Podcasts have quickly become a compelling platform to tell your story and have become a convenient and fun way for listeners to access a vast selection of content. Individuals and businesses alike are producing podcasts on an ever-increasing scale.
"More businesses are becoming interested in producing podcasts, and their audiences are growing at accelerated rates," states Creative Media Design (CMD) President Michael Zirinsky. "We're seeing a trend, especially in Banking & Financial Services, Pharmaceutical Companies, and Law Firms in transitioning and supplementing podcasts for more traditional ad platforms. Podcasts can reach a more targeted, engaged audience, and their listener base stretches across a wide age range. They're an especially effective way to connect with the younger audience, who, in many cases, may not have cable and typically don't listen to traditional radio."
Podcast Advantages Vs. Traditional Advertising
Easy to reach an audience quickly and respond to an event/situation
Accessibility to a much more targeted audience
Analytics to track ROI/effectiveness
Podcast platforms are varied and easily accessible by anyone
On-demand vs. random or scheduled programming
Only require a host, or a host and a guest
Can be recorded remotely
A host can be recorded separately on their schedule and then edited together with the guests' recording
Cost advantage and ROI
Zirinsky notes, "Compared to developing a tv commercial, podcast production is much less expensive and doesn't require a complete crew to produce. Some provide a call to action and phone number to get immediate response from the engaged audience. Another trend we're seeing is companies are moving event budgets to podcasting. For other industries, podcasts are not a replacement to traditional ads but a supplement to their overall customer outreach."
Types of Podcasts
The term podcast covers a wide range of audio content. It is any type of audio file that users can stream or download. Podcasts are typically distributed in a series (season one, episode one) or on an ongoing basis to subscribers who can get automatic downloads.
Podcast in progress with a professional production system
Most common types of Podcasts:
Interview
Solo
Round Table
Repurposed content
"Some clients are creating podcasts for informational purposes while others are using them specifically with a call to action," states Zirinsky. "Creating a series with 4 or 5 participants is becoming more common for commercial/enterprise purposes. In our experience working with enterprise clients, we see podcasts produced as often as weekly, which tend to be shorter in format and longer format content produced every other month. We're finding podcasting is especially a great fit for industries with consistent news and updates. For example, the financial sector effectively uses podcasts to update consumers on the state of the markets and its potential impact on them."
Podcast Ads and Platforms
"Podcasting continues to evolve, but for most podcasters, the challenge of generating ad revenue to support their podcasts remains consistent," says Zirinsky. "CMD produces podcast advertisements and most of the ads are tailored to support two distinct client types: podcasters; who rely on ad revenue to support their podcast, and corporations; that are not necessarily trying to monetize their podcast, but instead, provide general information and promote their brand."
Typical types of Podcast ads:
Pre-recorded ads (usually voiced by a hired Voice Over artist), scripted
Host endorsement in real-time, scripted
Host & Participant(s) endorsed through a more conversational approach; hybrid scripted/unscripted. Can be live or pre-recorded
Common Podcast ad placement:
Pre-roll ads generally happen before the episode begins
You will hear mid-roll ads as an intermission toward the middle of a podcast; Mid-roll placement has become the most common
Post-roll ads occur after the episode
Podcast Hosting Platforms:
You can find many commercially produced podcasts on a company's website, several other popular platforms used for hosting podcasts are:
Acast
Buzzsprout
Podbean
Simplecast
Castos
How To Create A Podcast?
Not sure how to create your podcast or voice your podcast commercial? Let the experienced producers and engineers at CMD help you. CMD provides exceptional Podcast and Radio Show recording studio services to storytellers from all industries. Bring your story to life with creative input from our experienced engineers, editors, and sound designers. Contact us at 212-213-9420 or info@cmdnyc.com.
