Listen to “2. Five Reasons To Start a Podcast” on Spreaker.
Have you been thinking of why you may want to start a podcast, but just need an extra bit of encouragement to launch you forward? No worries, I’ve got some reasons for you! You can start by listening to the podcast or watching the video below, then keep reading for extra pointers and details to accompany my tips for you in the video.
Here’s a bit of background about me before I start sharing. In a nutshell, I’ve started a total of eight podcasts over the years and began my first one in 2005 and I currently run four. (My husband also runs one). Why do we run podcasts? What makes podcasting so exciting for us and for thousands of business owners today?
Podcasting is an extremely influential way to get your message known. As an entrepreneur and CEO, podcasting can help you to take your message out to the world and everyone will know what you’re passionate about as you share your message.
What is podcasting and why do I believe in it?
Podcasting is a form of audio broadcasting. It’s the art of recording audio files and transmitting them via syndication feeds and platforms such as Itunes and Spotify to your audience. That is the tech side of podcasting…but now that we’ve gotten that bit out of the way, let’s talk about why podcasting is a truly powerful means of broadcasting, and why I love it so much (enough to have begun 8 podcasts in the past decade!) Read more about answer to the question “What is Podcasting?”
Your audience is in a position of listening.
I am a strong advocate of podcasting because it is a medium of information that causes people to reflect and truly consider ideas and concepts, usually without interruption, because they are choosing to listen to you.
Podcasting puts you at the front and center of your audience through an intentional mode of learning: auditory. Unlike with video, graphics, and text (all of which you do when blogging, article creation, or vlogging), your audience only needs to truly employ one mode of learning: their listening skills. And because they are listening to you, and only you, they are truly focusing on your message. This is truly powerful!
Podcasting is versatile.
By podcasting, your audience has flexibility. They take you with them wherever they go (to the grocery store, while they’re cooking dinner and doing laundry, while they’re driving). They don’t have to sit at their computers and watch and they are not on lockdown. They are able to continue living their lives while listening to your message. Pretty powerful!
Podcasting helps you grow as a professional.
Overall, podcasting can help you grow as a professional by providing opportunities to develop communication skills, build a personal brand, expand your network, and learn new skills and knowledge. Hosting a podcast requires strong communication skills, such as speaking clearly, engaging an audience, and conveying ideas effectively. By practicing these skills regularly, you can improve your ability to communicate with colleagues and clients.
Researching and preparing for podcast episodes can also help you stay up-to-date on the latest trends and developments in your industry. I know that every time I record an episode of Soul Podcasting, checking for recent trends in podcasting is essential to a quality episode. Additionally, producing a podcast requires technical skills such as audio editing and marketing, which can help you get better at new skills. Also, by hosting a podcast on a specific topic or industry, you can establish yourself as a thought leader and build a personal brand. This can help you stand out in your field and attract new opportunities and clients, and this is one of the main reasons my clients want to start a podcast!
Make connections and network.
Podcasting provides a platform to interview guests and connect with other professionals in your field. By building relationships with guests and listeners, you can expand your network and potentially discover new career opportunities. As a podcaster, you can invite guests to be on your show, and these guests can be people you want to connect with. This gives you a reason to reach out to them and start building a relationship. I love building relationships with my guests which sometimes leads to future collabs and networking, which is why I’m pretty choosy about who I’d like on my shows. Podcasting can lead to collaboration opportunities with other podcasters or content creators. By working together, you can cross-promote each other’s content and expand your reach. This is one of my favorite aspects of running podcasts.
Podcasting can be an effective way to improve your speaking skills in several ways.
If you don’t consider yourself a speaker, no worries. I personally am still a little uncomfortable without my outlines and notes, but I must admit, podcasting has made me more comfortable. When you create a podcast, you have the opportunity to practice speaking regularly. The more you practice, the better you will become. After nearly two decades of firing up my microphone to share my thoughts with the world, I’ve grown to become more comfortable sharing my truth. I’ve also gotten better with articulation. Podcasting requires clear and articulate speech to engage listeners. Through podcasting, you can improve your enunciation, pronunciation, and overall clarity of speech.
