. Upload your audio file.

2. Select an engaging clip from your show

3. Choose a design.

4. Download your mp4 video and upload to the social media channels of your choice!

Best Practices for Audiograms - Tips and tricks

Aside from the essential podcast producer’s checklist and the plethora of programs available to make audiograms, there are certain things that one needs to keep in mind to fully take advantage of them. Thankfully, you do not have to be a professional graphic designer or coder to make audiograms, but make sure to take these tips into account when you create them.

To transcribe or not to transcribe? 

Although audiograms can be made without captions, it is highly recommended that transcriptions and subtitles are not only present but also well-timed and accurate.

People scrolling through their feeds may not recognise that an audiogram is meant to be listened to—especially on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram where videos are muted by default.

Findings by Tubular Insights indicate that around 80% of people will be more likely to watch and listen to a clip if it includes captions. Including well-made and correct captions will only improve the quality of audiograms. It’s a must do!

Audiograms’ Length and Dimension Considerations

Since the purpose of audiograms is to serve as short, enticing clips to capture the audience’s attention, their ideal length is between 30 and 60 seconds. It is possible to make full podcast episodes using an audiogram, which could be posted on your website or YouTube. However, be aware that audiograms that are too long may lead to your audience scrolling away. 

In regards to audiogram size, we recommend the following three dimensions for different mediums. 

1. Square (1080px by 1080px) - Used for Facebook and Instagram feeds. Specifically for Facebook, square video works better than landscape as it covers a larger portion of the screen on a mobile newsfeed. 

2. Vertical (4:3 or 1080px by 1920px) - Used for Instagram Stories, IGTV, TikTok, and Snapchat. 

3. Widescreen/landscape (16:9 or 1920px by 1080px) - Used for YouTube and websites.

Selecting the Right Visuals 

Making an audiogram stand out visually is key to audience engagement. In general, images with people in them tend to do better, as they can increase conversions by up to 95% according to entrepreneur Neil Patel. If you have a duocast or podcast that often features guests, including an image of the person or the group may be a solid choice. 

On the other hand, you can still make an image for your audiogram without a person on it. Using colour schemes that suit the podcast cover, different audiograms for every episode, and sound waves that match the speaker’s volume and pitch are important factors that can transform an audiogram from good to great.

Elevate Your Podcast Promotion and Marketing Strategy with Audiograms

Overall, audiograms are a fantastic way to make your social media presence stand out, as well as to drive traffic and clicks to your podcasts. Although they are one of many ingredients in the ideal podcast marketing mix, the rise of integrating video into podcasting makes audiograms a must for any promotion strategy. 

Started making audiograms but need a more comprehensive and dynamic marketing strategy for your podcast? Take a look at our promotion packages or directly reach us via contact@messageheard.com

How Much Branding Should My Podcast Have?

We believe in the power of branded podcasts. It takes multiple factors working together in harmony to create a successful branded podcast. But how much branding is too much branding?

Why brand your podcast?

Branding your podcast is a chance to increase the awareness around your brand in an engaging way. There are many strategic benefits to creating a podcast for your brand, including:

• Reaching a whole new audience

• Networking with key people in your industry (or other industries you want to associate with!)

• Adding flexibility and adaptability to your marketing strategy

• Growing the reputation of individuals within your business

• Making the most of your existing content strategy

• Connecting more authentically with your audience

… Amongst many other benefits.

All this hinges on creating a podcast that holds an audience – that is coherent, easy to follow, enjoyable to listen to, and which deliver on its promise to entertain or inform (or both!). That means that there’s a balance to be found. You want to let the world know about your brand, but overdo it and you might just end up driving listeners away instead. So, how do you strike the right balance?

How to maintain your branding balance

1. Always lead with the story, not the sales pitch!

While having a podcast can do a lot to teach people about your business and what it offers, the people listening to your podcasts aren’t just there because of your brand – they’re there to hear your story!

This is because a podcast is a storytelling method that can be personal and authentic – hearing a voice speaking directly to you is inherently connective. It’s an opportunity to teach, inspire and entertain.

Trying to sell your product or service too often in your podcast is bound to get tiring to listen to, and is likely to be ineffective. After all, podcast listeners have really good recall of your business or brand – they’re more likely to engage with your brand, resonate with your content emotionally, and remember your story long term. That means that you don’t really have to keep hammering home on the hard sell. Telling a great story will do all the selling for you.

So, remember that branding in your podcast should be secondary to the amazing stories of your company, or the inspiration behind your podcast. You are storytellers who are explaining the story of your brand, rather than advertisers selling a product. Show off your company in your introduction within the podcast itself (i.e. by saying “this podcast is brought to you by…”), your outro and through any promo codes you might share.

Do you need help branding your podcast? Check out our ‘Press Play’ package that will make sure your podcast is up and running with a cohesive message throughout.

2. Keep the visual branding connected – but separate

It’s good to use elements of your branding in your podcast – think colours, style, fonts, etc. However, it’s not always good to slap your logo and brand name as front and centre on your podcast’s visual assets.

