6 surprising ways a podcast can benefit your business

How often do you think about starting that podcast? You know, that podcast. The one you’ve been umming and ahhing over for what seems like years. Maybe it has been years! (it took TWO years from my initial idea to actually releasing my first podcast! ssshhhh!) This blog post shares ways a podcast can benefit your business.

I bet one of the biggest reasons that you’ve not made any progress on that podcast yet is because you’re not sure if it’s going to be ‘worth it’.

I totally get it, you want to know what the perks are to having a podcast – especially the ways a podcast can benefit your business – all before you part with your valuable time, team resources, cash, or funding and not to forget your brain power!

In the following blog post, I want to reveal some surprising ways that having a podcast can benefit your business, freelance adventures or side hustle – with some actual real-life examples from our clients and buddies across the social good and podcast world.

I want to help you move from dithering about whether you should make that podcast, to actually, actually, actually making it. (or getting someone else to make it!)

Let’s go! Here’s 6 surprising ways a podcast can benefit your business

1. You’re The Expert

Your podcast can help to position you as a respected voice of authority in your niche. Dare we say influencer! Ooo fancy!

As a result, you become a trusted voice in your field, which in turn can attract more opportunities for you and your business. These could include more speaking gigs, guests on other podcasts and make you a more attractive prospect for new clients, supporters, sponsors, funders, or investors.

For Natalie Silverman, this is exactly what her podcast The Fertility Podcast has done for her. She continues,

My podcast has certainly helped position me as a voice in the fertility world, which has definitely led to other opportunities for me. I’ve hosted panel discussions for the government regulator as well as regularly being invited to host panels and seminars at leading industry events. I’ve also been invited to speak and host panel discussions in the corporate and academic world both in real life (when we could!) and in webinars. I’ve also contributed to conversations within the mainstream media both in print and broadcast. So my podcast really has created an exciting range of opportunities for me.

Are the other experts in your field podcasting? This leads me to the next benefit…

2. You stand-out from the competition

Podcasts are a current, popular modern form of communication. They’re a relatively new way for businesses to speak directly to their clients, prospects, and stakeholders. A podcast can help you to stand out over those that don’t have one. It can help position you as an expert as we’ve mentioned previously, and also show you as a forward-thinking organisation.

A bit of competitor analysis is important during the planning stages of your podcast – much like you will have done with your business.  Have you had a chance to see if any of your competitors are podcasting? If so, what are they doing? How often are they releasing stuff and who’s their audience. This can help you to figure out what your podcast will be about, are things they’re not doing that you could – is there a gap you can fill or things you can do better?

For Andy Smith, co-Founder of our clients Made By Mortals, a not-for-profit theatre company from Manchester, their podcast helped them to stand out from similar theatre groups. Particularly handy when it came to applying for funding. He continues,

Our funders see the success of our Armchair Adventures podcast and they recognise that our direct competitors don’t have this amazing and growing reach like we do. So we’re positioning ourselves as experts in creating immersive, community-led musical theatre. Plus as a gateway to a potential, international audience of thousands. That exposure is massive.

So a podcast is making you stand-out, giving you authority, and at the same time…a voice.  Look, I know you already have a voice, but hear me out in the next way a podcast can benefit your business…

3. Gives you an authentic voice

Businesses don’t tend to have voices, do they? But humans do. And, humans connect really well with other humans (especially the ones we like). Now, what if your business had a voice? Well, yes you guessed what’s coming, it’d connect well with other humans!

It’s all about the personal connection. Ask any podcast listener, they’ll tell you that they love the personable nature of podcasts. Don’t forget we rarely listen to podcasts with others!

A podcast can give your business an authentic voice that can connect with your stakeholders, clients or prospects in a meaningful way. It’s a real window into your brand, much better than any 2D blog or about page can convey. And, certainly more than any advert can display.

Nic Redman is a voiceover coach who co-presents the Voice Over Social podcast and The Voice Coach Podcast, she told us that her podcast helps prospective clients to try before they buy. She goes on to explain,

As a coach, my podcasts introduce people to me and my work for free so they can get a feel for who I am and whether they’d like to work with me – which is great. It saves everyone time and money and unsatisfactory experiences. It’s like a wee preview!

This human connection is something that brands LOVE, this is why we’re seeing so many more companies using podcasts as a way to give them a voice. This authentic approach and a direct line to the customer or prospect is hard to achieve – well that was until podcasts came along.

