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Where Is My Podcast?

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The beginning of something is always an exciting time, isn’t it?

Whether it’s a relationship, a new job, a product or a whole business; that start, that beginning is a great thing.

So - when something doesn’t quite go to plan, it can affect that spike of happiness and you can feel a little deflated.

That’s why, when a client gets in touch with us, asking this specific question ‘Where is my podcast?’ - we go cold, because we know that it’s taken the shine of what should have been an exciting day.

With that in mind, then, we thought that we would talk about the journey of a podcast episode. From us to the world - or wherever you’re putting it out to.

A starring role in our story is something called the RSS Feed. Now, we could get *really* technical with all of this - but we're going try and stop it from getting too bogged down in jargon.

The RSS feed is, essentially, the web address of your podcast.

There are millions of them out there, and they can only be accessed by a certain app, or piece of technology.

Now, when your podcast gets published, from whichever hosting site you use, what the site does is update the RSS feed with the latest episode.

Anything after this is pretty much out of our control. Believe us, it’s just as frustrating for us as it is for you.

The frustration lies in something called the RSS Crawl.

This is a process that the podcasting platforms - like Apple, Spotify, Google etc - go through. They’re looking at all of the RSS feeds in the world that are registered with them, just to see if there’s anything new to tell everyone about.

These RSS Crawls are a bit of a mystery. Obviously, it’s a constant process which is happening automatically - but what no-one can tell you is WHEN it’s going to happen.

That’s why, generally, we schedule podcast episodes to be published just after midnight on the requested day.

That means that, 99.9% of the time, an RSS Crawl will have happened by the time people get out of bed.

That also means that, if a change is made to an episode of your podcast, we say that it could take up to 24 hours for it to be seen on the podcasting platform - because we DO know that the RSS Crawl happens daily - we just don’t know exactly when.

Of course, like so many things in life - children, dogs, significant others - the RSS Crawl doesn't always work like it's supposed to and you jump out of bed - only to find that your latest episode isn't out, or doesn't look like you think it should. 

And that's where MonkeyPants Productions comes in. The first thing we do is check the hosting site; mainly because that there is a chance that the error is ours. Once we've crossed that option off the list, we check that there's nothing wrong with the hosting site, or account (have the bills been paid, are the site's servers experiencing downtime?) and then - and only then - do we look at the publishing platform.

Thankfully, problems are pretty rare - but they do occur. Obviously, we look to get them sorted as soon as is humanly possible - but most of the time it's that dastardly RSS Crawl that's to blame.

Who Cares About Your Podcast?

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I was listening to a radio station the other day (I won’t name it, or the presenter, because what I’m about to say isn’t that flattering) and I heard them say “Don’t forget that [next presenter] is here from [time]” and then carried on with the rest of the link, talking about something on the telly…

In case you haven’t realised yet - this is bad.

It’s bad for many reasons, but the most prevalent one is “Why do I care?”

Unless you’re an avid radio listener, it’s unlikely that you even know the name of the presenter that’s coming up next on whatever station you’re listening to.

So - is their name alone a reason to keep listening to this station?

Towards the end of the show, the same presenter said “I’ll be back tomorrow, to do it all again. Join me from [time]”

The same point can be made here…Why? Why should I make an appointment to listen to you tomorrow? What have you got for me? Am I supposed to just tune in because I like the sound of your voice?

The same is absolutely true for your podcast. When you’re writing an episode outline you should always be thinking “Why should people listen to this episode?” and if the best answer you can come up with it “I’ve got a great personality” then you should really re-evaluate your content.

And if the answer is more than your personality - make sure that you are explicit with that reason when talking about the next episode of your podcast. Your outro should give me another reason to come back and listen to another episode. If you don't have anything specific, give me the 'Big Sell' about why I should be listening.

Always think, and talk about, what is good about *this* episode - and end by giving people a reason to come back, or click on, for the next episode.

There is so much choice out there at the moment you shouldn’t give people the chance to even *think* about going elsewhere.

There's too many podcasters that only consider the 'fans' of the podcast - and that's where you can miss out on a crucial part of the audience. The casual listeners, the ones that aren't a part of your current network - they are the key to taking your podcast from good to great; from 'okay' to 'popular'.