Maintain a sense of your branding without the podcast looking like a repeat of your website or other visual presence. After all, a podcast is a unique medium – treat it like one!

You don’t need to mention your brand too often – either visually or audibly – for the podcast to resonate as being a part of your brand. A great example that we’ve helped to create with Buffer is the Small Business, Big Lessons podcast. You can see that the podcast is related to Buffer, but it isn’t the overwhelming message – the podcast is a distinct offering that sits alongside the wider brand strategy.

3. Plan for the long term

Brands change over time, and podcasts are growing in both their audience numbers and the creativity of the stories they can tell, every day. By viewing your podcast as a long-term component of your brand strategy, you ease the need to keep hammering home about your brand right now.

After all, with time will come new ideas, new stories to tell, and more chances to keep offering your audience the information and/or entertainment they are looking for, that will successfully introduce your brand to the world. Space out your branded moments, and focus on long-term value over the temporary sell!

There you have it – some ways to keep the brand in balance, while delivering great podcast content.

If you’re looking for more personalised advice on how your brand can use podcasting as part of its marketing strategy, get in touch with us now.

Should You Convert Your Blog into a Podcast?

Branded podcasts are on the rise. Not just terms of active listeners, but also in the number of shows being created and shared. Currently, 6.5 million adults in the UK are listening to at least one podcast a week. This means that if you’ve been sticking to blogging up until now, you might be missing out on one of the best ways to tell the world about your brand or business – podcasting.

But is it as simple as turning your blog into a podcast series? And what would this involve? In this article, we unpack what you need to know to ensure a smooth transition blogging to audio.

5 top reasons to convert your blog into a podcast

 

1.     Repurpose for smart and efficient content production

If you’ve already got your content production down in words, you’ve got the material you need to get started. Why not make more of your knowledge and insight, and repurpose? It’s an efficient way to take your content and stretch it further.

Using existing blog posts as a basis for a podcast comes with a few caveats, but it can be a great way to start fielding ideas that you know your audience is interested in. It’s also a great way to get more engagement from your existing content as research show that 80% of listeners will complete an entire episode, or most of an episode. This means that if you’re struggling to get readers to the end of an article, it could be a good alternative.

2.     Expand your audience in new directions

Appealing to a wide range of people means tapping into different channels to reach them. By the end of 2025, it’s predicted that there will be over 144 million monthly podcast listeners in the US, with an average listening time of 23 minutes a day.

Listeners are diverse, but almost half of all listeners in the US are under 35 years old. This is great news if you’re looking to target a younger audience. Equally, half of all listeners have a full-time job and an income between US$100-150k. They have the purchasing power to really make an impact on your business.

3.     Increase brand recognition and accessibility

While blogging is straightforward, it’s only one way of telling the world about your brand. Not only is audio more accessible for many who may not have the time or desire to read through long texts online, but it also adds a far more personal touch. When we hear a voice, we have an opportunity to connect in a more friendly, intimate way. Personalise your brand’s offering through a branded podcast that will create opportunities for your audience to really get to know the people behind the name.

Many podcast listeners also enjoy their favourite episodes while doing other tasks – like commuting, or household chores. Podcasts are easy to listen to while completing other tasks and are totally portable, making them a great medium to improve the accessibility of your message. Offer your audience a branded podcast that fits in with their everyday life. 

4.     Explore new storytelling possibilities

While a blog can be easy to access and create, there’s only so much you can do when it comes to telling your brand’s story in words. What new storytelling options might you unlock with a podcast?

With a variety of formats and genres out there, branded podcasts open up space to consider what new stories you’ve got to offer the world. We’ve talked before about the various formats you might consider for your branded podcast – including the solocast, the documentary, the interview and even the fictionalised podcast. There are no limits to the creativity you can use to share memorable stories.

5.     Create more memorable content

And speaking of memorable, did you know that audio is 36% more memorable than video? This means that investing in audio can offer a far more memorable message for your listener, over investing in other media. If you’re wanting to send a message to your audience that will stick with them, turning your blog into a podcast can be a great way to go.

The sticking points: What to be aware of when converting your blog into a branded podcast

Keep it professional

Because of the sheer number of podcasts out there, anything that doesn’t sound slick and put-together is going to stand out – for all the wrong reasons. A third of listeners will stop listening if they detect a podcast is low quality. That means there’s no room for bad sound quality, dodgy editing or disjointed episode structures.

An experienced producer can make all the difference. We have the knowledge to ensure your podcast passes the quality test.

Take a look at our branded podcast production packages to find out more about how we can help give you a consistent, quality result in audio format.

Know the medium

If you’ve never made a podcast before, you might struggle to create something that really maximises the medium. While your audience might be excited by the pivot, podcasts and blogs appeal to different people in different ways. In other words, you can’t just read out your blogs and call it a podcast!

If you have tried to dabble in podcasting from a blog already, but are noticing that your output isn’t quite translating, you might not be maximising the new medium.

