Contemplating the best way to launch a private podcast can be challenging. You know why your business needs one but don’t know how to make private podcasts that would yield success.
If that’s you, this guide is all you need. We provide a detailed explanation of starting a corporate podcast and the important considerations. Visit https://www.podbean.com/enterprise/solutions/private-podcast for an excellent hosting platform to consider as you get started.
Are you ready to understand private podcasts, the process of starting, and the potential benefits? Keep reading!
Table of Contents
What is a private podcast?
A private podcast is an internal podcast that is only accessible to a restricted audience or listener group and made available via private RSS feeds.
The main difference between private podcasts and general podcasts is their access level. Since they are termed “private,” only a selected group can listen. Examples of use are for internal communications podcast ideas with employees, remote networking, and exclusively paid membership tier groups.
Promotion of these internal podcasts is normally done using password-protected sites or emailing lists to only subscribed listeners or paid membership access.
Important considerations when starting a corporate podcast
Consider the different factors and key talking points when creating internal company podcasts or shows for employees.
1. Knowing your target audience
Understanding and identifying your target audience is essential when creating private podcasts. You need to know who the listeners are. What are their likes? What interests them? What value would they be looking to get from your internal communications podcast ideas? How will your podcast appeal to them?
The lists are endless, and the questions are just a perfect way to study your listeners. Answer these questions, and you can produce engaging private podcasts. By the way, the best podcast ideas are those that solves the listeners challenges or educates them about their common interests.
2. Deliberating the podcast topics and name
When you identify your target audience, drafting each episode’s content and choosing a private podcast name becomes easier. Write out topics you will comfortably generate topics for. A common podcast rule is drafting about a hundred topic ideas. Why? It’s about being certain that you won’t get stuck later on.
Now that you have the corporate podcast ideas combine to pick a name. Do you have an already established brand? You could use the “name” + podcast. For instance, “Amazon podcast.”
3. Deciding on podcast style or format
You’ve probably listened to a popular Q&A podcast and loved how the show was organized. Now imagine it wasn’t a Q&A session. Would it still have gotten the same engagement from you?
That’s where podcasting styles and formats become necessary. Whether it is an internal company podcast, a private show, or one for sponsored content, it is important to pick a format that resonates with the topic.
Internal communications podcast ideas on a topic like politics work better than a monologue podcast. An interview or conversational style should give the desired varied opinions and engage listeners.
4. Purchasing the right equipment
Proper planning before recording a podcast is great, but getting the right equipment is also applaudable. The right podcasting equipment entails having a good computer, a high-quality microphone, a microphone stand, recording software, and properly setting up the recording room.
Poor sound quality often distracts the audience, which is bad for your private podcast branding. Rather than focus on the main message, listeners are left wondering what is causing the weird sounds they hear. Some might even think their device is malfunctioning – A real shit show that discourages your audience!
5. How to record and edit the podcasts
It’s perfectly understandable if you are nervous about recording a podcast for the first time. It’s normal, but writing out the internal communications podcast ideas on paper can help build confidence and focus on the main talking points.
However, you need a simple and brief outline, preferably as bulleted points. You don’t want to start reading word-for-word like a script. That will cause distraction and distort the expected conversational tone.
You must also learn how to edit a podcast. Editing is more than removing unwanted parts of the recording. It also includes adding background music, intros, and outros, but you must ensure you use only non-copyrighted sounds, except if you have permission.
7. Choice of podcast-hosting application
You will require a podcast hosting site to convert your audio recordings to private or internal company podcasts. While there are hundreds of these hosting platforms, picking the best one depends on some factors.
Firstly, confirm the user interface is friendly and easy to navigate. That’s the advantage of platforms that offer free trials, like Podbean. An excellent hosting website should also have sufficient storage space, offer important listener analytics and good support options, and allow website integrations and full permissions for content repurposing.
8. How to securely upload and promote private podcast content
The thrill about private podcasts is how you limit access to the uploaded content. You could hide the episodes from the general public or list them on the company’s website but with restricted access, such as password encryption.
To do that, go to “Settings” under your hosting platform and check for the option to make the RSS feed private. That means it is unavailable on public media directories, and listeners are invited using an email or subscriber list.
The preferred listeners would receive an email with a secured RSS feed linking them to the private podcast. There will also be a button to subscribe. Understand that you could set different listeners for different podcast episodes.
Conclusion
Starting a private podcast is good and beneficial for internal communications with members of your company or selected target listeners. It is a convenient and engaging approach to sharing information via a secured hosting platform while it remains only accessible to desired audiences.
However, understand that some employees or listeners would prefer downloading the episodes to their device, which offers an exception. Downloaded content is no longer under the control of the podcasting host, and you should properly sensitize your audience if you think the shared internal communications podcast ideas are to remain confidential.
