The Hot Truth About Podcasting

I’ve been saying for a while that it seems podcasting is where blogging was in 2008, it was hot, everyone was starting one and the top 10% were doing really well and making money from their blogs and that is what is happening in the Podcast space right now, 11 years later.

Podcasting is still in its infancy stage, it is like the wild west, and there is still a chance for you to become an authority, position yourself as an expert and gain some followers and listeners who like what you are saying and what you stand for.

Seth Godin was quoted saying that “Podcasting is the new blogging”.

What did he mean by that? It’s the same opportunity for you right now as it was for blogging years ago. It’s true that podcasting is doing exactly what blogging did for many, its a way to share your content, share ideas, stories and build a community. I believe podcasting builds an audience faster because you are in someone’s ears, a very intimate place to have the privilege to share a message. We can create raving fans a little faster this way!

If you are going to blog or podcast there are 3 things that I recommend you do to make the most of your opportunity:

1. Show up consistently

Showing up consistently is super important for a few reasons. You are building trust with your audience so being consistent is really important. If you are not consistent, you will lose those followers who are hungry for your content.

I remember the first Podcast that I loved called Eventual Millionaire. I binge consumed all of the past episodes until I was caught up and couldn’t wait for the next Monday when a new episode would drop. I would have been sooooo disappointed if the host kipped a week or stopped podcasting altogether! By showing up in my apple feed every Monday she was gaining my trust and in my eyes she was an authority I could trust.

2. Remember you have someone’s attention in a day where time and attention are a precious commodity.

Time and attention are a hard commodity to capture these days. We have so many distractions and many, many things vying for our attention.

When recording a podcast, talk to your audience as if you are sitting across the kitchen table over coffee. If you can speak this way to your audience and they are listening to you, your message will be heard as you are speaking directly to the listener not to the masses. Its the difference between “Hey, everyone how are you today?” Vs “Hey how are ya? I know what you are going through…”

Feel the difference? This will not only grab their attention, it will hold it. The average podcast listener will listen for 30 MINS !!!!! WOW, considering it’s a 3-second attention span when scrolling on social media and less than 3 mins on Youtube. Thirty mins of your listeners’ attention is probably your biggest motivation to start a podcast today!

3. Repurpose your content to other mediums to gain more followers with different learning styles.

I believe you don’t need to choose between a blog or a podcast. It’s not a battle and there isn’t a winner except your audience! By repurposing your content you can get the best of both worlds.

When you create a podcast episode, think about the content layout when you record. If you can make the outline structure similar to a blog post with an opening statement, summary, 2-5 main points then another summary and conclusion then you’ll be fine.

Then, you’ll be able to transcribe that podcast episode and with a little editing, it can easily turn into a blog post. Why would you want to do this? Because the more platforms your audience can consume you on the better. Everyone has a preferred learning style and so those who listen to podcasts may never read a blog post. This way you are getting the most out of your content. Take a few steps further and we can transcribe our shows for blog posts and social media and also record in video so we can use the videos for Youtube. Now we are appeasing the three main learning styles, all from one podcast!

So when Seth Godin says podcasting is the new blogging, he is totally right! We have an opportunity now to make a connection in a new way with a hungry audience. Show up consistently, treat them with respect, deliver amazing content and then transcribe it to a blog post.

You’ll have raving fans coming in from new places to hear you and your message and in turn, watch your business grow!

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