If you’re like most people, you have a podcast or two – or ten – that you love. Media analysts predict that the number of people who listen to podcasts monthly in 2021 will increase by 10.1% (year-over-year) to 117.8 million listeners. And once someone finds a podcast they love, they follow it religiously – an apt term to describe the manner in which podcasts are able to create culture and foster community as an effortless byproduct of the originally recorded content.
In a relatively short period of time, podcasting has changed the media industry, establishing itself as a medium that connects with consumers in an intimate and unique way.
Whether it’s because podcast content can be seamlessly incorporated with social media and other external platforms, or because the conversations they capture are authentic and personal, or because the episodes are accessible and on-demand, it’s clear that listeners connect with podcasts on a deeper level than they do with other forms of communication. In addition to this connection – or more accurately, as a result of it – podcasts are earning enough revenue to be taken seriously as a lucrative product.
At this point in the medium’s history, just about everyone who’s anyone is diving headfirst into the world of podcasting to start their own show – including corporations and businesses. This begs the question – what can a company possibly make a podcast about, and why would they do it in the first place?
The short answer is that there’s a lot to gain from corporate podcasting, and a ton for businesses to talk about – but let’s explore the longer answer below.
External Podcasts
An external podcast is distributed to your clients or consumers. On a pragmatic level, podcasts represent additional content that will drive traffic back to your website and guide listeners to your social media channels. But beyond this surface-level engagement, podcasting content is unique in that it fosters a personal connection with your consumer and enables them to create an organic community around your brand.
Some examples of businesses that have leveraged an external-facing podcast to great effect and success include GE, which incorporates real-life GE products into fictional narratives to passively advertise while simultaneously educating their consumer about the brand in an enjoyable, entertaining way. McDonald’s has a similarly creative approach to external podcasting in their show “The Sauce,” which uses an investigative approach to address a recent PR issue they faced.
Another reason why a company might employ the use of an external-facing podcast include educating their consumers about the “why” behind their products. Podcasts can employ the power of storytelling to demonstrate the passion that went into developing well-known or new products and services. Podcast interviews can also help to acquaint consumers with the people that are part of their favorite corporations, or share important industry news and updates. 
We all understand the importance of “show don’t tell” when it comes to branding, company culture, and thought leadership. Podcasting presents an excellent and unique opportunity to establish, formalize, and deepen your brand identity in an authentic and organic way by showcasing conversations and content about your company rather than making claims without any substance to back it up. In addition to cementing a company’s culture, a podcast can establish your company as a leader in your industry, demonstrating your expertise and competence so that people don’t just have to take your word for it.
In founding_media’s own podcast network, the shows “From Tanks to Teleportation” by the Defense Innovation Unit and “Science in the Mall, Y’all” by Austin Community College’s Bioscience Incubator are excellent examples of external-facing podcasts that use the power of podcasting to connect with audiences, communicate exciting updates, share inspiring stories, and express each institution’s values and goals.
Podcasting creates a personal connection between your brand and your consumer because rather than simply being told what to think, individuals are invited into a conversation where they feel like a participant and valued listener, rather than one of a million people viewing an impersonal outreach or email.
Internal Podcasts
The power of the podcast’s personal connection can be applied to internal means as well. Internal podcasts are distributed amongst employees only, and these private shows are used for a myriad of reasons.
Corporations are utilizing internal podcasts rather than email blasts to make company-wide announcements regarding events, deadlines, updates on products or services, company strategies and goals, and more. They’re also employing storytelling to enable company veterans to share their successes and lessons, so that new additions to the company can be inspired and educated by their journeys.
In a similar vein, departments are employing podcasts as an educational tool to teach skills to their teams, especially abstract or “soft skills” that are hard to grasp in a simple training session or manual. Podcasts are also a great onboarding tool, offering an opportunity to cover a lot of ground in terms of content and culture while being more accessible than other training methods. The instruction that podcasts can disseminate is great for scalable teaching and connection, with an added bonus of being convenient for both parties – employees can engage on their own time rather than waiting to coordinate with their mentor. These conversations can also help junior team members feel more acquainted and comfortable with leadership.
Increased and improved engagement is a positive byproduct of all of these internal podcast uses. Maintaining high engagement amongst employees is challenging for every business, but has become even more challenging in our increasingly remote world and in large companies where teams are scattered across the country or globe. Podcasts present an opportunity to connect teammates directly with each other, sparking conversations and creating community around episodes so that employees are able to learn about each other and have a reason to engage with each other. Podcasts that integrate employees into conversations and incorporate employee feedback and questions into the show also make employees feel valued and heard.
Similar to the benefits of an external-facing podcast, an internal podcast offers your team an opportunity to communicate and engage in a more casual, personable, and human way, rather than relying solely on stuffy or overly professional methods of the past. They also function similarly to external podcasts in the way they can foster, deepen, and establish a company’s brand.
Corporate podcasting is a rising trend, and before long it will be the standard for every business – so why not get ahead of the curve? Whether your company needs an internal or external podcast, we are a full-service podcasting suite that is ready to help you identify your message and connect with your audience. Reach out at [email protected] to schedule a discovery call.
