When it comes to knowledge-sharing by professionals, we have three options at present:
1) Written form: Books, articles, etc.,
2) Video form: YouTube channels, preparing videos that give information, and
3) Audio form: Podcasting, pre-recorded messages.
While the first two forms are quite common, Audio Form Podcasting has been gaining in popularity of late. Writing articles is not easy but the more difficult part in today’s time is to find people who read! Videos have an edge over the written form but the creation of videos can be quite expensive and time-consuming. Further, in videos the focus has to be on the appearance of the person, lights, backgrounds, animation and so on. This is the reason why the third alternative, Podcasting, is gaining ground in knowledge-sharing. With ‘Smart Speakers’ like Alexa, Google Home, Apple Homepod, etc., finding their way into our day-to-day lives, Podcasts are gaining acceptance in the same way that FM radio did in the 2000s.
A human voice speaks louder and adds much more meaning through tone and inflection than the printed form. The journey from radio to Podcasts has marked a full circle. The radio was superseded by television, television by cable, cable by internet videos and, with technological advancement, internet videos are now at par with Podcasts. Podcasting, thus, represents a new platform for story-telling.
According to survey reports by Stitcher, an average Podcast listener stays connected for 22 minutes daily. This is one reason why including Podcasting in your digital branding strategy will prove to be beneficial. Podcasts give you an opportunity to build a deep, personalised and rich relationship with your target audience. With smart speakers, the music apps supporting and aiding Podcasts, people prefer to listen to Podcasts quite frequently while doing other work instead of holding a phone in their hands or sitting in front of their screens to watch a video – or holding a book and reading it. Of course, videos and books have their own advantages, but Podcasting is creating and filling a niche.
UNDERSTANDING WHAT IS PODCASTING
When you search for it on Wikipedia, this is what it says, ‘A
Podcast is an episodic series of spoken word digital audio files that a user can download to a personal device for easy listening’. Streaming applications and Podcasting services provide a convenient and integrated way to manage a personal consumption queue across many Podcast sources and playback devices.
When we talk about our profession, the most commonly accepted meaning of Podcast is a collection of audio calls or audio messages. It’s as simple as it sounds. A consultant / professional generally answers clients’ calls every now and then, explaining various concepts without clients’ queries and interruptions. To make life easier and to save on time and energy, the recorded version of such explanations / advisories can be converted to Podcasts and uploaded.
Now imagine someone calls you and asks, what is ‘Seamless ITC’ under GST? All you need to do is share the link to the Podcast uploaded by you and ask them to clarify their doubts. This also does some branding for you because the person may share it with others who may have the same query. Podcasts have an edge over videos and books because these can be heard while travelling by train or driving a car. One may not have to take out special time for the same.
HOW TO START A PODCAST
Podcasting in general terms is simple – recording an audio and uploading it on some platform which can be accessed by a subscriber of that particular service. For example, JioSaavn Music, Gaana and other music apps have started their Podcast services, too. The most commonly used hosts these days are Spotify and Anchor FM.
The following quick steps may help you to plan your Podcast:
* Come up with a concept (a topic, name, format and target length for each episode; for example, you can start with a series of topics on GST);
* Design an artwork and write a description to ‘brand’ your Podcast;
* Record and edit your audio files (such as MP3s). A microphone is recommended;
* Find a place to host them (as mentioned above, you may begin with Spotify); and
* Upload your Podcast on these platforms and the rest will be taken care of.
Now that we know what is Podcasting, let us deep-dive into some FAQs:
(1) What are the equipments / software required for a podcast?
As a beginner, you can start even with the mobile phone record option. Find a place where there is no external noise and disturbance and keep your mobile on ‘Airplane Mode’ so that your recording is not disturbed by calls / notifications.
Nevertheless, this may not suffice if you want to start recording at a professional level. For that we recommend that you use the following tools to the extent possible:
Microphone
The foremost piece of equipment you’ll require is a microphone. You may opt for a set that includes the microphone, a durable steel housing and a broadcast arm that keeps the mic off the table, etc. The good news is that apart from the normal recorder, Playstore, IOS stores and web browsers also have special recording applications / websites (Spreaker Studio, Anchor, Podbean, SoundCloud) which may assist you in having a really good Podcast recorded using a very basic mic (maybe the mic of your headphone). You may choose either of these at the beginner level. Having tried both, we can vouch that both work well provided you pick a quiet place for recording.
Headphones
A set of noise-cancelling headphones is advisable instead of normal headphones once you start recording regularly. A successful Podcast is less about pricey equipment and more about the experience you provide to your listeners. So we do not recommend higher spending on these equipments to start with, but once you are a regular, noise-cancelling headphones will help in better hearing and can help you provide better sound quality for upload.
Recording and editing software
Most of the Podcast creators use Garageband (for Mac Users) or Audacity (for Windows), which turn your laptop or tablet into a full-fledged recording studio. Both these companies offer free versions of their software which lets you record live audio, edit files, change the speed / pitch of your recordings, cut and splice, and output your Podcast to a digital sound file. You need good software as Podcasts cannot be like a normal phone call where you just start speaking on content and end after 30 to 60 minutes. When you start recording, you will realise that there will be a need for Intro Music, Background noise editing, lots of cuts and retakes. Good software ensures that all these things are mixed in a way that a Podcast sounds like an uninterrupted recording.
