Does podcasting amplify your brand?

I hosted my first podcast in September 2021, just after selling off my B2C startup, GadgetsKare, in Delhi-NCR. So why did I start my own “Brain Box” podcast?

I had nothing to do. Honestly.

I went from overseeing 15 franchises, 50-odd people & about 2500 devices per month.. to doing absolutely nothing! I used to consume a lot of podcasts (still do) & when I heard Gary V. propose people should start their own podcast, I said Why Not? It helped that my wifey, who’s quite the businesswoman herself, saw me going bonkers.. and gifted me the mic on our anniversary, to give me the required shove :P

I started with no expectations, but once I started interviewing leaders, the experience was life-changing for me. And then the unthinkable happened.. I suddenly got a mail on my birthday (Last week of Dec ‘22) from Spotify, where they confirmed that Brain Box podcast has been voted 9th pan-India in 2022!

But even if you remove this “Bonus”, I’ve seen so many people starting their own podcasts in 2023. So, do podcasts really help in building your brand? If you read my newsletter last month, it was on AI.. so here’s the Chat GPT answer to the question:

Yes, podcasts can be an effective tool for building your brand. Podcasts provide a platform for you to share your expertise, connect with your target audience, and establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry. By consistently delivering valuable and engaging content through podcast episodes, you can build a loyal following and expand your reach. Additionally, podcasts allow you to showcase your personality and connect with listeners on a more personal level, which can foster trust and authenticity, ultimately enhancing your brand's reputation.

Are you ready for the human answer now?

Still a yes. I’ve reached out to about 50-odd people through LinkedIn to be a host.. and I would say about 70% would have said yes. In fact, I’m guilty of having reached out to a few & not following up after that!

So what are the caveats, or points you should be careful about while going about your own podcast?

1. Be regular:?People who know me, know that I dislike starting something & not following through to the end. As a rule, I do my research BEFORE doing something to decide if it should be done. But once, I go for it.. there’s got to be enough reasons for me to actually stop.. and laziness or lack of time cannot figure in there. These 2 factors should have been factored in the “Before” stage.
2. Don’t give a crap about what people say: I knew that my voice wasn’t the best voice someone wanted to hear, I had no intentions of monetising the podcast … in fact, just a couple of days before I won the award, my MDI batchmate told me “Kaushik, even our MDI batchmates don’t know what the hell you are doing with the podcast!” My response: “Good. I know what I’m doing.”
3. Be yourself:?Don't try to be someone you're not on your podcast. If you feel that you can’t listen & don’t have the growth-mindset, don’t interview guests. You’re better off talking on your own. If you think that you can change.. read the title of this newsletter again.. your podcast will AMPLIFY your brand. So it’ll now become public knowledge that you don’t listen! So choose the format of the podcast based on your strengths & weaknesses.
4. You’ve got to be passionate about it:?It’s virtually impossible to monetise your podcast successfully for the first 3-5 years! Yes, if you have another business, it can feed leads into that.. but if you’re starting off on a personal branding strategy, you can forget about any making direct money out of it - at least initially. And (refer to point #1 above) if you’ve got to keep churning out content, without any immediate gratification.. you’ve got to be passionate. You’ll need to use Canva (or something similar) to create posts, use complicated software like Descript, if you want to can promote your podcast through social media, email marketing, and other channels.
5. Do proper research on your guest: If there’s one comment I’ve received fairly frequently from my guests .. “Wow Kaushik, you’ve done your research!” Let’s understand why you should be doing it.

One, your guest deserves it. He’s taken the time out.. so you bloody well do it!

Two, to your audience, the episode would only be as interesting as you asking pertinent questions. So, you also need to build credibility in the mind of the audience.

For example, in Episode 59, I researched that Ravi Nair had run an ultra-marathon.. so I framed the question in a way that when he answered it, saying he was building mental prowess, it struck a chord with people trying to break out of their comfort zone.

6. Earmark the time: I take approximately 8-10 hours for a single episode. I have automated the process where the guest books his preferred time through Calendly & that automatically sends him the Zoom link & Google calendar appointment. But the research, framing the questions itself takes me about 2 hours. The actual shooting is another 1 hour & then post-production is what takes the most of the time. I use Descript extensively to build quality podcasts.

Is all this effort worth it? Hell yeah! It’s the easiest way to differentiate yourself in a crowded market (read sales folks, startup consultants whatever). It shows that you have the confidence to hold your own! In fact, one of the earliest consulting assignments I received was just because I hosted the podcast. I recently mentored one of the startups who were beginning their podcast series. Quite a few people still address me as “Brain Box” when they ping me on WhatsApp. I receive about 5-7 connection requests daily (albeit, a very small number) and I get to build a very meaningful network!

So, if you’re still interested.. Go For It! And feel free to reach out to me for any assistance :)

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