How Many Podcasts Do You Need?

While some companies are still deciding “if” they need a podcast, others are asking this question:

“How many podcasts do we need?

That might sound odd to smaller organizations or those just pondering podcast content, however, for others, it is a real juncture that they reach.

If you are at the point where you know you need more than one podcast, here are a few of the types of podcasts that you should consider.

And in my opinion, this is the order in which you should consider them:

1. Your first public podcast - Generally about and for your industry. Be the source of information for people interested in your business space.
2. Your first PRIVATE podcast - This is for internal communication. It can be from HR, the CEO, or employee stories to keep your organization engaged and connected.
3. Industry Oriented podcasts - If your organization serves multiple industries, a podcast focused on a single industry with insights and experts from that industry can place your voice as a leader for information in that space.

Still can’t imagine a company having so many podcasts?

Here's an example from Siemens. They have an entire network of podcasts, ranging from ongoing and broad thought leadership shows to industry or technology-specific series.

I would give you a number on how many podcasts are on the Siemens Podcast Network, but I couldn't count them all. And no, this isn't to say they have too many. In fact, many of them are short and specific series with only 5-10 episodes. This is an interesting podcast content strategy that I'm sure I'll dig into in future articles.

These are the kinds of networks that Content Monsta is already building out for organizations in 2022 so I can assure you that this is where companies are going.

This is a serious add-on component of a Content Hub.

How do podcasts drive business?

This is the question that should really matter to you. Businesses don't create content for fun. The purpose is to impact our business. We want to move potential prospects closer to crossing the finish line of doing business with us.

I go into greater detail about podcast metrics in this article, but at a top-of-the-funnel level, we want to be the businesses that answer the questions that our prospects ask.

Did you know that when a Google searcher uses the word "podcast" along with the keywords that you are targeting, only those companies with podcasts will show in the top results?

People who want to listen to podcasts search for podcasts on the topics that they are interested in. Does your podcast show up in the results?

You might be wondering if your audience is listening to podcasts. Insider Intelligence research predicted that by 2022 (now) 20.3% of internet users around the world are podcast listeners. And with Google search surfacing more and more podcast content, this reveals an opportunity for you to show up when your prospects are searching - if you have the format of content that they are looking for.

As with any type of marketing content, consumers will have their favorite formats. Some will prefer to listen, others will prefer to read. And even those preferences can change depending on their daily habits and lifestyle (hint: pandemics can change both of those).

The questions are: Will you have the type of content to fulfill their needs? Will you show up when they seek an answer in the format that they want to consume the answer?

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A. Lee Judge is the Co-Founder and CMO of Content Monsta, a digital content agency. He also serves as Global Digital Marketing Manager, at Hexagon Geosystems. Focused on B2B marketing for over 20 years, Lee is both a digital marketing practitioner and creative content entrepreneur. Lee is the creator and co-host of The Business of Marketing podcast that focuses on content development strategies for businesses. He is a leading LinkedIn video creator, Forbes Agency Council member, and engaging event speaker providing training on digital marketing, content creation, social selling, and sales enablement from the Marketing point of view.