Podcasts offer flexibility to reach on-the-go staffers

PepsiCo’s ‘Sound Bites’ deliver 7-minute updates and interviews of interest to employees

What if you could engage employees while they’re walking to work in the morning, having lunch, or preparing dinner at night?

You can—with a podcast. Most companies have cut back on audio in favor of the more enticing video, but audio podcasts remain a cheap and easy way to reach on-the-move employees.

“The podcast as a channel has great advantages,” says Sharon McIntosh, director of global internal communications for PepsiCo. “The main one is that employees can listen whenever they want. They don’t have to be sitting at their computer at a certain time. They can download the podcast to their iPods and listen to it on travel, while they’re in the field, or driving. They can multitask.”

Pepsi has been perfecting its internal podcasts, called “Sound Bites” for years and producers think they’ve found the perfect formula: seven minutes of four to five interesting, conversational questions and answers with company leaders or topic experts.