The power of podcasting
Whether you love them or hate them, there’s no denying podcasts are a growing medium. Over 19.1 million Brits regularly listen to podcasts, and the number is on the rise.
Contrary to popular belief, podcasts aren’t just for celebrity gossip - they’re an untapped marketing and fundraising resource for charities.
Why podcast?
Besides raising awareness, building authority, sharing stories, and giving your brand a voice, podcasting is a low-cost and effective way to reach potential supporters and turn them into donors.
And they’re convenient, engaging, and incredibly accessible for people to listen to. It’s a win-win.
Who’s podcasting?
A growing number of charities are recognising the power of podcasts and incorporating them into their marketing & fundraising strategies.
Let’s look at a few examples.
British Red Cross
British Red Cross’s award-winning podcast, ‘More about the kind place’ gives a voice to the millions of people they support each year.
It features powerful and moving conversations with beneficiaries, including refugees and asylum seekers, who tell their stories first-hand.
The podcast focuses on a range of topics from mental health to loneliness, grief, and masculinity.
On their website, British Red Cross explain the purpose of the podcast:
“It’s only through the power of personal experience that we can step into another’s shoes and see the world through their eyes. We hope that our podcasts build empathy and understanding for the people we support.”
Cancer Research UK
Cancer Research UK takes a different approach with their podcast, Cancer Research Matters.
The podcast features interviews with various researchers behind cancer research.
The aim is to break down complex medical topics and provoke conversation around cancer science, and how it shapes our understanding of the disease.
The first series celebrates the 20th anniversary of Cancer Research UK, by focusing on the various discoveries and breakthroughs made in cancer research over the past two decades.
The Fire Fighters Charity
Shout! explores the health and wellbeing of the UK’s fire services community.
It offers a unique insight into the physical, mental, and social challenges facing those who work on the front line, and their family and partners.
The charity’s clinical team offers tips and advice on a variety of health-related topics, from dealing with trauma to nutrition, exercise, and injury prevention.
Listeners are encouraged to take part in the show by sharing their stories and asking the experts for advice on their physical and mental health issues.
Benefits of podcasting
We’ve looked at some examples of podcasting in action. Now let’s turn our attention to the benefits of podcasting.
It’s easy to get started
All you really need to get started with a podcast is a laptop, recording software, a microphone, and a decent internet connection. Nothing fancy or expensive.
Obviously, if your podcast hits the big time, you’ll need to invest in better equipment to improve the quality, but you don’t need anything fancy to begin with.
Competition is low
While there are 60 million active Facebook business pages (including charities), there are just 5 million active podcasts (the number shrinks further when you search by topic). With this low level of competition, you’re better off having a podcast than a social media page.
They’re engaging and convenient
Unlike blog content, which has to be read, or videos that require audiences to sit and watch, all a podcast listener has to do is hit play and listen. That makes it the perfect content type for multi-tasking, which most of us do on a daily basis.
Podcast audiences are loyal
Developing a podcast audience ahead of the competition is incredibly important because listeners are loyal to their favourite programmes.
They establish relationships with the hosts and want to check back each time there is a new podcast episode.
If you can establish a strong audience before the podcast boom, it’ll be hard for your competitors to tempt them away from you.
This loyalty also translates to other marketing channels. For example, podcast listeners are 20% more likely to connect with a brand on social media.
Final Word
If this post has inspired you to launch your own charity podcast, keep an eye out for the second part of this series, where we’ll give you the lowdown on how to start a podcast.
In the meantime, if you’re looking for a tech-savvy fundraiser to manage your podcast, get in touch. We’ve got talented applicants on tap. Call us on 0203 750 3111 or email info@bamboofundraising.co.uk.