Why Podcast?

If you know me you know I am an avid podcast listener. I also create them, from the recording to the editing to the distribution. To me, it’s the perfect platform, and in the right hands (or voice), podcasting your story or content is easy to do. As in: easy to create and easy for your followers to digest. But where it really excels is in its ability to connect deeply and personally with an audience… the best part is, it can accomplish all of this inexpensively and quickly.

With all that being said, why podcast? You do need to take care and to make sure you have a good plan in place for your podcasting activities before you start them. Make sure you connect them to all of the distribution outlets that make sense for you, you tag them with analytics, and that you promote them in your social media. Take some time to think through your tone and your setup since once you start these will become the hallmarks of your sound and one you’ll be know for.

So in case you weren’t aware, last year podcasting saw an enormous surge in popularity. Almost 120 million Americans listened to a podcast, that figure was up over 11 percent from the previous year, meaning almost 70 million people listened to a podcast on a monthly basis. This is why you need to make sure you think through your podcasting before going live, you will generate an audience very quickly and you don’t want to potentially confuse them or change midstream the audio branding you’ll begin to define and become known for.

That’s also why both content producers and advertisers are jumping at chances for more visibility (or listenability) in this space. Let’s go back a bit so that we can better understand how podcasts got to this sweet spot—and what you can do to take advantage of their growing popularity.

So Why is Podcasting so Popular?

What’s responsible for the ongoing growth? Podcasts are not new; they’ve been around for more than 10 years, and audiobooks have been around longer.

Here are just a few of the reasons why (in my humble opinion) they have gotten popular:

• The exhaustion of screens. Scrolling through screens that require your total attention to read the written word is exclusive. Listening is not exclusive and podcasts give the audience the ability to multi task. Rather than using your eyes, you use your ears; there are silences, pauses, and genuine human voices rather than words and images on a screen.
• Production value. I can produce a podcast economically. The cost-to-value ratio for podcasts is very low, the economics are compelling. Producing a podcast costs far less than producing a TV or a radio show (all you really need is a microphone or two, a copy of Audacity for editing, and a hosting service for the audio files) and “ta-dah” you’re podcasting!
• Internet and mobility. Obviously, the current generation of mobile devices and internet speeds has helped to accelerate the consumption of podcasts. It’s possible to download new material anywhere, very quickly, and listen to podcasts without interference; you can’t say the same about TV shows and movies, since mobile screens are too small to deliver a valuable viewing experience. Making podcasts the go to medium for commutes and busywork.
• Connected cars. Still a new concept with not a lot of consistency between brands, but the emergence of the connected car, one that is capable of streaming audio from numerous sources, is definitely on the increase. This ability is introducing podcasts to the daily commuters, thus accelerating their growth.

Popularity Lessons

High school is alive and well in the podcasting world, as in, just because it’s popular now doesn’t mean it will be popular in the future. Take care to plan your podcasting activities so that you don’t come across as obtuse or cheap and make sure you recognize where the attractions are coming from and emulate them. So here’s what podcasters and content producers should consider when they connect their brand to a podcast:

1. Preferences are ever-shifting. Understand that consumer preferences aren’t headed in any linear direction. Podcasts saw a brief surge in popularity when the term first appeared over a decade ago, but they dropped by the wayside as consumers gravitated toward social media-related content. Now however, consumers are back to the podcast game in full force. Most consumer content preferences evolve, at least in part, as a reaction to trends that came before them. This makes it dangerous to invest too heavily in any one medium.
2. Cost doesn’t dictate value. Just because something is expensive to produce doesn’t mean it’s going to yield more value for you. Production value, obviously is critical; investing in original research for your written content or podcast is going to make a big difference. The key takeaway is that it’s possible to create targeted, interesting content for your podcast that achieves a great following even a thin budget so don’t cut too many corners in your zeal to save.
3. Technologies predict consumption trends. In what should be an obvious lesson, technological advances tend to predict content consumption patterns. The rise of mobile devices and 4G internet helped drive the success of podcasts because it’s more convenient for users to download and listen to them on the go.
4. Influencers drive everything. Finally, consider that even with all the other factors supporting podcasts, it would have been impossible for the medium to get any traction if it weren’t for a few quality content producers that showed how engrossing the medium could be. Influencers are the drivers of trends in our society, so it pays to watch them, learn from them, and if at all possible, network with them in your bid to become an influencer in your own right.

If you’re interested in jumping on the podcast bandwagon directly, you should consider creating a podcast specifically for your brand. Otherwise, there are many valuable lessons to learn from the popularity of podcasts that you can carry to your other content mediums.

This is a great time to be a content marketer, and I am happy to see the growing of this medium. When I was a teenager the way I would wake-up, go to school, work, and go to sleep was with the radio playing in the background. So the resurgence of this audio medium, albeit in a different digital form, is comforting and familiar.

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