We're sharing data and analyses from our annual research report, ideas from the experts we feature on our podcast and events, and case studies of how businesses are leveraging podcasts to grow.
Why are you podcasting for your business?
Why do we Podcast?When you podcast as a passion project, you need to have a why that keeps you going. But whatever your business is, and however your show supports it, you need to know that what you are doing is working. So the question you should be asking, Reader, is: what is my podcast supposed to be doing for my business? In a perfect world, that’s an easy question to answer, and you have clear data to back that answer up. In this world, most company podcasts are doing a lot of things right and a few things wrong. While it’s plainly successful enough to keep doing it - it’s really hard to figure out why. But it is possible to identify the specific ways your podcast is generating value for your business, and track exactly how much value every month, giving you the clarity you need to make decisions about it. Here’s how:
Then do it again and again for every different way your podcast is creating value for your company. Easy, right? Easy to say in any case. Doing it when you’re 6 months or a year into production and there’s always something running late is somewhat more complicated. So we've been working on something to help. The Business Podcast Accelerator is the newest offering from One Stone Creative, and in it, we help you identify those metrics, track them, and optimize you show to get the most value possible out of it. The very first thing we'll do for you as a new member is create stats tracking infrastructure for you so you can start getting clarity on how well your show is working for your business. We also provide personal and private email and voice support for whatever you're working on, monthly episode feedback, content calendar planning, and ROI optimization training and workshops. It's pretty cool, and if you think your show could be more efficient and effective in meeting your business goals, then I invite you to take a look!
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If you'd like to get a little preview of what it's like in the Accelerator, we're making the first ROI clinic this year public - we're going to be looking at how podcasts are strategically deploying their shows on their websites and in their sales processes to nurture listeners towards being better clients, faster. We'll also be doing some hotseats, so if you have an area of your show you think could be improved, you can get some personal advice! It's all happening on Thursday, February 1st at 3pm Eastern. Register automatically (it's free!) by clicking here! What Does the Data Tell Us?Every year we learn new things about the podcasting industry in the State of Business Podcasting Report, and one of the elements we looked at in detail this year was top-of show content. The hook, sometimes called a sizzle clip, is a clip from the interior of an episode played at the beginning before the intro and hello. A couple of years ago more than half of the shows we evaluated used hooks, but that number has been in steep decline and now only about 20% of the top shows use one. One reason this could be happening is the growth of short-form video content for promoting episodes. The purpose for a hook is to tease the content of the episode, and pique curiosity about the episode and encourage people to listen to the rest, and when that interest is being generated with reels, shorts and audiograms. What is increasingly common are host-read intros with music, music only introductions to the show, and traditional produced intros. We'll look at those elements in more detail in a future edition. For now, if you are promoting via short-form video, it might be worth experimenting with your top of show content to shorten it, getting to the main body or your personal commentary more quickly, and seeing what kind of impact it has on your downloads and listen through rate! From The Company Show ArchiveWe are currently preparing an incredible new season of The Company Show featuring more expert interviews, case study calls with company podcasters and deep dives into podcast industry data - you can look out for new episodes next week, but in the meantime, I was looking over some of our old episodes (and preparing to do a major episode title overhaul!) and happened across this one from last fall, How to Cheat a Podcast Episode. When you are podcasting strategically, you'll usually have your episodes planned out in advance, but life happens to us all and sometimes you'll find yourself up against a deadline with no ideas. We avoid it when we can, but it happens to everyone eventually. In this episode I share some strategies to avoid finding yourself recording in a panic... and 4 ways to quickly come up with an episode topic when you can't. Really quickly:
Check out the full episode for more! What's New In Podcasting?Producer Jaime Legagneur of Flintstone media has just launched something very exciting for podcasters who are also mothers, The Power Moms Network and community! From the Power Moms website: "We are POWER MOMS–a group of women who have parlayed their superpowers from motherhood into gamechanging impacts for themselves, their families, and their communities. Are YOU a Power Mom? Join our community--it's FREE!! And, even submit yourself below for consideration as a voice on our newest network–the Power Moms Network!" If this sounds like you, you should check it out! Do This Right Now:Want to take one action to make a difference in your show and how well it's working for you? It'll only take 5 minutes. Open up your search engine of choice and search for: "New [YOUR TOPIC] books" (I might type in "New Podcasting Books.") Choose a result that looks interesting and follow them on your mot used social media platform. Take a look at the friends or followers who engage with their content and connect with some of them, too. Some of them might follow you back - but don't worry about that. What this is going to do is increase your connections that are interested in your topic area. Regularly making sure that the pool you are swimming in is filed with people interested in your topics means it will be easier to engage with and get to know more people talking about what you're talking about - and who might be interested in your show as a listener, guest, or collaborator. I hope the year is off to a great start for you Reader, and that your podcast is doing the jobs you need it to in your business. The team and I are here if you need anything - just hit reply and let us know! All the best, Megan Dougherty |
Podcasting for Business
Strategy, data, insights and process improvements for when podcasting is jut *part* of the job.
We're sharing data and analyses from our annual research report, ideas from the experts we feature on our podcast and events, and case studies of how businesses are leveraging podcasts to grow.