Keep your casual listener at the forefront of your mind when putting your notes together. It’s those people that will help your podcast audience grow and grow.

If you'd like to talk more about podcasting - and how we at MonkeyPants Productions can help you in your podcasting journey - book in for a no-obligation call here

Ears Are Alive With The Sound of YOU!

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I was reading a fascinating article the other day - all about the intricacies of audio and how the different frequencies of (mainly) spoken audio interact with the human ear.

At this point, let’s do a quick run through of how sound works. Don’t worry, you’re not going to have to write an essay or anything…

So, let’s say you are sat in your kitchen - and you exclaim loudly at something that you have just seen on social media. The fact that Stephen Fry is considering becoming a bikini model, perhaps?!?

Anyway, your exclamation leaves your mouth and heads outwards. As you know, if you’ve ever shouted to someone in an open space, your voice can carry over a pretty big distance; so when you speak loudly, the sound wants to leave your kitchen.

Some of it, but most of it will be blocked from leaving by walls, cupboards, doors, tables, windows etc. That’s when echoes occur, because the sound will bounce off all of the things in your kitchen, with many of the ‘bounces’ coming back to your ear.

All of this happens in a very small amount of time.

Now, whilst the ear is an amazing piece of machinery - it’s also very good at lying to you. Or, at the very least, not giving you the full picture.

What I mean by this is that, when you’re speaking into a microphone (possibly in your kitchen) it most likely sounds amazing. You’re sounding authoritative and knowledgable, whilst also being entertaining. Who wouldn’t want to listen to that?

However, when you - or your editor - listens back to it, there’s a slightly different story. You’re still sounding authoritative and knowledgeable - but it now sounds like you’re doing it in an echo chamber, rather than your kitchen.

This is because your ear filters out a lot of the tiny echoes that occur - but the microphone doesn’t. Actually, to be fair to the human ear, the issue is that the microphone isn’t as good as the ear - rather than the ear letting you down in some way.

Either way, what you’re hearing through your ears and what a microphone hears are two very different things - and this can affect everything.

Most importantly, it can affect how much the listener trusts you, and what you’re saying.

Honestly, the quality of the audio is almost as important as the quality of the content itself.

Here’s another example…

You’re in your car and listening to the radio.

Your favourite song comes on. You turn it up and begin to sing along. However, because you’re on the very edge of the transmission area of that particular radio station, it affects the quality of the audio. If you’re listening on DAB it will just cut out, as DAB is made up of 1’s and 0’s - so it’s either there, or it isn’t; and if you’re listening on FM then it will start to sound fuzzy and fade in and out.

Will you continue to listen to it, straining to hear it and sing along as the quality gets worse and worse?

Of course not.

Now, this is the thing to bear in mind when you’re recording your podcast. If you won’t even listen to your favourite song when the audio quality is bad, why should a podcast listener hear what you’ve got to say, if the quality of your audio is bad?

During the pandemic, podcast listeners were incredibly forgiving. They knew that circumstances had changed and that people were recording their podcast episodes in all kinds of places - some of which didn’t sound great.

But that time has passed. Listeners are expecting good quality audio again.

That doesn’t mean that you should never put anything of poor, or lesser, quality into your podcast. What I’m saying is that you should be aware of the standards that podcast listeners are looking for now - and they will judge you for not working towards them; or telling them why you couldn’t achieve them with a particular episode.

So - going forward, if you believe that the quality of the audio isn’t going to be the best - either from you, or your guest (if you have one) - either record the episode again (a pain, I know…) or mention the quality of the audio in the introduction.

Something like ‘Just to let you know, we had a couple of issues with the recording of this episode, so the quality isn’t as high as we would like to bring you - but there’s still some great content here, and we’ll be back to normal with the next episode’

Simple as that. You’re including the audience in the production side of the podcast - and they will love and respect you all the more for it.

However, like so many things, you shouldn’t overuse it.

If you’ve had to put that into the intro of, say, 3 out of 5 episodes - then maybe there are some issues with your setup, or the briefing for your guests, that needs to change.

