CorpComms Magazine

1 Plan and record a series at outset

Recording and producing each episode is the hardest part, so if you can prerecord a whole series of episodes you can publish them over several weeks. For our first podcasts in September 2005, we put together five episodes on pensions and investments to coincide with the government's introduction of the simplified pensions rules, and released one per week.

My idea to do podcasts was prompted by the BBC promoting them in a big way. I saw audio was becoming an increasingly accepted way of communicating with people - particularly where there is often an overload of paper-based communications.

It is easy to assume that all podcast listeners are spotty teenagers with iPods but don't forget many podcast listeners don't own an MP3 player; they download and listen to content through a PC or laptop. When you write something, it's very tempting to use jargon and not explain properly. When you're speaking onto a recording, it is more of a conversation.

2 Tell your audience about it

We promote our podcasts using blogs and a podcast directory, as well as iTunes and our own website. But we have also used traditional forms of marketing, such as press releases and postcards. It is also important to tell existing clients about the podcasts - and not just to promote the launch of a new one; you need to promote every episode.

3 Invite audience participation

Create a blog that allows listeners to comment on each episode. You can even suggest they send you audio contributions that can be included in future episodes. Remember also to time your podcasts: you can piggyback on news events that put your subject at the front of people's minds. People are much less likely to listen to or search for something that's not in the news.

4 Mind the 80/20 rule

At least 80 percent of your podcast content should be information and less than 20 percent should be a sales pitch. Creating successful podcasts is about building up trust with your listeners so they know they are not downloading a series of adverts. I know some producers of podcasts have chosen to insert adverts, but then software designed to filter the ads out has appeared for sale on the internet. That shows people are very anti-ads. We include mainly news and views, our opinions and things to look out for, rather than too much information, although how to balance this will depend on the subject.

5 Spend money on a professional voice-over

There is a huge range of podcasts available, ranging from homeproduced episodes to professional broadcast quality. It can pay to spend a bit of money on a consistent and clear brand image. I used a professional voice-over for five podcasts to record excerpts from my book on financial planning, The money tree.

6 Not too long, not too short

The ideal length of a podcast episode depends entirely upon your message and your audience. If you have a lot to say and you can't cut the content, consider breaking the message up into shorter, more manageable podcasts. These will be faster to download, as well as easier to listen to.

Research suggests 20 minutes is the optimum length for a podcast, but it depends on the material. Ours are usually 10 minutes to allow our subject matter to sink in more easily. You can be as effective in 10 minutes as in half an hour if you plan first.

7 Use an RSS feed

Lots of companies claim to have a podcast where in reality they have only online audio. An RSS feed enables you to syndicate your content so your listeners can pick up every episode automatically, making it a more user-friendly way to present your podcast. This is what makes podcasting such a powerful corporate communications tool.

8 Accompany your spoken word

You can use graphics to make an enhanced podcast video (vodcast) or simply add a script of each episode. Give your potential listeners as many different options for accessing your message as possible, and let them choose what suits them best.

9 Make the most of the podcast

Podcasting is still a relatively new technology, so vigorously promote your use of it. It is easy to grab media attention on this topic because it is perceived to be a fresh idea that attracts a young, vibrant market.

10 Be consistent

I plan to make our podcasts more regular - perhaps even once a week - so people know when to expect them and, therefore, when to download them.

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