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In this Social Media for Small Business interview, Suzy Yates of The Podcast Agency joins Suzi Dafnis and Cat Matson to talk about the art of podcasting and how to succeed in it. As a radio broadcaster, Suzy has gained insightful knowledge and developed skills about using her voice in a professional context. In today’s social media era, Suzy believes that podcasting is a valuable social media channel through which businesses can utilise to grow their businesses. It is the intimacy of the voice that presents a point of difference to other types of indirect interaction that social media channels offer.

For Suzy, it is just as crucial to undertake the pre- and post-production processes with vision. That is, to ask yourself, if you are running a podcast show or thinking of producing one, what is the essence of your podcast? Knowing the objective and vision of your podcast will not only provide a better direction for your podcast, but it will also be presented in a more professional way.

Suzy also highlights the importance of knowing your audience. The scope of your audience will provide a better understanding in planning topics and structures for your podcast. Having the knowledge of your audience will also present you with an opportunity to create content that are more relevant and interesting to your listeners.

An important tip for producing a podcast, which you are the host of, is to practice talking to yourself. Using your voice is essentially a skill that can be mastered. One way to do this, as Suzy suggests, is to develop a flow in talking no matter where you are. Ask yourself — can I tell a story in 15 or 30 seconds and make it interesting?

If you are thinking about starting a podcast, Suzy’s advice is to plan ahead and practice putting yourself out there. Podcasting is ultimately about the opportunity for listeners to get to know you in a more genuine way. “When someone is in your ears, and you’re listening to every word they say, every little expression in their voice, you really get to know them. And that is a massive warmth that I don’t think you can get anywhere else.”

Listen to this Social media for Small Business podcast interview with Suzy Yates to learn more about:

• The importance of podcasting as a social media channel
• What to expect and plan before producing a podcast
• What content banking is and why it is important to your podcast
• The tools and equipments useful for production
• Understanding your audience
• Voice presentation in podcasting

Mentioned in this episode:

• Facebook announces Siri-like personal assistant
• Why Podcasting is Important for Your Business
• Condenser microphones for home recording
• Facebook’s Pages Messaging: New Ways for People and Businesses to Connect
• The Admin’s Guide to Page Messaging

This post was co-authored by Natalie Ong. Natalie is currently completing a journalism internship at the Australian Businesswomen’s Network. She studies a Media degree at the University of New South Wales.