Top three reasons to start a podcast:
- Brand awareness
- Build expert profile
- Personal connection
Ireland has a long-established reputation for being a nation of avid radio listeners. According to Joint National Listenership Research, 81% of Irish adults listen to the radio every week. In recent times, digital radio and podcasts have become increasingly popular as consumers look for more accessible and convenient ways to consume content.
This means podcasts can be an excellent PR tool for Irish businesses, enabling them to connect with customers, build trust and share knowledge to establish themselves as experts in their field.
Ireland produces a high volume of podcast content covering entertainment, business and technology. Acast Ireland has reported over 7.5 million podcast listeners every month in Ireland. Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, listenership has grown by 39%. If utilised, podcasting can be a great PR and communications tool for businesses in Ireland, especially given the large appetite of Irish listeners for this style of content.
Whether you are the first, or the first of many, in your industry, podcasting can be an effective way to reach and engage audiences in a relatively cost-effective and easy way. Furthermore, there are significant opportunities for podcasting within the technology sector because there is so much exciting innovation happening. The key to getting started is to identify your target audience and establish your voice.
The top 3 benefits of podcasting for businesses
1. Brand Awareness
Podcasting opens up your business to an audience of potential customers and clients. Your brand will be visible on more channels and be active in more spaces, thus reaching more people.
Podcasting complements your existing marketing and PR efforts, as it increases your visibility and engagement with your target audience. Podcasts are also easily shared across social channels, reaching a new audience and expanding your potential customer base.
Just like radio, podcasts require passive listening, therefore people are not limited to when they consume your content – they can do it when walking, driving etc. This increases the likelihood that they will become aware of your brand and engage with your content.
2. Expert Profile
People often turn to podcasts to get more in-depth information and to learn about a wide range of topics. Hosting a podcast allows you to share your industry knowledge and educate potential customers on your products and services. This can be particularly useful to gain an advantage over competitors.
Furthermore, you get to control the message which means your brand is presented exactly how you want. Through sharing knowledge, showcasing expertise and building listenership, a brand can really establish itself as a thought leader in its area.
As the audience grows, the influence and authority of the business will grow too. This presence can potentially position a company as the go-to for media – as well as potential clients – when discussing industry-related topics or during times of crisis.
3. Personal Connection
Audio is a much more engaging method of communicating. Through podcasting, you have the ability to build a more personal connection with your customers/clients. When someone hears your voice, you become more familiar and relatable.
This human touch establishes a stronger relationship and one built on trust. After all, everyone loves a professional yet personal experience and people will tend to engage with and buy from companies they know and trust.
With this in mind, creating familiarity through podcasting has the power to nurture relationships with new or prospective customers, while supporting long-term business growth and wider PR activities. In turn, this helps your business stand out and be successful.
So, what are you waiting for? Get your organisation′s voice out there and reap the rewards of building your brand awareness, establishing your company as the go-to expert and developing relationships with listeners who could become customers.
Podcasting can be done independently or with the help of a PR agency such as Comit. For more information on how to pick the right PR agency for your business, look here.