Public Relations, or PR, is a powerful tool. A good PR strategy helps you manage and shape the public perception of your brand. These PR strategies can include media relations, crisis management, and community relationship-building through events and social media.
But did you know you could use podcasts as PR tools, too? Podcasts are a fantastic way to build brand awareness. After all, that’s your brand’s voice literally in the ears of your target audience!
If you’re looking to spice up your PR strategy and make your brand stand out, read on to discover practical ways to seamlessly integrate podcasting into your PR efforts.
4 Reasons to Integrate Podcasts into Your PR Strategy
Integrating podcasts into your PR strategy is a smart move. Here are four important reasons why:
- Showcases your expertise: Your podcast is a place where you get to share your passion, knowledge, and unique industry insights. You want your channel to be the place where people come to learn from the best. By sharing what you know, you draw people in and build your fan base.
- Boosts SEO: Implement SEO strategies and your podcast will give you higher visibility and more visitors to your site. Use the right keywords in your podcast episode titles, descriptions, and show notes, for example. This will help Google and other search engines find your content. To further enhance discoverability, consider using a podcast transcript generator to create searchable transcripts of your episodes, making it easier for search engines to index your content.
- Convenient way to consume content: People love podcasts because they fit seamlessly into their busy lives. In fact, 73% of people listen to podcasts on their smartphones while on the go, not just when they’re in bed at night. Your target audience can listen while they commute, work out, or cook dinner. This convenience means your fans are more likely to tune in regularly, keeping your brand front and center in their minds.
- Fosters deeper engagement: Podcasts make listeners feel like they’re engaging in a one-on-one conversation. This fosters deeper engagement. An engaged audience is more likely to share your content with others.
So, are you ready to speak directly to your audience’s hearts (and ears)? Let’s explore how to make that happen.
4 Ways to Include Podcasts in Your PR Strategy
You can incorporate podcasts into your public relations strategy in several ways. Let’s take a look at four in detail:
1. Find Guest Speakers Who Can Highlight the Brand
Your podcast guests can help you manage your brand reputation. The right podcast interviews will amplify your brand message and, ultimately, enhance your brand’s appeal.
Just make sure you choose guests who don’t only engage your target audience effectively, but also reflect your brand’s ethos.
For instance, if your SaaS business focuses on boosting productivity, you could invite experts in time management. That way, they’re in the best position to promote your brand to your target audience as well. And your target audience will believe them, of course. After all, they have the expertise.
This strategy is already being used by some business owners. One example is Axial, a financial technology platform. For one of its podcast episodes, the company invited Max Artz, a search fund expert, to talk about small business mergers and acquisitions. In the process, of course, the use of financial technology platforms (like Axial), was also discussed.
It’s easy to find these guest speakers who can enhance your PR and podcast content. Start by listing down experts, influencers, or even happy customers who align with your brand values. Say you’ve identified an ideal guest. If you’re not sure how to approach them, just create a personalized appeal. You can never go wrong.
Craft a targeted pitch highlighting the mutual benefits of the collaboration: they get a platform to share their insights, and your podcast gains valuable content which can help your brand image. Write a clear, respectful message that outlines why they’re a great fit for your podcast and how your audience aligns with their expertise. Consider using PowerPoint macros to automate the creation of your pitch deck, saving you time and effort while ensuring a professional and engaging presentation.
To ensure every pitch reflects your brand’s uniqueness, use AI templates tailored for guest outreach. These templates can help you maintain a consistent, professional tone.
2. Pitch Yourself as a Guest on Niche-Related Podcasts
Why wait for people to come to your podcast when you can go to theirs? Go ahead and present yourself as a potential guest on podcasts your target audience loves. Reach out with ideas of your unique insights or stories that you can bring to the table. Maybe it’s that breadth of experience you have, a fresh perspective on a hot topic, or an inspiring success story.
Doing guest interviews on other podcasts exposes you to new audiences and increases your authority for PR. Plus, it creates valuable networking opportunities.
Just make sure the podcasts you choose are in your niche.
