Podcasting Essentials: A #CMWorld Twitter Chat with Rob Walch

Podcasting has undoubtedly evolved in the last decade. Just ask Rob Walch. He’s the Vice President of Podcaster Relations for Libsyn. Some of the changes Rob has seen in the last decade include:

• Podcast consumptions used to be mainly on iTunes. Today, podcasts are also on Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio, Deezer, Radio.com and really anywhere you listen to audio on the internet.
• Ten years ago, less than a third of podcasts were consumed on mobile devices. That number has nearly tripled.
• There are more female podcasters. Last year, women made up over 40% of new podcasters.

If you’re looking to add podcasts to your content marketing strategy or if you want to achieve better results with an already-launched show, Rob knows how to do it. That’s why we invited Rob to a recent #CMWorld Twitter chat. What follows is a brief recap of our conversation. A full list of tweets can be found here.

How can podcasting benefit your content marketing strategy? How do you know if it makes sense for your brand?

A2 – Per the later part first – I would argue that Podcasting makes sense for Every brand. There are great podcasts from big brands already – eBay, Trader Joe’s, John Deere, Microsoft, Google, Cisco, Accenture, EY and many more. #CMWorld 1 of 5

— Rob @ podCast411 (@podcast411) April 28, 2020

A2 – Again I think it makes sense for every brand – even the Federal Reserve Banks have Podcasts. #CMWorld 2 of 5

— Rob @ podCast411 (@podcast411) April 28, 2020

A2 – For the first part – Podcasting offers you the opportunity to talk in long form content with your target audience. Unlike other mediums where there are very limited seconds or characters – #CMWorld 3 of 5

— Rob @ podCast411 (@podcast411) April 28, 2020

A2 – Podcasting lets you go all long form on your audience for a deeper dive on any topic you want and with ZERO pressure to be pitching – as you have all the time you need to educate and hopefully entertain your audience. #CMWorld 4 of 5

— Rob @ podCast411 (@podcast411) April 28, 2020

A2 – And Podcasting is a much more intimate medium – unlike video or text that are at a distance – Podcasting when listened with headphones puts you in your audiences head – literally. No other medium offers that level of connection. #CMWorld 5 of 5

— Rob @ podCast411 (@podcast411) April 28, 2020

A2: It’s another highly accessible way to reach your audience. It makes sense for your brand if you have an audience in the podcast space and you can make a show that’s worth listening to 🙂 #CMWorld https://t.co/MrfZR6Kcv0

— Jeremy Bednarski (@JeremyBednarski) April 28, 2020

A2: Podcasting is great for adding content to your website — use a tool to get it transcribed (but check for typos!), and you can repurpose it into blog posts that have your keywords. You’re creating content people can consume in audio or visual format. #CMWorld https://t.co/TEKdImUnnz

— Kristen McCabe (@AusmericanGirl) April 28, 2020

What gear and tools should you have to record, edit, and publish a podcast? Does it need to be a major investment to start?

A4 – Starting again with the later part first – It does not need to be a major investment – A Samson Q2U which you can plug into your laptop, smartphone or iPad costs typically around $60 and gives good audio quality. #CMWorld 1 of 4

— Rob @ podCast411 (@podcast411) April 28, 2020

A4 – But ultimately you first need to figure out your shows format. For an Interview show you record face to face (post Covid-19) I recommend the Zoom H6 digital recorder and 2 to 4 Shure SM58 mics #CMWorld 2 of 4

— Rob @ podCast411 (@podcast411) April 28, 2020

A4 – If you are just doing a solo show – no guests and you will always be in a quiet room – the Q2U’s are ok to start. Or if you want to spend more money you can go to a Shure SM7B – and a cloudlifter and a good USB Pre-amp from focusrite. #CMWorld 3 of 4

— Rob @ podCast411 (@podcast411) April 28, 2020

A4 – If you will be doing remote interviews – you can use Call Recorder on a Mac for recording Skype audio calls. The same if you will have a remote co-host. But first figure out your show format then optimize for it and your budget #CMWorld 4 of 4

— Rob @ podCast411 (@podcast411) April 28, 2020

A4. The most important: If your microphone doesn’t give you clear sounding voices.. Get out. #CMWorld

— Coleen Warden (@ColeenWarden) April 28, 2020

A4: That’s the beauty of podcasting! You can start with a reasonably low budget, USB mic and software mixing etc, and then slowly improve the setup as the podcast matures. It shouldn’t be terrible quality but there are many good cheap options.#CMWorld

— BerNerd (@BerNerd87746576) April 28, 2020

A4) You can have the best mic $ can buy, but if you don’t soundproof your space it won’t matter. Where you record is more important than how you record. #CMWorld

— Pamela Muldoon (@pamelamuldoon) April 28, 2020

What strategies can you use to promote your podcast and reach your target audience?

A6 – First you need to accept your best Marketing plan is to create great content that both educates and entertains your audience. If your show is not worth someone’s time to consume it they will not promote it. #CMWorld 1 of 7

— Rob @ podCast411 (@podcast411) April 28, 2020

A6 – Word of Mouth Marketing is the number one way a show grows – assuming you have content worth talking about – the next step is encouraging your audience to promote your show. #CMWorld 2 of 7

— Rob @ podCast411 (@podcast411) April 28, 2020

A6 – Per promotions you do – 1. Is letting your social media followers know you have a podcast and where to find it. Using tools like Headliner helps with this. #CMWorld 3 of 7

— Rob @ podCast411 (@podcast411) April 28, 2020

A6 – If you have an interview show, bring on guests w/ good social media followings in your niche & Make yourself available for interviews on any podcasts that would like you as guest. Always say yes. Don’t ask about numbers. #CMWorld 4 of 7

— Rob @ podCast411 (@podcast411) April 28, 2020

A6 – If you have a natively curated Mailing list – make sure to add in links to your podcast in EVERY email blast going forward. #CMWorld 5 of 7

— Rob @ podCast411 (@podcast411) April 28, 2020

A6 – Run contests with your listeners where they need to promote your podcast on their social media channels to enter to win. Be careful of FTC rules #CMWorld 6 of 7

— Rob @ podCast411 (@podcast411) April 28, 2020

A6 – Finally make sure your podcast is everywhere. Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, Tunein, Deezer, Youtube, https://t.co/U0IqimijI5, RadioPublic, Everywhere. #CMWorld 7 of 7

— Rob @ podCast411 (@podcast411) April 28, 2020

A6: Wherever your audience already is. Do people already follow you and care about what you have to say? Migrate them. #CMworld

— Lane Anderson (@Lane_Anderson) April 28, 2020

A6 I often hear podcasters recommend other podcasts. There must be a strategy there similar to link building (but less icky) #cmworld

— Dan Goldberg (@Jonas419) April 28, 2020

A6] To get the maximum reach for your podcast, create a distribution plan to leverage its visibility across platforms.

Also, don’t forget to post your podcasts to your blog to get additional visibility. Add text to support search. #cmworld #podcast

— HeidiCohen #CMWorld 2019 Speaker (@heidicohen) April 28, 2020

What podcasts do you have in your playlist? Do you produce one? Tell us about it in the comments below.

Do a deeper dive into podcasts when you attend Rob’s workshop at Content Marketing World. It’s your chance to hear his insights gathered from over 15 years of experience podcasting.