You love them, you listen to them, you daydream about doing one yourself—well we’re here to tell you that hosting a podcast really is all that it’s chocked up to be. And if you’ve been tossing around a few ideas of your own but you’re unsure if creating a podcast is right for you, then crack a beer, hike up your stretchy pants, and allow us to introduce you to all the badassery that is podcasting.
One For the Money
The prospect of making some cash is probably the most eyebrow-lifting aspect of hosting a podcast, and it’s also the main reason why a lot of people get in the game. According to Tim Ferriss, best-selling author and podcaster with over 300 million downloads, many professional podcasters make upwards of $10,000 per podcast per sponsor. How, you ask? A few ways to monetize a podcast include offering:
-Affiliate marketing
-Sponsors/advertising
-Corresponding online courses
-Related services
-Access to premium content
Although raking in some cheddar is a great motivator for this time-intensive hobby, we consider the potential payoff to be only a small part of the rewards that come from podcasting.
Two For the Show
Not only is podcasting a great way to make some extra money, but it’s also a relatively easy and inexpensive up-front investment. To begin hosting your own podcast, you’ll need at minimum a computer that has a microphone. But because your audience will only be listening to you, as opposed to watching or reading, it’s critical that you eventually invest in some high-quality recording equipment.
Simply put: start with your laptop, but keep your sights set on an upgrade down the road. In the meantime, you can hire an audio engineer to remaster the sound quality of your podcasts to eliminate background noise, filler words, and other unwanted clicks to keep your show sounding like the pros.
The best part about creating your own podcast? You can choose ANY topic. Are you really passionate about dog grooming? Digital cartography? Underwater basket weaving? Wherever your interests lie, you’re bound to find an audience at least mildly curious about whatever weird thing you can talk endlessly about.
Three To Get Ready
Arguably the coolest benefit that comes from podcast creation is being able to make an impact. Not only will you reach new audiences that you’ve never reached before, but you’ll also be able to connect your sponsors to new business, and promote your interview guests with each episode.
Additionally, you now have the potential to reach the largest podcast audience that’s ever existed. According to Edison Research, 51% of the U.S. population 12+ have listened to a podcast—a number that’s nearly doubled in the last five years alone. What’s more, there are an estimated 14 million more weekly podcast listeners in 2019 than last year.
It also doesn’t hurt that we’re currently living in a society totally dependent on finding high-quality digital content. That being said, the most successful content creators, regardless of the medium, offer material that is:
-Digestible
-Informative
-Meaningful
-Relevant
-Useful
-Valuable
However, the aforementioned Edison Research study suggests that social media usage has plateaued, and that more and more people are turning to podcasts for their content. This surge in listening is most likely due to the flexibility of this type of content, meaning people can listen while multitasking (in their cars, on the treadmill, and even while they’re at work).
Now Let’s Go
You’ve read the research, you’ve got your topic, now all that’s left is to get going. Rather than struggling to find the time or know-how to produce and edit your podcast, hire a professional audio engineer and podcast producer to make your basement conversation sound like a seasoned world-class interview. At Clean Cut Audio, we’ll give you the professional results you need to garner attention, fuel the fire, and keep your listeners coming back for more. To get more information on how we can align with you for podcast production, editing, and publishing, click here to contact us today.
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