Podcasts: A Distant Past or a Bright Future?

You may be thinking: What is a podcast and why do I care about them?

Well, a podcast is an audio or video file downloadable to a mobile device (originally, the iPod, from which it gets its name) to be listened to or watched at a later time. In iTunes, you can set them up to automatically download to your device the minute that they come out on iTunes, or download older episodes. In short, they are radio, minus the active signal. Instead, they are stored for a later date, on a device. There are all different types of podcasts imaginable: news, business, comedy, education…. the genres are endless.

There are even authors who got their start publishing “podiobooks” (a portmanteau of  portmanteaus: podcast + audiobooks), like Scott Sigler, who have gone on to become NY Times Bestselling authors after getting their start in podcasting. (That’s right. He gave away his books FOR FREE and still managed to get a publishing deal. He currently has 9 published in print, with two more on the way this year!)

But, a few years ago, podcasts fell out of style. After all, who even has an iPod anymore, right? That particular flavor of media stumbled, with people listening less and less to podcasts. People who had formerly listened to podcasts daily or weekly seemed to fall off the wagon, so to speak.

But podcasts are back and better than ever. Apple finally caught up, offering a Podcast app on their iOS, and making it even easier to take podcasts with you. The main problem, I think, was that you had to plug in your device to a computer to sync the latest podcasts. Once that problem was solved by having them sync directly to the device and cutting out the need for iTunes, there was an upswing in podcasts again. Now, cars can get podcasts too, and that is a huge success. Instead of flipping through the local radio stations, why not just pick your own radio station, that is already on your phone, with content that you know you want to listen to? That seems like pretty simple math to me.

So, podcasts are still around, and are making a comeback. Now, what does that mean for producers and consumers of podcasts alike?

That means they’re back in business, baby! Ad revenue and promotions are an easy way to keep funding for podcasts, but you might not even need them: anyone with a microphone and basic audio software can produce a podcast anytime they want, and publish it for free on iTunes. While it’s harder to turn a profit podcasting, it is still a good way to connect with your audience.

Podcasts are a reliable way to keep your audience up-to-date with anything you want, and if they’re subscribed, that content will be delivered to them automatically as soon as you put it out. Sure, you may be putting out free content, but then again, we do that with blogs all the time. The only difference is, podcasts are infinitely more engaging, and you’re more likely to get repeat-listeners. Podcasts, as it turns out, are good for business.