The blogosphere is a dynamic and ever expanding universe. There are many blogs on the web that are being created by bloggers and are being read by consumers.
Many businesses and organizations use blogs as a medium of communication, content marketing, propagation of information, and lot more. Blogs also help with networking and SEO initiatives and boost a brand’s visibility and ranks on search results.
However, with the increase in the usage of smartphones and availability of affordable internet, consumers have become smarter, more informed and demanding as well. They now prefer brands that are ready to go that extra mile and offer dynamism.
Now that more is less for most consumers, how can blogging be enough for them? The availability of a brand on a video and audio streaming platform has become as important as a strong social media presence.
Podcast is the new trend in the content marketing and branding universe, and it has become immensely popular in a very short span of time. Read our blog and find out all that you need to know about podcasts, podcasting apps, and its significance with respect to blogging. Let’s get started!
Podcast and Podcast Apps: An introduction
The term Podcast is actually a portmanteau of iPod and Broadcast. It is defined as a digital audio file made available on the internet for downloading to a computer or mobile device.
Wikipedia describes podcasts as an episodic series of spoken-word digital audio files that a user can download to a personal device for easy listening.
In simple terms, we can say that podcasting is like an advanced radio or an audio equivalent of video streaming channels like Netflix and YouTube. Today, businesses, individuals, artists, media channels, organizations, communities, institutions, etc., are using podcasts as a tool for outreach and communication.
The emergence of podcast apps has made things more dynamic and instead of broadcasting on websites or other platforms, creators and marketers are using podcast apps to broadcast the content and reach their audiences directly on their smartphones.
Apart from podcasting on websites, creators are using apps to broadcast their content and amplify their reach. This imparts more convenience, control, and ease of accessibility to listeners that in turn favors the podcasters. While websites ensure exposure, apps ensure higher consumer loyalty, engagement and conversions.
If you want to start a podcast for your business and reach the audience on their mobile phones, you can choose between the following two options:
Option #1: Publish on other platforms
Publish your podcast on an existing app from other companies and brands like Amazon, Apple, Google, Pandora Media, Audible, Spotify, etc. While this can be an easier and more affordable option to begin with, it does not allow you to enjoy complete freedom and authority.
Whether or not the content gets published and how it gets published are issues that will remain beyond your control. Also, you will have to abide by the guidelines of the platform, share revenue in most cases, face platform specific-limitations, etc.
If the platform shuts down someday, you will lose your audience and all your efforts will go in vain. Additionally, your brand exclusivity also stands challenged on a third-party platform.
Option #2: Create your own podcast site & app
While starting your own podcast website and app may sound intimidating and pose certain challenges at first, it is nothing but absolutely beneficial in the long run.
Having your own podcast website and app will give you more authority, control, and freedom. Do not worry! It is not as intensive as it sounds. With WordPress being as advanced as it is, you can use it to create a website where you can run your own podcasts, invite other creators and marketers, and do a lot more.
WordPress also has multiple themes and plugins for podcast specific websites that you can choose from. For example: Megaphone is a WordPress theme especially suitable for podcasts.
Additionally, you can pack all this aesthetic and functional experience and make it mobile by building a podcast app for the website. You can use DIY app builders like AppMySite to create iOS and Android apps online for free by using your website as a bedrock.
Here, you can be your own boss and make your decisions yourself. You can customize the experience as much as you want and establish a unique brand identity and image among your targeted listeners.
Suggested Read: How to choose a fast and reliable WordPress theme for your website?
Noteworthy facts & statistics related to podcasts
Before we dive deeper, let us first go through a list of facts and statistical data to get an idea of the podcast industry and its potential. Some notable statistics are as follows:
- There are more than two million active podcasts with more than 48 million episodes.
- The global podcasting market was valued at $9.28 billion in 2019.
- The podcasting market is expected to grow at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 27.5% between 2020 and 2027.
- The value of podcast market is expected to reach $60.5 billion in the coming five to six years.
- It is estimated there will be 100 million podcast listeners in the US alone by 2024.
- Podcasting appeals to youngsters, especially between the age range of 18 to 54 years.
- Nearly six in every ten consumers above the age of 12 in the US have listened to at least one podcast.
- 65 percent of listeners use devices such as smartphones and tablets to listen to podcasts, thereby making podcast apps more significant than podcast websites.
- 28% of listeners prefer podcasts over any other audio content type, including YouTube, AM/FM radio, etc.
- Statistics show that 54 percent of podcast listeners are likely to consider buying from a brand after hearing its advertisement on a podcast.
( Data Sources: Oberlo, Semrush, Grand View Research )
Blogs vs Podcasts: A comparison
Podcasts and audio content have their own unique appeal and charm. While videos can be better than textual content, one often needs to stay stuck to a screen in order to get the complete context and make the most of it.
However, audio content gives us the freedom to grasp the complete information even while doing our daily chores. Therefore, many people prefer audio content over blogs and videos.
Now let us conduct a comparative study between blogs and podcasts and learn about their pros and cons.
Blogs
The trend of blogging has been constantly on the rise when it comes to popularity and significance. However, despite all the glorious benefits, blogging has certain limitations that seem like drawbacks when compared with podcasts. Let us measure the pros and cons and know more:
Pros
- Traditional and popular format that people are used to
- Requires fewer tools when compared with podcasts
- Cost-effective with low barrier to entry and set up
- Takes lesser time to create and publish
- Does not require much technical equipment
- Plays a vital role in SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
- Allows lead generation and link building
- May include effective URLs, CTA buttons, etc.
