5 reasons to launch a podcast in 2021

If you have been reading my blog or listening to my podcast for any amount of time, I probably don't need to tell you just how powerful podcasting can be. But having said that, I know that I have a lot of readers and listeners who are thinking about launching a podcast, but they're not really sure if it's going to be right for them. They're not sure if 2021's the year to do it. They're not sure if it's a good investment of their time. So I want to talk about a few reasons why I think it's a really good idea to launch a podcast in 2021. In my last blog, I talked about why it's not actually too late to launch a podcast, which it's a huge myth. A lot of people are saying podcasting's saturated. That there are no opportunities out there anymore.

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Why 2021 is the perfect time to launch your podcast

 

Believe me, there are still plenty of opportunities for the right people in podcasting.

Let's look at five reasons to launch a podcast in 2021.

 

#1 More people are listening to podcasts than ever before.

We had a huge spike in the number of podcasting listeners last year. And presumably, that's because people found themselves with a bit of time on their hands. Now, it's really interesting because Edison Research, every year, releases a documentary. It releases a piece of research called Infinite Dial. And in March 2020, so we're talking pre-peak pandemic, they found that already 37% of Americans aged 12 and over were consuming podcasts regularly. So that is, I believe, over a million Americans every month. Isn't that crazy? That's over a million Americans are listening to podcasts every month. I don't have the numbers for Australians and other countries handy, but if you just Google podcast consumption Australia, I'm sure you'll come up with plenty of different numbers. The point is, podcast consumption is at an all-time high.

And we know this because we're seeing companies like Spotify spending millions and millions and millions of dollars investing in getting the top podcasters onto their platforms so that they can attract more listeners. So I honestly believe that podcasting consumption being at an all-time high, creates a huge opportunity for you as a future podcaster.

 

#2 Podcast content can be consumed while multitasking.

If your audience is super busy, then that is a great reason to launch a podcast because it's giving you a new way to reach them outside of saturated social media and saturated inboxes, blog posts, if you're doing that. Your audience, potentially, doesn't have time to be reading blog posts. So by giving them a piece of content that they can consume while they're doing something else, that is in itself a great reason to launch podcasts.

 

# 3. Podcasting builds a connection with your audience.

Honestly, I think it's unlike any other form of content, because you are in their ears having a conversation with them. And it's really funny, the number of people that I've met at events who have come up to me and said, “Well, I feel like I know you because I listen to your podcast. You're always in my ears.” And it's crazy. It still blows my mind. I'm like, “I've made some of my best friends now…” One of my best friends is a podcast listener. And it's really cool because these people start to build that connection with you in a way where you're not selling to them. You're not just another person in their Instagram feed.

 

#4. Producing podcast episodes is quicker than producing regular blog content.

In all fairness, if you're doing interview-style episodes, they probably won't be quicker. But when you're doing a short-form podcast like this, I can create, record, and upload three episodes in an hour. And then my VA will turn these into blog posts. I get them transcribed using an app called Rev. And from those transcriptions, my VA edits those into blog posts. And boom, I've got three pieces of content from 20 minutes of work.

 

#5. It's a really good way to get your foot in the door with people who you wouldn't otherwise get onto a Zoom call.

If you were interviewing somebody as a guest on your show, that's a really good way to get in front of somebody who you wouldn't normally get the time. I have plenty of people who use this as a strategy for pitching clients. So if it's a client that they really would love to work with, they will get them on a podcast interview. And then at the end of the podcast interview, they'll talk to them and get them familiar with what they offer as a service. I've also seen this happen quite a lot with pitching to be on that person's podcast. So I get this quite a lot, where some people interview me for their podcast. And then at the end, they'll say, “Well, hey, I'd love to be on your podcast if you're looking for guests.”

And then also, it's a really good way to build relationships. Even just building business friendships with people who you look up to, getting them onto your podcast is a really good way to do this.

So there you go – if launching a podcast is a goal of yours, 2021 is the year to do it!

 

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