Our Power Up package is here to offer your branded podcast the boost it needs to really make sure it reaches your audience in the right way.

All in all, we’re biased when it comes to the power of the podcast – but the stats are here to back us up! Though podcasting is an effective medium for telling your brand’s story, it’s also a crowded marketplace.

Make sure your podcast stands out from the crowd with the right production, strategy, and delivery methods in place.

Get in touch to learn more about how we can help turn that blog into a whole new listener experience.

5 Ways to Grow Your Podcast in 2022

Last year all of us were thrown out of our comfort zone. We were pushed into another year of a pandemic, an unpredictable work-from-home schedule, an uncertain social calendar… and yet, something good came from a year of change, too. We all grew. We became more resilient, we took the time to listen and to reflect.

And as a company, we know we couldn't have grown without you.

Here are 5 tips that will help you grow your podcast, too.

1.     Speak to the press.

Media coverage always helps and in 2021, our shows saw their best year yet! Finding Natasha reached you through ringing endorsements by The Week, The Mirror, Daily Express, Daily Record, The Guardian, Ok Magazine, FT and BBC Radio 4 and we cannot wait to see what next year brings as we continue to focus on finding new listeners across different platforms.

Our tip: Spend at least 60% of the time you spend on production on your marketing. Marketing your podcast is a big job, but trust us, the results are worth it.

2.     Submit your podcast to awards.

Official recognition gives your podcast authority on the subject. We loved working on Untold Killing with Remembering Srebrenica that won the ‘Best Commercial Partnership' and 'The Impact Award' at the ARIAS 2021. Same goes to our partner Buffer and the Built to Last podcast that was honored at the Webby Awards. Thank you for voting, we are beyond grateful for your support that allows us to make shows we genuinely love.

Our tip to you: ALWAYS submit your show to awards. It helps to keep a calendar of all the times different awards open for submission and you will never regret being recognised for your hard work!

Do you need a marketing boost for your podcast?

We can help – check out our Amplify package that will get your podcast’s audio ad on the world’s most popular shows.

3.     Be proud of your numbers but don’t focus on them.

What matters more is the community you build around your podcast. We are very proud that Conflicted has now reached over 1 million listeners worldwide, but we certainly could not have reached that number without the community we built. The community is what grew our numbers and we invested heavily into building that bond.

Our tip to you: Remember that social media is a great way to engage your existing audience but not always the best way to find a new listener. Engage the listeners you already have and they will bring you the numbers that you aspire to see in your analytics.

4.     Build trust.

The reason why most of us love podcasts is because they are very personal. The act of listening to someone through your headphones feels intimate and for people to listen to you, they need to trust you. Through our diverse slate of shows and media coverage, we have made some incredible friends in audio. In 2021, we produced podcasts with Audible, amongst many other companies, and their trust in us is the greatest compliment.

Our tip to you: Don’t be shy about showcasing what you made. The quicker people can recognise your show, the more trust they will have. Shout about your podcast from the rooftops and then let your listeners do the talking for you.

Do you want to get your message heard?

Find out more about how we work with top brands to make their podcasts and reach out now to get started on yours!

5.     Keep going!

The Edison report that just launched its UK Infinite Dial this year reported that the UK has completely caught up with the US in its listenership. This is huge news, and it means podcasting has so much potential. The industry is booming and the best thing you can do right now is to keep your podcasts going.

“41% of the UK population (16+) listens to podcasts every month - around 23m people. The data is directly comparable to the US (41%), Canada (38%) and Australia (36%)"

The Infinite Dial 2021 UK

Our tip to you: If you have a long-running show, why not split it into seasons? This will help you catch a breath and give you space to include any of your listeners’ feedback into your feed.

Thank you again for growing with us this past year, and we cannot wait to see podcasting further grow as an industry in 2022!

Want to start working with Message Heard to grow your podcast? Find out more by getting in touch today.

How to Budget Your Podcast for the Year Ahead

Get your podcast budget into gear with these key questions, and create great content that serves your business.

Making a great podcast requires some pretty smart planning. If you’re working on your budget for next year, you might be wondering what items you need to factor in to create a quality podcast that delivers results. In this guide, we’ll give you the information you need to get started on budgeting for your podcast, to help you get buy-in internally and plan effectively. It’s very hard to plan ahead when you’ve got a lot of unknowns, so let us help you get started! Here are the questions you need to answer to achieve a clearer picture of your costs:

What format will your podcast take?

The format of a podcast impacts the production costs significantly - some formats are just more expensive to produce than others! If you aren’t sure what kinds of format a podcast can take, we’ve got a great blog to help you out. Start thinking about the type of story you hope to tell, and which format best suits it.

It’s important to note that it is often cheaper to produce podcasts that involve fewer speakers, for example, or which revolve around a dialogue, rather than those that involve journalistic research and/or the piecing together of multiple audio sources. The more complex the audio requirements, in other words, the more costly your podcast can become. However, it’s important not to lose sight of what you hope to achieve, as well as what format best suits your story and how this will impact your budget.

