To this day more people around the world tune in to radio stations than any other form of broadcast media.* One reason is that people clearly like to be able to listen while doing other things. We like the simplicity of connecting to radio, the way it can easily be carried with us, and the ubiquitous presence of radio waves as if they are just part of the environment.
The 2 million podcasts available globally offer a similar sort of easy companionship. While working around the house or traveling far from home, people can learn, be entertained and informed, and even feel supported by podcast personalities.
With that in mind, if your company has a podcast or plans to create one for your home market, consider preparing it for foreign markets as well. Imagine the power of connecting through an informal, conversational podcast to someone in a distant country as they drive to work, cook dinner, or take their daily walk. In essence your podcasts becomes a friend to keep them company, informing them about things they care about, making them laugh, or moving them to compassion or action. And those experiences create connection and loyalty to the podcast’s source.
An ideal podcast adaptation for a foreign market might be a complete re-make with new hosts and guests that are native speakers in your target culture, and perhaps even content tailored to the region. But this level of investment isn’t necessary. Two more affordable and efficient options for getting your podcast to foreign audiences are these:
1. Completely new foreign-language audio of the original content read and recorded from a translation of the original podcast transcript, with possible modest adjustments for the target audience/culture. Voice actors or AI voice software are used in conjunction with content translators for each target market.
2. Foreground voiceover in the “UN” style that allows the original audio to be somewhat audible in the background. This style helps listeners feel they are getting as close to the original podcast content and tone as possible. For this style of podcast transcreation, voiceover teams read and record translations of your podcast transcripts.
Once you decide to create foreign-language versions of your podcast, there are additional choices that can optimize the value to your marketing of these new podcasts. One example is having your podcast transcripts translated and placed online. Translated transcripts make the podcast content accessible to Google and other search engines, whereas audio content is not.
A second example of expanding potential connection to your podcast is the addition of a visual element that makes it eligible for YouTube, where millions of viewers will have access to it through the powerful YouTube search engine. This can be as simple as a static image attached to the audio product. Another idea is to use a straightforward filming of the podcast speakers as they talk. More extensive visual content that includes graphics, photos, or videos related to the spoken content is an option, too, but not required for YouTube.
Massive companies like McDonald’s, Nike, and Tesla have multiple podcasts available in multiple markets. But even smaller regional companies and organizations use podcasts to develop audiences. It’s a creative, lively addition to your marketing toolkit, and there will be listeners who tune in to it who might not have connected with your company any other way. When you are ready to reach out to new cultures with your podcast, remember that you can lean into our services for management of all the details. We produce foreign language podcasts of linguistic, artistic, and technical excellence.
* https://newsgeneration.com/broadcast-resources/radio-facts-and-figures/
J. V. McShulskis