For instance, if you’re a chef, you or, if you don’t have the time, a reputable food PR agency, could pitch to podcasts like ‘The Splendid Table’. This is a podcast about food that can feature chefs. Below is an example episode of Gavin Kaysen giving practical advice on how to manage time as a professional chef, a cookbook writer, and a husband and father.
As a final tip, remember to be prepared, and of course, be yourself when appearing on your chosen podcasts. These are the essential elements people are looking for in podcast guests (and even influential podcast hosts).
3. Tap into Storytelling to Connect with Your Podcast Audience
Stories have the power to captivate and connect. That’s why they’re a key PR technique. Companies use them to immerse the audience in a narrative journey. This ultimately allows business owners to communicate their brand message effectively.
So, whether you’re a podcast host or are appearing as a guest on another podcast, share real in-depth stories that evoke emotions and leave a lasting impact on online communities. Don’t just talk about the subject matter, and share news stories, current events, and industry trends. Articulate the journey behind your brand. This will help you humanize your brand and make your message more relatable and memorable.
For instance, if your brand overcame significant hurdles to develop a new product, share that story. Highlight the ups and downs, the team’s dedication, and the customer feedback that drove you forward.
There are many successful business owners who share their beginnings via podcasts. One great example is Gary Vaynerchuk and his podcast The GaryVee Audio Experience. The host uses podcasts as PR tools by talking about his personal experiences when launching and running his successful businesses.
You may not be in the same place as Gary (yet!), but by sharing your own unique story, you can get there. Just view every podcast episode as an opportunity to tell a different part of your story.
With vivid descriptions, genuine emotions, and personal anecdotes, you won’t just draw listeners in. You’ll make your brand cut through the noise. So, the next time your audience needs something, they’ll think of your brand first.
4. Cross-Promote Podcast Snippets on Social Media
Here’s another way to leverage podcasts as PR tools. Why not take enticing snippets from your episodes and share them across your social media platforms? When you incorporate them into your overall marketing strategy this way, you can further expand your reach. And we know that PR isn’t just about communicating your brand message. It’s also about reaching as many people as possible.
That’s a lot of people you can reach with this strategy, by the way. More than 5 billion people worldwide use social media. The potential for finding new audiences on social channels is huge!
Make sure these snippets stand out visually and are easy to share as part of your public relations industry efforts. Use them to spark curiosity, enhance audience engagement, and drive listeners to the full episode.
But, wait, what should your snippets look like?
If you’re recording videos of your episodes, you can post video snippets on social media platforms like Instagram or TikTok. The visual element can add excitement and a human touch to the content. Your followers will enjoy the behind-the-scenes and will love seeing your guests.
Another idea is to pull notable quotes from your podcast and share them on platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram.
These quotes should represent valuable insights or opinions that your target audience finds relevant or inspiring. Quotes especially from guests who are industry experts or celebrities draw attention to your episode.
Another innovative way to promote your podcast episodes is by creating audiograms. Audiograms combine an image, a soundwave, and an audio track, sometimes with added subtitles. This technique is visually appealing, and thus can especially be noticed on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Wrapping Up
You can use podcasts as PR tools that can enhance your brand image. With this article, I’ve explored how you can integrate podcasts into your PR strategy.
Find the right guest speakers who will highlight your brand and pitch yourself as a guest on niche-related shows. Another effective strategy is to use podcasts for storytelling, a key PR technique. You can also leverage podcast snippets on social media channels to expand your audience, one of PR’s important goals.
Now, it’s your turn to take the mic and introduce your brand’s unique voice. Unleash the power of podcasts and you won’t just be a force to be reckoned with in the podcasting industry. You’ll enhance your PR strategy, too, and ensure your brand is loved by audiences.
Chris Norton
By Chris Norton, host of Embracing Marketing Mistakes, a UK Top 10 marketing podcast that celebrates marketing fails, and Founder of award-winning B2C specialist PR agency Prohibition. His social media training blog is listed in the UK's top 10 PR blogs. For tons of digital PR tips, you can follow Chris here @chris_norton.
