The Pros and Cons of Podcasting in 2023

Technology advancement has given birth to many forms of communication. People can communicate through print media, blogs, emails, or postal services. However, not everyone has enough time to read these documents. Podcasting is a great way to reach your audience through their computers, phones, or other digital audio players.

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Podcasting has become so popular across the world today. There are many reasons why people do podcasts, and earning an income is the primary goal of nearly all podcasters. Earning from your podcast can help you cater for hosting and post-production costs. It can also be a side hustle that can help you save some money for the future.

This article will provide you with greater insight into Podcasting and help you decide whether Podcasting is worth it for you in 2023. Let's get started!

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What Is Podcasting, and How Does It Work?

Podcasting is a free service that allows internet users to download digital audio files (mp3 files) and listen to them on their computers, smartphones, and mp3 players. A podcast is a collection of digital audio files that you can download and listen to through the internet.

A podcast operates like an on-demand internet radio show, and users can log into websites and download the content of different categories such as music, sports, philosophy, etc. You can listen to these audio files on a podcast app or subscribe to podcasts online.

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Podcasting has grown so fast with technological advancements. 75% of the American population reported having heard of Podcasting in 2020. Also, 50% of American adults were estimated to be podcast fans in 2021. The podcasting audience in the USA was 55% of the entire population which is 155 million people in the year 2020.

Additionally, Podcasting has experienced astounding growth in the pandemic era. Research has it that 28% of Americans are active podcast listeners. This year, 51% of the population has listened to a podcast, and 78% are familiar with the medium.

The rapid growth of the podcast industry has changed the landscape of the entire market. Podcast audiences demand creativity, and podcasters must develop engaging content topics for these diverse audiences.

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History of Podcasting

Adam Curry, a former MTV video jockey, and Dave Winer, a software developer, started Podcasting in 2004. Mr. Curry wrote a program known as the power to download internet radio broadcasts to his iPod. Several developers improved on his idea, which gave birth to Podcasting.

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Benefits of Podcasting

Podcasting has evolved into an important industry that enables people to communicate. The above statistics show that the number of podcast listeners has increased significantly, due to its conveniences.

Are you wondering whether to start creating podcasts this year or not? The following benefits of Podcasting are enough to convince you:

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1. It's possible to develop personal connections.

The podcasting industry offers a different experience between creators and their audience, and this experience is more personal and surpasses written forms of communication such as blog posts.

We have all read blogs and commented on how it's useful. However, there is no strong connection with the blogger because it was a written communication.

Podcasting takes advantage of verbal communication to generate a stronger connection between podcasters and the audience. The audience listens to the podcaster's voice frequently, and the podcaster can open up, and be vulnerable by sharing personal experiences and share light moments. It is possible to build a solid relationship with the audience through the chosen topics.

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2. Podcasting allows you to reach your audience at their convenience.

Another benefit of Podcasting is that you don't have to worry that your audience is too busy to listen to you, especially if you're making a sales pitch. Podcasting allows listeners to download audio files and replay them at their convenience. They can listen to the audio when doing other activities; probably, they could be jogging, working, or relaxing.

Podcasting allows listeners to obtain information with minimum effort. Listeners can have your audio downloaded automatically on their devices by subscribing to your podcast feed. Therefore, your audience enjoys convenience and time-saved compared to searching through the internet or reading blogs to find the information they need.

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3. Podcasting is an alternative to video.

Video marketing is a great way to promote your brand, but not everyone is comfortable with video shooting. Podcasting becomes helpful when you need to produce audio and video podcasts to allow users to choose what they prefer.

Some podcasters may offer an audio-only option, which some listeners prefer. However, offering two options (video and audio) that users can pick from is ideal.

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4. Podcasting can increase your traffic generation.

Podcasting is beneficial as it can help you reach out to new audiences for your business since it builds familiarity. If you post a series of engaging content, you're likely to grow your subscribers because listeners subscribe to interesting podcasts for regular quality information.

As long as you're consistent, you're likely to generate a solid fan base for your podcasts. Your loyal audience may recommend your podcast to their friends, and the chain continues. As a result, it increases your reach and grows your income.

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5. Podcasting is a source of extra revenue.

When you start creating podcasts, you'll realize you love them, and it's a lot of fun. Not only is podcasting fun, but it's also a way of earning extra money for your business. This is likely if you successfully release creative, engaging episodes regularly. The podcasting industry has great revenue-generating potential.

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6. Podcasting helps to build brand authority.

Podcasts can help you build up your brand authority, regardless of whether you're the first in your industry to create a podcast or you're the latest in a long line of brands adopting the idea. When you provide your audience with more ways to consume your content and hear from the experts in your team, you win their loyalty and establish authority.

