How to Prepare for Launching a Corporate Podcast

Any type of organization - for-profit, nonprofit, large, small, B2B, B2C, B2G - can start a podcast. But starting one within your organization will be a heavier lift than you might think. You will run into several issues when launching a corporate podcast that you won’t as an individual. 

We do this every day, so we know the headaches you will run into and how to address them. The hardest part is setting up your multitude of accounts. 

Setting up your account on podcast distribution platforms

When you are setting up a corporate podcast account for distribution on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other podcast platforms, you will need access to four things:

1. A dedicated email address for the podcast

2. A corporate credit card

3. An Apple ID

4. A Google/YouTube account

“Oh, no problem!” you might think. Well, all four usually are a problem, which is why we created an action item list for our new podcast production clients. The following tips (plus many more!) are on the list.

Create a dedicated email address for your podcasts

This email is public facing, so be sure you’re okay with putting an email out into the world that could attract a lot of spam. Our clients typically set up an email using their domain name like podcast@organization.com. (Pro tip: keeping it generic allows for it to be used for multiple podcasts your organization produces over time). Some of them create a dedicated Gmail address, since they will also be needing a Google account for the podcast (more on that later). 

Make sure the podcast coordinators have access to the email! Many organizations must go through their IT department to set up a new email - and then the IT department doesn’t give the coordinators access. 

You will need access to the email, because you will need to authenticate a variety of accounts (in addition to your podcast feed). You will need to authenticate with your email to retrieve the show’s analytics.

Get access to the corporate credit card

You will need a credit card when setting up accounts on distribution platforms. 

In a small organization, getting access to the corporate credit card may not be a big deal. In a larger organization, we find that the finance department guards it fiercely. And you may need to go through multiple layers of approval to get access to it.

Be patient. It can be time-consuming. Do not resort to using your personal credit card! That will create more work and headaches than you can imagine, especially when it comes to this next point…. 

Create an Apple ID for the podcast

As an individual, you may already have an AppleID. But the podcast or organization will need their own AppleID for a podcast. Of everything you will need to do to launch a corporate podcast, this will be the biggest lift. 

If your organization already has an AppleID, you must gain access to it - and you must be able to authenticate it. 

However, most organizations do not have an AppleID, and the process to set one up will be particularly difficult without an Apple device to access it. The biggest difficulty with setting up a new AppleID? The need for a credit card… which will never be charged. 

Set up a Google account

If IT sets up an email using the organization’s domain name, you will also need to set up a Google account so you have access to YouTube. 

Yes, YouTube is a video platform (and the world’s second largest search engine). And yes, you are launching an audio podcast, not a video series. 

However, YouTube is one of the most popular platforms for podcasts. It’s also growing with the absorption of Google Podcasts into YouTube Music. Publishing to YouTube is another marketing channel that will help expand your reach and build a bigger community of listeners. We recommend all our clients do this.

Again, make sure IT gives you full access to the account. Also make sure the YouTube account has been verified so that you can upload videos (and podcasts) longer than 15 minutes in length.

Other important things to do before launching a podcast

Creating a logo and podcast name are the fun parts! You will also need to decide if you want to embed your podcast into your website or blog for search engine optimization (SEO) purposes. (We can help set this up.)

Choose the audio file you want to launch your podcast with. Most of our clients launch with the first episode. Some ask us to create a brief one-to-two minute promotional trailer. There is no right or wrong way to launch. Just remember that approvals can hold up both.

Finally, you might want to dedicate someone to review Apple Podcast’s AI-generated transcripts. They are 90% accurate, but they’ll get the spelling of your company or CEO’s last name wrong. You can replace the AI-generated transcript with a letter-perfect one, but it has to be a special kind of file (a .doc or .pdf won’t work).  

Do you want to save time when launching a corporate podcast?

Most of our clients turn to us for help when launching a corporate podcast - and not just because we can help with the setup. Our team of podcast production experts will ensure every podcast episode recording runs smoothly and each episode sounds professional. Contact us today to learn more.