By Pospos Roque
As an author, reaching out to your current and potential readers can be challenging. You might have tried everything, from attending book conventions to book readings. Nothing seems to work with you until you found podcasting.
If you are wondering, “Why should I start a podcast to market my work?” Let me introduce what a podcast is and the advantages of podcasts in business.
What is a podcast?
A podcast is the digital broadcasting of audio files via the Internet. PODCAST is derived from the “pod” of Apple’s iPod and “cast” from the broadcast. Most podcasts are audio files referred to directories through XML feeds and RSS formatted XML files. It is also easy to find and download. A bulk of podcasts are now available in Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Anyone can download podcasts or subscribe to the creator for more content.
Since 2005, podcasting has been a unique and effective way of creating valuable content. It has become one of the most effective and powerful marketing techniques in advocating and sharing information.
The podcast industry is relatively young and continues to grow and remain relevant. According to Statista, 57% of US consumers listen to podcasts in 2021, with 49% consuming between 3 hours to 10 hours of podcasts weekly. There is adequate potential to be featured if you start now.
What are the benefits of podcasting?
Part of being an author is getting your books out in the world. You can either attend conventions, attend readings, or do book tours to put your content to the audience. But as we dive towards the digital age, podcasting can be an excellent tool for authors. Here are some purposes of podcasts and why you might want to start a podcast for your works.
1. Podcasts can contribute additional revenue
Books don’t often make authors rich. Most authors make little to no money from their published work. The monetary earnings are tied to book sales, revenue streams, and services such as speaking engagements, coaching, or consulting. Even the top-selling authors do not solely rely on book sales.
Aside from that, podcasts offer a substantial opportunity for Ad Revenue. According to IAB’s 2019 Podcast Revenue Report, “companies spent approximately $479M on podcast ads in the US in 2018.” However, before you can start earning through ad revenue, you need to build a community of listeners and subscribers.
2. Podcasting is an excellent marketing venue
As writers, we are all acquainted with the challenges of getting our books published but finding and enticing a reader for your books can even be more complex. Most authors fail to see that running a marketing campaign is necessary to consider generating sales. The most common marketing tools used in products and services are Social Media, Blogging, Video Marketing, Show Guesting, and Podcasting.
Podcasts are a great avenue to promote your works and to invite more readers. You can maximize the benefits of podcasting in marketing by creating a podcast that is related to your expertise, books, or niche. It gives a chance for authors to connect with the readers virtually. In addition, authors can drop teasers or facts that can excite their fans and look forward to your new works. Authors can also appear in other podcasters’ shows to express their opinions or expertise on specific topics and promote their relevant works.
Podcasting can also create a community of like-minded people. People will often share what they love and recommend your books to other listeners.
3. Podcasts help build better relationships with your audience
It is essential to build a relationship with your readers and subscribers. A podcast is Schmick at building customer relations. Creating an exceptional podcast with reliable data and enjoyable content can be one of the effective ways to make valuable content to coax more audiences to follow your work and accounts. According to Edison Research Podcast Consumer Report 2019, podcast listeners are more likely to follow companies and brands on social media. This presents a massive opportunity for authors to build a community of supporters and subscribers. Podcast subscribers are potential prospects because of the deep relationship you’ve been nurturing via podcasts.
4. Podcasting is an excellent alternative to blogging
Blogging is a great method to make valuable content and showcase your work and expand exposure. However, with today’s ever-changing, fast-paced environment, many people do not have the time or energy to read. Many readers turn to an audiobook to enjoy their favorite author’s content during their daily commute or busy workday.
As such, podcasting is an excellent alternative to blogging. Turn your works into podcasts and discuss your book, transcripts, or detailed articles. Podcasts rely on notes, transcripts, or even old blog posts for episodes. As of March 2019, Google Podcasts automatically transcribes podcast conversations to transcripts and uses it as metadata. Content creators can also utilize podcasts for SEO.
5. Podcasts are excellent evergreen content
Case studies, articles, blogs, and newsletters are the same old marketing methods most corporate use for their marketing. While these work with nearly every brand, they might not work well with authors. Your readers are visionary, innovative, and ingenious, and the standard scheme might be dreary and dull. As a writer, you need to think of practical ways to promote your work. Many authors use videos to promote their books. But if you are not comfortable in front of the video. Then, podcasting is a better means to promote your video in a digital form.
Podcasting is new in the digital marketing arena. It has the potential to grow continuously, and the market will only keep expanding. Podcasting will allow you to reach new audiences and potential readers by bringing your perspective, expertise, and stories.
6. Podcasting is the future
According to The Infinite Dial by Edison Research, 80 million or 28% of Americans listen to podcasts weekly, a 17% increase over 2020. Thanks to the growing listening base, big companies like Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube plan to invest more than $500 million in podcasts. Google already added playable podcasts to search results, and Spotify released an analytics dashboard for podcasters.
How to make an excellent podcast?
If you are thinking of making a podcast now, you’ll need to make it stand out more than other shows. There are currently over two million podcasts with more than 48 million episodes available online, despite podcasting’s infancy. So, what is the secret to creating valuable content?
- Set out your central idea and the main goal: Having an effective plan can help in guiding you throughout the podcasting process. It defines what you are trying to achieve and say, whether to tell something about your book or recommend books related to you. With the main goal in mind, you’ll be sending a clear message to your listeners.
- Know your targeted audience: When recording, it is essential to know who you are talking to. You need to relate and create a relationship with your listeners to keep them interested. Good podcasters understand what their listeners want.
- Create a regular schedule: Like with any type of content creation, a regular schedule is essential in podcasting. Good podcasters have a normal release day. It keeps your listeners engaged and maintains visibility online.
- Be authentic and creative: The final component of a podcast is the hardest but most important. A good podcast creator speaks authentically and honestly. It is crucial to fact-check the information you are sharing and not just copy someone else’s work. Always be familiar with content legalities. Intellectual property implies anything conceived in mind, such as art and literary work. The copyright law and intellectual property applies to podcasts as it pertains to creative and expressive works.
Are you ready to make your podcast?
With all this information, you should be able to make your podcast series. Podcasts can generate a great return of investment (ROI) if executed right. It’s a great way to create evergreen content, and the industry is relatively young.
Pospos Roque is a content specialist for Flexisource IT, a team of Agile experts and certified professionals committed to improving traditional outsourcing practices.
