Podcast Revival: A Reintroduction to this Platform
In today’s world of online media, we certainly don’t lack content from different platforms hosted all around the globe, made by people with varying perceptions and insights on a world of things. Podcasts deliver audio content to their audience which has gained popularity in recent years despite its decade-long existence.
What Is It?
It is believed that in 2004, Ben Hammersly from The Guardian newspaper coined the term deriving it from two words: I-Pod and broadcasting – Podcasting or podcast. Although you don’t necessarily need an i-pod to listen to them the name stuck. Normally, it’s an audio file written in today’s most commonly used format (MP3) that you can listen to from any listening devices. The internet has allowed podcasts to grow since you can easily download or stream them. They usually last for about 20 minutes or an hour, but it’s not uncommon to have podcasts to last more than 90 minutes.
Why?
So why are people spending countless hours recording their conversations and how are they attracting listeners. You can consider podcasts as radio talk shows or audio blogs, that companies, brands, or individuals use to promote themselves, their ideas and what they represent. Much like why people are interested in a blog’s content, they listen to get ideas, a different perspective or just simply entertain themselves. Many podcasts are free but some big names have sponsors or are for a subscription.
Here are some of the uses of podcasts and why people are raving about it:
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Public Services
It has been used as a platform to promote advocacies, offer relevant information to the community, and as a place to discuss relevant issues. The average listeners of podcasts have steadily grown in recent years and it’s because it offers a convenient way to take in important information.
Sometimes it’s not uncommon to mix politics and opinions in the subject especially when it has something to do with the general public.
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Academia
Teachers and students have used it as an alternative way to conduct classes. One type is when a teacher discusses a subject and the students listen to it. The second one is when the students under the teacher’s supervision discuss a topic and conduct healthy conversation among their peers. This promotes preparation, communication, and insight with the students as they’ll need to be clear about what they’ll say on their podcast. The last type is an authentic podcast conducted by higher-level students and teachers where they tackle various subjects and offer their piece on the matter.
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Health
Health professionals are also into it, conducting their own show where they talk about health-related topics and offer their expertise on the subject. This has made a lot of audiences to turn into these types of podcasts to get advice on how to improve their overall health and well-being.
Some companies discuss new drugs and other new findings in the field and like their own monthly magazine, the audio content offers a different medium for their articles.
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Marketing
Companies have tapped or as it’s usually called collaborated with well-known podcasters to promote their product or brand. This is one of the major motivators of up and coming content writers and podcasters to hone their skills and gather more audience.
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Entertainment
This is one of the largest chunks of podcasters and listeners alike, in this platform. People love to hear interesting information about their favorite artists, music, sports personality, movies, and many more. Just like any other entertainment talk shows people are interested in the persons in the industry as well as their projects and upcoming events.
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Other Interests
Some celebrities and other personalities are able to pull audiences to their special interests such as workouts, surfing, culinary arts, history, and so much more. This is a specialty category wherein your audience comes to listen because they share the interest and they want to hear people talk about it.
Starting Your Own Podcast
Of course, you’ll need to do more research on how to start your own podcast but here are some basic tips get you going.
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Find a Topic
It’s simple, talk about something that interests you or you have knowledge about. You don’t need to be an expert about it just make sure you’re not completely ignorant about what you’re saying. You can have expert guest speakers, although if you’re starting you’ll have to rely on willing family and friends.
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Invest in a Microphone
This also includes a headphone to better hear yourself. A good microphone will give your audience a clear output. Remember it’s audio content, it doesn’t make sense if you’re not clearly heard. Sound quality-wise, it is definitely worth investing in one of the popular USB Condenser Mics reviewed on Music Critic. From there, they reveal and review the setup and performance of this decent but budget-friendly condenser mic
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Record and Upload
You can use hosting platforms to host your podcast. Learn about them and the features they offer, this will be helpful to you and your listeners in the long run. There are a lot of hosting platforms available just make sure you do your research, read more here and choose the one that best suits your needs. This will make it easier for you to distribute your podcast and will help you gain more listeners as well as improve your content and style.
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Recap and Improve
It is important to continuously improve. Listen to your own podcast and take note of the data from your host to check on trends and audience behavior. This will help you identify the things that you can improve and the ones that are working for you.
Many naysayers have predicted the decline of podcasts, but for now, there has only been an increase in listeners and producers. People find it convenient to listen to their favorite talk show on-demand and with the internet, individuals with pertinent ideas find it easy to share them. The world is getting smaller every day by how ideas are discussed and shared, my only hope is that understanding and tolerance for each other grows also.
