If you are still pondering why do I need to start a podcast, you are reading the right guide.
Maybe you are like Jeff Bullas, who bought all the gears and equipment needed to start a podcast. He didn’t start but kept all the equipment in a store for three years. It was not just the gears in a dark storeroom; even his idea was in a dark place.
Throughout all this period, he was looking for a big reason why he should have a podcast. Not until he had a sit down with a friend who made him realize he has been sitting on a goldmine all this while. The friend gave him several reasons why he should start publishing a podcast.
We’ll assume that you are like Jeff Bullas, scared of the complex and overwhelming nature of starting a podcast. Let’s be the friend you need, the one who helps you get off the ground by revealing all of the big reasons why you should start your podcast. Before we go ahead, let’s address an important issue; the FEAR OF FAILURE. You need to do away with these thoughts;
“Why would anyone want to spend 45 minutes listening to me.”
“Podcast is a lot of work, my 9 to 5 is stressful already” or
“I don’t have a good voice.”
In as much as you can follow these 15 steps, your chances of failure are quite slim. For a start, we’ll look at all the statistics about podcasting; you know that numbers do not lie.
What Does Statistics Say about Podcasting?
In 2006, only 22% of Americans had an idea of what podcast was; the number has grown to 75% in less than two decades. It might also interest you to know that 70% of podcast listeners listen while doing nothing.
You will also be surprised to know that 59% of podcast listeners spend more time on a podcast than on social media. More so, 80% of listeners listen to most or all of their favorite podcast episodes.
That’s not all.
If you are outside of the United States, you should know that Podcasting is a big hit in Asia, Spain, Sweden, and Ireland.
Now, you’ve seen the numbers, what does this all translate to? These are beyond numbers, and they are the prelude to the numerous reasons you should start podcasting.
5 Reasons Why You Should Start Podcasting
It’s beyond the popularity of podcasting that is growing; should you jump aboard? We’ll go from the simple reasons to the technical ones in answering your question of why do I need to start a podcast;
1. Positioning Yourself as a Thought Leader in Your Industry
With consistency and expertise, you can establish your position as an authority in your industry. Look at what Neil Patel is doing in the SEO industry, Paul Kedrosky in the Finance niche, or Fabrizio Romano as a football blogger.
You can garner the right amount of listeners and network connections. From there, you become a voice everyone looks up to for advice and expert opinions.
So far you don’t stop bringing fresh ideas; you’ll continue to hold your audience spellbound. In the end, you become an expert that even listeners look up to for insights and ideas.
2. Opening Up New Financial Stream
A podcast doesn’t have to be a hobby. It’s more than a hobby. It’s a career that can put food on your table and pay your bills. That’s why we’ll be laying this issue to rest early enough.
This same question of how podcasters make money was raised on Forbes but take it from us at Disctopia when we tell you that making money as a podcaster is not a pipe dream.
At Disctopia, we grant podcasters financial freedom. We give podcasters a platform to monetize their content, not just podcasters but all independent content creators.
3. Building and Maintaining an Important Network
One of the reasons we’ll tell anyone to start a podcast is the leverage it avails you to people outside your reach. With time, your audience will grow in size, the high-profile experts in your industry will not hesitate to heed your call.
You know, for everyone that gets to be on your show, they have become a part of your network for life. Imagine being able to interview 25 high-profile experts in a year; that’s a lot of social networth you are accumulating.
Remember, these experts may also invite you to their shows; that’s a lot of social proof for you to display.
4. Taking Advantage of Voice Search
While there are tons of reasons you should start a podcast, leveraging on voice search is why many are becoming podcasters. It is said that podcasting is opening up a new frontier in search engine optimization.
For more than a decade, we’ve had voice-activated assistants on our smartphones. So also, Google, Amazon, and Apple have been collecting data to improve these assistants.
Did you notice that Google is presenting audio from YouTube videos as part of search results? It’s just a matter of time before podcast episodes start showing up in search engines.
With your podcast, you are preparing for a future that is almost here.
5. Podcasting is The New Blogging
Both individuals and businesses have made boatloads of money from blogging; the same fortune is about to befall podcasters. Being one of the best ways to build an online brand and improve search engine ranking, podcasting is quite similar to blogging.
Just like most industries, the early adopters make the most mark. While the best time to start a podcast was yesterday, you can still start right now.
Look at vlogging also; the first set of vloggers are killing it in the game. Podcasting is full of potentials, interestingly one of the next big things on the internet.
Why You Should Start a Podcast: Final Thoughts
Why we’ve been a friend who gives you great reasons why you should start a podcast, you need to have your reasons. You should be aware of the personal nature of podcasting, unlike blogging.
That’s why we suggest that as a podcaster, you need to go beyond all these reasons and have your reason for going into podcasting. Regardless of what we or anyone tell you, don’t get into podcasting for the money, fame, or any material gain.
Up Next: Who is Your Podcast For -Targeting and Identifying Your Listeners
