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Do you want to put your professional expertise on the map?
Are you looking to boost your brand visibility?
Or maybe you’d love a chance to connect and share your ideas with like-minded people?
Today there are tons of formats and platforms to easily create and distribute original content to a global audience via the internet. You have video-based content (vlogs) as seen on platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitch, etc. If standing in front of a camera isn’t your cup of tea, but you have a way with words, you can share content through blogging.
There is yet another way to share your ideas and opinions to a global audience that slots in between blogging and vlogging: podcasting. It combines the storytelling of blogs with the instant information exchange of video/audio files. Podcasting is a convergence of existing technologies that we never knew we needed; it’s groundbreaking and revolutionary.
Unsurprisingly, you’ve probably heard the word “podcast” thrown around quite often lately and wondered,
“What is all this podcasting chatter about?”
Perhaps you have a friend who keeps pestering you to listen to an episode from their favorite podcast show. Or maybe you’re running a business, and someone mentioned that a podcast would be great for your brand.
For whatever reason the idea of podcasting for business popped up in your mind, you’re in the right place to quench your curiosity. Read on as we strip the concept of B2B podcasting back to basic principles.
This article will assist you develop your ideas and aspirations into a fully-fledged business podcast.
This post is the 1st in a series of “Podcasting Mastered” chapters designed to help you launch and grow an enterprise lead-generating podcast.
There has never been a better time to make your voice heard – and we’re here to help master the art of podcasting with step-by-step guides. This is a blueprint on how to start a podcast free.
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Define Podcasting
The first question for anyone who has never listened to a podcast is, “what’s a podcast, and how does it work?”
The dictionary description of ‘podcast’ is,
“A digital audio recording, usually part of a themed series, that can be downloaded from a website to a media player or computer.”
Please Note: Whereas podcasting might include both audio and video content, we will only focus on the audio format in this course.
Fun Fact: It’s believed that the word podcast is a portmanteau of the words “iPod” and “broadcast.” Well, either that or it’s a blend of “Portable on demand (pod)” and “broadcast.”
Technically, we can define podcasting as the creation of specially encoded multimedia content distributed via the RSS 2.0 protocol to subscribed users. Geek talk aside, a podcast is simply a series of digital episodes available to subscribers on-demand – i.e., audio files of your favorite topics that you can listen to wherever and whenever you want.
Now that you know the meaning of podcasting, the question that follows is, “Why go into podcasting?” The more appropriate question is, “Why not?!” Podcasting is user-friendly, it’s inexpensive, it’s easily accessible, it has low barriers of entry, and it’s a great opportunity to connect with like-minded people. Long story short, venturing into podcasting is a no-brainer. A business podcast can take your brand to the next level.
“Most people that I know are interested in on-demand stuff; podcasts are essentially audio Netflix.”
As highlighted earlier, podcasting strikes a sweet spot by offering in-depth niche content without demanding the target audience’s undivided attention—as is required when consuming video or written content. You can stream or download an episode of your favorite podcast show on the go, on your commute, at home, while doing household chores, or even on your morning run. That is the beauty of podcasting.
This translates to a consistent upward trend in the demand for podcasting content. As of 2021, it’s estimated that 57% of Americans above the age of 12 listen to a podcast at least once. This figure has more than doubled over the last decade – signifying the tremendous growth of podcasting as a medium for content sharing and consumption.
Similarly, data from a survey by Edison Research and Triton Digital shows that at least 41% of Americans aged 12 or older have listened to a podcast in the past month. This is up from 37% in 2020 and a low of 9% in 2008.
While the U.S. is leading the way in the podcasting revolution, the medium is also experiencing a tremendous uptick in other countries from different corners of the globe. According to estimates by Grand View Research, the global podcasting market is expected to experience a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 31.1% between 2021 and 2028.
Podcasting History
Today chances are that there’s a podcast for virtually any topic you can think of – whether it’s culture, sports, politics, latest tech, fitness, health, arts, entertainment, music, video games, or business. If you can Google it, it’s likely on a podcast somewhere. But when did podcasting start?
Podcasts are a relatively new content-sharing format. Podcasting history records suggest that it all began in 2004 – thanks to MTV video jockey Adam Curry and software developer Dave Winer.
