Podcasts are more popular than ever, and financial professionals are increasingly using this medium to reach a wider audience, share expertise, and establish authority in a crowded industry. Whether it’s through your own podcast or a podcast appearance, you can easily incorporate a podcast marketing strategy into your business.
With roughly 135 million consumers tuning into podcasts monthly, there’s an opportunity for independent financial advisors to engage prospects and clients in a meaningful, approachable way. By following these podcast best practices, financial professionals can leverage an audio-centric way to attract new clients, deepen relationships with existing clients, and build trust.
Podcast Best Practices for Financial Professionals
#1: Define Your Podcast’s Purpose and Target Audience
If you’re starting or already have your own podcast, make sure you take the time to define the purpose and audience for your podcast. And if you’re planning to appear on an already-established podcast, it’s important to gather information from the host on the podcast’s purpose and audience so you know how to craft your talking points.
Knowing the why behind the podcast and understanding who you’re speaking to is essential for creating relevant and effective content.
Setting clear goals is foundational. Are you looking to educate clients on market trends? Provide actionable financial planning tips? Maybe even promote an offering, event, or webinar? By defining these goals, you can ensure each episode aligns with your broader business objectives and strengthens your position as a trusted authority.
Next is the audience: Who’s your ideal listener? Think about potential clients, current clients, or industry peers. For example, if you’re focusing on high-net-worth individuals, you might cover advanced planning strategies, estate planning, or tax efficiency tips.
Once you have the purpose and audience defined, choose topics that resonate. This might include areas like retirement planning, market trends, or personal finance strategies, which can demonstrate expertise and address common client questions.
Related: Building Your Brand: Content Promotion Tips for Financial Advisors
#2: Craft Compelling & Relevant Topics
The next step is to create a podcast content strategy that’s both engaging and valuable. Planning ahead can help ensure you’re consistently providing high-quality episodes that keep listeners coming back.
Decide on the episode structure and format that best suits your content. Common formats include interviews, solo commentary, or even Q&A sessions. Interviews with experts can diversify perspectives, while solo episodes allow you to showcase your individual expertise.
Content planning is also key. Building a structured content calendar ensures regularity and relevancy. A calendar also helps balance educational topics with timely content (like market updates) so you can provide well-rounded value.
When you’re thinking of topics that foster engagement, consider incorporating audience questions, feedback from clients, or case studies. This approach adds relatability and can address specific client concerns in an accessible way.
#3: Utilize High-Quality Production
Quality matters, especially in financial planning where credibility and professionalism are the keys to your firm’s success. Investing in production quality can significantly impact how a podcast is perceived. Good microphones, headphones, and recording software are essential. But there’s no need to go overboard on cost, there are plenty of cost-effective options that prioritize clear audio for a polished listening experience. A quick Google search can help find the right equipment.
When you sit down to record an episode, it’s important to identify a quiet, acoustically friendly space. Background noise and echoes can distract listeners and detract from your message.
Basic editing software can help you clean up audio, add intros and outros, and ensure a professional sound. Consider adding a consistent intro to establish your brand and closing with a call-to-action (CTA) to further engage listeners. This CTA could be to visit your website, download a new resource, or sign up for a webinar or event.
Pro tip: If you aren’t confident in editing the podcast yourself, there are plenty of third-party options you can easily find online that can help ensure your podcast quality is top-notch. Our in-house marketing experts can also help.
#4: Optimize Episodes for Discoverability
Creating a great podcast is just the beginning. To reach new listeners, make it easy for them to find your content by leveraging podcast search engine optimization (SEO) and a thoughtful promotion strategy.
SEO optimizes your podcast’s discoverability by using relevant keywords in your episode titles, descriptions, and show notes. Including terms related to the financial planning niche can help listeners find you when searching for specific financial topics. For example, if you have an episode that’s centered around investing, using keywords like “top investment strategies for retirees” is more likely to attract the audience you’re targeting than a vague title.
Another key component to getting your episodes found is promotion. Push out new episodes on your social media, to your email database, and also your website to extend your reach and boost engagement. As always, you should encourage followers to listen, share, or leave reviews to build organic growth.
Related: How to Promote a Podcast Appearance in 10 Easy Steps
#5: Build and Engage Your Audience
Growing an audience takes time, but consistency and active engagement can make a significant impact. Loyal listeners often turn into loyal clients, so it’s worth prioritizing audience connection. Set a release schedule and stick to it. Whether it’s weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly, a reliable release rhythm builds anticipation and trust with listeners.
Interacting with your listeners also fosters an engaged community. Use direct communication channels like surveys, social media comments, or email feedback to gather valuable insights. Not only does this make listeners feel valued, but it also lets you know what topics they want to hear more about.
Lastly, don’t forget to collaborate with other financial professionals or industry influencers to expand your audience. Appearing as a guest on another podcast or hosting industry experts on yours can introduce your content to a broader group of potential clients.
#6: Measure and Analyze Success
Finally, monitoring your podcast’s performance helps you understand what’s resonating with your audience and where to make improvements. Define your key performance indicators (KPIs) to monitor growth. For example, tracking monthly downloads, listener growth rate, and engagement levels can provide insights into which strategies are working and where to refocus your efforts.
Use analytics to track metrics like listener demographics, download numbers, and episode performance. Many hosting platforms provide built-in analytics to help you identify trends.
Be mindful about listener feedback, too. Direct input from listeners is invaluable for making adjustments that could enhance your podcast’s value and reach.
Final Thoughts on Podcast Best Practices
Launching a podcast (or even being a guest on one) can seem daunting, but these podcast best practices for financial professionals can create engaging and impactful episodes that build authority, attract new clients, and strengthen existing relationships.
A well-thought-out podcast strategy—aligned with your business goals—can not only drive client engagement, but position you as a trusted voice in financial planning.
Just remember that success in podcasting usually isn’t instant. However, a consistent schedule of high-quality episodes, a strong content strategy, and thoughtful audience interaction will set your podcast up for long-term impact and help you establish a significant foothold in the financial planning sphere.
