Podcasting is opening up a popular new format for learning. Acteon consultant Kate Wyver shares insights on how to use podcasts creatively, with three top tips for getting started.
What was the last podcast you listened to? Was it an informal chat between friends, an informed debate with experts, or a serialised story leaving you on a cliffhanger?
Today, nearly 600 million people consume podcasts around the world. Providing easy and entertaining ways to take in information, these audio episodes have become a common part of our busy daily lives.
At Acteon, we have been responding to this growing desire to learn through listening.
Why podcasts?
Podcasts help employees learn in a more flexible manner than traditional online modules. With individual episodes, learners can listen on the go. This is a particularly good way to connect with certain audiences who may otherwise be hard to reach, such as field-based teams or anyone who travels as part of their job.
While podcasts may all take the same rough shape, there is huge flexibility in the format. This means a podcast can be personalised to suit its desired audience. Whatever the client needs, a podcast can be made to measure.
Three top tips for learning with podcasts
We have identified some best practices from our audio explorations with clients so far. Here is a breakdown of three top tips for creating a podcast that works for you and your team.
👂Ditch assumptions
Everyone has a different idea of what a podcast is and what it sounds like. That means they can have widely varying ideas about what their own podcast should be. Should it be a series of scripted bitesize episodes told by an expert? Should it be a more casual half-hour conversation between peers?
We see it as our job at Acteon to help our clients unearth their assumptions and clarify their ambitions. That way we can then help them figure out the best way to meet their unique objectives.
🔊Determine the audience
Being aware of the learner’s needs and knowledge levels is crucial. What does the intended audience already know and what do you want them to learn? Does this podcast serve as a refresher or new information?
Once you know the stories you want to share, consider who the best person would be to communicate them. Do you want to focus on authority or curiosity? Entertainment or education?
Not every subject matter expert will be an instant radio star. Having a mixture of expert and peer voices can mean you’ve got the benefit of an interviewee who is on the same level as the learner. Regardless of the subject or presenter, good direction and preparatory support can improve outputs and enable efficient editing.
🕺Ask a team you trust
Creating a podcast that sounds great, smashes your objectives and makes people genuinely want to listen to it isn’t easy. Planning, recording and editing all require sensitivity and respect towards the subject matter experts, project managers and the unique regulatory environment.
If you’re thinking of giving it a go, ask a team you trust for help. At Acteon, we have extensive experience collaborating with clients to identify objectives, overcome obstacles, and deliver impactful learning content. Get in touch to explore how audio learning could work for you.
Case study: Pharmaceutical and healthcare
We have successfully created bespoke podcasts for our pharmaceutical clients, to provide engaging, accessible content. This has been very popular with sales reps and field-based teams who spend a lot of time travelling – they are able to make great use of their time, and learn while on the move.
This is a highly regulated sector, and with our extensive background working in healthcare, we appreciate these needs and the crucial role of compliance, accuracy and review. Choosing topics, speakers and scripting decisions carefully, and discussing the review process early can help avoid obstacles further down the line.
Episodes might touch on how to have good conversations with a customer, offer a refresher on clinical trial data, or tell patient’s stories to help the intended listeners better understand the real-life impact of their work.
Developing a fully referenced set of key messages or talking points can be a good starting point to identify regulatory sticking points. Inviting a compliance signatory to the recording enables prompt correction of any issues. These precautions enable efficiency and avoid scrabbling to edit something out later and help ensure the best learning experience for the listener.
We’ve created a range of engaging content that has been received with huge enthusiasm by teams...
“This was a fantastic way to learn more – super-interesting insights.”
“I’m excited that I can make better use of my time, and feel better informed too.”
Want to find out more
Drop us a message and we’ll be happy to have an informal chat about what might work for you.
