Most of us have listened to a podcast at some point, and many of us love the way podcasts make it feel like we’re hanging out with old friends. But did you know there are over 4 million podcasts published in over 100 different languages? To stand out, you need a strong brand. Whether your aim is simply to entertain or you have bigger goals in mind, this article can help you build a successful podcast brand.
Create a clear name and tagline.
Podcast branding is a crucial part of the process. It’s one of the first impressions people will have of your show, and it should be easy for listeners to understand what they can expect from it.
Here are some things to think about when setting up your podcast’s brand:
- What do you want people to know about you? What do you want them to feel when they hear your name or see your logo? Are there any specific qualities that define who you are as an artist?
- Who are your audience members? How would they describe themselves? How would they describe what their lives look like (or how they wish their lives looked)? Keep in mind that this may not be a homogenous group—there could be several different “types” within the same demographic category. This will help shape how much personality goes into each detail of how listeners experience every aspect of what makes up a show.
- Why should someone choose one option over another? For example: If someone hears two different ads on Spotify promoting two different bands performing at the same venue tonight, which ad are they more likely to click on? The one that promises an exciting night full of excitement and adventure or one that offers cheaper tickets with no mention about anything else besides getting into the show itself
1. Have the right tools.
You need the right tools to create your podcast. I’m not going to go into depth on this but here is a list of the basics:
- A microphone
- A way to record and edit your podcast (i.e., Adobe Audition, GarageBand, Audacity)
- A way to publish your podcast (i.e., Libsyn, Captivate)
- Storage space on the Internet (i.e., Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud)
2. Establish a mission statement.
To effectively brand your podcast, you’ll need to establish a mission statement. It’s important to have one because it helps you stay focused on the goals of your podcast and helps guide your content creation.
A good mission statement is clear, concise, inspiring, memorable and can be used as a guiding principle when making decisions about what kind of content to create. Here are some examples:
- “To help people understand how they can make their lives better by learning new things.”
- “To inspire listeners with stories from everyday people who achieved extraordinary results through perseverance.”
- “To provide listeners with actionable advice that will help them create positive changes in their lives.”
3. Know your target market.
The first step in creating a podcast brand is to define your target market. Your podcast will have a very specific audience, so knowing who you’re speaking to and what they want is crucial.
When considering what your listeners want and need, look at the content of podcasts similar to yours for inspiration. The questions you ask will be different from one another because each podcast has its own unique perspective and purpose. If you find that there are certain elements missing from these podcasts, try adding them into yours!
Your target audience should also influence the way that your show sounds and feels so that it matches their expectations of how a show like this should sound or feel like (e.g., if most of your listeners are 25-40 year olds who work full time jobs then maybe it makes sense for there not be too much talking about gaming on air).
4. Create an image library and use it consistently.
One of the most important things you can do to build your brand is to create an image library. This means that every time you want to use an image, it should look like all the other images in your library. Your podcast artwork, show notes and website should all feature the same style of image and font.
Use consistent images that are relevant to what you’re talking about or creating in your podcast. If you’re talking about something technical or scientific, use a minimalist style image with less colour and a simple iconography like Apple’s marketing materials often feature. If you’re talking about something more creative or abstract then try using beautiful photography with lots of colours and textures that reflect this theme in some way.
Creating an image library will help people recognise who you are straightaway when they see one of your podcasts on social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter because each one will have its own unique style which makes it easy for listeners to spot them!
5. Use your brand’s voice to create descriptions.
Describing your podcast should be an easy and fun task. After all, you’re describing something that you know a lot about! So give yourself some time to brainstorm what the overall theme of your show is and how best to describe it in a way that makes it easy for listeners to understand what your podcast is about.
As with any content marketing, consistency is key. Use the same voice in descriptions as you do on social media posts and in the episodes themselves, so that new listeners will have a strong sense of who you are as an author/creator/host right away.
6. Use a consistent file naming system.
You’ll thank me for this after you’ve completed 25 episodes and can’t find the files you need when you need them. Trust me I have a Masters’ in Computer Engineering and this is a problem at all levels of computer science. So here are 2 main things you can do right now:
- Use a consistent file naming system.
- Use hyphens, not underscores.
7. Share your podcast everywhere and make it easy to find.
- Share your podcast everywhere and make it easy to find.
You’ll want to share your podcast on social media, in emails, and more. You can embed the player directly on your website, or you can include a link to the show notes (the point where listeners will be able to find all episodes of the show).
- Get involved with other podcasts and communities.
This is one way that we try to grow our audience: by being active members of popular groups like Podchaser but also smaller communities like The We Are Podcast Group or Reddit subreddits like r/podcasts or r/audiobooks. Be friendly and helpful!
8. A well branded podcast helps your target audience know what to expect, which builds trust and helps improve credibility in your industry
When you think about branding, what comes to mind? If you’re like many people, it might be the Coca-Cola or Nike swoosh. Perhaps a Starbucks mermaid or an old-school Apple logo? These are some of the most iconic brand logos on earth and have been for decades.
Brand recognition has always been important in business—and podcasting is no exception. The more recognisable your brand is, the easier it will be for you to attract new clients, increase sales and grow your business overall.
9. Listen to this panel on “Branding your podcast for more sales“
As business owners, our main goal is profit. But, how do we do that with consistency?
The answer is Branding. When you have your branding assets sorted, all your content comes across with consistency of tone, look & feel. That builds trust. How you build trust with your branding and what brand assets to create for your business is what this episode is all about.
In this episode you will:
- Learn what business owners focus on when it comes to branding
- Understanding how to focus on storytelling that starts with your website
- Hear how to focus on your credibility & what to look at when it comes to your logo
- Take a deeper look at consistency and how branding makes that easier.
- We answer a question about the basic rules of branding.
- Rethink smartphone storytelling & about hiring a graphics designer.
- Understanding your message and crafting what you really deliver.
- Hear us talk about the online assets you need to have when you have a podcast.
- Learn Google’s love language and how to use it more with your podcast content.
- Think differently about getting someone to review your brand.
- We talk in-depth about how to put all your words together into a package and brand yourself.
Listen to episode 291 of Should I Start A Podcast.
Conclusion
I hope this guide has given you the confidence to start applying all of these tips and tricks to your own podcast brand. I know it can feel intimidating at first, but remember that branding is simply how you present yourself and your work to the world. And if you focus more on who your audience is, and how best to communicate with them, then before long your brand will essentially develop itself! Good luck!
We specialise in getting small business owners out of the daily grind and into building a business that can scale — all from a podcast.
Our proven tactics, templates, and trainings will give you:
- More listeners
- New clients, and
- A lot of credibility.
The best part? We guarantee results.
But, we can tell you want a win right now — and we’ve got you. After working with thousands of business owners, we’ve put this document together to reveal the 10 biggest mistakes they make with their podcast. You can get that here.