Don’t sacrifice your goals for the sake of a monologue podcast, for instance, if this doesn’t suit the engagement you intend to spark! After all, the podcast is there to augment your wider content strategy and complement your business goals — be that growing brand awareness or delivering leads.  

How many episodes will you create?

Making a decision about the length of your series is an important factor for your budget. There’s always a trade-off to be made between the length and depth of your podcast series, the results you want to achieve, and your budget. It’s a balancing act.

 A longer run of episodes can actually be a more cost effective solution in many cases — with clever production timetabling, you can record in larger blocks or make the most of a paid host or recording slots, and thus your overall costs are likely to be cheaper per episode. You’re also able to really build trust with your audience, as well as have more opportunity to iterate based on the data your seeing, with a longer run

What host will you use?

The host can make or break a podcast. Will you get external host, or have you got someone in mind to host, internally? External hosts can be expensive but they often come with an audience already, and are experienced in the art of podcast hosting. This can help maximise your efforts at audience-building and make for a smooth production experience.

However, in some cases, it’s more appropriate (and cheaper!) to use an internal host. For instance, if your podcast relies on insider knowledge of your industry, or is very brand-specific, it can make sense to use an internal host that can speak to this. For all first time hosts, we recommend training sessions - and you can check out our blog on how to become a great host here.

How will you produce your podcast?

You have a few options when it comes to producing your podcast: You can go at it alone, or you can utilise the help of a production company for a slick result. If you want the lowest cost option you can buy your own mics and editing software – this could be as cheap as a couple of hundred pounds, through to thousands of pounds.

 The better the gear, the better the quality. However, there is a significant degree of technical knowledge required to get the best out of your equipment, no matter how fancy it is! Without the right conditions, even the most expensive audio equipment will underperform. With expertise on your side, you can guarantee a much better quality, genuinely professional result. Additionally, using an agency or production company they can support you on the development of your format and concept, as well as researching and scripting the episodes, not just the delivery of the final product.

 It’s therefore important to understand how much you can spend on this endeavour, and the range of costs involved in hiring a podcast company to deliver your show. At Message Heard, we provide a bespoke service that can cover anything and everything from coming up with the core idea for your show; through format and sound design; through episode scripting; to recording, editing and polishing the final article. We know how to ensure you maximise the results from creating podcast content that aligns with your business goals, by working with you every step of the way.

How will you promote your podcast?

Creating a podcast is exciting, but it’s not enough to simply put together episodes - you have to promote it, and make sure it’s disseminated properly.

 When it comes to building your audience, you can use either earned promotion or paid promotion. Earned promotion is when your audience or customers help share your content, as a result of loyalty to or simply being fans of your content. Paid promotion involves utilising a third-party channel, such as sponsorships or buying advertising on other sites. This could be anything from social media advertising through to more traditional marketing efforts like print ads.  

Your marketing strategy will likely rely on a combination of paid and earned, but both have budgetary considerations. When it comes to earned, make sure to account for things like internal time, creation of promotional assets and any tools you might need like Headliner or a social media scheduling tool.

How to build the case for podcasting?

 We all know an important part of budgeting is thinking about the results and outcomes you can achieve. Next week, we will be publishing a guide to generate buy-in internally for your podcast. In it we lay out how to build the case around your budget, so stay tuned.

In the meantime, don’t hesitate to contact us at Message Heard to find out more about how to build the budget for your podcast — and how to get the balance right between the costs involved and the business goals you intend to achieve! 

Want to learn more? At Message Heard, we make podcasts that help your brand reach new audiences. Find out how we can help by getting in touch today!

7 questions to guide your podcast strategy

You know you want to make a podcast. But what comes next? Here’s the low down on developing a strategy that sets your podcast up for success.

Creating a corporate podcast is often more than just a matter of having a great idea. Making a podcast worthwhile for your business requires a strategy. A strategy can make the difference between a podcast that’s simply fun and satisfying to create, and a podcast that really works for your larger business or brand goals.

During lockdown, we worked closely with Historic England to deliver a detailed podcast strategy that supported their aims as a business, as well as their wider content strategy. In particular, we utilise a Discovery Workshop process that is the key to defining everything a podcast strategy needs. This involved conducting a series of workshops conducted online, using various visualisation tools to help our teams collaborate and brainstorm around several important questions. 

In this blog, we’re going to break down parts of this process, sharing with you the important overarching questions that you need to answer to develop a podcast strategy that works towards your goals as a brand. 

Our virtual whiteboard used in our Discovery Workshop with Historic England.

1. What are your business/brand values and goals?

All content that you spend time creating as a brand should reflect your values and should be created in alignment with your goals. So, a good place to start is here: what does your brand or business value? Knowing what you stand for can help get the ball rolling. 

In the case of Historic England, they had used podcasts before to support exhibitions and events. Their aim was to inspire people and create advocates for the built environment. These key values helped dictate the way in which we defined a strategy for their future podcasts. Creating content that speaks to an ethos really helps to shape and define the scope of your podcast and will lead towards certain themes and ideas that are important for you to explore. 

