Aesthetic Providers: Is a podcast worth your time?

So, you want to attract new patients to your medical aesthetics practice or medical spa. You also want to engage more with your current patients and tell them about the new cosmetic treatments you're offering. But you're already doing the social media staples of Facebook and Instagram. What can you do that's different? A podcast!

But is a podcast going to be worth your time?

If you've been toying with the idea of doing a podcast, please keep reading. In this article, I'll give you a sneak peak into the world of podcasts. This is a method of audio storytelling that can effectively expand your patient base. But there are some do's and don'ts you should be aware of, which I'm going to outline for you. We'll also take a look at the global podcast listener forecast for the next few years. This should help you decide if a podcast is worth doing for medical aesthetic practices.

A Brief History of Podcasts

Podcasts are essentially an extension of radio. They came on the scene in the early 2000s with the realization that audio is a medium worthy of the marketer's attention. The power of audio storytelling and its ability to transport people through sound soon became apparent. Podcasts grew quickly in popularity and have now become tream.

But how do medical spas and medical aesthetic practices fit into this picture? Doesn't the marketing of aesthetic treatments require a visual medium?

Here's the thing. We are in the midst of a podcast boom. There are now over 800,000 Apple podcasts available with close to 20 million episodes. New episodes are being added every day. Nearly 1 in 2 people say they've listened to a podcast. What's more, the average podcast length of 20 minutes is also the average commute time in many parts of the world. Plus, podcasts lend themselves to multitasking, which means people can get things done while they listen.

So, if you are in the medical aesthetics business, podcasts certainly deserve your attention as a way of connecting with your patients.

Podcast Styles

Podcasts come in all shapes and sizes - interviews, panel discussions, advice, nonfiction, fiction, and hybrid. Every geographical region has its own style. In North America, there is more focus on narrative storytelling by a relatable host. In Northern Europe, the sensibility is a bit more experimental. In Britain, the journalistic style prevails, while in the Land Down Under, audio storytelling is pushing the boundaries. The ultimate goal, however, wherever you may be, is to “talk in pictures” and immerse the listener in a story with vivid details.

What makes a good podcast?

Commercially successful podcasts offer the listener one of the following: They transport people to places they haven't been; they tell people things they didn’t know; or they make people look at things differently. A medical aesthetic podcast can arguably fit into all three categories. For example, one doctor might tell listeners the pros and cons of laser hair removal, while another might offer tips on skin care, and yet another might talk about mental health, giving new information to listeners who could end up becoming patients.

Podcasts with the biggest audiences tell an original story or present a compelling point of view. A relatable host always helps. For instance, a nurse practitioner or new provider in the community are relatable hosts for anything to do with medical aesthetics because people will trust the information they provide and feel a strong connection to the hosts. Now, here's something that even the best written marketing emails cannot achieve.

Good podcasts tell a multi-dimensional story with music, narration, and interviews to keep listeners interested and coming back for more episodes. There is a balance in the content, including emotions, informative value, and surprise elements. The best podcasts stay away from clichéd stories and done-to-death genres. Also, they don't overpack an episode with information. They leave some time for listeners to digest the information and think.

Thinking of making a foray into podcasting?

So… if you're thinking about venturing into podcasting, i.e., starting your own podcast for your medical aesthetics practice, here are a few tips: Take your time. There's no point rushing and creating an inferior product. Make a few pilots, pitch ideas, invest in good equipment but nothing too expensive. And understand your target market. In the following paragraphs, I've got some key takeaways for you, gleaned from an Insider Intelligence report that looked at the future of podcasts in 18 countries over the next few years.

Where have people embraced podcasts the most?

With nearly 118 million monthly podcast listeners, the United States tops the charts. Penetration is also good in Sweden, Norway, and Spain in Europe as well as in Canada and Australia. Given the huge population size in countries like China and Brazil, they also rank high in terms of absolute numbers of podcast listeners.

If you are located in any of these countries with high podcast adoption rates, you've got an edge already. In other words, these are excellent markets for a podcast on medical aesthetics.

Where are podcasts growing the fastest?

Latin America, specifically Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico are expected to increase podcast listenership by up to 20%. The growth in these markets will exceed that in Europe and North America. Individually, China will show the fastest growth thanks to a currently low podcast penetration.

Where are podcasts still lagging?

The Asia-Pacific region lags the rest of the world significantly in terms of podcast adoption. Penetration is currently lowest in China, Japan, and South Korea. This is an important finding for medical aesthetics, given that South Korea is a big market for cosmetic products and treatments.

Key Findings

English-speaking countries have embraced podcasts the most.

North America has the highest and Asia-Pacific the lowest number of podcast listeners.

The US tops the charts in both content production and podcast adoption.

Latin America is an emerging market with a rapidly growing podcast listener base.

In 2022, Canada will become the third ranking country in podcast listenership, behind only the US and Sweden.

Spanish is going to be the second most common language in the world of podcasting after English.

The number of monthly podcast listeners is forecast to increase by over 15% in the 18 countries and will touch nearly 425 million in 2022.

Even with a low podcast penetration rate, China has a whopping 85 million podcast listeners due to its huge population. Brazil also ranks high, with nearly 40 million listeners, which is more than the UK, Canada, and Australia combined.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to a boost in podcast listening as people sought digital engagement at home. There was a nearly 21% increase in monthly podcast listeners across 18 key markets in 2020. But this is not a pandemic fad that will fade. In 2019, listenership grew by over 22% as well.

The Takeaway

Whether you are a new doctor in the community or you have a well-established medical aesthetics practice, doing a podcast for your clients is definitely something worth considering. You can bring the exciting world of aesthetic medicine to your listeners by interviewing plastic surgeons and cosmetic surgeons from your practice. You can introduce listeners to innovations in the aesthetics industry, talking about your opinions and experiences with cosmetic treatments. The list of topics is endless, from skin care and nutrition to beauty and wellness. Provide interesting and informative audio content and there's a good chance you'll catch the attention of prospective patients.

Consider this.... prospective clients for your medical spa receive marketing emails and send them straight to the bin. They don't even bother opening your carefully drafted email. Or maybe they open it but only to click on the unsubscribe link.

Now consider this... You catch these same prospective clients on their morning commute and talk about an exciting new treatment on your podcast that can make them look years younger without surgery, and bingo! they're interested!