So far in this Entertainment PR blog series we’ve heard about what Entertainment PR actually is, and how it relates to events and festivals, games and toys, restaurants and venues, the benefits for entertainment venues, live events and performances, and sports and recreation.
We’ve covered quite a wide scope of Entertainment PR topics, however there’s still one area we’re yet to discuss: podcasts and music.
Did you know that around 424.2 million people worldwide will listen to podcasts in 2022? Furthermore, the average number of monthly podcast listeners is forecasted to increase by a whopping 40 million per year in 2023 and beyond! With such a large audience base and growing popularity, it’s no wonder that podcasts are starting to form a big part of savvy brands’ PR strategy. For brands in the Entertainment PR space especially, podcasts are a great way of connecting directly with your target demographic. Anecdotally, we hear from some of our clients that the audience feedback and RIO they receive from doing podcasts is often much higher compared to equivalent exposure in more traditional forms of media.
Unlike radio or TV interviews that are usually quite brief and only have time to talk through topics at a very top line level, podcasts allow for free-form conversations and discussions that explore concepts in-depth, attracting highly targeted and highly engaged audiences that share the same interests, hobbies, and passions.
Another important aspect of Entertainment PR is music. Similarly to podcasts, there are around 488 million people worldwide that regularly listen to music on streaming services such as Spotify or Apple Music. Music PR typically involves a promotional campaign strategy to stimulate strong interest amongst media outlets, general public, music industry, and other key stakeholders about a musician, band or other musical ensembles. The role of entertainment PR is to capitalise on an extensive network of media contacts to secure artist interviews, album and live show reviews, as well as other promotional efforts to continually keep the artist in the spotlight and connected to their fans.
Some tips for creating an Entertainment PR strategy for podcasts and music include:
1. Know your audience
The first key step is to know your audience. As discussed above, both podcasts and music have quite specific, highly engaged audiences. If you’re just starting out or want to break into the market, you’ll need to have a clear understanding of who your target demographic is and what type of media they already consume. A client recently came to us with a list of over 60 podcasts that she wanted to be a guest on and that were relevant to her target audience- needless to say, she’d done her thorough research!
2. Leverage your networks (including social media)
In Entertainment PR, another way to connect, or find your audience is through leveraging your own networks. If you have already built (or are in the process of building) a significant following through social media channels, a great initial tactic would be to start promoting your podcast or music through these platforms. If you’re looking to launch a new podcast, the dilemma is you’ll already need a bank of polished content to prove your credibility and attract worthwhile guests. This is where leveraging your own networks can help you, by starting off with guests you already have an established connection with you’ll be able to record those first few episodes smoothly and get your podcast up and running in no time.
3. Create a buzz
This is one of the most exciting parts of Entertainment PR- creating a buzz! An Entertainment PR campaign strategizes ways to get people excited about a music act or a podcast. When a music artist or podcast is everywhere you look on social media, in the press, or on tour; that’s the buzz. Ways of creating a buzz include hosting cool events, securing interviews with Top Tier journalists, and launching some bigger creative campaigns that will be a lightning rod for great publicity. The key is to keep the client’s persona and brand top of mind for their audience.
4. Plan ahead
Entertainment PR for music and podcasts is usually a long game, with brand equity built up over time. It is therefore essential to plan ahead and think through your media strategy in advance. For example, if you’re looking to generate buzz by being a guest on some-one else’s podcast, you’re going to have to take into account that podcasts are often recorded weeks or months in advance. This means that if you want to time the content correctly, you’ll need to start the PR process early in the lead up to your big launch. Another way to plan ahead, if you’re the one hosting your own podcast, is to think through how podcast content could be repurposed for other types of PR (more on this in the case study below!)
Case study: Positively Geared- Property Investment Podcast
For a couple of years, we’ve worked closely with Lloyd Edge, buyer’s agent and founder of Aus Property Professionals, best-selling author and the host of the ‘Positively Geared- Property Investment’ podcast. Not only did the podcast help Lloyd to connect with his target audience and share his wealth of knowledge and experience in property investing, certain episodes were also able to be repurposed and pitched out to media to amplify his brand reach, resulting in great media articles such as this piece on The Latch which was secured off the back of Lloyd interviewing The Block contestants Kyal and Kara on his podcast.
If you’re curious about Entertainment PR involving podcasts and music, and would like know more about Agent99’s services or how we could help you, feel free to get in touch at info@agent99pr.com
By Agent Kath