How to Use Podcasts for Recruitment

Nikola Sekulic
Latest posts by Nikola Sekulic (see all)

Modern recruitment is always evolving with global trends, with particular respect to the technologies and the types of media we like to consume. With podcasting getting more and more popular, companies are starting to look to podcasts for recruitment.

Nowadays, there are many ways companies can market their products and services, build their brands, and strengthen their unique value propositions (UVPs) online. Podcasts are quickly becoming the most popular option. In fact, podcasts can serve a myriad of purposes in a growth-oriented business.

Running a podcast can be a powerful way to get your brand in front of the right customers, and also the right talent in your industry. 

Podcasts for recruitment

Podcasts are great because they use both sounds and images. You can listen and watch at the same time. So, this helps you connect with the people talking and be more interested in the topics they discuss.

Let’s break all of this down, and show you how you can optimize your podcast for effective recruitment in 2024.

How do Podcasts for Recruitment Actually Work?

A good podcast can transform a business and generate new revenue streams while strengthening the company’s sales and marketing processes. Typically, modern business leaders will have no problem realizing the potential of launching a podcast when it comes to sales and marketing.

But when it comes to finding and keeping employees, podcasts might not seem as helpful. So, it’s easier to use podcasts for marketing and sales, but using them for hiring can be tricky.

The way to do this is to look at a podcast as a part of your recruitment stack. The episodes on your podcast and the guests you host will serve different parts of the recruitment funnel. This allows for effective recruitment tracking, and it allows your team to follow up with the right messaging based on audience interactions.

Think of each podcast episode as a way to reach and educate your audience, and then to spark conversations and incentivize them to get in touch.

You’ll be able to gather valuable data about your viewers after each episode and follow up with the people who clicked on the link and followed your call to action (CTA) prompts. 

Eliminating Spoken and Written Bias

When it comes to talent acquisition in the modern world, you have to be mindful of the way you speak to your audience and how you present your brand image. 

One of the biggest mistakes that businesses make during recruitment is that they allow subconscious biases to slip through the cracks and into their online voice. In other words, your recruitment podcast can easily deter talent and even harm your brand’s image if you’re not careful.

That’s why it’s important to use Ongig’s Text Analyzer when you’re creating podcast scripts, descriptions, topics, and messaging in general. Just like you would use Text Analyzer to eliminate bias from your job descriptions and brand voice in general, you could run your podcast materials through the tool to make sure that everything follows your diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) policies and guidelines. 

Here are just some biases you need to be wary of in your podcasts:

  • Ageism
  • Ethnicity
  • Gender bias
  • Race
  • Disability

From your hosts to your guests, all through the things you talk about and the copy you create for your podcasts, it needs to be bias-free if you want your podcast to generate results.

Podcasts for Recruitment: Hosting Remote Guests Regularly

Whether you have a remote workplace or an on-site operation, the great thing about a podcast is that you can run it from anywhere, between hosts and guests who are anywhere in the world. 

Why is this important to keep in mind? Because you don’t have to have a professional studio or invest in an expensive setup to have a successful podcast.

What you need the most are good hosts, good scripts, and good guests. To record a podcast remotely and have good production value, most of the work will be done by your editors.

That said, there’s only so much these experts can do on their own—you also need some equipment to ensure they get you the best final edits.

Here are some pieces of equipment you should have in your own office:

  • A USB microphone with a pop filter
  • Quality headphones for monitoring
  • An HD camera, preferably a camcorder
  • Podcast recording software
  • A dedicated screen for your script and notes

On the guest’s side, they should have all the same things, excluding the recording software and a dedicated screen. Your guests can also just work off of what they have—even if it’s just a laptop.

The point is that you shouldn’t skip out on amazing guests just because they can’t come to the office to record your podcast—instead, focus on hosting these experts remotely.

Making Your Podcast Discoverable Online

Whenever we talk about recruiting and using different methods to attract talent, we also need to address discoverability. Search engine optimization (SEO) is of the utmost importance since you will want your podcast to start appearing in search results.

The potential to reach thousands of people is growing every day, because remember that you can also post snippets and shorts across different platforms to promote your full-length recordings. 

So, how do you optimize your podcast and what goes into a podcast SEO checklist? Well, here it is:

  • Create engaging titles around a relevant keyword
  • Create meta descriptions that include a keyword
  • Craft descriptions that are structured, detailed, and keyword-rich
  • Make sure to speak your keywords
  • Publish transcripts (optimize with keywords and headings) on your site
  • Gather reviews from listeners
  • Include CTAs and get people to share the episode
  • Cut your recordings into social-media-friendly clips

You can also upload your podcasts to Google Podcasts. So, YouTube and other streaming platforms are no longer your only options.

Another thing to keep in mind here is that you have an opportunity to make your recruitment podcasts more discoverable through repurposing. You can use some fun content repurposing methods to achieve this.

You can put your podcast in an email, turn a snippet into a nice image or infographic, transcribe it into an article, and even make social media graphics and carousel posts. All of this will boost the visibility of the podcast.

So, what should you talk about?

Podcasts for Recruitment: General vs. Hyper-Focused Podcasts

There are two main ways you can approach your podcast strategy: with a technical focus or a more generalized approach. 

To use podcasts for hiring, talk about different topics. Some should be about specific jobs, and others can focus on building your company’s brand, culture, and education.

Some of the most competitive sectors, like IT, need to get hyper-specific with their topics. But they also need to attract talent through culture and brand building. That’s why modern IT recruitment agencies will use niche podcasts specific to the roles they’re looking to fill to attract the top talent in the industry.

These people want to watch podcasts that add value to their own work, while general topics serve to bring them closer to the brand and its identity.

Getting Your HR Pros Involved

When you’re planning those general topics and you’re scripting those episodes, you need to bring your HR team in as your key guests.

These are the pros who know everything there is to know about your company’s culture, mission, and what the brand is all about. They’re the ones helping to lead the HR digital transformation in your company. And that means that they have a lot of value to add to your podcast. 

Here’s what they can talk about:

  • The brand’s identity and values
  • Your culture and daily dynamics
  • Communication and collaboration between teams
  • What kind of people the company is looking for
  • Onboarding, training, development
  • Perks and benefits

People will want to hear from them, but only if they can see that they are coming from a place of honesty and transparency. Make no mistake, people will see if they’re only trying to talk the company up. So, make sure to stick to the topics that are relevant to your audience. 

Making Your Podcast More Professional

One of the most important elements of a successful podcast is working with the right software. Choosing the right tool will depend on your budget and your needs, as well as how many additional features you want—some companies include AI tools.

Podcast software and tools in general are similar to webinar software in the sense that they provide features like HD conferencing, live editing, animations, and mixing. So, with these features, you can keep your podcast engaging while you’re recording. 

But good podcast software will also bring quality-of-life features like noise reduction, cloud storage, file sharing, multi-platform broadcasting, and more.

Your podcast doesn’t need to be perfect. But, it’s good if it looks somewhat professional. When you show effort in making it, job seekers will be more interested in your company.

On the other hand, good production value can deter job-hoppers from applying, reducing your churn and acquisition overhead. 

Why I Wrote This:

Whether you’re hiring people to work from home or in an office, it’s important to update your hiring methods in 2024. So, using modern media like podcasts can help. It makes your company look good and educates people about your company. Plus, it also encourages the right people to apply for jobs.

Use these tips to optimize your podcast for recruitment and leverage Ongig’s Text Analyzer to make sure your scripts, descriptions, and all other content are optimized across the board. Our Text Analyzer tool will help you create copy that’s inclusive, fair, and welcoming to all. Request a demo to see exactly how it works.

by in HR Content