Speaking regularly on a podcast can help build your confidence in speaking publicly. This can translate to better performance in other areas of your life, such as giving presentations or participating in meetings. I love that podcasting is filled with transferrable skills.
Not only are your speaking skills affected, but your listening skills can improve also. As a podcaster, you will need to listen to your recordings to ensure that your content is engaging and well-delivered. Listening not only to your own recordings, but to your audience allows you to understand them better. When creating a podcast, you need to engage with your audience and keep them interested, which requires good communication skills, including the ability to tell stories, share insights, and interact with listeners.
I’ve found that I’ve improved in these skills over time, and you will too once you get started.
Adds an extra layer of personal touch and vulnerability that can attract your listeners to you over and over again.
Podcasting can be a powerful tool for connecting with your audience in several ways:
Podcasting allows you to share your personality, voice, and perspective with your audience in a more personal way than written content. By speaking directly to your listeners, you can establish a deeper connection with them. I also feel like I am speaking to a friend once I’m on the microphone. I also love to use storytelling techniques. Podcasting allows you to tell stories in a way that written content can’t. By using your voice to convey emotion, tone, and pacing, you can create a more immersive and engaging experience for your audience. And if using your voice isn’t quite enough, you can use fade-in background music to help set the mood for your show.
Podcasting provides an opportunity to showcase your authentic self and build trust with your audience. By sharing your experiences, insights, and opinions in an open and honest way, you can create a sense of authenticity that resonates with your listeners. Being real with your own personal stories and anecdotes and sharing your heart with others goes a long way.
One thing I truly love about podcasting is that It’s also a medium that is easy to consume on the go, while commuting, or while doing other tasks. By making your content accessible to your audience in this way, you can connect with them in a more convenient and natural way. It allows for direct feedback from your audience, such as comments, ratings, and reviews. This can help you understand your audience better, build relationships, and improve your content based on their feedback.
Adds to your credibility with your network and search engines.
Podcasting can have a positive impact on your ranking in search engines in a number of ways:
Podcasts provide an additional platform for your content, allowing you to reach a wider audience and potentially attract more inbound links to your website, which can boost your search engine visibility. They are also a form of rich media content that can help you stand out in search engine results pages (SERPs) and engage users in a more interactive way. Google has been known to give preference to websites that offer a mix of media types, including audio and video. This is one of the methods I’ve employed on my blogs for years (such as my homeschool blog, for instance). Using a good mix of video, audio, and images is very helpful in the search engines.
You also want to think about titles, descriptions, and backlinks. (I know…all this SEO stuff. But it’s really important, trust me!)
Your podcast titles and descriptions can include keywords that are relevant to your business or niche, which can help search engines understand what your podcast is about and potentially rank it higher in relevant search queries. And how do you get backlinks? Podcasts can attract backlinks from other websites, which can also help improve your search engine rankings. So ask other quality sites to link to yours. When other websites link to your podcast, it can signal to search engines that your content is valuable and authoritative.
Finally, podcasts can help increase user engagement with your brand or website, which can lead to longer site visits, more social shares, and other positive signals that can help improve your search engine rankings.
(However, it’s important to keep in mind that podcasting alone may not be enough to significantly impact your search engine rankings. To achieve the best results, you should focus on creating high-quality content, optimizing your website for search engines, and building a strong online presence through other channels like social media and guest blogging.)
These are just a few general thoughts I have about why having a podcast is an easy “yes” for me. If you’re thinking of how to start a podcast and stumbled on this blog post, I hope you’ll leave me a comment in the box below and reach out to me letting me know how this post has been helpful to you. You can also find me on Instagram where I share more ideas about how you can get started with creating your own soul-aligned podcast.
Thanks for listening, friends, and I’ll be back next week with more tips for you on my podcast about podcasting!
- How To Get Started Podcasting - April 8, 2024
- Going From Nervous to Fearless as A Podcast Host {SPEP27} - March 29, 2024
- Best Podcasting Equipment - June 28, 2023
