Why podcasts are the future for internal comms

How do you take advantage of podcasting and use it for internal communication and personal development?

Recent industry statistics show the amazing growth of podcasts in the UK. The number of podcast listeners increases every year. A recent report by the Statista research department, says there were 16.9 million podcast listeners in the UK in 2020. The number is expected to scale up close to 25 million listeners by 2024. Business podcasts are on the rise and in the United States alone, there are approximately 39.5 million fans of business podcasts. This huge increase in popularity shows that there is a huge appetite for consumption of audio.

Claire Winter runs Creatrix Audio and helps organisations and small businesses to harness the power of podcasting for their business.

How a private podcast will help your internal communications and learning experiences.

Target your podcast audience

Firstly, it is possible to create a podcast and make it private for your employees (or customers) only. It’s one of the first questions people ask me. There are simple ways of creating a quality MP3 which you can host on an internal platform or use a platform like Dacast. I would also challenge you to be brave with your content, why not make some of your internal podcasts open to all, what a great way to demonstrate employer branding at its finest.

Using audio as part of your strategy

Be wary of doing a podcast because it’s the latest thing. Do a podcast because it fits your strategy. A podcast can be very effective if it is part of a bigger campaign or message.

Think about your audience and how they work. A podcast might work well for a sales team who are out and about, but it might not work as well for people who are interacting with customers all day.

It’s also about peoples' preferences. Around 30% of people are thought to be auditory learners so offering a mix of content and channels will help broaden your message reach.

Repurposing content

The beauty of a podcast is that it can be repurposed to work across channels and audience. If the interview is filmed it can make a great vlog, from there snippets from the interview can be used to highlight key messages, and the whole interview can be transcribed and used as an article or written interview. I have seen clients use a 30 minute podcast episode for a months worth of messaging.

Be clear on the purpose of the podcast

Podcasts can be very effective at broadcasting information, engaging people in a conversation (virtually) or deepening learning and development. It’s important that the purpose of the podcast you are creating is clear. Is it to help the CEO share their vision and thoughts, or answer questions, or for the listener to learn something new or reinforce messages. Before pressing the record button you need a clear idea on what your objectives.

Involving employees

Find ways to involve employees. Whether it is hosting the podcast, being interviewed or creating Q&As involving employees in the creation of your podcast is a huge benefit. You can support employees to become a great host with simple coaching, you can help employees to develop scripts and content with tailored training. This makes it a great development opportunity and one that more and more employees are interested in.

Have fun and be brave

More than anything else, have fun creating your podcast. Create something that people look forward to listening to, whether it's challenging conversations or interesting takes on work life - be brave with your content and you’ll have a successful podcast.

Claire Winter runs Creatrix Audio, helping people and organisations to create a memorable podcast that has impact.