The Power of Podcasting

Harnessing the power of audio for your small business.

Hopefully you already listen to podcasts. They’ve been around for years, but are finally beginning to hit the spotlight with some brands going viral, like Serial.

If you haven’t had the pleasure of being introduced to the world of podcasts, allow me to handle the pleasantries. Here’s the official definition via Google:

a digital audio file made available on the Internet for downloading to a computer or mobile device, typically available as a series, new installments of which can be received by subscribers automatically.

Simply put, a podcast is an audio recording that tells a story. It could be about recent topics in the news, the ballet industry, or how to better market your company. That final topic hits close to home for me becuase I actually produce my own podcast called Creativity Killed the Cat, helping small businesses generate creative marketing ideas that won’t break the bank. My episodes are typically around 10 to 15 minutes long so it’s a nice podcast to test out the waters if you’re still trying to figure out the world of audio. Check it out and let me know what you think!

Being a Podcast Listener

Now that you’ve been introduced to the world of podcasting, there are two parties that you can choose to attend (you can even join both, it’s more fun that way). You can be a listener and/or producer.

As a listener, you scan the internet for interesting podcast and then enjoy the show. That’s where my podcasting adventure began, as a listener. The two podcasts that really got me into the world of audio are StartUp and Lure. I’ve binge listened to both, sometimes taking in around seven episodes a day. Same concept as Netflix. It’s easy to get hooked by quality storytellers.

Being a Podcast Producer

In many cases, the listener becomes the producer. If you really get into the podcast arena, it’s easy to find youself interested in making your own — especially because it’s such an easy process. All you really need is a computer, microphone, and a voice. That’s how I got started. Actually, I recorded my first podcast series on my iPhone and hosted it for free on SoundCloud. Like I said, it’s an easy process.

But why would you want to produce a podcast? Sure, you can do it for pleasure; to be able to share your knowledge on a specific topic or to debate hot topics with friends. It’s fun!

However, you should absolutely produce your own podcast if you’re a small business. It can help you reach new customers and may even offer another income stream. Let me offer some data to back up this statement.

Podcast Industry Statistics

1. 67 million Americans listen to podcasts monthly, and that number is growing.
2. 42 million Americans listen to podcasts weekly, that’s one loyal audience.
3. The podcast industry is growing in listenership at around 10–20% per year, wouldn’t that be a nice growth rate for a business.
4. 27% of men in the United States have listened to a podcast in the past month, myself included.
5. 21% of women in the United States have listened to a podcast in the past month, this is perfect if you’re targeting customers by gender.
6. 85% of listeners hear all or most of the podcast episode they select, that means they’re attentive to the message being portrayed.
7. 44% of the United States population has listened to a podcast, that’s almost half of the entire country.

The podcast industry only continues to grow and develop. Soon, over half of the entire population will be listening to podcast so it makes sense as a small business to utilize the medium, especially since it’s relatively inexpesive.

The Podcasting Process

Now that you know about the podcasting world and see how it could be valuable for your business, let’s talk about what the process looks like.

First you need to decide on a topic that you would like to produce and that would be relevant to your business. For example, I have two marketing degrees and run a social marketing agency called Twillful. It makes sense that I produce a marketing themed podcast becuase I have the knowledge and it can get people interested in my agency’s services. Figure out a topic where you can provide value for your listeners and one that shows of your business. Make a podcast your target market is interested in and have it solve their problems.

Second, purchase or rent your equipment. My podcasting operation is fairly simple — I have a decent microphone, a mountable mic stand, and Apple’s GarageBand and Final Cut Pro software. That is everything I use to produce Creativity Killed the Cat. You can purchase all your equipment or you can rent everything you need (renting might be a good option if you just want to try out the process first). To make life easy, reach out to a local radio station to see if you can rent their studio for an hour to record your sample or first episode. They will have everything you need to get that first audio file recorded. If you are serious about podcasting, you can even hire a producer to make sure your episodes are crisp as frosted flakes. Delicious.

Last, once you’ve begun recording episodes, you need to share your creation with the world! Get it listed on every podcast location possible, it’s almost always free. You can easily get it on Apple Podcasts and the Google Play Store in less than a week. When you’ve place your new show everywhere that you can think of, begin sharing it on social media. This is the best and most cost effective way to build your audience. Develop and implement a sharing strategy that will get people interested to see what your podcast is about. Hey, once you build your audience enough, you can even start to make money through sponsorship!

Podcasting is not only a great way to share your knowledge, its a wonderful opportunity to generate more clients for your business. As a small business owner, this could be one of the best tools you have to drive growth.

I’m excited to hear what type of podcast you’ll be creating! If you need any help, reach out at CreativityKillsCats.com and I’ll be sure to get you on the right track. Also, if you want a little marketing advice once in a while, subscribe to my newsletter below ⬇️