To commemorate Pesel & Carr’s 20th year, we are publishing a series of our top 20 tips, recommendations, insights and more, right here on our website.
Testing, testing… In today’s edition, we look at the top 20 reasons why podcasting is the next channel you should look into.
1. Podcasting is portable and convenient. In the age of smartphones and tablets, reading entire articles can be a taxing job and standing out in the online crowd an even harder one. But with podcasting, it’s all done ‘on the go’. Whew!
2. Podcasting is Australia’s fastest growing content medium.
3. While there are no available statistics on exactly how many people listen to podcasts in Australia, research conducted by Edison in the United States estimated 17% of Americans have listened to at least one podcast during the previous month.
4 It’s one of the most popular forms of entertainment and information next to television; the average podcast audience listens to an average of 5.5 podcasts per weeek.
5. It provides an excellent way to reach out and build a community, and provides a new and unique touchpoint through which to engage your target audience.
6. You only need to spend a little money in order to make money. Yep, you heard that correctly, launching a quality podcast doesn’t have to involve breaking the bank, especially when the start-up equipment can be as simple as a laptop and a mic; and
7. Being a tech wizard isn’t a prerequisite. The beauty of podcasting is that it offers a simple, intimate and accessible way for even the most niche brand to tell its story in a chatty and conversational way.
8. Podcasts can help an organisation or individual in becoming a thought leader within their industry, providing another platform to share their expert insights
9.The creative freedom afforded by podcasts ensures that audiences hear from a wide variety of speakers, guests and industry professionals – all from rich backgrounds.
10. Spontaneity is what brought the subscriber back. Even if rehearsed a dozen times, going off-script and making ‘errors’ can be inevitable. But the good news is that this adds a natural and authentic quality to your brand.
11. It’s all about personality! Remember, you’re not reading slabs of written text. Show your audience how enthusiastic you are about the topic – tone is invaluable to fostering a connection with your audience.
12. Humanising your brand. Just like putting a face to the name, it doesn’t hurt to put a voice to the brand, either.
13. It’s also about practicality. Podcasting allows you to communicate more clearly what your key messages are within the episode. The enthusiasm and clarity in your message is only emphasised through your tone of voice.
14. You can say more for less. In a world full of character-restricted tweets and short, sharp blog posts, we’re forced to get our messages out as succinctly as possible. But with podcasts, the unrestricted time slots allows for deeper and more meaningful conversations.
15. Dare we say that maintenance isn’t required? One of the advantages of doing a podcast is that once the file has been launched, the podcast isn’t very hard to maintain.
16. Daily uploads are not required, or even expected, as free reign over the uploading schedule tends to be more common among podcasts than other channels.
17. As with any communication medium, putting out consistent material will help to build a decent-sized following. The same can be said for podcasting which, if done regularly, allows for brand loyalty to build among your subscribers.
18. Podcasts are audibly binge-worthy. Due to the free-flowing nature of podcasts the audience is far more likely to stick around and listen to the entire episode. And if they like it, chances of them coming in for another fix is likely.
19. They’re fun! Podcasts are a great way to showcase the individual flare of your brand as no two episodes should ever be the same.
20. They can also truly help achieve social change;
Last month Victoria Police release a podcast called Unspeakable, discussing real life cases of sexual crimes and ‘bringing their stories out from the shadows and into the light’.
In its short lifetime is has already seen huge success, reaching the number one spot on the iTunes chart. However it’s true success lies in its ability to truly make a difference in the community; in the first week the podcast was released, a victim of sexual crime came forward, and Victoria Police are now investigating.
If you’ve enjoyed this article, and are interested in how podcasting can work for you or your organisation, contact Pesel & Carr on 9036 6900.
