In this blog post, we'll delve into the steps and strategies you need to kickstart your own internal podcast within your organization. Whether you're a seasoned podcast pro or just starting out, we'll provide valuable insights on creating, managing, and making the most of this powerful communication tool to engage and effectively inform your internal audience.
Step 1: Define your goal
Before starting an internal podcast, it is important to be clear about the goals you want to achieve with it. Goals can vary depending on the company, industry, or department.
Here are a few examples:
Reach employees with new company information
Improve communication about company strategy and goals
Increase participation in training
Training employees on new products more quickly
Improve the onboarding experience for new employees
Increase a sense of belonging to the organization
Increase employee motivation
Increase employee productivity
Step 2: Content Planning
Once the goals are clear, it's time to plan the content. Topics for podcast episodes should be planned for at least the next 3 months. Ideally you already have a content plan at hand for the next 12 months, to streamline the process and be most efficient.
One of the most important things is to keep consistency in the frequency of sharing episodes, so that your listeners will make it a habit. You can share new episodes weekly, bi-weekly or monthly.
Depending on the topic and your audience you should also consider the content format for each episode: Will it be a solo podcast, a co-hosted podcast, or an interview podcast?
There is no need to record each episode from scratch. With the right tool, existing text and video content can easily be converted into podcasts to streamline content creation or reach a wider audience.
Turn your employee handbook, policies, guides, training videos or webinar recordings into internal podcasts to reach employees better and give them more time to engage.
For standard topics or trainings you can also buy content off the shelf to provide your employees with self-development content ranging from compliance to cyber security or leadership.
Step 3: Execution
Do I need a podcast studio or professional equipment to get started?
The answer is: No. A smartphone is enough. Today’s smartphones provide an audio quality that is completely sufficient to record a great podcast. As long as the recording takes place in a quiet room with no echo, no further equipment is necessary. Simply try it out beforehand. Press play, record for a while, and listen to it with headphones afterwards. However, those who still have higher audio quality standards and value perfect sound can simply get a microphone that can be plugged into any smartphone or laptop.
When starting an internal podcast, keep one thing in mind: Your employees value authenticity.
Internal podcasts are no rocket science, so don't overthink it or invest too much time in scripting everything perfectly.
What tool should I use?
Various tools can be used for recording, editing, and hosting an internal podcast. A suitable tool that ensures high satisfaction for a long time should be able to execute all three steps. This saves costs, works efficiently, and allows one to focus on the content and continuity of the internal podcast rather than the technical aspects.
When choosing the right tool, there are some important aspects to consider:
Usability
Data privacy & governance
Easy content creation
3 Tips for Creating Compelling Internal Podcast Content
Embrace Authenticity
Humans have been drawn to storytelling since the dawn of time. Instead of scripting every word, consider working with bullet points or outlines to maintain authenticity in your podcast episodes. Embrace spontaneity and genuine emotions as you share anecdotes, success stories, and experiences that resonate with employees, making your content relatable and engaging.
Offer a Variety of Topics
Keep your podcast content fresh and diverse by exploring a wide range of topics. Offer a mix of industry insights, leadership advice, employee spotlights, and company updates. This variety will appeal to different interests within your organization, catering to the preferences of diverse employee groups.
Feature Guest Speakers on your Internal Podcast
Inviting guest speakers, such as executives, industry experts, or thought leaders, can inject new perspectives and enrich your podcast content. Encourage open conversations rather than rigid scripts, allowing for genuine discussions. Their insights and expertise can provide unique value to your audience, elevating the quality and relevance of your episodes.
Hands-on tips & tricks in our latest Webinar
Adam Lacey from Assemble You and Sophie Bolzer from Audvice sat down to discuss how you can start an internal podcast. The webinar provides answers to the most frequent questions:
What are the benefits of starting an internal podcast?
What do other companies use internal podcasts for?
What are important things to consider when starting an internal podcast?
What's the best format for an internal podcast?
How do I create, host and distribute an internal podcast?
How do I choose the right tool for my internal podcast?
How do I successfully launch my internal podcast?
Watch this webinar to get real-life examples that help you through the process of starting an internal podcast: