Branded podcasts for schools and universities

The University of Paris, Paris Dauphine University, Grenoble Alpes University, EDHEC, IPAG... No, I'm not listing the best universities and schools in France! I'm just listing the ones that already have their own podcast. Podcasts are an increasingly popular tool in higher education. Indeed, a simple search for "university podcast" on Google brings up a series of links to university podcasts, each more recent than the last...So why is the " audible revolution " cited in 2004 by Ben Hammersley - a journalist at The Guardian - now affecting higher education?

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Why is podcasting important for universities?

Let's talk sincerely...Many schools and universities need help! Among the challenges facing a university are :

• Student recruitment
• Student retention,
• Students' pedagogical needs,
• Donor relations,
• Partner relations,
• The link with former students...

Shall I continue? No, I think you've got it! These problems need real solutions that offer real value.

University podcast: a great way to reach potential students

Isn't increasing enrolment one of a university's key objectives?The podcast audience has grown by 10-20% every year since 2013. And, according to Médiamétrie, we're seeing 15% growth from April 2020 to April 2021.

What's more, the accessibility of this format continues to increase with the help of technologies such as :

• Google Home,
• Amazon's Alexa,
• Spotify and its new podcast options.

This means that the panel of potential students able to listen to a podcast is growing... year on year - and the proof is in the pudding! As mentioned in the article "PODCASTS IN FRANCE: KEY FIGURES", podcasts are gaining ground among students (+12%).

A godsend for universities seeking to boost enrolment in a highly competitive sector. But that's not all!

The benefits of audio for building brand awareness

With this, audio has unique advantages over other media. According to the CSA and Havas Paris study, 87% of weekly listeners believe that offering podcasts is a good way for a brand to communicate. It's therefore an excellent way of creating "awareness" for a university. It can highlight :

• The expertise of its teaching staff(their teaching techniques, advances in their research)
• University life
• Post-university learner results (What happened to them?)

An effective podcast can therefore drive marketing efforts forward. Above all, it can have a greater impact than any other communication channel.

Podcasts encourage people to take action

For 27% of French listeners, the podcast makes them want to find out more about the product/service. So imagine a student, just out of high school, trying to figure out the next step in his or her higher education career and coming across your podcast...

It will :

• Find out more about your university,
• Potentially take action (by visiting your website, going to your open days)
• Consider your university more than any other.

Podcasts therefore encourage listeners to take action(no wonder they're multiplying like Gremlins being doused with water in this sector).‍

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Advertising on podcasts is more popular

65% of French listeners think that the amount of promotional content in podcasts is "just right". More than any other digital medium.

Using university podcasts to adapt teaching solutions

Closed university or not, there's no doubt that new generations of students aren't learning like they used to (Thank you, Mr Steve and Jamy from C'est pas Sorcier). And unfortunately for universities - and fortunately for students -... A university has to adapt.

Why do students use university podcasts?

The study carried out for the Free University of Brussels on podcasts at university shows that the main reasons why students use podcasts are :

• Catching up on missed lessons
• Completing and/or structuring notes
• Review a misunderstood passage
• Exam preparation

Audio content for greater teaching flexibility

Another important element is the idea of offering students a multi-media means of learning. A case in point is theUniversity of Paris 2 Panthéon-Assas, which has adapted to the many confinements it faces. In addition to a live broadcasting system, Université Paris 2 has deployed a podcasting system in its main lecture theaters, enabling students to view lectures:

• 48 hours after the course,
• For 7 days.

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This gives students the flexibility to organize their learning in any medium:

• Computer,
• Phone number,
• Tablet.

University podcasts, an alternative to educational videos

83% of podcast listeners say they would like to learn without being in front of a screen (Study: Institut CSA) So, where video experienced a craze linked to MOOCs, then exponential linked to online training... The time has now come for the video resource with an educational vocation to be challenged. Still according to the Institut CSA Study, ⅔ of podcast listeners would like to "learn while being able to do something else at the same time".Which coincides with the idea that for 84% of French listeners this allows them to learn anywhere/anytime.

And I'm told that it's this great listening flexibility that will revolutionize the university podcast.

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Avner UZAN