By RJ Bardsley
It seems that we’re experiencing a renaissance of brand journalism, a resurgence of the enthusiasm of the early 2010s where brands were shifting to provide a new, journalistic perspective on their worlds. Content marketers will insist that this never went away – and they may be right. But today, social media channels like LinkedIn and TikTok are making the field far more interesting.
While your “Tok-tern” (that’s the intern you hired specifically to run on your brand’s TikTok account) may be essential for capturing eyeballs and showcasing your team’s dance skills, if you’re a B2B brand, podcasting is where your brand can convene experts, share perspectives, and offer neutral, informative content to elevate your credibility.
Here are three things to keep in mind when you’re creating that award-winning podcast for your brand:
· It’s not about you. Treat the podcast like a radio or tv talk show – not a marketing brochure or website. You will build brand as the convening voice, so focus on industry issues, not your marketing messages. Get guests and experts on the show who will talk about broader subjects and make it interesting for everyone in the field.
· Quality counts. Yes, it’s just a conversation, and that needs to be the central thing. But you need crisp audio and great editing – the music, background sounds and intro jingles all contribute to the quality, and quality gives you credibility. No one is going to take your podcast seriously if it sounds like you made it in a garage… unless you’re a mechanic.
· Think in chunks. Unless you have the resources to produce a daily or weekly show on the fly, our team has found it’s better wrap up a full series (6-12 episodes) before you release it. This ensures you don’t have a gap in release dates, but it also means you must pick evergreen topics that will be relevant a month after you record the show.
There are a lot more technical things we could talk about, but I’ll save that for a future post. Happy podcasting! Thanks to Stephen Russell, Jacquie Kane, Nick Gibiser and Carson Davie for contributing to this post.