We love trying out new forms of content creation. If you’re on our newsletter list, you’ve witnessed us exploring platforms over the years such as Periscope (the social media app that started the live-streaming video trend) or TikTok (the app that made short punchy videos an addiction and obsession for Gen Z and beyond).
By diving into new platforms and ways of sharing content, we grow as content creators and we’re able to better serve and guide our clients.
The idea for creating a podcast coincided with our work on several projects related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We decided that we wanted to be a part of the conversation on creating a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive Frederick. And so, the Frederick Factor podcast was born. Each episode highlights the stories and voices of people from different backgrounds, races, orientations, and experiences in Frederick, Maryland.
Creating and launching the podcast was a multi-layered process:
1. Clarifying the Idea
The Frederick Factor podcast aligned with our values of being a part of the solution to create more diversity, equity, and inclusivity. It highlighted one of the many things we love about Frederick County, which is its diversity.
2. Setting Up Our Recording Space
When we moved into our new office in fall of 2020, one of our favorite aspects was an empty room, which we immediately visualized as a future recording studio. We transformed the room by installing acoustic panels and adding sound buffers, recording software, podcasting equipment, and a professional mic to the space.
Our recording studio is now available to rent if you’d like to record your own podcast! (Contact us here for inquiries.)
3. Developing Our Podcast Brand and Building Our Online Presence
We created a logo and branding for our podcast, which we then used to build our website, www.frederickfactor.com, as well as to create social media profiles on Facebook and Instagram. On Instagram, we use a branded grid layout with images of Frederick that make our profile eye-catching and visually appealing.
4. Finding and Booking Guests
We sought out local underrepresented business owners and professionals in Frederick to interview on the podcast. Many guests preferred recording over Zoom and others chose to join us in the recording studio. The opportunity to interview guests led to developing new and deeper relationships with amazing leaders in the community.
5. Editing Recordings
We worked with an outside contractor to edit the recordings. This was a multi-step process that included writing copy for, recording, and editing the intro and outro for each episode, as well as finding music that could overlay the vocals for the intro and outro. We also added in a sponsorship message from PPR Strategies (we were the Season 1 sponsor) to each episode. Team members listened to multiple edits of each episode to give quality control to the final product.
6. Streaming Live Episodes
We relied on the platform “Buzzsprout” to stream our live episodes onto Spotify, Apple, and other audio-streaming platforms. This platform also tracked our metrics, so we could see the top performing episodes. Our Season 1 stats (as of April 2022) are:
Total Podcast Downloads: 407
Top Episodes:
- The Uniqueness Factor with Nikki Reineck of Sisters in Style – 69 Downloads
- The Authenticity Factor with Angel and Crystal Rivera of Puerto Rico Distillery – 48 Downloads
- Episode 0: Welcome to the Frederick Factor – 45 Downloads
7. Promoting Each Episode
We created show notes for each episode as well as written transcripts that we posted on the website along with each live episode the day they were released. We then sent a link to the episode webpage out through a weekly Frederick Factor podcast newsletter (subscribe here!). We also directed people to this link via our social media networks. We sent each guest promotional copy the day their podcast was live with a link to their episode’s webpage – and we saw more episode downloads from guests that promoted their episode. Through reviewing our Buzzsprout metrics, we found that the Frederick Factor website was one of the top places people listened to our podcast episodes.
Season 1 of the Frederick Factor completed with 13 episodes (including Episode 0, the intro episode). Creating this podcast proved to be an incredible learning experience that will keep providing us with the payoff as time goes on. We’re thrilled to bring this newfound knowledge and experience to our clients who are considering adding a podcast to their communications strategy.
