Using podcasts as part of a business marketing strategy is one of the newest trends. However, not everyone has the skill, talent, and experience in podcast hosting and production to do this all on their own. In situations where you need specialized talent to do work for you, outsourcing this to workers online might just be the answer. But in what ways can a business outsource its podcast production?
Why Businesses Should Jump Into Podcasting
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Before we dive into the details of outsourcing podcast production, let’s take a closer look at the state of podcasting in the business world first.
Podcasting has been a new and upcoming marketing tool used by companies or businesses in recent years. The purely audible medium offers a different way to consume content easily and without having to completely immerse themselves. People can listen to podcasts while driving, doing household chores, and even working.
According to the latest research, a majority of 59% of podcast listeners tune in and consume podcast content while doing something else at the same time. In addition to this, 22% of people listen to podcasts while driving. This practice shows that podcasts are a type of content that people can enjoy without losing focus on things around them.
In terms of marketing, podcasting is another effective way to promote or advertise a product or service. Recent data shows that there are roughly 384 million podcast listeners around the world and is particularly popular with people ages 12 to 34 years old.
Statistics show that 69% of podcast listeners have been introduced to a new product or service by a podcast they are listening to. 62% say that they have purchased a product or service introduced through them through a podcast ad. To add to this, 81% of listeners say that they pay more attention to advertisements on podcasts as compared to those on radio, television, newspapers, as well as other digital channels.
Digital marketers predict that podcasting will soon become a primary marketing tool for e-commerce businesses and other online entities. As the demand for audio increases, podcasting can target a whole new demographic and audience that marketers cannot reach through other marketing channels such as social media, email marketing, and the like.
4 Ways To Outsource Your Business Podcast Production
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Taking podcasting in your business marketing strategy can bring a totally new light to your marketing campaign and success. However, the process of creating quality audio content may not be as easy and simple as one might imagine.
Certain elements of a good podcast require technical skills and knowledge in areas such as audio engineering, recording mixing, audio editing, music production, and so much more. While it’s possible to study and learn these yourself, doing all of these on your own can be time-consuming and pull you away from more important business responsibilities.
Taking this into consideration, why not outsource some of your podcast production? Outsourcing can not only save you time but also provides you with an opportunity to find amazing talents with the skills and knowledge in podcast production. With that in mind, here are some of the podcast elements that you can outsource from sound engineers, virtual assistants, and other professionals online:
Audio Editing
Typically, podcast hosting and recordings can last for hours. This is especially true for productions that include guests or co-hosts to banter with and bounce off ideas. However, it’s unlikely for a quality podcast to simply publish the raw and unedited version of their recordings. Without editing, the episode would last for hours and have a tone of silence and dead air.
To avoid this, it’s important to edit and filter every podcast recording. Editing helps keep the podcast short, concise, and entertaining. However, audio editing is also undoubtedly one of the most time-consuming yet most important tasks in podcast production.
Audio editors not only cut the raw audio recording to the desired length, but they should also be skilled enough to do this while maintaining the trail of thought, ideas, and conversations in the podcast. When you outsource audio editing services, it’s important to provide them with a clear vision and direction of the show in order to keep your raw and edited versions on the same track.
Sound Design and Mixing
Since podcasts are primarily audio-centered content, it’s important to prioritize sound quality. Aside from using pro tools such as XLR mics, sound mixers, and an actual recording studio, hiring someone to design and mix your raw recording can help elevate your podcast to the next level.
Outsourcing sound design and mixing to your podcast production can keep your podcast from sounding dull and plain. Those who went through audio engineering school or are experienced in the industry know what level, tone, and style is the most engaging and entertaining for listeners. To do so, sound engineers can add sound effects, depth, and other audio dynamics to ensure that your podcast is fun and easy to listen to.
Script Writing
Scripts can play a huge part in your production depending on the type of content you make. If your podcast takes on a narrative format or you’re taking in a solo podcast hosting style, having a pre-prepared script can make recordings so much easier. Writing a script for your podcast can keep you from rambling on and on or meandering to topics that you shouldn’t really discuss. However, writing podcast scripts can take a lot of time, especially if you’re doing it on your own for every podcast episode you plan to release. Given that it’s labor-intensive and time-consuming, writing scripts on your own can also delay the rest of your podcast production.
Outsourcing this task to a copywriter or content writer can significantly help streamline your podcast production. Aside from that, writers can also elevate the quality of the script ensuring that your narrative is engaging and easy to understand.
But to make this possible, it’s important that you consistently communicate with your writer about how you want your script to be written. Factors such as tone and delivery can greatly affect the way your podcast sounds to listeners. Be sure to provide a good brief and a clear vision of how you want your podcast to be for them to create a script well suited to your taste.
Show Notes
Working on podcast show notes is another production task that you can outsource to a great writer. While many think that show notes aren’t essential, adding them to your podcast episodes can greatly improve the listeners’ experience. Not only that, but show notes can also help in increasing your podcast’s reach and visibility through SEO traffic.
Much like they are called, show notes are short notes or highlight points lifted from the podcast episode. Show notes provide listeners with an overview or summary of the episode, thus allowing them to decide whether or not they want to listen to the episode.
In the production process, adding in show notes means that you need to listen to the podcast from start to finish and keep track of important ideas, topics, or details shared throughout the episode in order to create a suitable title, podcast description, and timestamps for that specific show.
Taking this into consideration, adding show notes can easily be a time-consuming task. An hour-long episode would automatically take an hour or so to finish. Then, you also need to add the time it takes to write descriptions, timestamps, and the title. Outsourcing this part of your podcast production can significantly improve your podcast’s quality and boost SEO ranking and visibility.
Want to know more about the benefits of outsourcing? Sidekicks is an on-demand virtual company and we’re eager to help visionaries and entrepreneurs like you. Get a free ebook and learn more about how we can help you by signing up for our newsletter. We also offer a free 30-minute consultation if you prefer something more personal.
