Podcasting

Having A Brand For Your Podcast

Back in February Ben Dodd over at the Captivate.fm blog wrote up a comprehensive guide to building a brand for your podcast and explained why having a brand around your podcast is so critical.

Seth Goldstein

21 Aug 2024 — 13 min read

Google's New Imagen 3 AI -- Not too shabby!

Brought to you by our sponsor mTap.io --> Revolutionize How You Run Events And Network.

Back in February Ben Dodd over at the Captivate.fm blog wrote up a comprehensive guide to building a brand for your podcast and explained why having a brand around your podcast is so critical.

With the launch of my new podcast coaching offering and my more than 15 years of podcast experience, I know how important it is to have a solid brand for your podcast.

Entrepreneur's Enigma and its predecessors all had their own outposts online and over the years I've built up my own personal brand to help supplement their individual brands.

Ben writes:

Podcast branding refers to the imagery and vibe you build up around your podcast in order to give it a clear and distinct voice. Your visual design – in the form of your logo, artwork and social media posts – and your tone and subject are the main factors which build up your brand.

I agree with him wholeheartedly. Having a tone for your podcast posts and a look and feel in your artwork that is consistent is key.

I often tell my coaching clients that the brand surrounding your podcast is almost as important as the content of your podcast. Afterall if the brand and visuals aren't good, people will probably not click through to hear the show.

Another good thing to point out is the difference between podcast branding and branded podcasts.

A branding your podcast with visuals and a sense of tone and personality is what's needed for a podcast to have a chance to get found and gain listeners.

A branded podcast is a podcast associated with a business and serves as a publicity mechanism for that brand.

The latter still needs the former. 😎 But the former is necessary across the board. 🤯

Ben goes into such detail in his piece you should definitely go have a read over at the Captivate blog!

But here are some high level elements to get ready when developing your podcast and its brand:

1. Define Your Podcast Concept

Niche/Topic: Identify a specific niche or topic that your podcast will cover. This helps you target a particular audience and keep them hooked.
Target Audience: Clearly define who your ideal listeners are. Understand their interests, pain points, and what they are seeking from a podcast. Missing this at the start can send you down a windy road of randomness.
Unique Value Proposition: Determine what makes your podcast different from others in the same space. What unique perspectives, experiences, or expertise do you bring? Make sure you highlight in the episode intro why people should care what you have to say.

2. Brand Identity

Podcast Name: Choose a name that is memorable, relevant to your content, and reflects the tone of your podcast. Do your best to avoid trademarks of other bigger brands. And if your podcast gets big enough, consider getting a trademark. Can't hurt right?
Logo and Visuals: Develop a logo and consistent visual elements (colors, fonts) that align with your podcast’s theme and resonate with your audience. The logo, especially, shouldn't be too complex, it needs to be eye-catching but also readable and recognizable.
Tone and Voice: Establish the tone of your podcast—whether it's casual, professional, humorous, or serious. This will help guide the style of your content and communication. Don't worry about the first few shows where you're getting your feet wet. They're going to SUCK! But don't get discouraged you'll get your footing and get better the more you do make content. It's like a muscle, the more you work it the stronger you get.

3. Content Strategy

Episode Structure: Decide on the format and length of your episodes (e.g., interviews, solo shows, panel discussions). Consistency is key, so establish a routine your audience can rely on. If you miss a show (it happens, just pickup back up and keep going. I suggest that if you know you're missing a show to warn your audience.)
Content Calendar: Plan out your episodes in advance, if possible. Aligning with relevant topics, seasons, or events is key. This helps in maintaining a steady flow of content. Also consider whether or not you want to live stream your shows or recorded then release them. The latter gives you flexibility to bank some shows so that you're never scrambling.
Guest Strategy: If your podcast includes guest interviews, develop a strategy for selecting and reaching out to potential guests who align with your brand and will add value to your listeners.

4. Technical Setup

Equipment: Invest in good-quality recording equipment, including microphones, headphones, and recording software, to ensure your podcast sounds professional.
Hosting and Distribution: Choose a podcast hosting platform that suits your needs and ensure it distributes your podcast to major directories (e.g., Apple Podcasts, Spotify).
- I suggest Transistor.fm or Captivate.fm, but there are plenty out there. Do your research.

5. Marketing and Promotion

Launch Plan: Create a strategy for your podcast launch, including teaser content, a trailer episode, and a marketing plan to generate buzz before the first episode drops.
Social Media Presence: Establish a presence on social media platforms where your target audience is active. Use these channels to promote episodes, engage with listeners, and build a community.
Email Marketing: Build an email list to keep your audience informed about new episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and special announcements.

