Podcasts may have been around for nearly a couple of decades already, but it’s only recently that online-based organizations have begun to see their real value. During the last two to three years, small and medium-scale media companies that are subscription-based and depend on recurring billing for revenue began relying more on podcasts to make themselves stand out from the competition.
Some may be wondering why podcasts suddenly gained a lot of traction. In a time when online video streaming is already commonplace, offering something that has no visual impact looks like it won’t get much attention. However, podcasts have a few inherent advantages over other types of media available today.
- Podcasts Improve Brand Identity
Trying to get one’s brand identity established can be difficult these days despite the availability of social media tools and online streaming sites. Organizations can try out different strategies to engage their audiences, but their option tend to belimited by the restrictions that are inherent to or imposed on each social media channel. This severely limits the type of content that they can put out through popular platforms such as Facebook or Twitter.
Because podcasts have no restrictions, companies get a lot of control over what kind of content they can publish. Because listeners get to hear exactly what a publisher wants to convey thru podcasts, they eventually get accustomed to that publisher’s voice, vocabulary, the topics they talk about, and – most important of all – identity. People will be more likely to subscribe to a publisher that they really know about.
- Podcasts Are Cost-efficient
Since videostreaming became the norm for organizations trying to attract attention, the demand for more “attention-worthy” videos have led to higher production values. Better typography, transitions, and even hardware required to capture videos make content creation too much for media publications that have very little budget.
Because podcasts are simply recorded audio, they are very easy to make on a regular basis. Barring a few quick edits here and there, podcasts are just a matter of recording audio. Add to the fact that it’s very easy to distribute podcasts and you get one of the most cost-effective types of media available to organizations of all sorts and sizes.
- Podcasts Can Be Long or Short
One of the biggest factors that affect how likely people will subscribe (and stay subscribed) to a publisher is whether they find the content interesting enough. However, today’s audiences have significantly shorter attention spans and are likely to “switch out” to something else if the content fails to keep them engaged during the first minute or two.
With podcasts, it’s easier to take a two-step approach that increases the chances of audience engagement. By releasing podcasts with condensed content (recaps, quick calls to action, etc), the publisher takes up just enough time to encourage listeners to tune in to the longer, more comprehensive podcasts.
- Podcasts Suit Today’s Audiences
Perhaps the greatest strength of podcasts is how well they fit today’s audiences. Because of today’s fast-paced lifestyle, many people don’t have the time to stop what they are doing to watch content, especially ones that don’t stand out that much. Publishers need to be able to find the right opportunities to deliver content… unless it’s a podcast.
Because podcasts are just audio recordings, it’s possible for audiences to listen to podcasts while they are going about their daily tasks. They can listen to it while working out, when commuting, and even when they are currently engaged in their daily office tasks. This means a publisher’s target audience will be more likely to go through the content than if it were a video,text, or social media post.
In a time where outstanding presentation and trying to take center stage is mainstream, staying simple and subtle still seems to be a great way to be recognized. Podcasts let even the smallest publishers reach out to their audience and keep them engaged.
