Why Podcasting Is Your Best Chance for Success

Any content we consume today generally falls under one of three mainstream media; audio, literary or visual. While each of us may be attracted to one particular medium depending on how well we tend to learn, audio podcasting offers the highest overall chance of success for brands and marketers.

Over the past decade, the realm of podcasting has grown exponentially. According to research from Gartner, more than 155 million Americans regularly listened to podcasts throughout 2020 (nearly double the number in 2018), with about 24% of them listening weekly — a statistic only projected to grow over the next few years. Today, almost any brand, business, influencer or individual now has access to the tools they need to launch podcasts, spread valuable content to a listening audience, and grow their online presence.

Considering the low barriers to entry for an industry that has grown so rapidly since its inception, it’s no surprise that so many brands and entrepreneurs are successful through podcasting. To help uncover why this is the case, people need to understand what makes podcasting an attractive medium for hosts and listeners alike.

Podcasting is more intimate than any other content medium

When we think about the messages brands convey through their marketing initiatives, we don’t often think of email newsletters or social media posts as “intimate” forms of communication. This is part of what makes podcasting a major avenue for communicating valuable information to listeners, especially by brands and marketers.

At its core, podcasting is simply a newer digital avenue for storytelling. Humans are highly interpersonal creatures. We rely on language to convey feelings, needs, knowledge, and more. Through effective storytelling, we can explore and learn more about the elements and topics that have an impact on ourselves, the people around us and our lives. Podcasting does this in a variety of ways, but nearly all do it in a much more intimate way.

When we listen to podcasts, we become audiences for virtual storytellers. Instead of sharing the setting with other people, we are the audience ourselves. For brands, marketers, or anyone else running their own podcast, this allows them to create a more personal and intimate experience for every listener in their audience. This idea of ​​personal intimacy fosters a much deeper feeling of engagement and loyalty among listeners than mass-distributed forms of marketing such as newsletters or heavily edited videos. By doing so, it gives podcasters the opportunity to grow their brand and their following in a more authentic way.

Podcasts give brands a new way to grow their following

Podcasts, like every other form of content, are produced with a fundamental goal in mind: adding value to consumers. When listeners listen to podcasts, they do so in the hope that the content they listen to will add value to their lives, whether through educational information, discussing a difficult topic or simply wanting to be entertained for a short time.

The more value listeners get from a particular podcast, the more likely they are to subscribe, download episodes regularly, listen to the episode in its entirety, and follow the podcast’s parent brand on other platforms. With 50% of US households and 16% of all listeners describing themselves as “fans” of the more than 500,000 podcasts available, this shows us that the more valuable and engaging the content of a podcast, the greater the chance for its brand to grow its online following into a consumer community. loyal.

To achieve this for your brand, your podcast content must be valuable and engaging enough for listeners that they see you as an expert on the subject of your content message. For example, if your podcast focuses on entrepreneurial tips, you should present yourself as a credible and successful entrepreneur. If you can’t do it yourself, work on booking and bringing in guests who can lend their own credibility and success to the topic.

The more credible your content is to listeners, the more they will trust you and your brand as a reliable source of valuable information. The more they view you that way, the more likely they are to follow your brand on other platforms, leading to the creation of a multi-platform community of loyal followers who contribute to your success.

Podcasting helps your brand stay relevant to its consumers

If cash is the currency of our economy, consumer concern is the currency of our brands and businesses. Long gone are the days where we follow current trends or progress through newspapers or evening news shows. Since 2019, nearly two-thirds of modern consumers have preferred listening to podcasts over watching television. This tells us that the majority of consumers today are far more likely to consume engaging content through podcasts than any other form of media — as long as the content remains relevant to them.

Every brand, business, and entrepreneur knows how important it is to stay relevant, especially in a realm that’s oversaturated by competitors like podcasts. By producing content around current and upcoming trends in your sector, as well as including a host or guest speaker on your podcast to offer their own expert insight on the subject, you can maintain an edge over the competition by providing your most up-to-date listeners with information. current and relevant as possible.

The more often you offer relevant information to your listeners, the more credible you and your brand will be. As previously mentioned, higher credibility for your brand will translate into a larger and more loyal audience of followers not only for your podcast, but across all platforms where you and your brand are present. No other content medium offers the same level or level of potential growth as podcasting, which is why podcasts are your brand’s best chance to become a successful leader in your industry.