Make sure that both you and your guest have an external microphone (you can pick one up for about £100. The Røde NT-USB Mini is a great one to start with) and that you’re recording in 1) anywhere that isn’t your bathroom and 2) is as small a room as you can get into.

Your podcast isn’t just for you. It’s not even for your business network. It’s for your listeners. A completely separate group of people, many of whom don’t know you and won’t even get to hear your great content for months or years.

So, treat the audience with respect. Make sure that the quality of your audio is the best that it can be - and that, coupled with great content, will keep your listeners coming back again and again and again to hear what you’ve got to say.

Money *Could* Make Your Podcast Go Round

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One of the most popular questions that we get asked is 'Can I make money from my podcast?'. It's something that we've covered in another article, but it talks a lot about subscriptions.

In that article we mention a website called Patreon whereby you can create a subscription model for your podcast, where people can gain an incentive to subscribe to your podcast (such as early access, additional content etc) that will bring money into your business.

Well, the idea of the subscription model is no longer the domain of the Patreons of this world.

Spotify already have a subscription service for podcasters - using their podcasting creator hub, Anchor. It allows podcasters to hide their content behind a paywall, which creates an exclusive edge to a podcast. Or that's the hope.

Apple are relative newcomers to the podcast subscriptions model, but theirs seems to be the one that more people are interested in.

For starters, you don't have to be with a specific podcast host. As long as you have an Apple ID, then it's available to you.

So - how does it work, and how quickly can you start making money?

Calm down, calm down - we're getting to that...

Like we said, you need to have an Apple ID - essentially an Apple Account - and have your podcast registered  with the Apple Podcast Creators site. 

Then, it's a matter of deciding the level of subscription you would like. In the first instance, there are three levels - Free, Freemium and Paid.

Free - your standard podcast. Just like always, you listen to it and no money changes hands

Freemium - like Podcast Plus. So, this is where you will have additional content that is hidden behind the subscription. So, this could be as much or as little as you want - for as much or as little as you want. You decide. The basic podcast episode is still free, though.

Paid - nothing gratis here, I'm afraid. You pay a subscription, or you don't get to listen. It's as simple as that.

So - which level would suit you best? It all depends on what you've got to offer, how much of an audience you've got and what your ambitions for the podcast are.

For instance, if you are starting a brand new podcast for your business - we would recommend against creating a Paid subscription.

You are an unknown, so people aren't that likely to pay out for something that they know very little, if anything, about.

Even the most loyal person in your existing network would probably only subscribe for a short while, so what are the chances that a stranger will?

Freemium is a good place to test the water of podcast subscription, we think. Let's say that your podcast is one that offers business advice for SME owners. Now, there's already about 15-20 minutes of great, valuable content within each episode. So, how about offering an extra 5 minutes to those people who subscribe? That means that the people who DON'T subscribe will notice no difference, but the people who DO subscribe will gain some additional insights into your expertise; some extra value for their business

Of course, there are some things to bear in mind...

  • What do you offer to those subscribers?
  • How do you make sure that you make the extra content attractive, without excluding those loyal listeners that haven't subscribed

There is nothing worse for a podcast listener than being made to feel like we're out of the loop - or being excluded. So, whilst it is perfectly fine to outline your subscription options during an episode - just make sure you're not pushing the subscriptions down the throats of the unsubscribed listeners (remember what we've said about your business podcast being one big ad?) or making them feel that they're not as valuable to you, just because they've not paid you some money.

We think that, initially, the Paid podcasts will be the refuge of the famous podcasters (Ricky Gervais is already doing it with his Absolutely Mental podcast) but who knows where things will go next?

All we do know is that  - we'll be here, right by your side, helping you put out the best content that you can.

Taking A Break From Your Podcast

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It’s that time of year when people who work in ‘normal’ jobs talk about the time that they’re taking off - whether it’s for Thanksgiving in the US, or Christmas in many places - or any of the other myriad holidays that occur across the globe.

But does that mean you should take a break from your podcast?

As with almost everything else we talk about on this podcast - it all depends…

First of all, it depends on your availability, your commitment - your time. What are you plans? Are you able to take your setup with you? Do you want to take your setup with you?

Are you co-hosts available, and do they want to take time out of their celebrations? All of these things could help you make your decision.

