Podcasts are on the rise. The arrival of earpods and increasingly affordable audio equipment are contributing to this. And in addition to the public podcast, we are also seeing a strong emergence of the internal podcast. A podcast for the stakeholders of a company.
In this article we give you the ins and outs of internal podcasting. We did research into successful examples, the technology, the applications and even the different formats.
After our research into internal podcasts, we were so enthusiastic that we used a significant part of our development budget to build functionalities for this. More about this later.
Below is an overview of the structure, as we start at the beginning and then build up to the end.
Whitepaper
The case for an internal podcast
Includes examples, formats and a Quick start guide.
Table of Contents
What is an internal podcast?
Many people assume that an internal podcast is a podcast for staff. And although the internal podcast is often used for that target group, it can be used more widely.
On the basis of our research, we have formulated a definition to briefly and concisely explain what an internal podcast is. This is our definition of an internal podcast:
An internal podcast is a podcast produced for and distributed to a select group of insiders, such as staff, investors, suppliers and other stakeholders.
In short, an internal podcast can be much more than a podcast for staff. A listed company can make an internal podcast for investor relations, while a local football club can make a podcast for the club members.
Advantages of an internal podcast
Before the digital age, you had the bulletin board, where important announcements were posted. In addition, you often had an internal memo that was still distributed by internal mail.
With the arrival of the Internet, this shifted to the intranet, which was complemented not long afterwards by the internal newsletter.
But in this digital age, we have also started to consume content in other ways and especially more... a lot more content. Everything is moving faster and people are busier than ever. And that's possibly one of the biggest advantages of podcasts over text and video content... you can combine it with another activity.
People listen to podcasts on the train, on their bikes, during housework, work and even while walking or running.
Below I list some of the key benefits of podcasting as a content medium for you:
- You can combine a podcast with other activities
- Also suitable for people who do not like to read or have difficulty reading
- Humans have been transmitting knowledge through speech for centuries, so it comes more naturally to us than video or text.
- Easier to fit into our busy lives than reading written content or watching videos.
- Audio and speech lend themselves well to story telling and messages where intonation and nuances are important.
- Production is many times cheaper than producing video, for example
In short, audio is a channel that is easier for most people to consume than large, long pieces of text. Furthermore, a podcast is cheaper to produce than a video. And when you're talking about long-form content, it's easier to be comprehensive than if you're, say, transcribing an hour-long conversation.
Security & Publicity
Primarily, the term "internal podcast" says something about the target group and the nature of the content of the podcast and not necessarily about the openness of the content.
For example, you could make an internal podcast about the company culture that is primarily intended for staff, but which may also be of interest to suppliers, investors and perhaps even customers.
When it comes to the public accessibility of internal podcasts, we distinguish the following types:
Degree of publicity
1. The secure internal podcast
Some information is not suitable for other people outside the group of people for whom the podcast is intended. Think of strategic information that should not get into the hands of a competitor, or content in which, for example, judges or doctors discuss a particular case.
In general, a customised solution is used in these cases, whereby a proprietary mobile app is developed that can only be used by a specified list of users.
At Springcast, we have built several solutions for different governments and companies. For some a basic level of security is sufficient, while for others a high level of security is necessary.
This form of distribution of the internal podcast requires the necessary investment, but gives you the most control over who can listen to the content.
2. The shielded internal podcast
This form of internal podcast is relatively easy to set up and at Springcast even comes as standard within all our subscriptions.
This is also the standard for internal podcasts which are not intended for the general public. Think of podcasts in which a CEO announces a strategic takeover or a podcast in which the annual planning is communicated.
At our podcast hosting it's just a matter of putting a 'tick' in the box to block a podcast. Then you add the people who will receive the content and everything is set up correctly.
Every time you publish an episode, these people get a notification with a unique link to the new episode. Removed from the list? Then their rights expire. Also on the content that that user could access before.
3. The hidden internal podcast
The hidden internal podcasts particularly excel in user-friendliness. The followers can simply listen to the episodes in the podcast app which they prefer, such as Spotify or Apple podcasts.
