Why Most Business Podcasts Fail

A podcast is one of the best ways to get your message directly to your target audience.

There are nearly 4.5 million podcasts worldwide in comparison to about 200 million active websites. That’s part of why a podcast that “hits the spot” is still rare, special, and valuable for just about any demographic. Still, you can’t expect a podcast to be an overnight success. It takes planning and consistent work.

When it comes to podcast marketing strategy, too many Tampa businesses often let the heady flush of a good idea get in the way of a real strategy. But branded podcasts for business require the right backing to really take off. If you need podcast production Tampa companies can count on, a step-by-step approach works best.

It’s not hard to gain traction with a podcast, but starting one doesn’t automatically equal success.

Having a plan in place makes all the difference.

Why Content Marketing Podcasts Excel In Reaching Your Corporate Branding Goals

No matter where someone is in your sales funnel, a podcast can reach them:

Top of the funnel prospects learn about who you are, what you do, and why your way is best in a format that’s easy to digest. In as little as one short episode, they can go from totally unfamiliar with your work to clear on how it fits into their goals. That’s like adding rocket fuel to your relationship.
Middle of the funnel leads can start defining their challenges and solutions with reference to your expert perspective. Because they’re learning from you, not a competitor, they are more likely to take your advice and delve deeper into your content library (even if they’re not ready to make a buy yet).
Bottom of the funnel customers may be close to choosing your solution, but it doesn’t hurt to offer a little extra support they can use to rationalize their spending. A podcast not only empowers your new customers but helps your existing ones stay connected and get more value from their purchases.

Each episode of your podcast can cater to these audiences – sometimes, the same episode might cover every segment’s needs at different times. You might create an episode that explains the basic points of your industry. The next week, you could pivot to “behind-the-scenes” topics most relevant to your longstanding customers.

A podcast is flexible to serve a wide variety of needs, but personal enough that everyone who tunes in can feel like you’re speaking directly to them. With all those advantages, it might seem like a slam dunk: Record a couple of episodes, do some business podcast marketing, and reap the benefits. Right?

Wrong.

Podcasts are a form of content marketing, and there’s a good reason mature content marketing podcasts are so rare. An estimated 90% of new podcasts don’t last more than a year. Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and the rest are littered with examples. If podcasting is such a great tool, why is it that so few podcasts have staying power?

While there are endless ways for a podcast to go right …

We’ve noticed four ways they’re likely to go wrong.

Avoid these four business podcasting mistakes from the start, and you’ll save time, money, and aggravation.

Four Big Mistakes That Stop Corporate Podcasts In Their Tracks

Paper Jacket helps companies big and small – in Tampa and beyond – get the most from their podcasts. That means backing you up with the equipment, personnel, and know-how to deliver a polished end result. We’re serious about “video-first podcasting,” so you can cross-promote on both audio and video-based platforms.

We’re with you every step of the way. But some of the spark has to come from you.

Here’s where we’ve seen podcasters crash and burn and what you can do instead.

PODCAST MISTAKE 1: Lack Of Strategic Audience Clarity

This is all about who your podcast is for.

The first secret of marketing is: “Everything is marketed to someone.”

Understanding exactly who that someone is might just be the most important thing you can do to ensure your podcast is a success. Sometimes, it can be helpful to bring in extra help from a full-service marketing agency to make sure you get it exactly right. Even if you go it alone, though, there’s an easy way to get started.

Look at your existing customer avatar, if you have one, and look at your current customers, especially your highest-value repeat customers. What traits do they all have? What interests do they hold in common? And what could you offer them on a weekly or bimonthly basis that would keep them tuning in?

You don’t have to stop there. When you’re asking for testimonials (you do ask for testimonials, right?), take some time to find out your customers’ listening habits and whether your podcast idea resonates with them. This is a simple and straightforward way to validate your premise early.

PODCAST MISTAKE 2: No Marketing Alignment

This mistake is about how your podcast gets to your audience.

Your podcast should both contribute to and benefit from your other marketing initiatives. So, for example, you want to be sure your social media followers are hearing about it. Likewise, your email marketing list should get occasional promotions for it. This helps you tap into the ready-made audience you already have.

Once people are familiar with your podcast, it needs to do two things:

Deepen the relationship between your brand and your audience.
Enhance the lifetime value your audience will willingly offer you.

Just like every piece of marketing collateral has a call to action, every podcast episode should have a takeaway. Your audience might learn a skill they can put into practice right away or discover a new service that could help them. Make “what to do next” as simple as possible so their momentum doesn’t stop when you sign off.

PODCAST MISTAKE 3: Unclear Positioning

This mistake asks why your podcast matters.

You understand what you’re good at and how it makes an impact. Making your podcast easier to promote and much more likely to be successful means distilling these points down into their clearest form. When members of your target audience hear about you for the first time, they need to understand what they’re looking at.

When newcomers read your podcast description, it helps if they can figure out:

Who you are and why that matters.
What problem your podcast solves.
What “level” your audience is on.

Let’s break it down further:

Who you are and why it matters: Maybe you have 20 years of experience, but if the listener’s never heard of your business, they might shrug it off. Beware the “list of adjectives” approach: “Dad, husband, business leader …” Yawn. Lead with the most important fact about you, not from your perspective but from your listener’s.
What problem your podcast solves: “Boredom” is a problem, and so is “lack of knowledge,” but if that’s all you can think of, you’re competing against every other distraction in the world. Narrow it down to the most crucial way your listeners can grow as a result of your podcast … even if they only listen to one episode.
The “level” of your audience: Amateurs, journeymen, and experts all have different needs. Depending on your industry, you might be able to get away with an “everyone is welcome” approach, but that can make it hard to hit the mark with your episode topics. Niche down, balancing addressable market size with specificity of needs.

PODCAST MISTAKE 4: Treating It Like A Hobby, Not A Platform

Last, but not least, mistake #4 asks the real question: Why are you podcasting?

Some of the most successful podcasters of all time started as hobbyists. Many of them had no real idea where the adventure could take them. But times have changed: If you don’t podcast with intention, you’ll waste your (and your company’s) resources. The biggest part of the commitment is making sure you record regularly.

Podcasting CAN be fun, and if it’s enjoyable for you, that makes it a natural fit for your marketing needs. But it’s not worth it if every episode is a new way to “throw things at the wall and see if they stick.” Paper Jacket is the partner that helps you build strategic podcasts that foster credibility and lead generation.