Get the Most from Business Podcasts

• September 17, 2020

The nature of communication changed profoundly in 2020. Employees work from home, communicating with co-workers and bosses virtually. Many businesses, to survive, have migrated online or broadened and strengthened their online presence. Podcasts, blogs, newsletters, and other forms of written communication became increasingly important.

As part of your year-end evaluation, give particular attention to the quality of your company’s—and your personal—written communication. This month, my C Suite blogs will focus on key aspects of that communication.

Podcasts Are More Important Than Ever

With libraries and bookstores often closed, during the pandemic, people increasingly relied on getting their information and entertainment through listening. The growing receptivity to the spoken word provides an ever-growing popularity of podcasts.

A Podcast Checklist

Did your company produce podcasts this year? If not, I recommend that you add them to your to-do list for the coming year. If you did produce them, you may evaluate their quality against the items in this checklist.

1. Have you produced podcasts that are short and to the point? Thirty minutes or less in length is often considered ideal.
2. Did you present timely and informative information about your industry? If so, you have taken steps to position yourself as a leader.
3. Did you invite other leaders to speak and/or be interviewed on your podcast? This helps to build vital relationships. It can also open the door for you to be invited to speak on someone else’s podcast.
4. Have you screened interviewees to determine how articulate they are?
5. Have you done your research on your interviewees and put together a series of evocative and provocative questions?
6. If they’ve written books, have you read them?
7. Have you also produced podcasts geared to customers and consumers? If you have, you’ve firmed up your relationship with the people who make your business thrive and give it meaning.

Always Have Transcripts for Your Podcasts

As much as people are drawn to the spoken word, we must always recognize those who respond most strongly to material they can read. I know people who won’t take a course that’s primarily video- and audio-oriented unless they can also read transcripts of the lesson modules.

Don’t leave such people out of your calculations. A 30-minute podcast usually becomes 4,000-5,000 words. People only retain about 5% of what they hear. They may remember something they wanted to review, but they don’t want to take the time to re-listen to the entire podcast. A transcript allows them to go over the material that most interesting to them and to underline key phrases.

Podcast transcripts should be readable. “Readable” also means well edited and proofread. Yes, you can use artificial intelligence to get a transcript in minutes, but in my experience, it is not as accurate as a person. And it takes even longer to proofread and edit it.

A skilled editor/proofreader will not change the meaning of the conversational entries in a podcast. He or she will instead edit what’s said so that it’s very clear to the reader. At the same time, he or she will correct grammatical and spelling errors (and any transcription errors).

Your reading public will appreciate a transcript.

That’s not the only reason to have one. These transcripts can form the foundation for a longer piece. As a ghostwriter and editor, I often hear people who want to write books say that they don’t have time. So often, they don’t realize that blogs, position papers, and podcast transcripts are just waiting to be assembled into book form. They provide a solid foundation for that work. I’ve turned podcasts into seven books.

Still don’t have time? Hire a professional. Many authors repurposed material to create books or hired a person to do that for them.

In addition to its immediate value, a podcast may open the door to a rewarding publishing career.

Pat Iyer is a C Suite Network Contributor, one of the original 100. Executives hired Pat to help them share their expertise in non-fiction books. Pat’s site describes her editing and ghostwriting services. Connect with Pat through her website at patiyer.com.