The only difference is that the podcast is excluded from search engines, such as Google and Bing. Furthermore, episodes are usually not shared on social media or the organisation's website.
But anyone who knows where to look can just listen to the podcast.
This podcast form can be used, for example, as a podcast in which colleagues introduce themselves to each other, or as a podcast about the culture of the organisation. This way, the content can be found by potential or prospective employees.
4. The public internal podcast
The public internal podcast is not secure and can even be found via search engines. The public internal podcast is usually used to cater for a wide group of stakeholders in the organisation.
For example, a podcast explaining the annual results to investors or a podcast about working for the organisation.
In fact, this is a 'normal' podcastbut with the nuance that the content is made for a specific group of 'insiders'.
Ideas for an internal podcast
Of course, there are countless formats you can think of. To start with, you could just take a look at what you currently communicate via the intranet or the internal newsletter. Or maybe you even have an internal magazine. And maybe a podcast is much more suitable.
But to get you started, I have a nice list of ideas that might help you along.
- Leadership Q & A
- Product/project updates
- Working at... podcast
- Explanation quarterly/annual figures
- Interviews with teams and team members
- Market developments
- Onboarding new staff
- Training & Education
You will find more ideas, examples and applications in our free white paper, "The case for an internal podcast".
Distribute internal podcast
You have different types and flavours when it comes to distributing your internal podcast to the 'insiders'. I'll sum them up briefly for you.
1. The embedded player
At Springcast, every podcast and podcast episode has a podcast player that you can place in a blog or on a page within an intranet or website with a small piece of scripting. In almost all cases you can do this without any programming knowledge or a programmer.
See below what an embedded podcast player looks like.
2. E-mail notification + unique link
The second way is to send an e-mail to a list of people, where everyone gets a personal, encrypted link that gives access to the new podcast episode. They can then listen to the episode in the browser. If someone is removed from the list, they no longer receive notifications, but they also lose access to previous content.
This functionality is standard within every Springcast subscription.
3. Your own mobile app
The last option is to have your own mobile app developed. At Springcast, for example, it is possible to create a mobile app that is available to the entire organisation, but we have also created solutions with advanced permission structures.
The investment is higher than the other options, but this option gives you more possibilities when it comes to security, branding, functionalities and ease of use for the users.
Supplies & costs
Podcast equipment
I won't go into too much detail here, because we have written a very nice, comprehensive article on podcast equipment. But to give you an idea of what you need, I will give a small list:
- Two to three XLR microphones
- A podcast audio panel.
- Two to three microphone arms.
Check here the complete podcast kit.
The bottom line is that for just under €2,000 - €3,000 you can have a professional setup for your in-house podcast.
Audio editor
In addition, it is usually a smart idea to have the audio recordings edited by a professional audio editor. In our podcast network we have made a selection of quality professionals for you. Search here for podcast experts and editors.
Podcast hosting
And you have podcast hosting That is what we excel at 😉 .
Because whatever form you choose for your in-house podcast, your audio files need to be hosted somewhere in the cloud to make them available to your listeners.
And because audio streaming is too heavy a burden on the servers and takes up bandwidth, it is usually not advisable to do it on your own server. Moreover, most 'normal' web hosts do not allow audio streaming.
Another big advantage of a specialist podcast host, such as Springcast, is that it comes with a CMS to manage your podcast and provides extensive statistics on listening behaviour.
Anyway... at Springcast all your files are stored in Dutch data centres.
Costs depend on the amount of podcast shows, the number of downloads and the functionality you need, but prices start from €15 per month and can go up to €100 or more for enterprise and custom solutions.
Quick start guide
Are you convinced that an internal podcast would be of added value to your organisation, or do you at least want to take the next step and find out?
Then download our Whitepaper on the internal podcast for free. It will give you a handy reference tool with practical tips and steps to get started with an internal podcast.
Would you rather talk to an expert by phone? Feel free to call us at 085-1306894 to get your questions answered without obligation.
Whitepaper
The case for an internal podcast
Includes examples, formats and a Quick start guide.
