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Podcasting is exploding! 68m hours of podcasts are listened to each week by UK adults alone from entertainment to education [1].
The newest phenomenon is private podcasting and similarly, there is a multitude of treatments being undertaken to solve an organisation’s audio needs.
What is a private podcast?
Private podcasting, put simply, is a podcast that can only be accessed by listeners to whom you choose to give access to. At Auddy, our preferred method of delivery is through a dedicated app, which users are invited to download. As well as increased security, there are other distinct benefits like the ability to set up multiple channels to house different audio content, and even to give different audiences access to different pieces of content.
So what are the best use cases of private podcasting?
1. Internal communication
The necessity of remote working continues post-pandemic, and the challenge of engaging with employees and making them feel connected to your business is real. According to a study by the APA (American Psychiatric Association), the majority of employees working from home say they experienced negative mental health impacts – including isolation, loneliness and difficulty getting away from work at the end of the day. Podcasting is such an intimate medium as most people listen through their headphones, so with the right creative treatment, it really is the perfect tool to engage with your teams. Multiple channels within the podcast app can store libraries of curated content on mental well-being and motivational training for example, as well as regular features including updates from your company leadership or interviews with staff members.
If you would like to know about how podcasts can unite a remote workforce, take a look at this blog.
2. Sales training
A subset of the above, but anyone who has led large sales teams knows that regular communication is absolutely essential. Podcasting is the ideal medium as the sales reps can listen in the car or train on their way to work. Taking time ‘off the road’ for physical training, or watching training videos, means time not ‘on the road’ selling, and podcasting allows for multi-tasking. A regular format can include communicating sales numbers, motivational training, success stories, product updates, customer interviews, recognition, sales Q&A and so much more.
If you would like to know more about how a podcast can strengthen your sales team, take a look at this blog.
3. Membership groups and subscription channels
Whether you are a private members club or a publisher offering a magazine subscription, a private podcast is the perfect add-on as an additional revenue stream, or an added value item to retain members/subscribers. Your target audience is a ready-made captive audience who already have a vested interest in you, and they will typically value additional and exclusive content that you offer to them via a different medium.
4. Schools and universities
Whether you want to communicate with existing students or engage with alumni for fundraising purposes, private podcasting offers an innovative solution. With channels for different faculties for supplementary learning, content that attracts and engages members of clubs and societies, or that provides windows of opportunity for employment post-graduation, the options are limitless.
If you would like to know more about how schools and universities can benefit from a private podcast, take a look at this blog.
5. Investment funds
A private podcast can take your community beyond standard quarterly reports and help you to engage more meaningfully with your investors. A podcast allows you to deliver stories behind the companies the fund is invested in. Perhaps you can conduct interviews with leaders of these companies or researchers in the fund. You can even allow for two-way communication so investors have a forum for Q&A which can provide unprecedented levels of transparency and trust.
6. Fans
There is huge demand from super fans of artists or sports teams for unfettered, intimate access from behind the scenes. Social media is becoming overly filtered and press interviews have become stale, passive and stage-managed. Premium access to ‘back-stage’ content, early access to concerts or special events and Q&A opportunities with fans is content that many are craving, and will pay for.
7. Charities
Monthly donations on direct debit are incredibly valuable to charities. Donors have made a choice to support a particular charity because they relate to it in some way. Being able to communicate with these donors to show how money is being spent, explain recent challenges that you have addressed or for which the funds have provided help, introducing beneficiaries and sharing their success stories will help to retain a donor over the long term and build a closer connection with your supporters.
If you would like to know more about how charities can tap into podcasting, have a look at this blog.
8. Franchises
A franchisor needs to ensure that their franchisees are successful, and a franchisee wants to know they are getting as much support from their franchisor as possible. Private podcasts offer a chance to share news, success stories, tips and tricks, product updates and a forum for Q&A. A franchisor using the most up-to-date means to support their franchisees will also find it easier to recruit more franchisees also.
In summary, regardless of the use case, a well-thought-out audio strategy, which includes identifying the content that does not belong on a podcast, a stellar creative treatment and a tight content plan, is paramount. Libraries of fixed content serve a useful purpose but the private podcasting medium thrives also on regular, fresh and engaging content whereby listeners get excited about the push notification of a new episode dropping at the prescribed date.
Auddy for Business offers an end-to-end private podcasting solution, so get in touch if you want to chat about what a private podcast might look like for your organisation.
[1] Rajar Midas Winter 2021