Next up: What are your goals for your content? Content that aims to acquire new members, for instance, is likely to be different to content that furthers brand awareness. While your podcast may be intended to achieve many things, it’s important to define exactly what this might be before you get stuck in creating episodes.

2. What content have you created already?

Reviewing or auditing your content to date is a good way to help define what’s missing, and what your podcast might build upon. What worked? What didn’t? Spend time reviewing what content you’ve tried to create, the effect it had, any measurable qualities of success, before defining your podcast.

3.  What are your competitors up to?

Have your key competitors already got a podcast? If so, it’s worth taking a look to see what they are up to. Set your podcast apart from the outset by researching your competitors and the way they present themselves. Take note of what stories they’re telling and use this to help find your niche. If they don’t have a podcast yet, all the better! It’s your opportunity to create something that’s missing in the market.

4. Who is your audience?

Defining your audience is a great way to hone your podcast content. Thinking about who they are, what they are like, what they need, and what information you can uniquely provide them. All of this will help get you one step closer to creating a successful podcast.

5. What themes do you have in mind already?

There might already be some obvious themes that relate to your industry, the experts or guests you have access to, content you already create or content that is missing. Define your themes in a broader sense. Brainstorming here may reveal new areas that your podcast can explore - after all, it’s not a text-based medium, which means that you can define ideas that suit an audio format specifically, and this might bring to mind new areas to explore in your content. 

6. What format will your podcast take?

There are many possible formats a podcast can take. From monologues, to interview, to narrative-style podcasts (like the infamous Serial podcast), round tables, multi-host (like our work with NatWest), and more. Defining what format might suit the stories you want to tell will help define how to execute your content, when it comes to turning ideas into reality. 

7. How do you want to be different?

Here’s your chance to really brainstorm and get creative! Having reviewed what you’ve already created in terms of content, as well as what your competitors are doing, the themes and formats you prefer, what your audience needs, and keeping in mind your values as a brand, it’s now finally time to start fleshing out your niche. What would you most like to try? What story do you uniquely have to tell? Setting your podcast apart is key to creating something extra special with each and every episode. 

With these key questions answered, you can begin to define a successful podcast strategy. At Message Heard, we work with this as a starting point with each and every one of our clients. As we dig into the Discovery Workshop process, we can help you unveil the insights that can help your podcast stand out. By defining a detailed strategy, production also becomes a far smoother and more time and money efficient process. Take your ideas and turn them into a reality that serves your brand.  

Want to learn more? At Message Heard, we make podcasts that help your brand reach new audiences. Find out how we can help you by getting in touch.

What's your perfect podcast marketing mix?

Grow your podcast audience by creating a tailored marketing plan.

When we get asked “What is the best way to market our podcast?” 

The answer is always: “Well, that depends…”

Very unsatisfying we know! But it’s true. 

For some clients the budget for splashy ads might not be on the cards, or others might have existing channels we can cross-promote - like a blog or a youtube channel. Some podcasts have a very niche audience, and others have a mass appeal. With so many factors at play, every marketing plan has to be bespoke. 

So, the bad news is: there is no one size fits all solution. 

The good news though: there are repeatable tactics and approaches. You just need to select the right ones for your podcast. 

In this post, we’ll give you the building blocks of a podcast marketing plan that is built with purpose. 

But first, let's talk choosing the building blocks that work for you. 

What is a podcast marketing plan?

Having a strategic marketing plan is key to growing your podcast audience. And, to build these plans for each of our shows, we first ask:

• What is your marketing resource for this project?

• Who is your target audience? 

• And, how will you measure the success of your podcast?

With the answers to these questions in mind, we start to create a marketing mix that will help you build the audience you want, and deliver against your goals. 

This is when those key ingredients we mentioned earlier come into play. 

Your Perfect Podcast Marketing Mix

Whilst every podcast needs a bespoke plan, you don’t need to start from scratch for each show. 

We think about a marketing mix in three channels: paid, earned and owned: 

• Paid is anything where you exchange money to secure promotion, namely advertising. 

• Earned is where you depend on someone else’s curation to gain coverage or promotion - like a feature on Apple Podcasts or a review in a newsletter. There are sometimes external costs involved with this, such as award entries. 

• Owned covers the activities conducted on your channels like your website or social media. 

With these channels in mind, as well as the budget, audience and goals for the podcast, we then pull out different tactics from each channel to build the perfect marketing mix. 

Here are all the different channels and tactics to consider: 

This is by no means an exhaustive list! All podcasts will have unique real-estate they can use for promotion. Do they have an app they can promote on? A print magazine? For example, our client Buffer uses their login page to put the podcast front and centre:

I love this so much. @buffer putting their podcast front and centre on their login screen. The show is the best expression of their brand and they're committed to growing an audience of raving fans. Raving fans = lifelong customers. More brands should do this - especially now. pic.twitter.com/Ov1e1Shryc

— Harry Morton (@podcastharry) July 11, 2020

These are simply the building blocks we use to create a balanced marketing mix that will allow you to grow your audience strategically. This is also an ever growing list, have we missed any key ways you grow your audience? Let us know!