Alright, you’re thinking, this all sounds marvelous, but it’s going to cost me right? WRONG, podcasting can actually be cost-effective and dead accessible too. Shall we move on to the next benefit dear reader?

4. Share your stories in a cost-effective, accessible way

Podcasts can be cheaper to produce than video. This includes equipment, people, and resources. What makes podcasts super cost-effective is the portability of the content you produce too. Your listener can consume it on the move or whilst they’re doing something else. You simply can’t do this with video or blogs. For example, you can listen to a podcast whilst cooking, cleaning, driving, jogging, and walking the dog. You probably couldn’t do any of these whilst reading a blog or watching a video (hella dangerous, unsafe, silly, etc).

Podcasts are therefore easier to consume and your audience will love you for that. This then means more engagement for your content – instead of archives of videos that are never watched or blogs that go unread.

This is exactly what our client Children’s University values about their podcast Children’s University: Live. Their first series was made up of audio we’d recorded at their annual conference. Liam Nolan their Communications Manager continues,

To have people access our conference without having to come along in person is of great value for us. That’s where podcasting is great because it takes just 20 minutes or so to listen to while you’re on your way to the canteen. It’s a way for people to digest our messaging without having to disrupt their busy day job.

Wooo! We love being cost-effective and adding value! Talking of value, podcasts can complement the stuff you’ve already got going on. Here’s how, in another way, a podcast can benefit your business…

5. Added-value, extra content

Your podcast doesn’t stop at your podcast. Let me break this down for you. Your podcast can serve a myriad of purposes. For example, if your podcast features episodes around a particular subject or skill you could bunch them together to form some online learning resources. On the same ilk, an episode or series could contribute to a course or programme that you deliver.

Another idea is using specific episodes around your website, for example alongside your about page for an authentic take of who you are. You can also eke out lots of stuff for your marketing channels from 1 single episode of your podcast. Things like blogs and extra social media content.

For our clients Flourish Together CIC their podcast helps them to make the best use of their time. Their Director Nickala Torkington explains,

By having our podcast, we’ve now got this great library of support that we can signpost people to. They really compliment our training and learning offer too. For example, the women on our Resilient Leaders Programme  and the start-ups on our Time to Grow Programme are listening to them. 

It’s also helping us to reach and engage more people than we could otherwise reach with just our physical events. They help busy changemakers gain inspiration and connections. Finally it helps showcase and promote women in social enterprise.  It really is making the best use of our time!

There’s something inevitable that’s going to happen when all of the above come together, and it might be why some of you are thinking of getting into the podcast game… Let’s delve into the last way a podcast can benefit your business.

6. Makes you more attractive

Sorry, I should be a bit more clear. A podcast is not a Death Becomes Her-esq (niche popular reference, but if you know, you know) magical elixir to make YOU more attractive – sorry. I’m talking about your business here…

Through the combination of what we’ve covered already, (expert positioning, standing out from the competition, giving you an authentic voice, providing you with added-value and extra content) your podcast will boost your and your business’s profile – to the people that matter. I.e the folk who could help bring in income.

Now, please don’t get a podcast with the sole purpose of making a quick buck. Podcast audiences can see straight through a pitch for business, sponsor ask, or a fundraising campaign. However, it can be a nice consequence of having one.

A podcast could make you look like a more attractive prospect for donors, funders, or sponsors, you could sell advertising slots in your episodes, or use the ad spots to offer exclusive deals to your listener or attract new fans who may eventually turn into customers or funders!

For Charles Commins, producer of the football podcast ‘It’s All Cobblers to Me’ and community manager at our MIC’s Podcast Club, says that his podcast has brought him a surprise new income stream, he continues,

My podcast has brought me work! One of my latest clients contacted me because they listen to it every week and wanted me to help them make theirs!

Charles certainly didn’t expect to be offered work as a result of his footy podcast. I wonder what surprises are in store for you when you launch your podcast?

Wowsers, there are so many different ways that a podcast can benefit your business! In fact, loads more than we’ve listed here. Perhaps we’ll have to do a Part 2 blog post soon!

In the meantime, do you already have a podcast? If so, how does it benefit your business? Tell us and our reader, by commenting below, no win is too small – we’d ❤️ to hear from you!

This article is by Vic Elizabeth Turnbull, MIC Media’s CEO

Looking for support to produce your podcast? Contact MIC here, and let’s have a chat about your podcast ideas.