6. Monetization Strategy (Optional)

Sponsorships and Ads: Consider if and how you want to monetize your podcast, whether through sponsorships, ads, or affiliate marketing. Sponsors can be tough to nail down at the start. Affiliate marketing, if done right and legally, can bring in some extra cash while you grow.
Merchandise and Services: Think about additional revenue streams like selling merchandise or offering premium content or consulting services related to your podcast’s theme. This probably shouldn't be the first thing you do. Get the podcast rolling, get people listening. Then consider the ancillary stuff.

7. Analytics and Feedback

Track Performance: Use analytics tools to track your podcast’s performance, including downloads, listener demographics, and episode popularity.
Listener Feedback: Encourage listener feedback through reviews, social media, and direct communication. Use this feedback to improve your content and approach.

If this seems like too much to handle on your own. Reach out. Like I said at the top, I've been podcasting for 15+ years. I can help

The Latest From The Entrepreneur's Enigma Podcast

Michael Bertoni smiling on Entrepreneur's Enigma album art. Reads: Michael Bertoni on SaaS Recruiting and the Entrepreneurial Experience — Listen To The Episode

Web Jawn

This is a very interesting breakdown of LinkedIn's insights on B2B ad performance. Worth a read. Lots of visuals too!

This is a good feature since the social network is so powerful. But will this put it in the good graces of the US government? Probably not.

I love these articles at SEL where they actually help you!

It's shocking that people will actually wait 10 seconds for a page to load? 10 seconds is a lot online. This doesn't mean you shouldn't aim for 3 or less, but wow! 10 seconds?!?

This is a good thing. Glad to see the FTC taking a stand! Just don't do this stuff, people!

Clicks are dying. Mentions of your brand matter almost as much. This is a great article that highlights Rand Fishkin's take on attribution and what's next.

File this in the realm of "weird shit you find online." WTAF?

Chrome will block one of its biggest ad blockers

uBlock Origin will soon stop functioning in Chrome as Google transitions to new browser extension rules.

PCWorldMichael Crider

Honestly, Google makes its money from Ads. Why would they allow an ad blocker in THEIR browser?!

This is telling. This just proves the enshitification of Google due to the ad business.

So very true! Loving this!

Google Search Ranking Volatility Melting

Google is still at it, maybe it is angry again about the possibility of it being broken up by the DOJ after being ruled a monopoly. But in all seriousness, the search ranking volatility is super heating, almost combusting. The chatter is still super heated and many of the tools are showing extreme volatility.

Search Engine RoundtableBarry Schwartz

FYI, if you're seeing fluctuations in your rankings.

What possibly could go wrong!

Unhinged is a good way to describe Grok. Just like it's owner, Elon!

This is good. Apple is allow 3rd party apps to use the NFC chip in the iPhone. I will still be using Apple Wallet for most things, but openness is good.

Definitely a good use for Artificial Intelligence. Now maybe we can also use it to cure this horrible disease.

If China isn't getting any data or something out of ByteDance owning TikTok, then why are they fighting so hard to hold on to it? It can't be cheap to fight this battle. Thoughts?

The Twenty Twenty-Five theme looks neat!

Actually advertise WordCamps? This could be interesting!

Wordfence Launches WordPress Superhero Challenge with Big Rewards

Wordfence has introduced an exciting new initiative, the WordPress Superhero Challenge, as part of its ongoing Bug Bounty Program. Running until October 14th, this challenge exclusively targets plu…

WP TavernMartinos Kuracios

This is a smart move on Wordfence's part. Let's quash these WordPress exploits.

I totally forgot about Kim Dotcom until recently when I remembered the file storage service MEGA. But then promptly forgot about it again. Now I see he's being extradited to the US from New Zealand. 12 years of legal battles. MegaUpload was pretty sweet, I have to say. *I claim nothing 😉

This is terrifyingly easy to do. Beware and vigilant!

Seriously!!!! Don't buy fake followers or reviews. It will only hurt you.

mTap.io** is an all in one platform for business networking. From digital business cards to event organizing & registration, mTap has it all.

Marketing Junto is proud to have mTap as a sponsor for the newsletter. Try them out for free and reach out to me if you have questions about how you can use it for your next event and business networking. I'm not just a hype man, I'm a user! Channeling my Hair Club For Men voice! 🤣

** Full disclosure we get compensated by mTap for this sponsorship, but we're longtime users and love the platform.