Want to learn more? At Message Heard, we make podcasts that help your brand reach new audiences. Find out how we can help by getting in touch today.

Podcast publishing 101: Where to publish your podcast?

A guide for checking your podcast is published everywhere it needs to be.

Podcast publishing is a bit of a minefield — but getting it right is key to creating a successful podcast, so it's worth investing some time in. We've learned a lot from publishing our own shows, and we're here to share our learnings with you, so you don't fall into the common traps.

We’ll share our tips about podcast publishing, and share our ever growing podcast platform checklist that you can use to make sure your podcast is accessible on whatever app your listeners are using.

Why is podcast publishing important? 

From Apple to Google Podcasts, there are so many places that listeners can discover, listen, rate and review your podcast. 

With our show Conflicted, we can see that listeners use over 26 different podcast platforms and there is still a large chunk of unattributed listens which could come from any number of other podcast platforms. 

The vast majority of listens come from a few big players: 68% Apple Podcasts, 14% Spotify and the remaining 19% split between over 20+ other apps.  

A table showing some of the places people listen to our show, Conflicted.

But no matter the size of listenership on that platform, it’s important your show can be accessed everywhere as it improves the experience of every potential listener you have. Think of those potential super fans who will be very annoyed that they can’t find your awesome show on their chosen app! 

The good news is it’s pretty easy to do, but there are a few factors to consider especially when it comes to timing. 

When should you publish your feed?

It makes sense to focus on making sure your podcast is on the biggest podcast platforms first. 

We discovered the hard way that Apple Podcasts, which along with Spotify, is widely one of the most common places people listen to podcasts, encourage you to allow up to 10 working days for them to approve your feed once it’s submitted. 

So to avoid any last minute panics, we now make sure all our feeds are set up with the trailer uploaded 10 days before we planned to start promotion. 

Once the feed is created via your chosen hosting platform, you will generate an RSS feed link. We then make sure this link is submitted to the top players: 

• Apple Podcasts - Submit your feed here via iTunes Connect. Make an account if you don’t already have one, and you can also see analytics through this portal.

• Spotify - Submit or ‘claim’ your RSS feed through Spotify for Podcasters. You’ll also need to create an account, and similar to iTunes Connect, Spotify offers specific analytic via this portal. 

• Google Podcasts - Google now have a podcast manager portal as well where you can submit your feed directly. You can log in with any google account, and as with the others, you will need your RSS feed link at the ready.

From there, we’ve found your RSS will be automatically picked up by most other podcast platforms. This may take some time, so you can also check and submit your feed via the links in the list below! 

Where else should you make sure your podcast is published? 

As we mentioned, the RSS feed does a lot of the hard work for you and you might find your podcast has found its way on to many of these platforms without you submitting it directly. 

So, we suggest waiting for up to 10 days and once you see your link appear on these platforms you have already submitted to: 

• Apple Podcasts

• Spotify  

• Google Podcasts  

Then go through and check your podcast is displayed on these players, if not you can add them via the links or instructions below:  

• RadioPublic

• CastBox

• PodcastAddict

• Pocket Casts

• Overcast - There is no specific way to submit to Overcast, they say you should see your podcast on Overcast 2-3 days after you submit to Apple. 

• Stitcher

• Acast - Scroll down to the green button where it says ‘add your show’ 

• Player FM

• Luminary 

• Downcast - Downcast also don’t have a direct submission and use Apple Podcasts, but if your show is not appearing you can email them: support@downcastapp.com

• Doggcatcher - Doggcatcher also doesn't have a direct submission. If you can’t find your show, you can try using their support forum. 

• BeyondPod 

• Himalaya

• Alexa - Lots of podcast apps already have skills which you can use to access your podcast, but some shows also create your own skill but this requires custom development. 

• Entale - You can add your shows to Entale if you wish to add reference materials like images or links. 

This is a running list we have compiled. Have we missed any? Let us know if your favourite podcast platform isn’t listed and we’ll add it along with the link to submit. 

Want to know more about marketing and distributing your podcast? At Message Heard, we make podcasts that help your brand to reach new audiences. Find out what we can do for you. Call today: 02081036034 or email us at: contact@messageheard.com.

The SEO Benefits of Branded Podcasts

Want SEO success? Think podcast marketing! Here’s why... 

There are A LOT of reasons why brands want to rank high in the search engine listings. This page details most of them, but here’s a quick summary:  

• Search engines matter. Search engines are vital for driving traffic to your site. They account for 300% more traffic than social media.  

• High rankings matter. 75% of people only look at the first page of results.  

• Search engine visibility matters. 50% of people are more likely to click a result if a brand appears multiple times in their search engine results.  

Here’s the second thing to note: Google is far and away the king of the search engines. Check out the stats:  

• Of searches done on mobiles and tablets, 94% of the traffic comes via Google.  

