Since Seth Resler – our Digital Dot Connector – joined us last month, we’re already learning a great deal from him about content creation, and radio’s unique opportunity to create new assets that can drive web traffic as well as build brands.
Seth writes a weekly column for All Access called “Next Steps” – a practical guide to all things digital and how stations brands can pull together all the pieces to create a coherent, brand-building, profit-generating strategy. In today’s guest post, Seth takes on the podcasting behemoth. – FJ
To podcast or not to podcast?
That IS the question.
If you believe the mainstream media, podcasting is going through a resurgence.
Don’t believe the mainstream media.
Despite the recent headlines, podcasting continues to experience slow but steady growth. Rob Walch, the VP of Podcaster Relations at the podcasting host company Libsyn, explained at this year’s New Media Expo that podcasting is experiencing a resurgence in press coverage, not listenership. For there to be a true resurgence, listening would have to have declined, and it never did.
Walch pointed out that every few years, the media runs with the “podcasting resurgence” storyline. The most recent wave of these stories has been inspired by Serial, the award-winning public radio series that spun off from This American Life. Serial, of course, is hosted by a journalist and Walch explained, journalists like to write about journalists more than they like to write about people like Joe Rogan and Adam Carolla, who have had successful podcasts for years.
Last week, Tom Webster, Edison Research’s VP of Strategy and Marketing, presented a webinar titled The Podcast Consumer 2015. Here’s the bottom line: The number of people who listen to podcasts is growing steadily, but it’s still fairly small. According to Edison, in 2015, 17% of people listened to podcasts at least monthly (our Techsurvey results echo this finding). That’s up 2% from the previous year.
A few more key stats: 49% of people are familiar with the term “podcasting” (up from 48% the previous year), and 33% have ever listened to a podcast (up from 30%).
Of course, the real question is, “Should my station be podcasting?”
Podcasting seems like a natural fit for many radio stations. After all, our core competency is creating audio content. So should your station be jumping in the podcasting pool? The answer is a resounding “Maybe.”
Written content will get you farther than audio, so if you have limited resources (and you probably do), writing a blog should be your first priority. Text is indexed and highlighted by search engines in a way that audio is not. Text is also much more likely to go viral over social media than audio. In short, more people read blogs than listen to podcasts, so you will attract more visitors with well-written content. Do that first.
Another factor is Google. The tipping point for podcasting will be driven by technology, not content. While Invisibilia and Marc Maron’s recent Obama interview are breaking records, the thing that has been holding podcasts back from reaching even greater heights hasn’t been a lack of compelling content; it’s a lack of easy-to-use technology. Subscribing to a podcast isn’t hard; it’s just a little harder than it should be, and that’s holding the medium back.
Tom Webster pointed out in his webinar that more people listen to podcasts on iOS devices than on Android gadgets. At the New Media Expo, Rob Walch explained that podcasts garner about five times as many listens on Apple over Android phones and tablets. Why? Because iPhones ship with a native podcast application (pictured at left in the yellow box) already installed. Android devices do not.
To listen to a podcast on an Android mobile gadget, you need to first download a podcasting app (a “podcatcher”), then you have to find the podcast you want, and then subscribe to it. It’s an extra step that deters people from listening.
So keep an eye on Google. If they decide to embrace podcasting like Apple has, the medium could explode, creating an even more compelling case for radio stations and personalities to podcast.
We will be watching the podcast space very carefully, and I’m involved in putting together a podcast program with All Access. So I’m not just talking about podcasting – I’m doing it.
Stay tuned. This could the year that podcasting truly breaks out. (Or not.)
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I too have thought the “resurgence” argument is inaccurate but until I saw these stats I was under the impression podcasts had made a significant jump in popularity. Instead it looks like awareness and listenership of podcasts are growing steadily but not dramatically. Serial has received a lot of publicity because yes it is produced by a journalist but also because you can’t ignore any media product pulling in numbers of that size. The same is true for Marc Maron and his recent podcast featuring President Obama. Getting back to Serial, it is also a completely different animal than most podcasts, at least in it’s content. The majority of shows out there follow a more traditional broadcast model of a host expounding on a subject they are knowledgable about and/or interviewing guests while Serial was almost like a radio drama. The best comparison I can think of, although it is dated, is Truman Capote’s book In Cold Blood.
I’m a fan of podcasts and hope they do continue to grow. That said I think too many broadcasters fall into the trap of believing they can produce a podcast easily. Radio does a great job with radio but those of us that listen to a variety of podcasts know that there is a whole different feel to a podcast compared to a radio show, and most radio stations cannot just transfer their shows directly over to podcast form.
Great stuff Seth. Can’t wait to hear your podcast!
Thanks, Sean. Yes, I agree that while radio and podcasting have a lot in common, each requires a slightly different skillset and there is a learning curve. Podcasters and radio broadcasters can definitely learn a lot from each other.
Nice post, Seth. I agree 100% that technology is what is holding back podcasting from where it is currently to where it can go in terms of engaged and regular listeners. Yes, I’ve been saying for years that radio is a great medium to dive into podcasting for additional content opportunities. Perhaps this “resurgence” will allow stations to take a few more risks with their content. Congratulations on your new role with Jacobs Media! Looks like a great partnership all around!
Thanks, Pamela. You’ll be happy to know that we’re talking about content marketing a lot over here!