The Power of Podcasts in Internal Communications

Podcasts are usually cited as a growth medium for customer/client engagement, with an enormous range of brands – from McDonald’s to Transport for London – weaving podcasts into their external comms strategy. However, podcasts can be just as powerful as a tool for internal communications, serving to reinforce company culture, nurture employee engagement and promote continuing professional development.

The shift in corporate podcasts

Corporate podcasts have typically been external, with the goal of finding and expanding their audiences. In this, brands have been able to lean on their cultural cachet and resources to attract high-profile guests and develop podcasts that do everything from deep dive into authoritative thought leadership to provide fun, engaging entertainment.

Podcasts aimed at an internal audience, however, are a more recent evolution and one many organisations continue to experiment with. Some are purely internal, while others are also available externally, with the goal of nurturing both audiences.

The goal for brands producing podcasts in internal communications is to provide the same level of value an external podcast listener gets, in a way that strengthens the bond with employees and nurtures employee engagement and advocacy.

Enhancing company culture

Podcasts offer creative opportunities for internal comms professionals to communicate and reinforce company culture in a more engaging and digestable way than may be provided by documents or handbooks. Although the written word is still key in any internal comms strategy, overlaying this layer with content solutions like a podcast can humanise the business, removing barriers between employees and leadership, and making employees feel more involved.

A compelling podcast can also help to:

• Increase understanding of / identification with the company mission.
• Export company culture to remote working or temporary staff, which is particularly important in the post-Covid era of home working.
• Spotlight or involve individual employees to celebrate achievements, elevate expertise and create a sense of inclusivity.
• Share tips and teach lessons, improving and encouraging CPD.
• Present ideal ways of working and methodologies in a more interesting manner, without being prescriptive or unengaging.
• Keep employees up-to-date with market trends and changes.

Starting a podcast for internal communications

If you are considering starting a podcast aimed at your internal audiences, the first decision you will need to make is whether you wish for the podcast to have broad enough appeal to also engage external audiences, or whether it should be highly specific in it’s offering.

From here, you can commit to a format. Some podcasts have solo hosts, which requires a high degree of natural storytelling ability and a strong script. Other successful podcasts lean on the camaraderie and authentic conversational style of entertaining co-hosts, or may have “panel-style” setups with several voices offering their view. Alternatively, interview-style podcasts are led by a host and feature a different guest every episode.

A good podcast strategy is built on the bedrock of the right format tied to the right content, which is why it is valuable to canvas employees for topics before entering the writing phase. While any podcast for internal audiences will have strategic goals, keeping employees engaged from the start will be key to finding the best creative solutions for achieving them – alongside building anticipation amongst your workforce for this new content stream.

It is also vital to invest in good production. The bar for podcasts has become high over the years, as consumer expectations and technology has evolved, but it is not unaffordable. In fact, podcasting is for many brands a particularly accessible way to create high-quality content that cuts through the clutter of communications everyone is bombarded with both in and out of work.

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Podcasts have already hit peak growth for brand awareness and engagement, but internal comms podcasts are still in their infancy. This provides an opportunity to pip others to the post and connect with employees in a way that makes them more immersed in company culture. For brands yet to create a podcast strategy, it is also an opportunity to road-test podcast production internally before expanding to external audiences.

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