• Google also holds 75% market share of desktop and laptop searches.  

• Google processes over 57,000 searches, every second.  

Third thing to note: podcasts boost your search engine rankings.  

The SEO Benefits of Branded Podcast #1: Increased Search Engine Visibility 

Podcasts increase your search engine visibility – and therefore increase your ranking.  

Google now surfaces individual podcast episodes in its search results. Why does that matter? Because this means that every episode of your podcast increases your chances of Google ranking you. 

Google has had the tech capacity to index your audio since 2019. This means the search engine isn’t reliant on your podcast’s title or subtitle or meta-description: it’s looking content. So, if you create a podcast (or a podcast series) that focuses on aspects of your business or industry in which you have core expertise, that valuable content will be recognised and surfaced: enhancing your SEO.  

The other takeaways?  

• The more episodes your branded podcast has, the more likely it is that your content will reflect popular search results.  

• The quality of your podcasts will count. This is about content but it’s also about the quality of your audio. Great audio = easy transcription = enhanced results.  

• Podcasts with expert guests will boost your results. Google will pick up their presence on your podcast and surface you in response to searches for those guests. 

Underlining Google’s commitment to podcast, in 2018 the company’s Podcasts Product Manager Zack Reneau-Wedeen said that his team’s mission is, ‘...to help double the amount of podcast listening in the world over the next couple of years.’ In other words, the biggest search engine in the world is actively trying to grow your podcast audience.  

The SEO Benefits of Branded Podcast #2: Greater Brand Awareness and Reach 

 Podcasts are a popular and evergreen form of customer-attracting content.  

Why does any piece of branded online content matter? You know the answer: it’s because it gets the brand exposure; highlights your areas of expertise; builds your credibility and extends your reach. In this sense, podcasts are another channel for your quality content. And the benefits they bring in this regard are three-fold:  

1. Podcasts give you the opportunity to present the same content in two forms – audio and written. You can multiply the content from your podcast in very simple ways. You can create a transcript. You can use extracts from your podcast as a springboard for blog posts. You can tweet about upcoming episodes. You can even create visual content off the back of your podcast, by creating click-worthy episode art. These are all avenues that use your podcast content in slightly different ways to broaden your reach.  

2. Podcasts reach a different audience. People listen to podcasts on the go: often when they’re moving or driving. At these times, it’s not possible to engage with written content. So, podcasts reach an audience who want to consume information in a different way. Your audio content complements your written content and grows your audience.  

3. Podcasts take you to new (online) places. Podcasts are hosted in spaces that are not reached by other means! With a branded podcast, you find a home on channels like Apple Podcasts and Spotify (plus a plethora of other hosts). New audiences have a chance to discover you in these locations by using a podcast app search, which scours titles and episode descriptions for relevant content. It’s yet another way of building your base.  

The SEO Benefits of Branded Podcast #3: Attract Quality Backlinks 

Podcasts attract the backlinks that build your base and boost your ranking.  

People link to your page when they feel that your page is providing quality information that matters to their audience. To put that another way, every link you attract has the potential to grow your audience. And there’s another reason why backlinks scatter gold dust over your brand: they function as a powerful search engine magnet. Search engines love sites with lots of links because the links tell them that your site has content that people value.  

What does that have to do with podcasts? Everything!  

When you create a quality branded podcast, you are creating content that ticks at least one of the following link-attracting boxes. A podcast that’s... 

• Informative 

• Entertaining 

• Useful 

  OR 

• Newsworthy 

...will entice people to link it to their website. This builds your brand in three ways. Firstly, it feeds into brand awareness and reach. That website’s followers become aware of your brand. Secondly, it allows you to create clever internal links. Your podcast page; your transcript; your show notes; your podcast-related tweets can all lead to your website or even to your website’s conversion pages. Thirdly, it builds your search engine visibility. SEO appeal!  

Want to know more? At Message Heard, we make podcasts that help your brand to reach new audiences. Find out what we can do for you. Call today: 02081036034 or email us at: contact@messageheard.com.

Two Seasons In, Here’s What We've Learned About Podcast Marketing

When it comes to podcast marketing, do you feel like you’ve tried everything, or that you don’t even know where to start? 

Frustrated your podcast isn’t getting the audience it deserves? Confused as to why your downloads plateaued? We know the feeling… we know all the feelings.  

We have been creating and releasing our podcast Conflicted since February 2019. It’s taught us first-hand how hard building a podcast audience is — it’s not enough to make great content (if we say so ourselves) and throw it into an RSS feed.  

But, after two seasons, we’re feeling positive about the progress Conflicted has made:  

• We’ve received coverage in The Guardian, The Telegraph and The Times.  

• 99.6% of listeners say they would recommend it to a friend, family member or colleague. 

• For Season 2, average listenership over the first 7 days has grown 62% compared to Season 1 for the same time period.  

• We’ve grown an engaged listener community — 96.3% of the members of our Facebook Group have actively posted, shared or reacted.   

