Go Where The Eyeballs Are
I want to raise with you the power of podcasting.
If you’re looking to amplify your message, look at new mediums, ride the trends of where the eyeballs are, give some thought to this.
Personally, many of you will know that I run a couple of podcasts called The Open Mike and the Force and Friction Podcast shows, and the reason I chose to do it is that I saw a major trend moving in the marketplace and that is obviously the smartphone revolution where people can access more than just social media from their handsets.
The Convenience of Podcast Listening
Think about how popular audiobooks are and how far they’ve come, if I’m stuck here in my car, I can’t read a book, but I can listen to an audiobook.
Podcasting has a very, very similar sort of convenience factor that means it doesn’t matter if you’re at home, you’re in the car, you out in the gym on a treadmill, you can listen to a podcast and get that valuable piece of information.
Now, whether that’s a business podcast or leisure podcast or family and health and well being podcast, it doesn’t matter.
Here are some crazy, crazy stats, but realistically, you know you’d be a fool not to at least take notice of these and a serious contributor to where your ideal customers and audience are.
The Exponential Growth of Podcasts
Apple reported just over 550,000 podcasts on its channel in June 2018. Twelve months later, there were over 750,000 podcasts. So, you might be thinking, with a 200,000 growth in podcasts, that’s over 4,000 podcasts a week getting released.
Now, one thing about competitive positioning is if there is a lot of competition and a lot of people are doing it, that’s because there’s a demand for it.
People don’t keep putting money into running podcasts unless it works.
The Podcast Growth
So, if you think about it, 200,000 people have launched podcasts in the 12 months. Why? The smartphone revolution. Podcasts are in their hands.
The WWDC worldwide developer conference reports that podcast listeners are more educated and dedicated because they’re seeking knowledge. They’re taking time out. I think there’s a Nielsen report as well that states that the average American now listens to over seven hours of podcasts per week.
Now, you know that may be a blend of business, consumer, or retail. It doesn’t really matter.
Podcast Content Diversity
The reality is, even if you look at TV shows like Chernobyl, one of the best-rated shows on IMDb, that’s just recently come out on Sky Atlantic, the HBO miniseries. Even HBO has released all their scripts on a podcast.
So, that’s showing you the diversity of the podcast from a TV script, from television stations to people like myself who work in the business growth community to sports channels, and political shows to name a few.
I watch Sophy Ridge on Sky News on Sunday morning. She’s got a podcast for political news.
So the diversity and the breadth of podcasts and knowledge are there. It’s super convenient. And guess what? They’re free!
Getting Started With Podcasting
Checkout – podcastinsights.com
I’ll give you a little bit of background on how you get started with podcasting.
I can look back on my journey. In 2016, we played around within the first 10 episodes. We were trying to find the format.
Here’s a quick set of bullet points to get you going:
- Start with the topic: Think about what your podcast is going to be about and whether the content will help solve problems or create interest in your specific audience.
- Pick the format of your show: For me, it’s pretty straightforward. I interview influencers from around the world about their specialist subjects.
My format for The Open Mike is as follows:
- I introduce the title and specialist subject of the show.
- I then give my personal view on it and share my experiences, helping to frame the subject.
- I introduce the influencer and give a bio about their credibility and authority.
- I ask five questions about the specialist subject.
- I give a recap at the end to summarize.
- I then close out on the show.
Podcast Duration & Frequency
My podcasts run on average 45 to 60 minutes. There are some at only 30 minutes and then the really deep dive ones are done at 90 minutes.
I average an hour I publish them at least four to five times a month.
Different shows will have different frequencies and formats, I mentioned Sophy Ridge on Sunday on Sky News and she does a political podcast.
Sophy Ridge On Sunday is a recording / basically repurposed TV show into a podcast.
Podcast Hosting & Distribution
So, it’s not difficult. If you get your format right, your show’s topic clear, the hosting and distribution is straightforward.
We use BuzzSprout. It starts from a free version. Our current plan is about $30-$40 a month because we have a lot of content. That will push it out to all the distribution channels like:
- Spotify
- Amazon
- Apple Podcasts
- Plus many more
Production Counts
We may even overproduce our podcasts, but we certainly make it high value. Your listeners are more likely to subscribe, and the quality of guests you’ll attract will be higher.
Podcasting Consistency Is Essential
A pro-tip when it comes to podcasting is consistency. Do not keep changing the experience for your listeners. If they sign up for a podcast for a specific reason, whether that’s a daily, weekly, or monthly podcast, they expect to get value delivered consistently.
Constantly Review Analytics and Apply What You Learn
It is essential to improve, modify, and analyze your podcasts. Platforms like BuzzSprout will provide you with great feedback and analytics. This helps you improve your podcast, receive feedback, and discover your niche.
Why Not Podcasting?
Why not use podcasting as another marketing medium? You already use more traditional mediums such as:
- Direct mail
- Press releases
- Magazine ads
- Trade shows
- Pay-per-click
- Facebook Ads
- Google search ads
- Email marketing
- Webinars
Why not podcasting?
Conclusion
I’d love to hear from you. Do you have any questions about podcasting? Always here to help you start, grow, and thrive. Let me know how I can support your next big move.
