What Is A Podcast?

What is a Podcast? 

In this episode we look at what exactly IS a Podcast and where did they come from?

SIMPLY …A Podcast is really just a recorded audio file, edited into a listenable package for you to listen to. 

You can download and listen to episodes or little clips of interviews, stories, which are now episodes in people's podcasts.

Where did the name come from:

While podcasting has been around for a long-time they were audio-blogs in the 80s and remarkably, the term itself, has only been around since 2004. The word  “Podcast” is mix of “iPod” and “broadcast”.

The earliest use of “podcasting” was traced to The Guardian columnist and BBC journalist Ben Hammersley, who invented it in early February 2004 while writing an article for The Guardian newspaper”.

Podcasts are basically like online radio shows that can be downloaded, subscribed to, emailed to clients and re-purposed in numerous ways for your social media platforms.

When used effectively they can be a powerful marketing tool for any business. They are now very much part of Digital Marketing Strategies.

Potential clients/customers are looking for you through search engines, with key word searches, via directories and they’re watching  your social media and  not only that .. you can engage current clients by changing your monthly newsletter or any update you want to email out… into a monthly podcast!

A podcast is a web feed of audio or video files placed on the Internet for anyone to subscribe to, or download.

Search online and you’ll find a range of Podcasts available on nearly every topic imaginable. They range from business, entertainment, education and everywhere in between (you could create a Podcast of your training!).

A podcast can be used in a few ways: as a simple download that you can use on your website, social media or to directly emailed to your mailing list, or it can be subscribed to, and then new content is automatically delivered to the subscriber if you have hosted your podcast on one of numerous platforms out there (Spotify & Apple for example). Subscribing is usually FREE!

A podcast show consists of a series of individual episodes that you can listen to on-line or via your  mobile device whenever and wherever you want (walking the dog, in your car, cooking, whilst working on other things or even at the gym)

People use podcasts for all different reasons. Yours might be to educate, to inform, to tell a story.

Podcasts are now out there. Remember, there was a time you jumped in the car and all you could do is listen to your local radio station. Now we plug in our smartphones and we can listen to audiobooks radio stations and podcasts.

We can listen to whatever we want, wherever we want. And your clients, your customers, your potential clients, potential customers, and your staff for internal communication, can all listen to your business podcast too… 

So that’s an overview of what podcasting is.. want to find out more - go to my website:

Transcript

How to Podcast for Business 

Podcast

Episode 1: What exactly is a podcast?

Transcript for those who prefer to read

Welcome back to How to Podcast for Business. 

What exactly is a podcast and where did they come? 

Simply a podcast is really just a recorded audio file edited into a listenable package for you to download on the device of your choice.

Whilst podcasting has been around for a long time, they were audio blogs in the eighties and remarkably. The term itself has only been around since 2004. 

The word podcast is a mix of iPod and broadcast. 

The earliest use of podcasting was traced to the Guardian columnist and BBC journalist Ben Hamersley, who invented it around 20 years ago. February 2004, whilst writing an article for the Guardian Newspaper. 

They are now very much part of digital marketing strategies, and they can be used on social media as content with a killer quote clipped from the podcast and uploaded as a teaser for the show. 

And don't worry, we are going to discuss these things in greater detail in future episodes, but for now, we are just focusing on an overview of podcasting for business in this intro.

Podcasts are basically like an online radio show that can be downloaded, subscribed too, emailed to clients, and repurposed in numerous ways for your social media platforms.

When used effectively, they can be a powerful marketing tool for any business. Your potential clients and customers are looking for you through search engines with keyword searches like they are for websites, and having a very well named podcast, clients and potential clients can find you easily.

Current and potential clients and customers are watching your social media and will see your podcast and hear your content, and you'll be seen as a forward-thinking leader in your field. 

You can also engage current clients by changing your monthly newsletter or any updates you want to email out into a monthly podcast.

What a great way to share your monthly news in an audio format. And let's face it, your clients then have a choice whether to listen or read you monthly tips, tricks, and news just like they would in a newsletter. Please do note here**  that your podcast episode can be transcribed into a newsletter from the audio interview, giving your clients and customers choice and removing the need for you to do both.

Search online, and you'll find a range of podcasts available from nearly every topic imaginable. They range from business, entertainment, education, and everywhere in between. You could even create a podcast of your training. 

Actually, a podcast can be used in a few ways as a simple download that you can use on your website, social media or to be directly emailed to your mailing list as we just described, or it can be subscribed to, and then new content is automatically delivered to you the subscriber. If you've hosted your podcast on one of the numerous platforms out there, Spotify and Apple, for example, subscribing is usually free.

Again, we talk a lot more about hosting in a later podcast episode. A podcast show consists of a series of individual episodes that you can listen to online or via your mobile device, wherever and whenever you want, and that's the pull of a podcast. They're portable and unlike video, you can take them with you – anywhere!

You can be walking the dog,in your car cooking whilst you're walking at the gym or even doing the housework, like me . Now, you can't do that with a video can you? Or an email or a newsletter? Well, I certainly cant, that's for sure. 

People use podcasts for all different reasons. Yours might be to educate, to inform, or to tell a story.

Podcasts are now out there. Remember, there was a time you jumped in the car and all you could do is listen to your local radio station. But now we plug in our smartphones, and we can listen to audio books, radio stations, and podcasts. 

We can listen to whatever we want, wherever we want. And your clients, your customers, your potential clients and potential customers and your staff for internal podcasts can all listen to your business podcast too.

So that's an overview of what podcasting is. 

In the next episode, we'll look at the business benefits of podcasting.

And if you don't want to wait to talk podcasts, do arrange a chart via my website www.voiceitpodcastagency.co.uk

Your Fairy Podmother!