It’s a common (and correct!) adage in the modern business influencer world that in order to truly cut through and succeed as a business, one must strive to convert his or her customers to “fans.” Crafting a compelling podcast that keeps customers returning week after week creates a relationship with the listener that transcends advertisements and paid sponsorships. Bonus points if you can incorporate some audience engagement! A fantastic example of this is the Inside Trader Joe’s Podcast’s integration with the Trader Joe’s Annual Customer Choice Awards.
Highly successful companies with podcast ad placement such as AG1, Calm and BetterHelp have thrived off of what media research organization Sounds Profitable has dubbed “The Ad Bargain.” According to Sounds Profitable, the Ad Bargain entails “…the deal any consumer makes with ad-supported media: you give me free content I like, and I’ll give you some attention (within reason) to your sponsors.” Numerous studies have shown that podcast listeners are far more likely to be attentive and take action on an ad than other forms of traditional media such as radio and television.
Podcast ads tend to be most effective when they are transparently delivered in a similar fashion to the podcast one is listening to. After all, a Babbel ad is far more entertaining when it features the hosts of your favorite podcast haphazardly explaining their goals to brush up on their French and Spanish, as hilariously evidenced by various iterations that comedians Jacqueline Novak and Kate Berlant have recorded for the Poog Podcast.
For a bizarrely humorous take on the world of personalized podcast advertisements, check out this segment from CBS’ After Midnight:
Considering the consumer impact of casually delivered, genuinely engrossing podcast ads, there exists an argument to simply cut out the middleman and structure a whole podcast based around your business. For example, let’s say you are a tennis instructor. You have a large, consistent base of clients, but you’re looking for a way to improve your reach and engage your students in-between lessons. This would be the perfect scenario to start a 30-60 minute podcast each week, illuminating bonus tips and Har-Tru lore that your students can absorb on off-days. This will also help position you as a thought leader in the space, which can lead to greater student trust and retention. Your reach can then be further expanded to the upper echelons of tennis social media if you choose to go the video route and promote short, captioned social media clips of your show on YouTube Shorts, Instagram and TikTok. Which brings us to…
In addition to public, branded podcasts that aim to reel in consumers, there is also the option of crafting an “Internal” podcast. This type of production is typically aimed towards employees at a company and is designed to deliver important information in a more digestible and modern fashion than emails or morning meetings. Internal podcasts are typically audio-based, which is helpful for employees with a lengthy commute or a stacked morning schedule. Companies with tens of thousands of employees will often grant public access to their “internal” shows, as seen with American Airlines’ “Tell me Why” podcast. Internal podcasts are recorded with a much higher frequency, with the rate of new information turnover much higher in a day-to-day business setting. Think of it as a fancy extension of middle school morning loudspeaker announcements…on demand! With a much higher production value and portability factor.
Elizabeth Stein, founder and CEO of the modern granola empire Purely Elizabeth, created the Live Purely Podcast to, in her own words “…expand our company’s offerings from healthy foods to healthy lifestyle advice, while connecting with our Purely community on a deeper level.” The podcast is fully integrated with the Purely Elizabeth brand, with a tab on the website linking to the show. Guests include prominent life coaches, business owners and nutrition experts from the holistic/integrative health space.
Inside Trader Joes is the long running, fan-favorite branded podcast centered around all things Trader Joes. Debuting in 2018, the series capitalizes on the aesthetically bizarre, semi-niche supermarket’s uniquely dedicated consumer base: one that frequently posts their TJ hauls on reddit and is rife with blogs and fan pages.
When recording your podcast with Skyllamas, you’ll get access to our elegant, acoustically treated Studio A. You can also opt to produce an audio only podcast in Studio B, our state-of-the-art vocal production cube. You will engage with a team who can exceed your wildest expectations in producing high-quality, commercially competitive content. When stepping foot into our studio, you become part of a growing community with regular networking events, seminars and workshops. We offer packages for either raw recordings (if you already know how to edit or have someone on your team as an editor) or for recordings with editing. For more info, scroll up to “Pricing” at the top of this page and select Audio or Audiovisual Packages.