How to Run Podcasts in B2B Life Sciences
Podcasts have become a regular go-to for people to relax and listen to content that is new and engaging.
Podcasts allow people to find content linked to their passions, learnings, career and interests. I have over 15 podcasts that I listen to on rotation across varying subject matters such as travel, mum life and celebrity interviews.
Over the past decade, podcasts have become one of the world’s most popular forms of audio entertainment in the UK. As of 2020, there were over 15 million podcast listeners in the UK, and this is predicted to rise to over 20 million by 2024.
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In the US, podcasts are engrained in the culture with over 55% of the population having listened to a podcast. To date, there are over 2,000,000 podcasts on the Apple platform and over 48,000,000 episodes to choose from. To give a scale of growth in June 2018 there were 565,000 podcasts.
Podcasts have been traditionally listened to on a commute or a journey and even with the reduction of commutes across the globe, podcasts have grown over the last 2 years and they are another means to reach engaged customers.
So, how can the B2B life sciences industry take advantage of this innovative and growing content platform? This blog will give you some key hints and tips for running a successful podcast in the life sciences space.
1. Be specific
The first rule of podcasts in any space is that the podcast needs to have a particular focus or theme so create a podcast that plays on your strengths and expertise. This is much more effective and powerful than trying to be more generic and general. In the pharmaceutical space, there are lots of avenues that could form a podcast series. Content such as pharmaceutical or biotech news, product or area-specific, new trends, technological advances to aid manufacturing or drug discovery, for example, COVID-19 impact, the list is endless in this space!
Once you have chosen your topic, come up with a clever or memorable name for your podcast. Having a memorable and engaging name will help listeners find your podcast encouraging take-up and making it easier to recommend to friends or colleagues.
2. Interesting content
Content is key as we all know so make your podcast content interesting and relevant to your audience. Interviews are the most popular style of podcasts as it allows the opportunity to tell your story, share your knowledge and expertise, encourage interaction and they allow the ability to hear different points of view and opinions. Interviews are great for the pharmaceutical industry and allow experts to deep dive into scientific areas and topics in a dynamic and interactive way.
Remember that podcasts don’t have to be an hour in length. Keeping them bitesize and short is a great way to keep listeners engaged and active. Bitesize is generally 10-30 minutes long. And remember RRR- reduce, reuse and recycle existing content to create a coherent marketing message.
3. Not a sales pitch
Podcasts should not be used as a sales pitch for a new product or service. Use podcasts as a discussion tool as opposed to a direct call to action. Consumers tune into podcasts because they have a passion and interest in it or want to learn more so a hard sell will encourage tuning out not tuning in!
4. Sponsorship
Sponsorship can be used in 2 ways. Firstly, remember that you don’t have to create podcasts to benefit from the growth, there is always a sponsorship or advertising option. At the very beginning of podcasts, adverts were a rare occurrence but now it is common to have 1 if not 2 ad breaks per podcast. A recent survey from AZO Network states that 28% of people are influenced to purchase by podcasts and this number is growing every year therefore you can use this platform to target consumers when they are really engaged in the content and actively listening.
Secondly, if you are producing your own podcast series, sponsorship gives you the ability to monetise the show, but this will only happen if the content resonates with the listeners. Try to attract sponsorship from partners that link to your core topic or brand to ensure adverts are relevant and attractive to the audience to avoid the skip button.
5. Using traditional methods to drive content
Events… remember them?! Whilst the world of face-to-face events continues to seem uncertain, it is inevitable that they will return at some point in the near future. When they do and if it fits the overall topic, why not use events and shows to bulk record content for the year. You could run a mini-series including bitesize interviews with delegates, behind-the-scenes previews or a panel interview. These sound bites could then be used on social media or as part of a wider digital marketing campaign. You could even video the podcast and use it on corporate websites and social media.
Don’t view digital marketing campaigns in silos - remember recycling and reusing content will create a cohesive marketing message.
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6. Allow plenty of time!
The actual recording of a podcast is relatively short, but it does require some time investment in the back-end production. There are plenty of free recording and editing software options that will help make this process smoother including Audacity, GarageBand (on the Apple platform) and even Zoom (yes that Zoom!) offers recording functionality.
The time element comes at the publishing and distributing phase. If you want to be featured on the main podcast hosts such as Spotify and Apple, there is an approval process that needs to be undertaken and this can take a few weeks. If you are solely distributing via your own platforms, then this makes it much quicker but reduces the reach of the podcast. Bear the approval timings in mind if you are working to a launch date and planning other marketing around it. ACAST, the global distributor of podcasts, is a good place to get some advice on how to break into mass-market platforms.
7. Inspiration
If you want some inspiration on podcasts in the pharmaceutical or biotech space, here are my top 5 podcasts across the life science space.
1. Pharm Exec Podcast
Pharm Exec podcast goes beyond the pages of Pharmaceutical Executive print magazine and PharmExec.com to bring the latest commercial insights to the C-suite through in-depth interviews. Podcast episodes examine current trends, key conferences, and critical topics in the industry. See more.
2. GEN Sounds of Science Podcast
Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News, commonly known as GEN, regularly publishes podcasts exploring the ins and outs of the biotech industry. These podcasts discuss recent news in the biotech scene around the world or dig deeper into current topics, such as gene therapy, CRISPR, or CAR-T immunotherapy. Often, the episodes bring in an expert in the field that weighs in on the topics and news featured. See more.
3. Pharma Intelligence
Pharma Intelligence from Informa speaks to leading professionals from biopharma and medical areas to provide the latest news and information together with insight and analysis. See more.
4. The Drug Discovery World Podcast
Drug Discovery World podcast links the journal with the world of podcasts to allow consumers to listen to articles on the go. With topics including drug discovery and development, business and technologies, this podcast covers a wide range of Biotech and Pharma content on the go. See more.
5. Nature Biotechnology First Rounders Podcast
Linking business and science, this podcast is a series of conversations with founders, financers, and developers from the world of biotech. An interesting insight into how business and science work together from some of the biggest names in the business. See more.
B2B life science podcasts
A marketing manager’s toolbox is growing by the year, even before the pandemic. There are more and more new ways to reach, engage and entertain consumers. The past 18 months have shifted marketing tactics around and whilst there is light at the end of the tunnel, it is unlikely that the world will go back to the way it was before COVID-19. With podcast engagement levels at an all-time high, this growing avenue to reach consumers is not going anywhere so get that mic synced up and drive the life sciences conversation.
For more on strategic content marketing and writing in the pharmaceutical sectors, and how we can help you, visit our section on content.