Secondly, it depends on your content.

If you have what is referred to as a Hobby Podcast - this is generally people talking about their hobbies, likes, lifestyles etc, for the pure joy of talking about them - then you are in a better position to carry on, if you want to.

However, if it’s a business-based podcast, then you should look at resting it over Christmas.

People want to take a break - and SHOULD take a break over the festive season.

Also, from our experience, downloads and listening figures for business-based podcasts take a little dip towards the end of the year.

This is also one of those times when we would say it’s okay to think about yourself.

As you’ll know from other articles on this site, we’ve been very much in favour of thinking of the listeners - and you shouldn’t move too far away from that thinking - but if you are in need of a break, take it.

The listeners shouldn’t be an excuse for you keeping going over the festive period with something that you need a break from. Listeners can pick up on stuff that you're not full committed to - and it doesn't make for a good listen.

It's also worth pointing out that this advice doesn't just apply to the End-Of-Year festivities that occur across the globe - it also applies to things like Summer Holidays and trips away.

The one thing we will say with some sense of the definite is that, if you ARE going to take a break - don’t forget to let the listeners know. Keep them informed.

The penultimate episode before the break, make a brief mention of it then, post about it a couple of times on social media - and mention it in more detail on the final episode before the break.

Whenever you do mention it, keep in mind the fans of the podcast, by giving them a definite return date.

Something like this ‘Okay, the podcast is taking a bit of a rest for the next couple of weeks, but we’ll have a brand new episode on January 9th!’. Of course, that's just an example. Bring your own delivery and personality to it.

If your podcast has got a healthy, loyal following - don’t worry, they’ll still be around when you come back.

Don’t forget to schedule some social media posts whilst there is no new content coming out - reminding people of the great content that you’ve produced in the past.

Finally, keep in mind that so many people will be getting devices for listening to podcasts on for the first time at Christmas, so there’s a whole load of new listeners out there, looking for something to start listening to!

So, schedule those post - remember to include links - and then leave it all to run itself while you take a well-deserved break.

Remember to send us a postcard!

If you want to talk more about how we can help you and your podcast, click here and let's start talking.

Reviving Your Podcast

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We’ve had a couple of people talk about this to me recently, so we thought that we should do an article about it - because if they’re talking about it, then chances are that a few other people are too!

So, this is the scenario: You started a podcast a few months or even years ago - but you stopped. For whatever reason; you got a cat, Stranger Things started on Netflix or something shiny flew past your window. Whatever it was, you stopped and you’ve only just got round to the idea of starting again.

Now, in the meantime your original podcast is still ‘out there’ in the podcasting void. Still on a podcast platform like Apple or Spotify. Still able to be found and listened to - you’ve just not created any new content for it in months.

So - what’s the plan? Are you thinking of creating new content, or just picking up where you left off? If its new content, could it be considered a brand new podcast? We only offer that as an option because it might be something that the audience you’ve built up with the old podcast might not be into what you’re offering this time around. 

Also, a brand new podcast is the chance to refresh, rebrand, learn from the lessons that you gained from the first podcast. With a new podcast there is no embarrassing early episodes where you were just learning your craft, finding your way…

The flip side to starting a brand new podcast, rather than reviving your old one, is that, with the old one, you’ve got an audience that knows you, had made a connection with you.

Many of those subscribers or followers will STILL be subscribed or following you - so they’ll be pleasantly surprised when a new episode drops on their device. For that reason, then you should just carry on adding episodes to your old podcast.

BUT - and it’s a big butt and we cannot lie - if your new content differs from your old podcast, then you really aren’t looking at a revival, you’re looking at a relaunch. You’ve got to think about starting again from the beginning - new logo, new music etc.

That’s because, and we're going back to something we’ve said a couple of times before - listeners love spontaneity, but they don’t like surprises.

What that means is they love it when you bring on an unexpected guest, or something similar - but they don’t like it when you change the format without warning, or just stop creating new episodes…

So if the idea of “reviving your podcast” is actually based around a lot of new content - then we'd ask you to think about NOT reviving, but relaunching.

If you do go ahead and revive, so add new episodes onto your old podcast - explain what’s been going on.

Don’t just start your new episode as though nothing has happened. 

You wouldn’t treat your friends and family with that level of disrespect would you? So, why do it to a group of people that you want to respect you?

We're not saying that you have to go into every little detail as to why you stopped creating content, and why you’re starting again now - just don’t pretend that nothing has happened.

Something that we were asked the other day in a network meeting was whether or not there is some kind of time limit on reviving your podcast - we honestly don’t think that there is. 

The only thing we will say is that the longer it has been since your last episode, the more you’re going to have to shout about any new content you create.

And that loops back to the earlier point that there is a tipping point where launching a brand new podcast is probably going to be the better option. If the amount of effort you’re having to put in to revive your podcast is more than it would take to launch a brand new one - you might as well launch a brand new one.

If you'd like to talk more about your podcast - whether it's a revive or a relaunch, then you can book in for a chat here

Recording Your Podcast Remotely

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Because of what is going on in the world at the moment, podcasters - well, everyone really - have had to find new ways of doing that they were doing before, or some version of it.

Now, we realise that restrictions are different in different parts of the world, so we're working on the assumption that you can’t close to people, and that being in the same place indoors just isn’t an option.

Okay - so how do we go about it? What should we use? What is out there for us?

Well, there’s a lot. You’ve got zoom - obviously, you’ve got Microsoft Teams, Skype, Zencastr, Camflare….. there’s almost too many to list here.

So, let’s start at the beginning. What is it you need?

Well, before we get to the actual physical side of what you need, we should look at just what it is you’re after from your episode.

We're guessing that you’re looking at maintaining the same level of quality that you’ve had over the previous episodes. You don’t want to have to explain to the listeners why the quality has dropped significantly, even though podcast listeners have been more forgiving during the pandemic. 

They understand that not everyone can afford a couple of podcast setups - one for them, and one for their remote guest.

So - you want to make it sound just as good, or as near as dammit, to what you do originally.

You’ll have your microphone - if you don’t, go and read this piece about choosing a microphone - so now it’s all about your guest.

Do they have a microphone? Ideally, you don’t want them to use any kind of built-in microphone, whether it’s the one in their tablet, laptop or - shudder - their phone. That’s just not going to sound good. 

Ideally, they should have an external microphone. That means that they will sound better, which will make your podcast sound better.

We do know some podcasters that have a spare microphone that they post - or drive if it’s close enough - to the guest so that they will sound in quality.

So, what about the programs that we mentioned earlier - Zoom, Teams etc - are they the best things to use?

If you want to record your podcast on Zoom or Teams, then you can - there’s no problem with that. 

The difference is WHERE things are recorded.

That’s because if you record everything at your end, you’ll get your voice in quality, but your guest will be recorded over the internet - and we all know how reliable that can be!

So, you could have an episode where you sound great, but your guest is buffering….

The safest way to record remotely is to have all points recording remotely too. So, this is the setup that we use for a couple of my clients podcasts. 

The host AND the guest are recording on their own devices. If it’s a Mac, then you can use GarageBand, but ideally we'd want everyone to be using Audacity. Then, they can talk over zoom, Teams, Sky - even the phone if you want! 

That’s because the SOURCE recording will be in quality. Of course, any conscientious podcast producer would ALSO be recording the phone recording too - just in case.

You will also have to produce some instructions to give to your guests, so that they know what they need to do to record, how they can check everything and, more importantly, how they will get the recording to you after the interview has finished.

Of course, this also applies if you only have a podcast with your co-host, or co-hostS - everyone should try and record the podcast at source.

Some of the websites that are out there at the moment - Zencastr and CamFlare are two that we've used in the past, do just that - they record everyone at source - but then there is a cost involved in that, when the process that we've listed above is completely free.

Then, once the recording is done, you just get them to either send you the file using something like WeTransfer, or you get them to put their recording into DropBox or whatever.

Is it more work? Yes. Is it complicated? It can be for some - but if you want a good quality product, isn’t it worth going that little extra mile to achieve it?

What Makes A Good Title?

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The title of your podcast - and each episode - is the gateway to your offering. For many, it’ll be the first thing they encounter about your podcast. 