- Enables easier skimming and scrolling of content
- Can collect powerful analytics and granular data
Cons
- Not as interactive and personalized as podcasts
- The impact can remain unknown for ages
- Requires immense accuracy, good writers, etc.
- Age-old industry with massive competition
- Suffers redundant approach and stagnation
- Requires readers to stay attached to devices
- Not much suitable for busy & impulsive consumers
- Rarely includes multiple voices in one piece
- Suffers more abandonments and lack of attention
- Falls behind in the age of aggressive marketing
Podcasts
Podcasting is a popular trend but is still quite new and due to be harnessed completely. Just like blogging, it has many benefits and disadvantages attached to it. Discover some pros and cons of podcasting and get clearer insights:
Pros
- Interactive, and effective with more personal appeal
- Ever-expanding industry with immense potential
- Lesser competition and saturation due to newness
- Appeals to younger and new-age audiences
- The personalized human touch creates huge impact
- More portable, hand-free, and gaze-free medium
- Allows listeners to multi-task and move freely
- Easier to integrate multiple voices and opinions
- Story-telling and narrative approach that attracts
- Helps in establishing a brand’s unique voice
Cons
- Requires more input, effort, and resources
- Not very cost effective when compared to blogs
- Requires special technical equipment
- Demands long hours to create and listen
- No major contribution to SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
- Call to Action, URL, and other integration gaps
- Limitations on skimming content
- Less powerful data for analytics
- Lack of opportunities for lead generation
- Still a newer and alien form of marketing to many
Conclusion
Starting a podcast doesn’t mean that you should stop blogging. There are still many people around the world who would prefer reading blogs than listening to podcasts. Also, blogs are important for SEO and for generating leads. Therefore, you can strike a balance between the two and try to ace both the sectors equally. You can also repurpose your existing blog content and use it to create blogs and vice versa. Conquer both the platforms and use one to power the other.
Suggested Read: Call-to-Action buttons – All you need to know about high conversion CTAs
Salient features of a great podcast app
As evident from all the discussion above, podcasting can do wonders for your business if you proceed with the right research, strategies, and approach. If you are intrigued by the idea and are planning to create your own podcast app then take a moment and go through the list of features listed below.
Implement our suggestions and ensure as many features in your app as you can from the list discussed below:
#1: Effortless onboarding
The app should enable your users to get onboard without much effort. You can offer multiple login and sign up options like login with Apple, Google, Facebook, Email, etc.
In fact, you should also let the users explore the app as guest without necessarily signing up for it. This will broaden your chances of getting more listeners on-board and keeping them intact.
#2: Engaging design & layout
The design and layout of your app should be aesthetic and highly personalized. It should also agree with your overall brand theme, and align with the branding guidelines.
Design every element of the app with utmost accuracy and perfection. This includes the app icon, different app screens, buttons, menu bars, banners, etc. Each element should add aesthetic and functional value to the app and contribute to the app’s coherence and quality.
#3: User-friendly & interactive interface
The apps UI and UX (User Interface and User Experience) can determine the fate of your business. Ensure that the app UI and UX design is well thought of, and executed.
Also ensure that the interface is interactive enough and the app is easily navigable. It should be absolutely effortless for your users to reach from one point in the app to the other and accomplish whatever goals they have.
#4: Screen & device adaptability
Having a podcast app means that you should be prepared for your app to get connected to various devices and components. While the app should be visually adaptive on various screen types to enable easy content reception, it should also agree will multiple devices.
The app may need permission to establish connectivity with Bluetooth, external devices like speakers, etc. Therefore, you should create apps for both Android and iOS users and ensure that it performs well across multiple device types.
#5: Helpful content and CTAs
The content on your app is everything. So, create awesome, engaging, and unique content and keep updating it regularly. You can also invite content creators from other platforms and promote cross-platform branding and networking.
Also make sure that the content you use in the app to establish the features and functionalities, help the users, and make their journey effortless. For instance, you must design helpful and attractive menu icons, search bars, categories, CTA buttons, etc., that together lead and guide the users intuitively in their journey.
#6: Multi-lingual support
If you aspire to create content in multiple languages and reach a diverse range of listeners and app users, then your mobile app must have a multilingual support and the app content and design must also support and resonate the same.
You can enable multilingual support in the app and let customers choose from a range of language options. It will help you in conquering multiple linguistic and geographical barriers and boost user engagement.
#7: Marketing, Sales & Ad support
Having a podcast app does not mean that you should limit yourself to creating and broadcasting content. Aim for bigger goals and attract more conversions and traffic by ensuring versatile support related to communication, marketing, etc.
For instance, you can ensure eCommerce integration and sell products and commodities, integrate AdMob and show ads from Google to earn extra revenue, integrate social media channels and send push notifications to boost communication and marketing, add a button to enable app sharing, and more.
Suggested Read: How to create an app in 10 simple steps? Make an app without coding
Wrapping up!
That was all about podcast apps. Consumers are demanding more dynamism and you can only conquer your competitors by ensuring multi-faceted and multi-channel availability.
Create a podcast app for your business and take the consumer experience several notches up. You can go for code-free DIY app development and turn your WordPress website into a mobile app with AppMySite.
You can also checkout the other blogs and articles by AppMySite and learn more about mobile app building and marketing, WordPress website maintenance, latest industry trends, etc.
Do not forget to subscribe to AppMySite’s app builder and explore it for free. Enter the mCommerce industry with complete preparation and claim your space!