• And the cherry on top: we were nominated for an ARIAS (the Audio Oscars) for Best Independent Podcast alongside  some of the world’s biggest podcasts. 

We know there is still work to do, but at this juncture we wanted to share a whistle stop tour of what we’ve learned over the past two years of distributing and marketing our flagship podcast.  

Our growth: Season One compared to Season Two.

Plan, Plan, Plan

For every podcast we make — either under our Originals umbrella or for our clients — we preach the gospel of strategy.

Thinking critically about who your podcast is targeted at and how you plan to reach them is vital, as is adapting that plan as you release your podcast and learn more about your audience.

We have tried different tools for planning, including Trello and Monday.com, but for Season 2, it was a good old fashioned word doc which really helped capture our strategy as well as the tactics we’d use.

How we map out our thinking.

We also recommend creating a master copy document to create consistency and make sure you tailor your messaging to each channel, including your podcast’s metadata. This metadata includes your podcast title, podcast description, episode titles, show notes and other data like tags you input when you upload episodes to you podcast hosting platform. Using a master document helped us keep our language consistent but also acted as checklist prompting us to input all the data correctly each episode.

Marketing Needs To Be Baked into Production

Before you even press record, you need to have a production and marketing strategy in place – especially if the people producing and promoting the show are in separate teams.

Why? There are so many marketing considerations which overlap with the way your show sounds and what you capture during recording:

• Audience Development - Who is this podcast targeted at? Who are you actually speaking to when you step behind the mic?

• Audio Branding - Theme tunes, music beds, jingles, archival tape. What audio-materials will you use to create your distinctive sound?

• Visual Branding - How will the look of the show capture the podcast’s tone and attract your target audience? A consistent visual identity across all brand touch points will professionalise your brand and attract new listeners.

• Tone of Voice - Again, your show’s voice needs to be consistent across all touch points. The language of the show and language used in marketing need to complement, not quarrel.

• Call to Actions - How do you plan on engaging your audience? Are these CTA’s scripted? Will they cut through?

• Social Media Assets - Are you capturing the assets you need to promote the show during production ?

• Trailers and Teasers - What are you sharing? And when are you sharing it? Do you need extra voice overs for your trailers? How are you building excitement?

• Guest Engagement - How will you work with the guests on your show to maximise your combined reach?

• Press Assets and Reels - What sizzlers do you need to sell your show to the press?

Cover The Basics

Making sure you are covering the basics is key before you start exploring marketing approaches tailored to your show.

As a company, we are now at a place where we have a best practice approach for all the shows we produce and release.

How to build your own best practice? When something works - write it down. Build a checklist as you learn. And execute that checklist. Every. Single. Time.

Doing core promotional activities for each episode also helps you spell out what actually works, as you can compare and see how things like content, topic and guests affect downloads or engagement. It’s about tracking the individual items AND the combinations of items to create a clear picture of what actually works.

Engage Your Audience

Tailoring your engagement strategy to your audience means finding the right channels for your podcast.

For the launch of Conflicted Season 2, we have focused on building a Facebook Group and running weekly giveaways. We’ve also started to see the benefit of having distinct social channels for each show, especially on Twitter, we’re people can tag, share and recommend the show to others.

An example of listeners engaging with the hosts via our Facebook group.

These were invaluable step for us in creating a dialogue with our listeners — but for your show the best channels and tactics may be different. Think about who your audience is, what engagement you want from them, and how to reward those who interact, share and feedback.

Test, Iterate, Improve

There is no silver bullet. There isn’t one scalable, repeatable thing that will get you a committed audience of millions overnight.

We do believe however, that there is a cocktail of things that will get you there one day. Working out that magic marketing mix involves testing, iterating and improving.

That is why we conduct thorough retrospectives after each season of the show. This entails:

• Reviewing the Data – Dig into your analytics. Examine your growth, listenership trends and demographic data. Don’t just focus on the numbers —make sure to factor in any qualitative insights from Apple podcast reviews, emails and tweets, too.

• Collecting Audience Feedback – We did our first audience survey for the end of Season 2. This has become an incredible resource for data about what our audiences enjoys and what they want to change. You can see our survey here, and Bello Collective also have a great resource on making an audience survey.

• Doing a Team Review - We asked: what we do well, what went wrong, and what we could improve when it comes to marketing, production and monetisation of the show. Out of this process we have an actionable list of improvements to take forward.

Some of the results from our Audience Survey.

What isYour Unique Opportunity?

Every podcast needs to play to its strengths, as well as the resources you have at your disposal. 

In this example, Conflicted is a discussion show so it made sense to focus on platforms that allow listeners to engage more deeply and run giveaways that provide ‘further reading’. It’s also personality-led, so we wanted our content and coverage to profile our hosts and allow their personalities to shine. 

Ask yourself what unique opportunities your podcast has — is it the profile of your guests, your social media reach, your connection with listeners? These are the building blocks you need to grow your show.  

If you want help developing a podcast marketing strategy that plays to the strengths of your brand and speaks directly to your target audiences — get in touch.

Click here to contact us about our services!