Radix Communications started a podcast back in 2013, by Fiona Campbell-Howe and Emily King called ‘The Copycast.’ Podcasts were not nearly as popular as they are now, and yet the women managed to maintain and help evolve its podcast into what it is. Since then, David McGuire has taken the reins of podcast hosting. He shares some tips and experiences he’s learned over the years, along with advice to anyone who might want to take a crack at the podcasting world.
Know your audience
If you’re in the beginning stages of a B2B marketing podcast, David advises to think long and hard about who exactly your audience is going to be.
He says: “If your answer to the question is B2B marketers, then you are NOT being specific enough. Why would someone listen to you and not someone else? There are a lot of podcasts that are out there now, so what makes yours niche for marketers?”
Some questions to pinpoint your audience include:
- What level of seniority are they?
- What language will they be using?
- What topics are they talking about?
- How might they be feeling?
- How big are their companies?
Knowing the answers to these questions will ensure a sound concept and from there, you’ll be able to accurately brainstorm episode topics and concepts. You’ll also be able to plan out how long you want each episode to be, what tone to use with your audience and what other voices you might want to incorporate into the podcast.
David says that once this is sorted, you’ll be able to know who the audience is and speak on behalf of them. Getting into their mindset will allow you to be a voice for them, which will be key in connecting with your core audience.
Plan a schedule
Once your concept is all fleshed out, figuring out what platforms and equipment to use will be next. With various platforms such as Zencastr, Zoom and Skype, podcasting overseas has been made significantly easier. David said when Radix Communications first started theirs in 2013, they would do all types of tweaks to improve the audio, such as recording in someone’s car.
Now, when in office, they use directional microphones and outsource the sound editing. When first starting out, don’t be afraid to start off a bit scrappy. When the podcast gains traction, then you can start thinking about investing in audio equipment moving forward. You can even record one episode as a test to see what works and what doesn’t work.
Once you decide to take the plunge on the podcast, make sure you stick to a regular schedule. Finding your footing might take time, but once you find your groove, stick to it!
Especially if your podcast is newer, it can be easy to place it on the backburner if other tasks seem to always take priority. However, David says a good mindset to uphold is to always expect your audience to be disappointed if you miss your deadline.
He says: “We’ve always promised ourselves that the audience will be disappointed if it doesn’t turn up this month and it’s kind of feeling like we owe that. We have an arrangement with our listeners that we’ll deliver and we don’t want to disappoint the listeners.”
Everyone involved in the podcast should carve out time, whether it’s once a week or once a month to fit in their role of the podcast. Consistency is essential in podcasting, especially as your audience starts to grow, they’ll appreciate the professionalism put into it.
Be yourself
Once the technical parts are figured out, you’ll need to focus on the content. One thing David advises is to avoid over scripting your podcast.
He says: “A business script might be good otherwise you might ramble, but I think people want to hear someone who can talk TO them, not AT them. And so when we’re writing podcast scripts, we typically like to create a balance.”
B2B marketing can have a corporate feel, but, when it comes to podcasts, don’t be afraid to be honest about your personality.
David says: “However big your audience may be, they’re only listening to you one at a time, so it’s just you speaking right into their head. It’s about making that relationship between you and that listener. Talk to that one person and be real with them. Don’t speak to them as if you’re a company – you’re a person.”
Keep a diverse line-up
When it comes to diversity, it’s important to consider all different types of voices. Radix Communication’s most successful podcast was actually their 50th one where they interviewed 50 different marketers on best copywriting tips. Having a diversity in guests will ensure diverse ideas and opinions throughout conversations.
David says: “I’m always very conscious that I’m the only regular voice on the podcast. Whoever else we have, I’m aware we’ll definitely have a white, southern, able bodied cisgender university-educated man. What I aim for, is to have at least one voice per month be different from that.”
David’s top tip for organically incorporating diversity (not forcing it) is to keep an eye open during virtual events.
“You have to be aware of your own bias. We never try to put anyone on the podcast for the sake of diversity but if you are keeping your eyes and ears open all the time, you can find really brilliant people who are from diverse backgrounds and have a lot to say. You can look to signal boost to those people.”