(2) How long should your Podcast be?
This question may arise to everyone planning to begin Podcasting. To answer this, we did reach out to people and also had surveys; and what we concluded was:
Podcasts should be as long as they need to be! But since this doesn’t answer the basic FAQ, here are a few tips that you may keep in mind while considering the length of your Podcast. The length should ideally depend on the frequency of uploading. So here is a tip that we wish to share:
(i) If you plan to Podcast once or twice a week or month, the length can be 60 minutes or more; and
(ii) If you plan to Podcast daily, the length should be between five and 15 minutes.
However, the ideal length that a normal user may want to listen to a Podcast will be 20 to 25 minutes. Remember the 30-minute daily soap operas on TV? They used to run on the same psychology and that’s why there used to be a lot of series that used to run for half an hour daily.
(3) What should be the structure of the Podcast?
All Podcasts no matter what they are about, who makes them, how they are made or their length, follow three structures:
(a) Interview or Q&A structure:
This is by far the most popular structure of Podcasts. This is as simple as it sounds and requires less time for preparation. All you need to do is start interviews on specific topics or have a candid chat with industry leaders in a Q&A format. We have seen people calling leaders on Podcasts while they ask them candid questions like – what made you think you wish to practice GST, what advice would you like to give our fellow professionals, etc. A tip to share here – you may also consider having an interview with someone who can guide fellow professionals on the importance of mental and physical health.
This structure works as a branding for both the interviewer and the interviewee.
(b) Educational structure:
This is a series of Podcasts where you cover a topic which educates the listeners. The topic could be technical or non-technical. To begin with, you may consider having a series of educational Podcasts on Ind AS covering all the Ind AS’s in different segments. For this structure, some time and efforts have to be put in for preparing the content.
(c) Entertaining structure:
Again, this is a kind of series which is slowly gaining ground. In such a series, you may just call people from the same profession and talk about something which may entertain the listeners. You may have a series where you cover ‘Financial Lessons to be learnt from Bollywood Movies!’ or something like ‘Management Lessons to be learnt from Mahabharat!’ You may also just want to call people and explore their hidden talent and reveal to the listeners how fellow professionals could also be singers or comedians.
Irrespective of the structure that you choose, there are still some basics that you should cover in every Podcast: An intro, one key takeaway from the Podcast, a call to action, a thank you or a shout-out and closing remarks.
(4) What are the basic steps in publishing a Podcast?
Have a Podcast cover art design
While this may sound bizarre, a cover art will make a difference to listeners. We have often read and been taught ‘Don’t Judge A Book By Its Cover’. But it’s crazy how we always judge a book by its cover! So think about it – there are a series of Podcasts shown when someone searches, say, Podcasts by CAs; but one factor because of which a listener may choose your Podcast is your cover art. Here are some quick tips to consider while designing the cover art for your Podcast – 1/4th text, originality, lovely colour schemes and images that speak about the topic.
How to publish your podcast on Apple, Spotify, Google, etc.
This is the most interesting part about Podcasting. Unlike YouTube or Instagram, where you can directly upload a video or go live and have your content on its channel, Podcasting works differently. Currently, Google, Apple Podcasts or even Apps like JioSaavn, etc., do have a space for Podcasts but they do not allow users to upload content directly. You need a Host for your Podcast, for example, Anchor.fm, when you upload your Podcast the same will be published on the platform and from the Host it will be distributed to all the Podcast providers and based on its AI and other aspects, they will show it on their platforms.
(5) What after the Podcast is published?
Once the Podcast is published, you may consider sending a link of the same to your newsletters list, update it on your social media accounts like Twitter / LinkedIn, send a broadcast on WhatsApp, attach the link in your email signature and, lastly, ask your colleagues to share it. You can also get regular subscribers to your post on Podcasting and you can interact with them.
So far we have seen how and why Podcasting is needed to expand your professional brand, but if you are still not convinced, the following benefits may convince you to start your series:
The benefits of Podcasting
There are a variety of reasons for firms to Podcast regularly these days. The most common motivation is generating awareness about the firm, engagement and thought leadership. There are more altruistic reasons as well, which may include sharing information / insights or creating an online community. Regardless of your motivation or objective, Podcasting can provide reliable results to expand a brand for your firm. An important point to note here is that there is no violation of the Code of Ethics since we are not in any way targeting to solicit clients. Our aim in Podcasting our series should be knowledge-sharing and expanding the brand value for the firm.
If you’re still unsure whether Podcasting is right for your firm, answer the following questions:
* Are you looking to build a relationship between your firm and your audience?
* Do you have valuable information to share?
* Are you able and willing to talk about your expertise on a regular basis?
* Do you want your firm to have recognition worldwide?
If you answered yes to one or more of the above questions, then Podcasting is something that you may just want to begin.
