How to start a podcast to promote your business

Most forms of advertising require your customer’s full attention, but a podcast can reach them on a morning run, while they cook breakfast, or as they commute to or from work. Any time your customers are seeking distraction is a chance for them to tune in to your show. 

Best of all, as a business owner, creating your own podcast is simple and affordable, with major benefits that can help strengthen your brand and expand your reach:

How to choose the right podcast subject

To start a podcast that resonates with listeners, make sure your subject is:

• Something you’re an expert in. A strong understanding will make it easy for you to present higher-level information and position your brand as an authority. It’ll also make creating your show easier and more fun.
• Something that fuels your growth strategy. Choose a subject that’ll inspire shares and boost sales.
• Something specific (but not too specific). A subject that’s too broad won’t stand out, and a subject that’s too narrow won’t find a revenue-driving audience. Look to fill untapped niches and white spaces in your industry’s podcasting world.
• Something your audience will respond to. Tailor your subject so it’s relevant to customers, industry peers, or fellow business owners. Your show may focus inward (mindset, discipline) or outward (operations, strategy, knowledge).

How to format and brand your podcast

Your show’s feel is just as important as its subject. Here’s how to choose the right format and branding.

Format: How you deliver information

Your subject may seem naturally suited to a particular format. If not, start by asking two questions:

Question 1: Why will your audience listen to your podcast?

Your answer will help you decide how long episodes are and how often you release new episodes, and demonstrate that you understand your customers. (Your show may also incorporate more than one format.)

Question 2: How does your podcast present your subject?

Choosing the right format can help transform the content of your podcast into an engaging show. If it’s not entertaining, then listeners will turn away from your brand. Choose one option from each row below, and experiment with which combination will resonate with your audience.

Branding: How you craft an emotional experience

Decide how tightly you want to tie your podcast to your brand—should your show explicitly be a company product or enjoyable on its own?

Your listener experience starts with your podcast’s title and cover art. Second, many podcast feeds feature a trailer or preview episode that introduces you and the show to new listeners in under a minute. Third, your intro and outro music will set the tone listeners expect from your brand.

Podcasting equipment for beginners

Podcasting has a low barrier to entry—you only need a microphone, headphones, and a DAW (digital audio workstation), all three of which come packaged with your smartphone. Of course, if you want a more polished sound, you’ll need to upgrade your equipment. 

When starting out, you can record a high-quality podcast with a standalone microphone, over-ear headphones, and a computer with DAW software. Use a pop filter for indoor recordings and a windscreen for outdoor ones to avoid distracting noises.

For a premium look and feel, you’ll need a producer who can manage additional equipment like cameras and DAW hardware during recording. This setup will be much more expensive, so consider the size of your audience and the potential of your podcast as a revenue stream.

Who works on a podcast?

Depending on the size of your business, you might choose to delegate each of the following jobs or do them yourself. In either case, it’ll benefit you to understand what each role does:

• A host is the voice (and possibly face) of your show and brand. Hosts work with producers to plan and prepare each episode, and are knowledgeable, engaging speakers, conversationalists, and brand ambassadors.
• A producer has a hand in all stages of production, including preparation, recording, and post-production. High-level decisions fall to the producer, who in turn assists other crew members in their duties. The producer is an unseen but important brand architect.
• An editor uses your DAW to turn raw audio into a completed show. The editor is an unseen author of each episode, responsible for seamlessly presenting your content.

How to promote a business podcast

Podcasts don’t have the built-in growth features of social media, but that doesn’t mean growing your show’s audience has to be difficult. 

Make your show widely available

Publish your show on every major podcasting platform (Spotify and Apple Podcasts were the most-used in 2023). Also post your show on YouTube—use a visualizer or image for audio-only shows, or record video alongside your episode audio. Create an RSS Feed so listeners can tune in wherever they listen to podcasts.

Promote across channels

Advertise your show with branded social posts and paid ads. Include links and blurbs for new episodes in marketing emails. Consider paying for ad space on other podcasts with audience overlap.

Share clips

Podcasts pair well with short-form social media. Sharing highlights on Facebook videos, Instagram reels, YouTube shorts, and TikTok allows you to leverage these platforms’ algorithms to reach diverse audiences and lead them to your full show. Strategically include calls-to-action at the beginning and end of episodes to retain new listeners.

Feature guests (and make guest appearances)

Invite guests relevant to your subject who have their own audiences, like authors, industry experts, or hosts of other podcasts. If your show doesn’t feature guests, you can still promote your brand by appearing on other podcasts.