Podcast popularity has increased rapidly over the last five years.
Now it seems like everyone you talk to is either featured on one or starting one!
Podcasts are a great strategy for self-development, marketing and also profiling yourself or business as a thought leader. They seem easy to do, because all it is, is recording audio right? That’s not the entirety of it.
There is so much more to consider before starting a podcast. We have summarised a few of these concerns below.
Knowing your audience and defining your niche
If you search legal podcast on any podcast platform, thousands of search results will pop up! If you don’t have a niche or a defining topic that will hook your audience, then your podcast could get lost in the fray.
Understanding what your audience needs, is interested in, and how they engage in podcasts is crucial to the success of yours.
Planning
Start planning out your episodes. Doing so will also make you think about how often you want to release, how often you need to record, how many hours’ capacity it will take you per episode from drafting notes and approaching guests, to pushing out and marketing the episode.
Do you know that, on average, it can take between 20 to 30 hours to manage an episode or series? Do you have that time? Will you need to bring on a new staff member to offload some capacity from you?
Also use this time to sort your administration of the podcast and prepare the documents you may need, for example, release forms, your succession plan for the podcast and accessibility items such as transcripts.
Equipment and software
The quality of audio and the software you choose to use to edit and host your podcast can make a crucial difference when it comes to audience retention and attracting new listeners.
If you are going to record on your mobile or via a Teams call, it is always recommended that you consider the costs of an audio engineer or a dedicated podcast software that can fine-tune the audio and ensure a pleasurable listening experience.
There is nothing worse than crackly audio or background noise overtaking the conversation.
Marketing strategy
Marketing needs to start from the beginning! It flows through the podcast’s identity in the music, supporting imagery, podcast background all the way through to when you release a new episode.
Once you release an episode, how are you going to attract listeners to it? What channels do you have access to that you can promote? Do you want to set up dedicated social media pages for the podcast?
These are all details that will inform your marketing strategy and need to be considered before launching.
Overall, podcasts are a great tool for increasing business leads, attracting new clientele and, as we mentioned previously, profiling your practice and expertise.
They are however, not a minor undertaking.
Our Practice Advisory Service (PAS) is a complimentary service offered to QLS members, working to support you and your practice across key areas including business planning and management. Why not chat to a solicitor who has years of experience running their own practices and is able to provide guidance, or touch base on pertinent issues that you may be concerned about, including human resources and employment, and organisational culture and self-development.
If you are a practice owner and are interested in knowing more about how our Practice Advisory Service (PAS) can help you, visit qls.com.au/pas for more information or submit your EOI today.
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