How not to podcast: A lesson from Meghan & Harry

Podcasting is a great way to build your brand and serve and audience but like anything of value, it takes work.

The?cancellation of a $20 million deal between Spotify and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Archewell Productions is a clear example of this.?

When the deal was announced, the expectation was that Meghan and Harry would deliver several podcast projects.?

Given their previous discussions and advocacy of mental health among other issue talk issues and an enviable global profile, this should have been exciting.?

Plus of course the kind of revelations shared by the royal couple in documentaries for Netflix, the Oprah interview, and Harry’s book should have got ears twitching.?

But they failed.?

Meghan’s series had some merit including a good topic (the history of stereotypes that get levelled against women) and a guest list only someone that well connected can achieve (Serena Williams, Paris Hilton, Mariah Carey) – but critics said it failed to dig into the topics raised well enough.?

As for Harry’s contribution… we’ll, maybe he did the editing? (Yeah, right!)?

The key point we can take from this costly and embarrassing exercise is that if you are going to do a podcast you have to do a podcast!

You have to have a good idea, well thought through, and a commitment to deliver.?

The podcast shouldn’t be a way to massage your own ego, it must serve an audience especially given the vast choice they have.?

As podcast listeners we want new perspectives, valuable information, things to improve our lives or businesses, entertainment, thought-provocation, and much much!?

Having a podcast can be like having a book in some ways – the perception is that you have something to share that is worth listening to.

But what about when someone actually listens to it!? Does is meet the perception that it suggests??

You and I are not royals. If we choose to publish a podcast infrequently we can’t expect people to listen even if they have done before.?

We also can’t rely on the media to help us tell the world that our master podcast episode is out.?

Your podcast must be published to a set schedule and you need to tell people about your latest episode and keep telling them.

And don’t forget your back catalogue… if content is still relevant then promote it, relate it to news events, get the best return on your investment.?

If you need some help with a podcast project – and I’ll extend this invitation to Harry and Meghan – then?let’s talk?about how I can help you #getyourideasintoears.?

Originally published at: https://communicationgeneration.co.uk/how-not-to-podcast-a-lesson-from-meghan-harry