How to audio brand your podcast
It’s no secret that podcasts are becoming a worthy adversary in the competition of today’s hottest marketing platforms.
Podcasts represent a modern way of advertising as they allow brands to connect with their audience through a more relatable format. In fact, the average podcast consumer is an educated individual who expects compelling stories and conversations from behind the curtain.
The challenge of podcasting, from a branding point of view, is communicating these stories through a single sensory stimulus, audio. So how can brands make the most out of it?
The timeframe for delivering a brand message in podcasts is rather broad as the optimal length for an episode these days amounts to a little over 20 minutes. Consistency and cohesion between the narrative and audio quality – be it in one episode or an entire podcast series – will be the key to hitting the bullseye.
Podcasting is becoming an artform which, from an audio branding perspective, can be mastered by tying the brand story together with the following audio elements.
Audio logo: the introduction to your brand
The simplest method to brand a podcast is to use audio logos and melodic theme songs or jingles. They can also be extremely useful in creating a backbone and script for your brand story.
Introductory tunes can provide short breaks to the main narration and keep the listener interested throughout the episodes. Playing your audio logo or jingle in the right spots throughout the story raises listeners awareness about the brand.
Background music: the quiet facilitator
When it comes to movies, the impact of sound and music is half of the experience for the audience. Story-driven podcasts are no different, especially since the listener is blindfolded from the visual and sensing everything by ear.
Picking the right tunes for your podcast will elevate your brand story. It can facilitate and support the emotions you want the listeners to feel, thus creating a more personal connection. If this is done well, the podcast could create memorable moments for its listeners and raise their brand awareness even more.
It’s not all about the music, though. Sometimes the absence of it can be a powerful effect, especially from a storytelling perspective. If you need your listeners’ full attention, fading out or dropping the music altogether suddenly might do the trick. Similarly, using sound effects relevant to the storyline can get results.
Pick your sounds and place them into the story wisely. Playing music and sound effects that don’t resonate with the narrative can water down the mood you are trying to facilitate in the first place. It’s also good to remember that background music and sounds really do belong to the back. Their volume should be high enough to further the desired atmosphere, yet low enough to avoid distracting the listener from the gospel.
Narrating: are things easier said than done?
Fine-tuning a podcasts narration can be a branding matter. Do you choose to use a male or a female host, or both in your podcast? Do your competitors’ podcasts use one of the other more frequently? If there are clear indications that other brands in your league use, let’s say, only male narrators, then going with female narrator might separate you from the others right off the bat.
Before turning on the mic and hitting the record button, make sure that the narrators are on the top of their game. A great narrator articulates well, knows when to pace the speech or when to hold a break and adjusts to the mood of the story accordingly. Quality narration will boost your brand story’s impact and give your podcast credibility.
Another important factor endorsing credibility is the tone of voice. To make the brand attributes audible to the listeners is to maintain a coherent tone between audio and visual communication. Choice of language for your narration might also help in reaching a more specific demographic. Let the podcast speak your brand’s words of wisdom.
When exciting stories meet exciting audio
Branding a podcast essentially means you have to tickle your listeners’ fancy with audio as your only feather. If done right, your brand could be heard in one of the most effective mediums right now. In fact, a recent study shows that podcasts are excellent tools in raising brand awareness and even purchase intent within listeners.
It’s time to make sure you have the audio that suits you best.
Thinking about starting a podcast? Or are you already on the air? Our Podcast Production Pack offers help for both beginner and advanced podcasters. We’ll give you direction on format, content, setup and sound quality to guide you through your podcasting adventures from start to finish.
