AgentAdvantage podcast

Promoting platform launches through educational audio

To make the launch of a new sales framework and a new sales enablement platform a success, our client wanted to experiment promotion via audio. I helped propose, write, and direct several podcast episodes on various lead generation and sales topics for Medicare sales agents that shared the value of these new tools.

Due to high regulation in the Medicare industry and other challenges, producing the episodes took some creative problem solving. The final episodes demonstrated the quality of our work, but ultimately saw little engagement due to promotional choices beyond our control.

  • Fortune 40 healthcare company

  • Content strategist, director, and writer

  • 2023–2025

  • Podcast

Business need

Top pain points heard from agents included technology frustrations, an overwhelming number of plan choices, and wanting more Medicare leads. The podcast episodes were designed to address these by sharing the client’s investment in new, best-in-class technology, a simplified portfolio of plans and sales framework, and best lead generation practices and resources.

My roles

Strategy

I ensured the feasibility of the project, pitched the content of the episodes to the client, and consulted our video production department to plan the execution of the projects. This project demanded particularly careful planning and foresight.

The highly regulated nature of the Medicare industry meant that words needed to be chosen carefully to remain compliant. That meant carefully crafting interview questions, coaching interviewees on how to frame their answers to produce usable audio, ensuring that the episodes went through legal review with minimal changes, and capturing enough usable audio to leave options open.

In addition, sales and technology platforms were scheduled to launch after the release of the episode. To keep the episodes relevant, we had to carefully navigate interviews to ensure that sound bites were applicable before and after platform launches. We also had to record multiple versions of intros, outros, and promotional spots within the episodes that we could swap out after platform launches.

Execution

Working with Video Production, I interviewed SMEs, wrote host scripts, edited interviews into flowing podcast episodes, helped make audio choices as we worked with the audio engineer, and reviewed and QAed the final deliverables.

Process and approach

  1. Assess feasibility, outline episodes, and pitch content to client.
  2. Preparation and logistics: find a host and SMEs, plan interviews, prep for recording, plan for legal roadbumps and platform launches.
  3. Draft interview questions and interview SMEs.
  4. Edit, condense, and reorganize raw interviews into a logical, flowing, and engaging dialogue. Draft host script.
  5. Submit scripts through multiple rounds of review and revisions.
  6. Record scripted host part.
  7. Work with audio engineer to put it all together into the final podcast episodes.
  8. QA and publish podcast episodes.

Solutions delivered

Over the course of two years, we produced six podcast episodes covering strategies for lead generation, cross selling, member retention, referrals, compliance, and using new sales technology tools and frameworks. These episodes were published on the client’s agent training website and new sales enablement platform.

Results

Unfortunately, these episodes saw minimal engagement due to lack of promotion. We had recommended that these episodes be aggregated and distributed on podcast catchers, as this is where most people listen to audio; and that they be promoted more by email.

However, these episodes were published on only on the client’s CMS and saw little promotion. On the upside, we were able to use compare metrics from this project with other projects to show that content only sees engagement if it is sufficiently promoted.

Skills and tools used

Content strategy

Creative pitching

Content writing

Audio production

Reflections

Always ensure sufficient promotion; content won’t find engagement in a vacuum.

Insist on professional-quality voice talent or hosts.

Samples

Available upon request

This project contains proprietary materials for the eyes of serious prospective employers only.