When you combine your podcasting efforts with video options and posts, you have attained all the necessities to establish yourself as the leading brand among many brands.

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7. Podcasting is a great way to build brand awareness.

69% of respondents acknowledge that their ads increase their awareness about a brand, product, or service. There are podcast directories where people search for subjects and industries that interest them. When your brand is featured in these podcasts, it translates to gains at your end.

The level of branding with Podcasting is subtle, as Podcasting isn't a sales tool. You may add your brand logo in the artwork or have it in the video itself if you are creating a video podcast. You can mention your company name in the introduction statement and closing remarks. This is a subtle way of creating brand awareness with your listeners without them feeling offended.

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Pros of Podcasting in 2023

1. It is easy to get started.

Podcasting is simple to start if you are a beginner. You only need to have a computer, laptop, or smartphone and a good internet connection. Then just click record and speak about your topic. Edit and publish the recording on a platform of your choice. When your podcasts become well known, you can always make more investments to improve the quality.

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2. Podcasting is an on-demand technology.

Another advantage of Podcasting is that listeners decide what they want to hear and when to listen to it. It means that you strive to create content that they want to see or hear. So, if your viewers or listeners subscribe to your podcasts, it's a great sign that the information you are providing to them makes sense.

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3. Podcasts help to cut costs.

Podcasts are delivered digitally, so it eliminates the costs involved with other forms of communication such as postage, printing, and paper. Podcasts can help reduce the costs that businesses incur in setting up meetings and email storage. Additionally, podcasts are easy to preserve for future reference, and updating them is quick and easy.

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4. Podcasts save on time.

Podcasts are files that customers can download on the internet and listen to as they do other things. Customers can plug in earphones or headphones and catch up with your messages as they go about their activities at home or in the office. Podcasts are replacing some meetings, which saves time and improves productivity.

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5. Podcasts are portable

Once a viewer/listener downloads podcasts, it resides on their computer or smartphone, or the respective device. These devices are portable, so they can take the podcast wherever they go. Alternatively, they can transfer the podcast from the computer to a personal media player such as an iPod.

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6. Podcasts are interesting

In a world where there is so much information online, it can get overwhelming when you have to search through lots of written content on the web to find information. So, presenting information in audio files provides a nice change. Also, it's an incredible way to relay information in a more interactive method that written media cannot achieve.

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7. It's easier to engage your audience.

Podcasting provides many ways to make your listeners or viewers feel involved in your podcast. You can come up with competitions or ask questions through social media. You can also have live FAQs with listeners, which will help to keep your audience engaged. Such engagements are vital in generating a loyal fanbase for your podcasts.

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8. It's easy to develop personalized content.

If you want to use Podcasting as a medium to promote your brand, you can provide personalized content to your audience. People can decide to subscribe to a favorite podcast because they want specific content. Advertising choices can also be personalized by letting advertisers offer only relevant products to the target audience.

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Cons of Podcasting in 2023

The following are the three major disadvantages of Podcasting:

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1. Not everyone can access podcasts

One major disadvantage of Podcasting is that it's not convenient if you want to reach an audience that lacks internet access. Podcasts, more so video podcasts, are large files, making them hard to access for people with slow internet connections.

To make an audio podcast that suits the needs of customers who have hearing impairments or those who lack an mp3 player, you need to consider turning the content into a written manuscript. As the importance of podcasts has increased, people are finding ways to sort out accessibility issues.

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2. Content protection is not easy.

Podcasts are digital forms of communication that are so easy to share. If your podcast content includes someone else's copyrighted material, you have to take measures to protect it against unauthorized copying and file sharing. This challenge also applies if it's your own copyrighted material unless you're okay with it being shared.

This sounds tricky if your podcast to employees includes confidential information about the company. Someone can access it and learn information about your business that you would have rather kept secret.

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3. Finding an audience is an issue.

Finding an audience is also one of the major challenges in Podcasting. Podcasting requires you to build your audience from scratch. Unlike newspapers or pay-per-click ads on Google, you cannot take advantage of the audience that someone else has built. You need to have smart marketing strategies to generate an audience for your podcasts.

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Final Take Away.

Creative podcasts are an efficient, convenient, and personal way to reach out to your audience and solidify your relationship with your clients, employees, and team members. Podcasting enables brands to communicate to a captive audience. With Podcasting, you can tell your story anywhere at any time, which creates brand awareness and authority. Therefore, if you are wondering whether Podcasting is a good idea for 2022? It is! The statistics given predict the excellent potential for the podcasting industry this year. Best of all, the benefits and pros of Podcasting far outweigh its cons. Happy Podcasting!

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