Podcasts for Content Marketing: Full Step-by-Step Guide

What is podcast content marketing?

Content marketing is about creating brand awareness and building an audience using useful, informative, and entertaining content. It’s not a short-term sales strategy; instead, you’re establishing yourself and your business as an expert.

Eventually, your audience will trust and recognize your brand. If and when they’re ready to buy a product or service you sell, they’ll be more likely to buy from you than from your competitors.

Brands and influencers use all kinds of content for content marketing. You might use social media posts, YouTube videos, blog articles, or email newsletters to connect with your audience. Podcasts are another way to create dynamic, entertaining, and informative content to establish your authority in your niche and get your name out there.

Why should you include podcasting in your content marketing strategy?

Marketers in the U.S. spent $1.73 billion on podcast ads in 2022, and it’s estimated that the podcasting industry will be worth $4 billion by 2024! Podcasts are a great way to build a loyal audience, boost brand visibility, and complement your other marketing channels.

If you’re like most businesses, your content calendar is probably already full of blog articles and social media posts. Adding podcasting as another content channel can feel overwhelming. So why get into podcast content marketing? Is it right for everyone?

In this section, we’ll cover the benefits and drawbacks of podcasting as a content marketing strategy.

Benefits of podcast content marketing

Podcasts are popular!

Podcasts have come a long way from their invention in 2004; they’re mainstream and extremely in-demand in 2024. The Podcast Index reports there are now over 4 million podcasts out there—and the number of podcast listeners globally is expected to surpass 504 million by 2025.

That’s a huge potential audience you can tap into.

Build a loyal audence

One 2022 study found that people see podcast and radio hosts as extremely trustworthy, authentic, and relatable—and 67% of listeners do so to feel “motivated and inspired.”

Compared to text-based content like blogs or newsletters, podcasts have the ability to generate dedicated fans that keep coming back week after week. Podcasting is a great way not only to build a dedicated loyal base, but develop your credibility and authority in your niche.

Diversify content types

Your brand probably has a lot of text-based content already, in the form of blog articles, social posts, and email newsletters. Creating audio content can diversify the ways you connect to your audience.

And many in your target audience might prefer listening to reading. According to an Edison Research and NPR report:

• 56% of spoken-word audio listeners would rather listen than read
• 60% say spoken-word audio lets them process information more efficiently
• 71% of respondents say they listen to spoken-word audio because it lets them multitask

And even better, if you create a video podcast, you’ll have even more flexibility and diversity in your content. Listeners can download the audio version of your episodes, while those who prefer to consume video content can watch your content on YouTube or social media.

Connect with others in your industry

Podcasts are also a great way to network and build relationships with other influencers and brands in your industry. Podcast hosts often make guest appearances on other shows or interview industry experts.

By starting a podcast, you create opportunities to not only make professional connections, but reach an even wider audience by making guest appearances on other podcasters’ shows.

Boost visibility and awareness for your brand

When done right, podcasts can also improve your website’s search engine ranking and overall traffic. They provide lots of high-quality content that Google can index, clips you can link to on social media, and backlinks from guest appearances.

Limitations of podcast content marketing

Tracking ROI can be difficult

Because podcasting is about long-term audience building, it can be hard to measure the return on investment right away. And someone might be a casual listener for months (or years) before ever deciding to buy from your brand. Others might stumble upon your show, binge several back episodes, and make a purchase desicion based on an episode you produced a year ago.

It can be expensive to get started

It’s easy to spend a lot of money on your podcast setup. To produce high-quality content, you’ll need equipment like:

• Microphone
• Headphones
• Digital audio workstation (DAW)
• Camera (for video podcasting)
• Audio interface
• Recording software
• Editing software

While many of these tools and apps can be costly, producing a high-quality podcast on a budget is possible. To learn more, check out our in-depth guide to the best podcast equipment for any budget.

How to include podcasts in your content marketing strategy: 3 Tips

1. Think of podcast episodes as content packages

Many podcasters think of each episode as one and done—but you’ll get a lot more bang for your buck if you treat episodes as packages of content that can be repurposed and redistributed across your content channels.  

For example, if your podcast production process includes the following, you’ll get a lot more bang for your buck:

Audio and video versions of your podcast

Many podcasters create audio-only podcasts published to their RSS feeds and distributed to podcast catchers like Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

But video podcasts are gaining in popularity, and for good reason. You can still upload the audio version of each episode to your RSS feed while also publishing a video version to YouTube. By simply adding a video camera to your studio setup (and doing a bit more video editing), you’ll have high-quality content for two distribution channels at once.

Full podcast transcriptions

Transcribing your podcast audio makes the episodes more accessible, since you can include episode transcripts or video captions for those who are hard of hearing. But converting your podcasts into text format also gives you more ways to use that content. For instance, you can turn it into blog posts or social media threads.

And having the transcript also makes it easier to find information. You and your team can mine past episodes for future content ideas, while a written transcript makes it easier for others to quote you on media platforms.

While it used to take hours or days to transcribe audio by hand, many free and paid tools now offer fast and accurate transcriptions. For instance, Riverside’s free transcription tool automatically transcribes video and audio with 99% accuracy in over 100 languages!

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Easily record high-quality podcasts & videos remotely

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Audio and video clips

Long-form podcast episodes are extremely popular, but they’re not the most sharable for social media. By making a habit of breaking down key moments of each episode into bite-sized video clips or audio waveforms, you’ll have ready-made, entertaining, and information-rich social media content that you can use in your social marketing strategy.

And by publishing bite-sized clips to your social media channels, you’ll draw more listeners to your full-length podcast.  

