By Edie Reinhardt, RDT Content Marketing

According to Edison Research, podcasting is the fastest growing type of media, which is why businesses and communication professionals are taking notice. How can podcasting help your business and your brand? PRPLI’s October program shared insights from local experts on how to maximize podcasting. Moderated by Jody Fisher, panelists Bruce L Chamoff, Nicholas Esposito, and Dan Pashman offered advice on topics like how to launch a successful podcast show, what attracts an audience, and how to pitch yourself or your client to a podcast. Here are some of their top tips:

The technical side of podcasting is the easy part. There are many low cost, high-quality options for microphones, editing software, hosting platforms, and other technology. Keep in mind that good audio quality is very important.

First determine your reason for doing a podcast. What do you want to accomplish? Do you have something new and interesting to say? How are you unique? The huge growth in podcasting means you are competing against a lot of “noise” from competitors. However, don’t overthink. You may need to just record a few episodes and get honest feedback before you find your niche and formally launch.

Focus on your target audience. What are their demographics and interests? Do research before you start. Also remember that you are trying to build a relationship with your audience. Be authentic, use a conversational style, and respond to comments.

It takes time to build an audience. Audio doesn’t go viral like video does. In the beginning, you may only have a few listeners. Ask them to share the podcast with others. Offer your podcast on multiple platforms (SoundCloud, Spotify, Facebook Live, YouTube, etc.). Add an image or video component to provide some immediate impact.

Have a narrow niche. If you want to monetize your podcast, it’s better to be the top podcast in a small niche area, than an average podcast in a larger niche. You can get advertisers more easily and at a higher price. A specific focus also helps you stand out from the competition regardless of the reason you are podcasting.

Be consistent. Quality is more important than quantity, but you still must commit to a regular schedule. If you are not consistent, you will lose listeners.

Pitching is okay. You can pitch podcasters, but just like with other media outlets, make sure your story is appropriate to the podcast’s brand and its audience.

Establish goals and Key Performance Indicators. It’s important to determine what success means to you. However, podcasting is a long-term commitment with slow and steady growth. If you are looking to monetize it, it will take even longer since you need the audience before you can make money.
Thanks to our moderator and panelists for their great advice.
If you have a successful podcast, please send us your tips at info@prpli.org so we can share them with other PRPLI members on this blog.

More information on our speakers:

Moderator: Jody Fisher

Jody is the founding VP of Public Relations for Austin Williams, a Hauppauge-based advertising, branding, marketing and digital agency. He currently represents clients that include PM Pediatrics, Stony Brook Medicine and Molloy College.

Over the past decade, he has led earned media strategies for Friends of the High Line and Larry Silverstein at the World Trade Center and organized the media coverage of the arrival of the Space Shuttle Enterprise to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. He is a frequent speaker at events organized by the Fair Media Council on Long Island.

Our Panelists:

Dan Pashman

Dan is the James Beard Award-winning creator and host of The Sporkful food podcast at Stitcher and Cooking Channel’s web series You’re Eating It Wrong. He’s also the author of Eat More Better: How to Make Every Bite More Delicious (Simon & Schuster).

Dan’s audio work has been featured on Radiolab, Planet Money, Freakonomics, Morning Edition, and more. He’s also a regular guest on WTF with Marc Maron. On TV Dan has appeared on the Today Show, Guy’s Grocery Games, Beat Bobby Flay, Dr. Oz, The Chew, and more.

Nicholas Esposito

Nicholas is an award-winning journalist who has been creating content professionally since he was 18. He has worked for several media companies – big and large – including News 12, JVC Broadcasting, CBS Sports, and MSG Networks. Currently, he is the content manager of Greater Long Island Media Group, which owns and operates six local news sites across Suffolk County. He is the co-founder of Greater Long Island’s podcast, The 495 Podcast.

Bruce Chamoff

From his work on over 1,000 websites to his apps that enhance social media marketing, Bruce always been an out-of-the-box thinker. In 2005, he started the Long Island Podcast Network promoting local bands and then expanded it to other popular podcast genres including business, news, culinary, health sports and more. He has also managed web development teams for National Enquirer and the Radio City Rockettes and has also consulted with many podcasters getting them started and helping them become successful. He also does public speaking across the United States and Canada on technology.