As I have mentioned before, I am a podcast addict. I now subscribe to 50 podcasts, and generally listen to 6 to 10 shows a day. When I am walking to the train, running, doing the dishes or eating my dinner, I am listening to podcasts. In fact, I have to resist searching the podcast directories for new shows, as I like listening to the full archive of a show and there really are only so many podcast listening hours in a day.
Podcast statistics
A recent study has found that podcast listening is increasing in the UK. There are some 6 million podcast downloads every couple of months, with 3.7 million people saying they listen to podcasts each week (bearing in mind my habit, I wonder how many listen every day). What this is saying is that what was once an early adopter technology in the UK is starting to become mainstream as more people become comfortable with their MP3 players, more podcasts on a wider variety of topics come available and more people want specific information, when they choose, for free.
Podcasting for your profile or just for the love of it
As such, it is one of the best ways to get the ear – literally – of your customer, fan, follower or audience. Yet, there still seems to be resistance by individuals and businesses to podcast? I find this a little mystifying seeing companies still pay PR consultants hundreds and thousands of pounds to get them radio slots, and yet they avoid creating their own show which can be ongoing and has got the chance of collecting loyal and regular listeners.
I wonder whether companies or individuals see it as too difficult, or too time consuming? Time consuming – yes – there is no doubt that podcasting takes time, not just in writing and researching the material but in producing it and promoting it. But then, so does a newsletter. As for difficult, they actually aren’t that difficult at all. Reading How To Do Everything With Podcasting by Shel Holtz with Neville Hobson certainly opened our eyes to how easy it actually is.
Whether you are doing it to talk about your business, or to talk about something you love, there will be people out there who will want to listen. Talk to them.
Falling out of favour
What I have noted though is my own change in habits. As a reasonably early adopter, perhaps my changes aren’t completely universal, but I know why they have changed. Essentially, I am reading fewer and fewer blogs, and spending more of my time listening to the shows that are going to deliver to me what I want to know. I think this is partly because podcasts allow me to multi-task. When you are reading a blog, you can’t really do much else other than read. When you listen, you can be exercising, hoovering, gardening or stuffing envelopes and you can still concentrate on what is being said.
The other reason for the shift from blogs is that, as there are so many blogs with so many posts going up every day, I have given up trying to keep up. Most podcasts come out once a week at the most, which means the producers take time to ensure that that episode counts. In my opinion, it helps me cut down the noise somewhat.
I love listening to archived shows and whenever I subscribe to a new blog, I tend to go back through its entire back catalogue (so, as you can tell, one thing that annoys me is when they don’t leave their back catalogue online for me to listen to!). By the time I have done that, I feel like I know the podcaster personally and I can’t wait for the next show. That kind of personal affinity is just what many people are searching for when they market, and this is one of the best ways to achieve it.
The best podcasts in the social media space
If you want to get started listening to some podcasts in the social media space, there are a few I can recommend. This list is by no means exhaustive, and as you can tell, I am very open to recommendations!
For Immediate Release – this is without doubt the gold standard of podcasts concerning online communications. Twice a week, it is definitely a show not to be missed.
Elite Tech News – A rambling, but incredibly entertaining podcast with Mark Hopkins, Louis Gray and others which looks at the weeks hot social media and internet topics.
Mashable Conversations – An interview show to complement the hugely popular mashable.com website
On the Record…Online – Great interviews conducted by Eric Schwartzman of iPressroom. Check out their archives, they are really very good.
TigerTwoTiger…yes, we are practicing what we preach. Our first podcast is in production, due to be launched next week. It will cover online reputation management, online communication, social media and online PR in the UK and around the world. You will be introduced to my dulcet, antipodean tones at last!
Thank you to tryingmyhardest for the image
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