We’ve talked about this time and time again - audio is on the rise. In fact in the US alone, monthly podcast consumption is growing 16% year-over-year and over half of the population is now a podcast listener.
Our focus is on branded podcasts. When most people think of branded podcasts they think of a series where the brand is sharing content that’s in some way related to their industry and offerings. Podcasts like Hackable?, Boost My Business, or if/else may come to mind. But what about those that maybe aren’t available to the public?
This is where internal comms podcasts come in. Recently, the notion of creating a podcast series that is solely made for the employees within a company has been brought forward. Many brands including PwC, Shopify, and American Airlines have recognized the value and launched their own internal shows. And for good reason. In a report done by Poppulo, it was found that 30% of internal communications professionals still struggle with what channel to use to reach specific audiences within the company.
So here is our case for why your brand should consider using podcasts as an internal comms channel.
Benefits
In addition to audio’s natural ability to hold a listener's attention for longer than other mediums, podcasts are also:
Convenient
Podcasts are convenient. Listeners can download a podcast anywhere and at any time. Plus they are a screenless medium, so your employees don’t need to be watching their phones or computers while consuming your content (like they would with videos).
Easy to Access
Anyone with a computer or smartphone has the ability to access podcasts. This ensures that everyone within your company will be able to consume the podcast content that you put out.
Create Connections
Podcasts help form authentic connections. These can be with the host, guests, or even other employees within the organization. Either way, podcasting is an intimate medium and it gives your employees the opportunity to connect with one another in a scalable manner.
Ways to Use Internal Comms Podcasts
Let’s look at the ways you can use podcasts for internal comms:
Communication
This one is probably the most obvious: internal comms podcasts are a channel for communicating with your employees. With 69% of managers stating that they are not comfortable communicating with their employees, podcasts offer a unique solution and platform, giving employees of all levels within the organization an opportunity to communicate with one another. Think about sharing updates to all members of your organization, details on departments, learnings from projects, and more. You can also use it as an avenue to discuss company news. In fact, 74% of employees feel as if they’re missing out on company news. Podcasts provide an easy outlet for this information.
Culture
Podcasts give brands the opportunity to build and foster a stronger culture. One way to do this is by featuring employees from various roles and departments in the organization, allowing everyone the ability to get to know one another and learn more about different parts of the company.
Onboarding
Have new employees starting at the organization? No problem. Create a podcast series that every new employee can listen to during their onboarding. Some examples of topics to cover are:
- Company and industry background
- Some fun facts about the brand
- Key things employees should know about
Tools & Resources
You likely won’t want your internal podcast to be open to the public, so here are some tools you can use to make your series private:
Have We Convinced You?
Admittedly, internal comms podcasts aren’t for EVERY brand out there, but for any organization that has a medium or large volume of employees, they can serve as an incredibly valuable tool.
If you’re interested in chatting with us about bringing your internal comms podcast to life, connect with our team here!
