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1. How To Guide
Nurture Leads and Prospects with Podcasts
Executive Summary:
This report provides practical advice for understanding the value of
podcasting, learning best practices, and getting prepared to develop and
launch a successful podcast program.
Read this brief 7-page report to learn:
 What is a Podcast?
 Business Benefits of Podcasting
 Attracting Listeners to Podcasts
 How to Record a Podcast
 Action Plan
Review this report to understand the business benefits of adding
podcasting to your marketing mix. Additionally, follow our Action Plan to
get started with your podcasting initiative.
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2. 2
Table of Contents Page
What is a Podcast? 3
Business Benefits of Podcasting 3
Attracting Listeners to Podcasts 4
How to Record a Podcast 5
Action Plan 6
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3. 3
What is a Podcast?
“A podcast is a collection of digital media files distributed over the
internet using syndication feeds for playback on portable media players
and personal computers.
Although podcasters’ web sites may offer direct download or streaming
of their content, a podcast is distinguished by its ability to be
syndicated, subscribed to, and downloaded automatically when new
content is added. This is done using an aggregator or feed reader
capable of reading feed formats such as RSS (really simple
syndication).”
Source - Wikipedia
Business Benefits of Podcasting
Podcasting has quickly become an important part of many permission
based marketing campaigns because it provides high value at a low
cost.
Companies are using podcasts for the following reasons:
 Branding: effective podcasting is an excellent medium to reach
our generation’s tech-savvy consumers. Additionally, podcasts
can position your organization as an industry leader, provided the
content is relevant and timely for your target audience.
 Lead Generation & Nurturing: keep prospects engaged with
your brand by providing a trusted source for value-added content
and industry best practices. Set up a simple form on your
website to capture visitor information as they register/subscribe
to podcasts.
 External Communications: keep investors, media contacts,
industry analysts, and current customers informed with company
news and product updates.
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4. 4
 Search Engine Optimization: search engines rank websites
with high download activity as more “important”, thus increasing
organic search results.
 Website Content Improvements: if you are looking to beef up
the “resources” section of your corporate, consider adding a
series of podcasts.
 Marketing Opportunities: many organizations are sponsoring
solid third-party podcasts, advertising during the buffering time
period as the podcast loads, and using podcasts to promote
brands with listener prizes. Consider adding a revenue stream to
your podcasts to increase the return on investment for your
program.
Attracting Listeners to Podcasts
A podcast is useless if nobody is listening. In order to attract the right
audience and keep them listening, follow these simple guidelines:
 Keep it Concise: most listeners have an attention span of 15-30
minutes maximum for a given topic. Keep your podcast concise,
and offer different podcasts on various topics rather than
grouping them into one huge podcast.
 Flexible File Format: use MP3 format for on-demand podcasts
(after the original broadcast) as it can be played on most rich
media players. Avoid .wav files as the industry has clearly
adopted MP3 as the standard.
 Use an RSS Feed: promote and deliver your podcasts through
an RSS Feed to keep listeners coming back.
 Don’t Sell to Hard: while it is fine to communicate the benefits
of your product, ensure that your podcast is informational in
nature, and not a canned sales pitch.
 Optimize your Podcast: provide a detailed description of the
content of your podcast, and add meta-tags and keywords to
pages containing your podcasts to enhance natural search engine
optimization.
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5. 5
 Promote your Podcast: use an integrated approach to
promoting your podcast, including the following channels: contact
center, email, blog, website, and podcast directories such as
www.podcast.net
 Brand your Podcast: have a clearly branded introduction and
conclusion to your podcast to engage listeners, thank them for
their time, and invite them to attend any future planned
podcasts.
How to Record a Podcast
Podcasting provides a great opportunity to reach your target audience
but comes with its own unique risks. When recording a podcast make
sure to use the right equipment and delivery methods to mitigate user
and brand experience risks.
Follow these steps to create an effective podcast:
1. Identify Target Audience: determine the audience that is most
likely to join your podcast and consider what they would like to
learn about your organization.
2. Determine Podcast Content: brainstorm potential podcast
themes, such as: investor reports, product upgrades, business
cases, best practices, competitive insights, executive interviews,
company strategy, etc.
3. Write Podcast Script: create a script that will be used to guide
speakers through their podcast recording. Practice the script until
it does not sound scripted.
4. Select a Podcast Solution: strongly consider using Audacity
(free) for recording your podcast and Podifier for delivering your
podcast to your audience.
5. Get a Solid Microphone: Ambient noise can be a major
problem. The quality of your podcast can be greatly increased if
you take the time of day into consideration and by using noise
canceling filters in the recording software. Consider using a USB
audio capture device.
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6. 6
6. Record your Podcast: record your podcast with key speakers,
ensuring it is no longer than 30 minutes or more than 10MB in
size. Re-record your podcast until it sounds extremely polished.
Consider using Pinnacle Systems. Pinnacle Podcast Factory
solution for an end-to-end recording solution. Add text notes to
make your podcast easily searchable for specific content.
7. Test the Podcast: check your bandwidth package with your
website hosting provider as podcasts can be expensive to deliver
if you are have to pay for incremental downloads and traffic. Ping
your podcast with AllPodcasts to ensure your podcasts are
updated at any podcast directories you are posting on.
8. Deliver Podcast to Audience: upload an MP3 version of your
podcast to your website (to be made available following the initial
broadcast) and create an RSS Feed to distribute your podcast to
your audience. Podifier’s solution automates to creation of an
RSS Feed by enclosing one or more MP3 files, and providing the
FTP application to upload the files to a server.
Action Plan
Before you launch into your podcasting initiative, consider the following
action items to get prepared for a successful project:
1. Learn Best Practices: read thought-leader, Rodney Rumford’s
whitepaper called “How to Leverage this New Media
Marketing Tool.” Review IBM’s investor podcast section of
their website, to see a solid finished product. Join and interact
act Paul Colligan’s blog dedicated to podcasting, and check out
the post: “7 Things to do Today to Make your Podcast More
Valuable.”
2. Sell the Benefits Internally: discuss podcasting with senior
management to build the business case for purchasing any
podcast-related software or services.
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7. 7
3. Identify Podcasting Use Cases: discuss this media option with
internal and external stakeholders to identify what type of
content would be valued and in demand:
 Product Management - technical podcasts?
 Senior Management - strategic vision?
 Current Customers - product enhancements?
 Prospective Customers - best practices?
 Media Contacts - company news?
 Investors - company performance?
4. Select a Podcasting Solution: view vendor demonstrations and
select the equipment and services you require to get podcasting
going in your company.
5. Record your First Podcast: record the most impactful podcast
in your line-up first to build momentum and secure senior
management commitment to this medium.
6. Broadcast your Podcast: market your podcast to key
stakeholders and monitor who is signing up.
7. Measure Results: track leads that were generated from your
podcast to determine the ROI of your program.
8. Tweak the Process: with each new podcast take lessons
learned from your previous experience to improve your
capabilities. Ask audience members for feedback during your
podcasts, or send out a short survey following the podcast to
measure your success.
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