2. Pay attention to SEO (search engine optimization)

While podcasting is mostly an audio (or video) medium, you can still use search engine optimization best practices to boost your visibility.

First, most listeners find new podcasts by browsing their podcast apps and searching for topics they’re interested in. To make sure your show appears in the right search results and topic categories, you’ll need to optimize your titles and episode descriptions for specific keywords.

Second, your podcast can help you increase your website’s traffic and domain authority. You can list new episodes in individual site pages, providing links to listen or watch along with a podcast transcript (or blog version of the episode). By including keyword-optimized titles, meta descriptions, AI shownotes, and transcripts, you’ll create content that search engines can index and discover.

As your podcast grows, you’ll start receiving more backlinks from other sources, which improves your website’s domain authority and search ranking even more.

3. Distribute and promote your podcast

No successful podcast content marketing strategy is complete without a reliable promotion process. Your show could be the best, most interesting and informative podcast on the airwaves—but if no one can find it, they won’t know what they’re missing.

Publish your podcast on directories

SEO is important, but it’s not enough. You’ll also need to list your show on as many podcast directories as possible, starting with Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Be sure to publish new episodes on a regular schedule. You don’t have to publish daily or even weekly; just pick a frequency that’s sustainable for your or your team’s workload. If your audience knows when to expect a new episode from you, they’re more likely to remain loyal listeners—and you’re more likely to build a subscriber base.

Promote your show on social media

You should also take advantage of your other marketing channels and cross-promote your show on social media, your website, and even paid ads.

One easy way to promote your podcast on social media is to create bite-sized clips from your episodes. You can do this easily with an AI clip generator.

Post a few entertaining or interesting clips from your longer shows to garner interest and encourage current or potential listeners to click through and download the full episode.

As your listenership grows, nurture the community around your podcast by responding to comments, calling out listener mail during episodes, and hosting live shows. You may even want to start a Facebook group or Discord server to build a strong and engaged community around your podcast—and by extension, your brand.

For more ideas, check out our list of 20 proven strategies for podcast promotion.

Step-by-step guide on starting a podcast for your business

If you’re ready to dip your toe into podcast content marketing for your organization, here’s how to get started:

Do your research

Before launching a new podcast, understanding your audience and goals is crucial. This is true for everyone, but especially branded podcasts.

If you don’t already know your target audience (hint: it’s probably your target customer), start by doing extensive research to create an audience persona. Then, focus on the value you can bring to your listeners. What about your specialty, experience, or character can make your show stand out?

Then, keep your goals in mind. What do you want to get out of this podcasting journey? For instance, you might aim to:

• Generate more sales
• Increase brand awareness
• Gain authority in your niche
• Improve traffic to your website

Use the knowledge above to design your podcast topic, title, artwork, structure, and individual podcast scripts. Keeping your target audience and goals in mind is essential for creating an intentional, consistent podcast from day one.

Build a podcast studio

Next, invest in the right podcast equipment for creating a high-quality product. No matter how interesting your content is, you’ll struggle to build an audience if it doesn’t sound (or look) good.

We recommend starting with the following hardware and software:

• Microphone(s)
• Headphone(s)
• A camera (if you’re recording video)
• Computer
• Recording software
• Editing software

Other gear that’s not absolutely necessary but can enhance your product includes:  

• Lighting
• Pop filter
• Microphone arm
• Shock mount
• Audio mixer or interface

Read more: Best Podcast Equipment: Must-Haves for Any Budget Setup (2024)

Record, edit, and launch your first episodes

Here’s the fun part! Use your new podcast equipment and plan to start recording. No matter whether you’ve chosen a simple structure like a monologue or co-hosted style, or a more complex documentary or interview-style podcast, a powerful and user-friendly recording tool like Riverside will make the task easier.

Then, edit your podcast. This stage involves:

• Finetuning audio or video
• Trimming or removing unwanted portions
• Rearranging sections
• Inserting content like music and ads

Depending on your goals and production style, you may opt for fast and easy editing using Riverside’s AI-powered, text-based Editor. Or if you want more in-depth control and fine-tuning, you can install dedicated editing software.

Once your recording is ready, upload it to your podcast hosting platform of choice. This platform will generate a unique RSS feed for distribution to directories like Spotify and Apple Podcasts. These directories automatically distribute episodes to your subscribers as soon as you publish them. You can also post new podcast episodes directly to your brand’s website.

Market and promote your new show

Your work doesn’t end when the episode is published. For best results, you’ll need to create a marketing and promotion strategy to get your podcast in front of the right audience. This strategy might involve:

• Posting social media clips
• Optimizing your SEO for targeted keywords
• Using your transcript to repurpose the episode into blog posts
• Notifying your email list of new episodes

Your podcast content marketing strategy may also include building a social media presence that goes beyond promotion. By creating an engaging and dynamic presence online that entertains your target audience, you’ll attract even more interest and potential listeners.

Learn more: B2B Podcasting: How to Create a B2B Podcast Professionally

FAQs on Podcast Content Marketing

Are podcasts a form of content marketing?

Yes! Content marketing involves the creation of informative, entertaining content that doesn’t directly promote your brand but still boosts credibility and brand recognition. Podcasts are a great way to inform and entertain your audience while building a community around your brand.

What is a content strategy for a podcast?

A podcast content strategy is a plan for how your podcast’s creation, publication, and distribution will contribute to your overall marketing goals. Instead of creating episodes at random, having a content strategy insures each piece of content helps you work towards your goals, whether that be by building an audience or boosting brand awareness (or both).