In 2020, the number of Americans listening to monthly podcasts surpassed 100 million for the first time. 

And those numbers are rising like mercury on a midsummer’s day.  

While podcasting isn’t new.

It’s a branding opportunity that’s on the verge of coming in from the fringes, and it’s not going unnoticed.

Big brands are beginning to stake their claims.

And with ad spending predicted to jump by nearly 45% in 2021 to $1.13 billion.

It’s those who invest early in podcast branding strategies that’ll reap the richest rewards.

People are listening and waiting to hear you introduce your brand.

Now’s your time to participate in this global conversation gold rush.

Let’s get you heard.

Here’s how to extend your brand reach with a podcast branding strategy. 

1. What is Podcasting

Podcasting is a means of recording and distributing audio files of a specific topic via the internet. Once you’ve downloaded a podcast, you can listen to it on a computer or a portable device, the most popular being mobile phones and Digital assistants. 

Podcasting’s early roots date back to the 1980s, then known as “audio blogging.” But it wasn’t until the advent of broadband, along with the invention of portable digital audio playback devices (AKA the iPod) in 2004, that it began to catch hold and become what it is today.

Podcast popularity is growing due to the availability of easily digestible content that we can listen to while on the move. Simply put, it suits our modern lifestyle. 

And its quickly becoming a crucial strategy for brands wanting to deliver a daily dose of audience targeted inspiration and brand awareness. 

Starting a podcast takes a lot of time, planning and strategy. To ensure you have everything you need to succeed, RSS Podcasting has created an in-depth resource to guide you throughout every step of choosing a topic,  branding your show,  equipment you’ll need, how to edit your episodes, monetizing your podcast, and how to get listed with the major podcast directories. 

2. Benefits of Podcasts

There are numerous podcasting benefits for your business, such as extending your brand’s reach by increasing awareness, engaging leads, driving site traffic and revenue, and building customer relationships. 

On a more altruistic side, you can share informative content in an intimate way to an online community that will benefit from your advice. 

Those alone are reason enough to implement a podcast branding strategy.

Regardless of your objectives or motivations, podcasting can do the following for your brand: 

• Increase access to valuable clients.
• Engage and build communities of loyal fans. 
• Run hugely cost-effective marketing campaigns. 
• Use an omnichannel marketing approach, extending your brand’s reach by the millions.
• Improve your brand’s SEO.
• Increase and drive traffic to your website.

And as podcasts are mobile-ready and on-demand, there really is no better way to keep your brand relative. 

3. Getting Started

A real bonus for small brand owners is you don’t need to be technically minded or have a large budget to make a podcast. 

But as with any marketing strategy, your podcast should align with your overall business objectives, so you can bass it on content that enhances your brand. For you, it might be improving brand awareness, extending brand reach, or increasing website/blog traffic. 

Once you’ve identified your podcast’s objectives, you can begin defining your strategy for getting started.  

Where to start when building your podcast:

1. Choose your topic, name, format, frequency, and duration of each episode.  
2. Begin recording and editing your audio files (such as MP3s). 
3. Choose a host or hosts specializing in podcasts (BuzzSprout, Spreaker, Transistor, or PodBean).
4. Syndicate your audio files into an RSS feed. Enabling you to distribute them through Apple Podcasts and downloaded or streamed on any portable devices on-demand.
5. Design your artwork and begin “branding” your podcast.

4. Creating a Podcast Brand

According to Podcast Insights, as of January 2021, there are 1,750,000 active podcast shows. 

Now, not all are in your niche, but you’re not alone; you do have competition. You have to find a way of attracting viewers and engaging them visually so they’ll stop and listen to what you have to say. 

And as your podcast is an extension of your brand, you must infuse it with the same voice, flavor, and personality.  

Start by creating a compelling and relevant show logo, source your podcast logo inspiration, and design an episode thumbnail template with a clear title and description. One you can use on every podcast, creating consistency yet unique to each topic. Enabling you to create branding cohesion and familiarity with viewers. 

And always follow the podcast cover art requirements to ensure you’re approved in directories. Your logo should either be 1400 x 1400, 3000 x 3000 pixels, and in either PNG or JPEG form, and RGB color. 

5. Planning the Podcast Content

Planning your content isn’t only about your topic; it’s also how you present it.

Listeners want podcasts that provide valuable and informative information. You deliver that by talking about something your either an expert in or have a deep passion for. But of course, you must also choose a topic with the right popularity level; otherwise, you won’t have an audience.

Once you’ve found it, you can design the structure of your show.

There are three podcast time schedules:

1. Daily: Usually short, 5 minutes or less.
2. Weekly: Commonly 10-22 minutes long.
3. Monthly: Can be up to 6-90 minutes. 

Formatting:

• You can use a three-act structure – Intro, feature segment, and interview.
• Choose an episode theme.
• Plan your pace.
• Include a back sell and great your audience. 
• Raise some intriguing questions you want to address. 
• Promote and make references to other content. 

6. Podcast Optimizations

Podcast optimization is a process of designing your podcast to reach and engage with the largest possible available audience. 

There are several tactics you can use, all concerning SEO. Podcast search engine optimization is a sustainable strategy for raising your online presence, growing your audience, and providing potential listeners with more ways to discover your show. 

SEO techniques:

• Start by choosing a unique, memorable, and topic relevant show title. 
• Create a clear, keyword heavy, intriguing description.
• Choose a category or categories that suit your podcast.
• Create episode transcriptions.
• Leverage Podcast metadata.
• Always repurpose your content and update its relevancy.