The growing popularity of podcasts makes it easy for UAB entities to produce and share content for listeners around the world. With that in mind, UAB producers should ensure that their podcasts are high quality and on brand, and that they represent the university well. Before launching a UAB podcast, please review the best practices and guidelines below, and then complete the form to register your podcast for approval by Marketing & Communications.
General Best Practices
- Have guest speakers sign a media release form.
- UAB and the UAB Health System and its entities require authorization and release forms when students, faculty, staff, patients, and/or others are photographed or recorded in an individual or small-group setting for the purpose of media, marketing, development, and/or customer service. Institutionally approved forms are available here. Modification of the forms is not permitted except by authorized parties. Be sure to choose the correct form: health care or non-health care. Your department must keep the signed forms on file, normally for a period of 36 months.
- Ensure you have rights to any music featured in your podcast.
- The university offers several free music resources.
- Maintain a consistent intro and outro.
- Your intro should include basic information such as your podcast name, purpose/topic, host and guest names, and your affiliation with UAB. In your intro's first mention of UAB, always use the full name: the University of Alabama at Birmingham. UAB may be used in subsequent mentions.
- Keep your podcast intro and outro consistent throughout your series. Example: "This is UAB Memories, where we get nostalgic and share the memories people have made over the years at the University of Alabama at Birmingham."
- Use professional equipment to ensure quality sound.
- Ensure a good auditory experience for your listeners by using professional equipment that helps eliminate background noise.
Podcast-specific Best Practices
- Introduction
- Incorporate a welcome episode or intro.
- Create a simple cover graphic and name that stand out and are easy to remember.
- Consistency
- Create a schedule to publish your podcast (frequency, day, time, etc.).
- Keep the structure of each episode similar so that your audience can become familiar and comfortable with your format.
- Focus on sound quality for the host and any guests or outside media that you feature. Remember that audiences listen to your podcast while doing other activities. Reduce background noise so that they stick with your podcast.
- Plan your content in advance and consider trends, holidays, and anniversaries as a way to capture a nostalgic audience or large theme.
- Content
- Listeners need a reason to tune in to your podcast. In order to do that, you must establish the reason for the podcast: What is your why?
- Use your knowledge of your audience to cultivate content they can relate to, or offer information they need.
- Lean on your experts, but also bring in guests as a way to validate and add value for the audience. If your podcast focuses on storytelling, then develop a diverse content calendar.
- Promotion
- Use appropriate channels to promote your podcast. Social media, websites, newsletters, and more are perfect opportunities to let people know they have another resource for getting to know you or your area.
- Invest in paid social promotion. A little paid promotion can go a long way.
- Have your experts or stakeholders share/repost the podcast on their personal channels (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter). They have built-in audiences that are invested in the content you are producing.
- Collaborate with Marketing & Communications to schedule promotion via eReporter/GreenMail, social media, etc. Complete a Request Publicity form.
- Audience engagement
- Encourage your audience to rate, review, and comment when you promote your podcast on social media. The more engagement you have, then the more that people will see it on their feeds. Social algorithms value engagement above most everything else.
- Find ways to incorporate listeners into your podcast and ask for feedback. Answering questions or giving listener shout-outs will cultivate loyal listeners and a more engaged audience.
- Don’t be afraid to have a personality. In fact, that personality is a part of why people will listen to your show. Just keep in mind that anything you put on your show represents UAB. It may be the only interaction a community member will have with UAB, and it should be authentic and positive.
UAB-specific Guidelines
- Your podcast name and graphic must follow current UAB brand standards and be approved by Marketing & Communications.
- Use UAB's preferred publishing platform, Transistor. Once your podcast is registered and approved, Marketing & Communications will add your podcast to the UAB Transistor account. If your podcast is not on Transistor, then you must regularly report podcast metrics to Marketing & Communications via
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . - Your podcast must be registered with UAB’s Apple account (shown under UAB umbrella).
- You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of sensitive information and for adhering to UAB/UAB Health System rules, regulations, policies, and procedures regarding security and confidentiality including Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and Personal Health Information Act (PHIA).
Measuring Your Success
Launching and maintaining a successful podcast takes a lot of resources. One way to know if a podcast is worth your time and investment is to measure its success regularly. Though Apple doesn't offer reporting on your podcast, UAB is able to glean some metrics from the Transistor platform. You also could measure your podcasts's success in a couple of other ways:
- Social media: Are folks liking your posts, clicking the podcast link, or sharing comments?
- General feedback: Are you receiving any other feedback from listeners?
