I’ve been working in “audio” for a long time now, both as a radio presenter & audio creator, and I’d have to say that one of the questions I get asked most is:
“Is it worthwhile creating my own podcast?”
If audio products are something you like (or want) to create then it’s definitely worth considering hosting your own podcast because of how beneficial they can be to your online business.
What Is A Podcast?
A podcast is a basically an audio recording (or show) which someone can choose to subscribe to.
“Podcast” by definition is an ongoing subscription to a media file distribution (known as a “feed”). It’s a bit like subscribing to a blog where updates are automatically sent to you by email, except with a podcast you are simply subscribing to a media file instead.
The biggest and most well-known podcast directory in the world is Apple’s iTunes, which currently has over 225 million users.
Where Should I Publish My Podcast?
Listing your podcast on iTunes it’s a smart move, simply because of the amount of traffic it gets, and it means your show can be searched for and downloaded easily by users who are interested in your topic or niche.
Don’t worry, I’m not turning this into sales pitch for iTunes :-) because it’s just as easy to publish your podcast on a site that is hosted outside of iTunes. In fact, your own webhost will usually allow you to put an audio file on their servers too.
However, the benefit of publishing your podcast show on iTunes is that you will open yourself up to two new things:
- New customers who have gone into iTunes and keyword searched your podcast show topic looking for audio information on that topic;
- It’s a whole new way to connect with your existing subscribers and customers.
What Are The Benefits?
Podcasting is an extremely inexpensive and efficient way to get your message across to your existing customers, as well as helping you to attract new customers.
Podcasts also rank well in search engine results in Google, which means it is great for SEO (search engine optimisation) purposes, and these days SEO can really help you build your business.
Which Format Do I Need To Use?
All audio recordings must be saved and uploaded as an MP3 or m4a media file, but don’t worry… there are many programs that can provide this file conversion for you, including many software programs that are available free online.
Who Listens To Podcasts?
One of the great things about podcasts is that they are super-easy to download onto mobile devices like iPods, iPads and smart phones. But it doesn’t end there as I’m also seeing an increase in people downloading podcasts to their PC or Mac too, which is mostly likely due to the fact that the iTunes software is a free download.
Automatically Get In Front Of Clients & Prospects
People can easily subscribe to your podcast shows via iTunes, and as new episodes are uploaded by you the new episode will automatically be downloaded into the podcast subscribers’ device, ready for them to listen to at a later date.
The Bottom Line
Podcasting is becoming more and more popular, with more people having to listen to podcasts to do their research and training. Therefore it is a growing phenomenon that you as a small business owner, or blogger, it’s definitely worth jumping on.
