Episode Summary
We could say that podcasts are at the intersection of traditional and new media. Their purpose is to inform, socialize, and entertain, like TV or radio — but in the digital space. But podcasts bring an additional dimension, which is to educate. Therefore, aside from being fun, podcasts must provide value to attract and keep viewers/listeners.
In this episode of Recorded Content, our host Justin Brown welcomes Rocco Strydom, an entrepreneur, the founder of SGM Holdings, and a podcast host. Rocco and Justin discuss the stages of creating a podcast, the importance of marketing and promoting it, and the reasons podcast hosts should repurpose content and distribute it to their target audience’s preferred channels.
Guest Profile
Name: Rocco Strydom
What he does: Rocco is an entrepreneur and the founder of SGM Holdings.
Company: SGM Holdings
Noteworthy: Rocco is also a podcast host, but unlike other creators, he is more of a reporter working on the current topics of finance, business, and tech.
Key Insights
- A podcast host is not a salesperson; they are the connection between the target audience and the expert providing value. Although the interview is the most popular format of podcasts, they differ from traditional talk shows as the goal is not to entertain but to educate. Of course, that doesn’t mean that they should not be fun. On the contrary, you must combine education and entertainment if you want a successful show. Also, podcasts are like any other product or service, but the podcast audience is different from the standard customer. So instead of selling, podcast hosts must show themselves as partners that are helping their audience overcome a particular challenge and contributing to their experience. Don’t ask people to go and do anything. Tell them, “This is the value that I’m giving you. This is what you can expect,” and let them make up their minds if they want to support you.
- Be where your audience is — advice that never gets old. According to Rocco, podcasts are new independent media. But they don’t fall under the same umbrella as social media platforms. Therefore, digital channels like LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram should not be the goal but the means podcast hosts use to get in front of their ideal listener/viewer. You need to promote yourself. The best guest is the one that knows how to organically and authentically promote themselves to their audience and not be fake or it looks forced down their throat. So marketing is key when it comes to podcasting.
- You create a podcast with an audience in mind, but you should also create it for yourself. Podcast hosts put a lot of effort into meeting their audience’s preferences, which is undeniably important for a successful show. Still, as a podcast creator, you must remember that your podcast is also a learning and networking source that is helping you grow as a professional. “My network increased exponentially. My knowledge base grew because these people come and want to impart what they know. Sometimes after recording, I would sit back and listen to it two or three times and I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s interesting. I’ve never thought of it like that before.’ And that’s why podcasts are like knowledge fountains that you can tap into.”
Episode Highlights
People consume content differently, and as content creators, we must meet all their preferences
This is why, in my opinion, stuff like Clubhouse and all these live events, yeah, they’re cool when they get there, but they don’t have longevity. They’ve all pretty much died. It’s because people want to consume where they are, on their time, and how they want it. So you have to cater to everyone all the time in written, video, and audio. If you want to succeed, you have to; you don’t have a choice.
Podcasting enables me to meet people and learn from them
And a by-product of producing a weekly podcast is consuming knowledge, tweaking, and changing things. So it’s all about networking, especially if you have a guest every week.
People who post daily are perfect guests for evergreen content
Copywriters are very good guests for finance podcasts, especially finance or tech copywriters, because they have their finger on the pulse. They know what’s happening in the digital marketing space. They know what’s happening in/out outsourced, all those things. Career coaches are also good. They’re putting out content; it’s not relevant to the market per se, but the fundamentals of what is going on are there.
