The internal newsletter that nobody reads. The all-hands meeting that everyone forgets the next day. The 15-page document on new strategy that lies dormant in mailboxes. If you recognize any of these situations, you’re not alone – and the internal corporate podcast is a direct response to these problems.
Not because it’s new or technological, but because it adapts to your employees’ real-life habits. You can listen on your commute, over lunch, between meetings. There’s no time constraint, no reading effort, and the attention span is often far greater than that of an e-mail.
What is an internal company podcast?
An internal company podcast is an audio or audio-video program broadcast exclusively to an organization’s employees. It can be hosted on a private platform, distributed via a secure link or integrated into your intranet. Unlike a public podcast, it is not indexed on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
The content can take a wide variety of forms: a monthly message from the CEO, a series on the company’s businesses, a question-and-answer program with management, a deciphering of quarterly results, or a series of episodes dedicated to onboarding new arrivals. What unites them: a short format, flexible broadcasting and a more direct tone than that of traditional corporate communications.
To find out more about the formats available, LinkedIn details how the internal podcast fits into an overall HR strategy, and the best practices adopted by leading companies.
Why audio format works better than you think
Internal communications have long suffered from an attention deficit. Employees receive dozens of messages a day and naturally develop sorting reflexes. Anything that doesn’t seem urgent or personal goes by the wayside.
The internal company podcast gets around this problem in two ways. Firstly, it is inserted at times when the collaborator is available but not in front of a screen – which eliminates competition with other notifications. Secondly, the human voice creates an emotional connection that text cannot replicate. When the managing director speaks directly to his teams in their ears, the message carries an entirely different weight than in a written communiqué.
The 5 concrete uses that bring the most value
1. The regular direction message
Once a month, 10 to 15 minutes. The CEO or a member of the management committee shares his priorities, comments on company news and answers questions raised by the teams. This is the easiest format to produce, and often the most listened-to.
2. The onboarding series
Welcome your new employees with a series of 6 to 8 episodes on the company’s history, culture, processes and teams. Much more engaging than a welcome booklet, and available at any time from their phone. This format also fits in perfectly with an employer branding strategy in Belgium.
3. Strategic decoding
After a general meeting, a takeover, a product launch or a reorganization, a 20-minute episode explains what happened, why it happened and what it means for the teams. The podcast format allows a depth of explanation impossible in a 10-line email.
4. Showcasing in-house expertise
Every month, an employee shares his or her expertise on a subject that concerns the company. It’s rewarding for the contributor, useful for his or her colleagues, and creates a culture of knowledge-sharing.
5. The cohesion podcast for dispersed teams
For organizations with telecommuting, roaming or multi-site employees, the internal company podcast maintains a sense of belonging that other tools struggle to create.
How to make sure your employees really listen
An internal podcast that doesn’t find its audience is useless. Here are the simple principles that make the difference.
Keep episodes short. In-house, 10 to 20 minutes is ideal – beyond that, viewership drops. Keep episode titles as precise as you would for important emails. Integrate podcasts into existing rituals: mention them at team meetings, share extracts on your internal messaging system.
Above all, involve your employees as contributors from the very first episodes. An internal company podcast in which people recognize their colleagues’ voices is a podcast they’ll listen to – and recommend.
What StreamBox can do for your internal communications
Producing a quality in-house podcast requires a minimum framework: a clean sound, a coherent format, a recognizable sound identity from one episode to the next. This is what StreamBox guarantees, with its acoustically-treated studios in Brussels, its team of sound engineers and its ability to train your in-house speakers to feel at ease in front of the microphone.
We can produce your episodes in our studio in Rhode-Saint-Genèse, but we can also travel to your premises for shoots requiring an on-site presence. We can also manage distribution on a secure private platform if you want to keep content strictly in-house.
Still not sure which format to adopt? Consult our comparison of the best podcast studios in Belgium to find the solution best suited to your context.
Frequently asked questions about in-house podcasts
Do you need a large budget to launch an in-house podcast?
No. An in-house podcast can get off the ground with a modest investment if you outsource production to a studio like StreamBox. You avoid the need to purchase equipment, technical training and post-production costs. StreamBox offers formulas adapted to in-house production volumes, from one-off pilots to annual contracts. See our studio rates for a quick estimate.
How to host an internal podcast securely?
Several solutions exist, depending on your level of confidentiality. Platforms such as Spotify for Podcasters or Podbean offer restricted access options via private links. For companies with more stringent security constraints, in-house or intranet hosting solutions are available. StreamBox can advise you on the choice of platform best suited to your context.
How long does it take to produce an episode?
With StreamBox, a 45-minute studio recording session generally produces a 15 to 20-minute episode after editing. Including upstream preparation and post-production, allow between 3 and 5 working days between the session and delivery of the final file.
Can in-house podcasts also be used for training?
Yes, and this is one of its most effective uses. Audio training modules in the form of short, on-demand podcasts have a much higher completion rate than conventional e-learning. This format works particularly well for behavioral training, leadership development or regular updating of regulatory knowledge.
Start your in-house podcast with StreamBox
Do you have an internal communications project to develop? Contact us for an initial discussion, and let’s see how an internal podcast can transform the way your organization talks to itself.