Whereas these two pioneers got the idea of podcasting rolling, Ben Hammersley—a Guardian journalist—put a face to the medium by coining the term “podcasting” in his 2004 article titled: Audible Revolution (which, in hindsight, was a fitting heading). He writes, “But what to call it? Audioblogging? Podcasting? GuerillaMedia?” Well, the second word stuck—and the rest is podcasting history. Thinking about it, he played a crucial role in helping define podcasting.
From there, podcasting went from strength to strength as more people bought into the idea of free on-demand audio. Books were written, podcast service providers were launched, and even the former U.S. President George W. Bush delivered his weekly address as a podcast.
In 2006, the visionary inventor and co-founder of Apple, Steve Jobs, demonstrated how to record a podcast in his annual keynote live from Macworld. Within 7 years, in 2013, the iTunes podcast hit a major milestone by eclipsing 1 billion subscriptions spread across 250,000 unique podcast shows. A large part of the skyrocketing popularity of podcasts was fueled by the ubiquity of smartphones – with the revolutionary iPhone debuting in 2007.
“Journalists have linked this online podcasting boom to the ubiquity of smartphones, time spent in transit, and online music services. Others attribute it to the brain-stimulating and addictive effects of audio learning, or the multitasking potential of listening. The beauty is in the overlap.”
In the last few years, podcasts have gradually transitioned from a niche format only known to the tech-savvy to a mainstream audience.
People are catching up with the latest episodes of their favorite shows on the go more than ever before, and major players are scrambling for a share of the increasingly lucrative industry. Podcasting for business in particular is booming – so much so that it’s likened to a gold rush.
Embed this Infographic on your website:
<a data-mil="1276" href="https://podcastbuffs.com/blog/what-is-a-podcast-and-how-does-it-work/"><img decoding="async" style="width:100%;" src="https://podcastbuffs.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/brief-history-of-podcasting.png"></a><br>Brought to you by <a data-mil="1276" href="https://podcastbuffs.com/blog/what-is-a-podcast-and-how-does-it-work/">Podcast Buffs</a>
Can Anyone Create a Business Podcast?
Countless podcasters started out small – having to overcome their anxieties and insecurities.
Yes, pretty much. And with the right structure, you can learn how to start a podcast free.
If you haven’t already given podcasting for business a go, you’re probably wondering, “What is a podcast, and how does it work?” “What do you need to start a B2B podcast?”
If you dream of one day having a loyal fanbase of listeners who could turn into loyal customers, start planning the launch of your podcast right now. Put your unique brand voice out there and connect with potential customers. Countless business podcasters started out small, having to overcome their anxieties and insecurities—and so can you.
“Finding success in podcasting has to be secondary. If you’re getting into it for the success or the money, the industry isn’t quite there yet. It should be for the love of the game right now.”
How Does Podcasting for Business Work?
As a new or aspiring host, one of the most common questions you’ll stumble through at the beginning of your journey is, “how exactly does podcasting for business work?” As ‘techie’ as hosting a podcast might sound, it’s much easier than you think – well, as long as you learn the fundamentals early on.
To help you understand how podcasting works, here’s an infographic to take you through every step of the process.
Embed this Infographic on your website:
<a data-mil="1276" href="https://podcastbuffs.com/blog/what-is-a-podcast-and-how-does-it-work/"><img decoding="async" style="width:100%;" src="https://podcastbuffs.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/How-does-podcasting-work.png"></a><br>Brought to you by <a data-mil="1276" href="https://podcastbuffs.com/blog/what-is-a-podcast-and-how-does-it-work/">Podcast Buffs</a>
Now that you know what a podcast is, the podcasting history, and how it works:
Why should you start a B2B podcast? What do you stand to gain? What are the benefits? And how feasible is it to start a business podcast in this day and age?
We answer these questions and more in our “Podcasting Mastered” series.
Don’t know where to begin? Well, we advise you to start by understanding the common podcasting myths and pitfalls to ensure you don’t fall into the traps that lead to so many unsuccessful podcasts.
We talk more about this in the next post of our “Podcasting Mastered” series.
