We’ve created podcasts of various kinds for clients over the years, and recently I was asked about best practices in this area. Below are some thoughts that immediately came to mind:

-          Length. Don’t make them too long; In most of our initial conversations with clients the length of the podcast is the first thing we suggest should be cut back. If the content is going to run past 20 minutes you should definitely split it into a series, and ideally keep the length under 15 minutes max.

-          Serialization. Related to the above, a series is better than a one-off. Particularly where sales is concerned, a series gives you more opportunities to illustrate another way in which the Customer Reference Program is supporting their selling efforts, and (if the podcasts are for external consumption – see next item) gives them more relevant evidence and another reason for a valuable conversation with their prospective client

-          Audience. External / internal podcasts; internal podcasts can be an excellent way to expand the water cooler conversations to your global sales community. Every sales person wants to know ‘how did you close that deal?’, and to have the best tips and tricks learned from their colleagues. A podcast is an excellent way to achieve this.

-          Delivery mechanism. Creating a podcast is one thing, but how do you intend to get it in the hands of the recipients? Through the sales portal? Via iTunes? Available directly from the public website? Make sure you’ve got this part mapped out – and the internal / external resources on board – before you embark on the podcast series, or you’ll have some great assets gathering dust.

-          Topic. It seems obvious, but when you relate it to the first two items above, do you have enough sales-worthy content to warrant a podcast series, or does it just seem like a cool idea?

Do you have other items you’d add to this best practice list? Please feel free to share, and as always, any other thoughts and comments are welcomed!