Podcasting – Is It Right For Your Website?

This post will cover the pros and cons of podcasting for your website.

Podcasting is a unique way to communicate with your audience. It’s an audio broadcast that anyone can subscribe to which means it has no limit to its reach, and it's available 24/7. Podcasts are also fun because you can leave the audio open as ambient noise in a restaurant or coffee shop if you're feeling too shy or uncomfortable to talk about your work with strangers! The downside is that podcasts sound like someone talking on their phone and so people may not want to listen for long periods of time in real life.

Still, the benefits of podcasting include:

A Podcast is Personal  - No need for a fancy title or expensive production, just an interesting voice talking about their experiences. Podcasts are 100% free to listen and very easy to set up. You don't need any special equipment either, just a sound recording software like Audacity or GarageBand and you're pretty much good to go! A Podcast is Easier Than Blogging  - The fact you can produce a podcast in your own time means it's more convenient than regularly updating your blog, especially if you happen to have a busy schedule with work and family commitments. Podcasts are also easier to update than a blog as you only need to post when you have something new to share. A Podcast is More Interactive  - You can ask your audience questions and leave reaction-type comments. A Podcast is Easier Than a YouTube Video  - If you’re wanting people to listen for longer periods of time on your website, they might find it hard to listen for 30 minutes or 1 hour if they’re only used to YouTube videos where the video changes every 2 minutes.

With all these benefits, podcasting is something I would recommend trying for your website if you don't already have an audio component. Even if just to make a 5 minute audio clip to encourage listeners to check out your website and follow you on Facebook or Twitter.

Below are some more details and features that work well with podcasting:

1) Intro/Outro Music - You can create a theme song for your podcast which makes it much easier for people to find you on iTunes. This is also an optional feature but it’s one of the most important because without it your podcast will be hard to discover in iTunes and I wouldn't recommend uploading anything without one.

2) Consistency - It’s much easier to build a loyal fan base if you podcast frequently so it's recommended you post every week. I would start off with just a 5 minute snippet (no need to write an entire script) and then once you get more comfortable with the process, you can go for a full 30 minutes or 1 hour episode.

3) Pre-Recorded Outlines - Rather than trying to remember everything you want to talk about when you record, it’s easier to prepare an outline and stick to that as it will sound much more natural and be less awkward.

Conclusion

Podcasting is an easy way to build a loyal fan base and an interactive way to communicate with them. It’s a very personal experience so it’s easier keep the podcast up-to-date than trying to regularly post on your blog. Even if you only do a short podcast once or twice per week, you can build a decent number of subscribers who will look out for your content and support you online through comments and likes on social media sites.