Remember, the “proper” listeners to your podcast aren’t your friends or family - it’s the stranger in another part of the country, or another country entirely, who stumbles onto your podcast whilst they’re browsing through Spotify. 

THEY’RE the real listeners. 

The title of your podcast AND the title of your episodes are another way that people can find you - so you need to think about them when you’re putting your episode together.

You need to think “What are people going to be searching for?”

So, if your podcast is about knitting, for example - our favourite fake podcast, even though there are some excellent podcasts about knitting out there - and you had just recorded an interview with someone called Harry Durham about the latest type of wool that’s out there - let’s say its called Lovely Wool - what would you call the episode?

Now, if Harry was world famous and people outside of the knitting world had heard of him, you *could* call the episode ‘Interview with Harry Durham’ but, to most people they don’t give a tinkers cuss about Harry - and that’s a shame, because he’s a lovely bloke.

He’s not - because he’s not real. We’ve literally made him up for this example.

So, if you can’t call the episode the literal interpretation of what the episode is, what CAN you call it?

If you had the mythical creature that is Harry Durham talking about the new Lovely Wool - how *could* you title it, if not ‘Interview with Harry Durham’.

Well, how about ‘Lovely Wool - what’s it all about?’ Or ‘Lovely Wool - is it really so lovely?’

Or if, during the course of the interview, Harry said something like ‘I think that we’ve got some wool here that’s going to change the world of knitting’ - use that as your episode title.

Apple - and we’re using them because they tend to be the standard bearer when it comes to so many aspects of podcasting… Apple allow you 255 characters when it comes to your episode title, and “Something that is going to change the world of knitting” is only 55 characters - you could go on for ages!

But that brings us on to our next point - DON’T go on for ages…

As much as you want to create an episode title that not only covers the content of that episode, but would also create enough interest in a casual browser, you should be wary about making the title too long - you want it to attract people almost immediately.

Also, bear in mind the words you use in your title. 

Podcasting platforms - certainly Apple and Spotify, work like this:

  • Podcast Title
  • Episode Title
  • Episode Description

So, when you’re choosing your title, as well as coming up with something that no-one has come up with before - you also need to use words that you are pretty sure people are going to be searching for.

However, don’t just fill your title and episode description with key words. If you, with your knitting podcast, called your episode ‘Wool, Knit, Needle, Fantastic, Clothing’ then you could find yourself getting into trouble with your podcast publisher. They might even delete your podcast.

So - just a few things to bear in mind when it comes to putting together a title for your podcast!

The 2 Things Missing From So Many Podcasts

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If you want to be a significant podcaster, if you want to build an audience, if you want a loyal tribe of listeners who will listen to every episode, buy the march, follow you on social media - then trust is what you’ll need.

It is such common sense, but I’m constantly amazed at the number of podcasters out there who don’t respect their audience, and that means that the audience doesn’t trust them.

So, how do you go about gaining your listeners trust?

First of all, it’s not something that happens overnight, and it’s something that you’ve always got to keep in mind because new people are joining your podcast all the time, so you can’t expect them to have heard the episode where you worked on gaining trust.

Gaining the trust of your listeners should be ingrained in the very fabric of your podcast. Now, this doesn’t mean that you need to be all touchy-feely and talk about your emotions in your podcast. 

Although, that wouldn’t harm things either.

It’s all about being honest with them, being sincere, being upfront.

At the same time as being entertaining, engaging and, if necessary, informative.

As I said earlier, the number of podcasters who don’t respect their listeners is staggering - but that’s where trust starts. 

If you respect your listeners, be honest about changes to the podcast, your thoughts about your subject - then they will begin to trust you. 

Don’t look down on your listeners, because they sure as heck won’t look up to you.

And when we talk about listeners, don’t forget who we mean here; not your friends and family, those will always be around. The proper listeners are those that are coming because of you, because of your content - not because they’re related to you. 

It’s those strangers that you need to think of when I talk about gaining trust. Why should they come back to you episode after episode after episode.

Earlier on I talked about being honest, being sincere and being upfront.

And that can apply in some of the smaller circumstances too.

