In this episode our main subject will be focused on the future of podcasting. We’ve thought about this because of a recent meetup we had with podcasters and people who plan on podcasting from all over the UK.
Radio And Podcasting
One of our attendees, Ben Adam Smith, believed radio and podcasting are not similar at all. Ben recognises the challenges in podcasting such as the need for a different content each day and the necessity of not only producing content but also good content as differentiated to bad content. Izabela agrees and expounds by pointing out that radio personalities should approach podcasting as something that should be created from passion in order to connect with the audience, rather than just making podcasts because of the need of producing them from radio show content. I also think that in the UK unlike in the US where they have a really refreshing approach to it, there’s still a lot to be done when it comes to differentiating radio and podcasts. We have this BBC and commercial radio syndrome where a radio show is chopped, clips taken from it and it is just turned into a podcast and that’s not really a podcast at all. Hence the need to differentiate.
Education Is Needed For Podcasting
Izabela continues to say that there has to be further education among people who create podcasts and potential listeners for UK podcasting to flourish. The education must be centred on essentially getting normal people to look at podcasting as a resource for anything and getting them into the habit of looking for a podcast to satisfy their interests. For example a person likes gardening, he or she can search for a podcast about gardening. By doing so, we create a demand for podcasts and podcasters will have a wider audience.
Will There Be More Podcasting?
Katherine Bryant from Brilliant Living HQ, another attendee, expressed her excitement about the future of podcasting in the UK. She’s at the start of her podcasting journey together with her husband Julian and she’s very hopeful that podcasting in the UK will also flourish. This leads to the question; are there going to be more podcasts, conferences, or even meetups for UK podcasters? On this topic Izabela spoke about how the similarities in the mindsets of the recent attendees can be refreshing and actually serve as an inspiration for podcasting. I also think that these events usually lead to good networking opportunities, as you can see attendees using social media to coordinate, plan and exchange ideas and interviews. Radio host, Robin Banks also shared some thoughts and his hopes on how podcasting can be more relevant in the future.
On Internet Marketing Podcasts
Richard Dally believed that we need to think of the consumers and not what other DJs and podcasters think of our podcast. We think that’s really the way to approach it because it should be all about finding what you can’t do which someone else can do well. Richard also compared internet marketing to a pyramid scheme where you’ve got someone at the top telling people how to do internet marketing. Izabela and I are not sure we totally agree with that and believe that such a practice is actually needed because it brings podcasting to the world which leads to more growth for podcasting. I also think it is inspirational as I’ve talked to many people actually looking up to those who teach the craft of podcasting, internet marketing, social media and so on.
Recommended Platform For Podcasts
Anna Piazza from Spreaker, came all the way from Berlin in Germany to give us updates on Spreaker and told us that they’re going to have their own kind of internal advertising so that you can advertise and get more listeners coming in to your radio show or podcast. If you think about the 3 million people on spreaker.com that in itself is already a good thing.We genuinely believe in the platform Spreaker because we are convinced the company is doing much to bring podcasting to the 21st century.
The Choice In Podcasts
Rob Mobberley said it perfectly when he said that the market is really going to develop once people start to realise that they can listen to their passion and anything they want in podcast form. I think that he is right and that people are going to realise that they don’t have to listen to Heart or Kiss FM or others but they can actually listen to their favourite podcasts based on their own interests. Izabela adds that this is the time to start your podcast if it’s not already out there.
Communication And Connection In Podcasting
Kevin Mulryne, a big supporter of podcasting, also spoke about how podcasting can be the only way for businesses to talk directly to hundreds of their customers on a weekly basis. Izabela, agrees and shared her own knowledge of how podcasting has been successful for business owners. She genuinely believes that it is a great way of building trust and interest between your company and customers.
