Despite constantly quoting the listenership stats, ad spend numbers, and even writing an eBook about it, I still get a lot of pushback from broadcasters when I encourage them to start podcasting. So, let me approach it this way. If you are an on-air talent, doing a podcast will help improve your on-air show. The time spent podcasting isn’t time taking away from focusing on-air, because you’ll find ample opportunities to use bite size chunks of the audio you capture in a podcast on-air (driving traffic to the already edited/published podcast). Plus, you’re simultaneously sharpening your ability to do long-form content and learning how the tease/hook/out lessons we’ve learned in radio can translate to this new platform. All of that has positive long-term impacts on a talent’s on-air show. Tying the podcast into an on-air show has a revenue benefit as well, because then it makes sense to monetize the on-air promo (and the boosted video promo on social) until the podcast downloads get up high enough to make their own money.
Whether we want to face this fact or not, it’s true. Today’s on-air talent are expected to be multi-platform content creators and compensated accordingly. So, the pressure to create digital content from management isn’t going to decrease in the coming years, it’s going to VASTLY increase. Podcasting is the one kind of digital content radio people already have the skillset for, with some minor tweaks. Plus, it’s easier than ever thanks to some new equipment. I recently purchased the new RodeCaster Pro II, with it’s built-in mic-processing, smart pads, mix-minus, multi-channel output, and much more! Not a paid endorsement, I just love the thing because it’s cut my editing time down by 50%. It is $699, but worth it, and it’s release has dropped the original model’s price down. Tascam and Zoom have similar boards as well.
Using tools like the RodeCaster and my favorite live-streaming cameras, Mevo Starts, any station can set up an affordable content creation studio within their building. That way it’s already setup and ready to go anytime someone needs to record an audio/video podcast, do a multi-cam live-stream, or bank an artist interview in a more casual setting. I strongly recommend this to all of my clients and can do a quick demo of the setup I take with me to stations in a Zoom for anyone that would like to see it. Also, all podcasts should be pushed to all the major platforms so they’re in all the places people are already going to get their podcasts instead of just living exclusively on stations websites. Here are the 5 podcast hosting sites I recommend for broadcasters, all of which push to those major platforms.
So, if anyone reading this has been contemplating starting a podcast for a while, but has yet to pull the trigger, wait no longer. Veteran on-air talent with a massive following, YES you should definitely do a podcast. Second or third chair on a morning show looking to hone your hosting skills, YES start a podcast. Work in radio in an off-air position but part of you has always kind of wanted to be on air, YES its time to start a podcast.
The pushback from on-air talent I typically get is something like ‘why would I talk to 10 people on a podcast when I talk to thousands upon thousands on the air?’ Which is misguided, it’s not an either or and talent with a following will start with a bigger base than that. In reality most on-air talent don’t like the fact that so many people are getting into their world. But, that’s the wrong way to look at it. It’s a VERY good thing that people have rediscovered their love for listening to this kind of audio while they exercise, do mundane tasks at work, run errands and so on. Podcasting isn’t bad for radio, it’s a huge positive, if we embrace it. Who knows, it might just be the missing piece that helps this industry make the much needed transition to digital and take our fair share of those digital dollars.
For more podcasting tips and tricks for broadcasters download a copy of my eBook From Broadcast to Podcast.
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