Let’s say that you’ve decided to change the frequency of your podcast. You’ve been doing a weekly podcast for a while, but you’ve realised that you’re not going to be a able to keep that up and you’re going to have to change it to fortnightly, or monthly.

Tell the audience. At the beginning of the penultimate weekly podcast, if you can, mention it then and reinforce it at the end. Again, on the next episode - the final weekly one - make more of a point of it.

What that means is the audience 1) knows not to expect a new episode a week later and 2) they feel that they were in on the decision.

Think about it. Whatever medium you’re on; television, radio, podcasts, YouTube, TikTok, SnapChat - the people that you listen to or watch, you want to feel a connection with them, and you want to be a part of their group, of their gang, of their tribe.

Your listeners want exactly the same thing - so don’t deny them the chance by not respecting them, meaning that they won’t trust you.

Again, I’m not saying that you have to change who you are as a podcaster - you just need to incorporate this respect, this honesty within the scope of your current podcast. You will absolutely reap the benefits.

Why The Law & Podcasting Go Together So Well

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If you’ve ever heard any of the team speak at a networking event, or attended any of our workshops you will have heard us talk about the Benefits of Podcasting.

 - Podcasting is still seen as a growing medium in the UK, so being a part of it makes you seem ahead of your competition

 - You can reaffirm yourself as an expert in your field.

 - Establishing a relationship with your audience - some of whom will become clients - means that you are trusted by them, even before you meet face to face.

Add to those examples the fact that podcasting is so mobile, it’s an intimate transaction between you and the listener (podcast listening isn’t a group activity), and you can portray both your personality and your professionalism in one swift blow.

The other side of professional podcasting that we’re quite vocal about is this:

If you’re a law firm, you should have a podcast.

The benefits are clear, and many of them are listed above, but consider this; you have knowledge. A specialist knowledge that others would like access to. What is wrong with giving them some of your knowledge, whilst also - subtly, of course - giving a strong display of the expertise of your firm?

It’s at this point that a lot of people will say “Now wait a minute. We all studied for many years and have worked our way up through our company. Why should I just give away all of this knowledge for free?”

No-one is saying that you should. 

What we’re proposing is a podcast where you give some value by delivering some legal advice that, if we were so inclined, we could find on a website (maybe the website of your competitor?) but which is also delivered with your attractive personality.

Let’s say that you are a Family Law firm.

Where is the harm in doing a podcast episode, explaining what Power of Attorney is? 15-20 minutes from two of the firm’s partners where they give a broad overview of POA; it’s powers, it’s pitfalls and how it works in practise.

 - It gives value, because the listener comes away with genuine knowledge that they can use in their own lives

 - Using the right people from the firm, you indirectly show how approachable, accessible and friendly you are.

 - You begin to create a relationship with that listener. From hearing your firm dispense this valuable information in a friendly manner, you begin to build trust.

Trust means an awful lot.

We have spent, collectively, well over 30 years in the broadcasting industry and trust is key in building an audience on the radio.

As producers, we encouraged our presenters to be genuine, be honest with the listeners.

As presenters, we realised that by showing a little of our true selves on the air, we connected with the listeners in a lasting way.

Of course, we also had to be professional, courteous and articulate - but the trust aspect of it all, that is what brought in the big audiences.

Think back to when you were younger - was there a Breakfast Show presenter that you used to listen to?

Depending on your age it could be Tony Blackburn, Noel Edmonds, Les Ross, Chris Tarrant, Steve Penk, Billy Butler, Chris Evans, Ed James, Terry Wogan, Johnny Vaughan, Simon Mayo, Mike Toolan, Tony Snell - even John Humphreys.

These were the voices that many people would wake up to. They were our friends.

If we had met them in the street we would have felt that we could say ‘Hello’ to them or go up to them and start talking. Of course, they wouldn’t have the faintest idea who we were - but we knew them. Or certainly felt like we did.

You can have a small amount of that, by doing a podcast.

You are putting yourself into someone’s life, even for a short time, and beginning to form a relationship with them.

Think of how that changes the way people see you and your business.

We can help that happen. We can bring about that bond, that trust, that intimate relationship with your listeners. 

Get in touch here and let’s start you on your podcast journey.

Stop procrastinating. Start podcasting.