6 Reasons Podcast Are A Killer Life Hack

A lot has been written about how much millionaires and billionaires read, they read to expand their knowledge of the world and extract new ways of thinking, predicting trends and staying ahead of the curve. So are we expected to all be able to consume page after page of text?

Not everyone is an avid reader, even people that are will find it pretty difficult to keep up with the likes of Warren Buffet; who is said to read 500 pages per day! yes per day.

But no matter how much I may want to read every book on this year’s “Best of” lists, my life just isn’t set up to spend hours every day curled up with the most recent cool title. And the same probably holds true for most entrepreneurs and small business owners.

It's why I rely on podcasts, and why you should, too!

So, why podcasts?

Podcasts have moved to the very top of my list of the best life hacks of recent years. Podcasts are entertaining and educational all at the same time, they are also accessible in most situations. Think about it, if you are traveling, waiting for a meeting or just working in the garden, a smartphone and set of earbuds and your consuming information at a time that you cannot sit and read.

Podcasts have evolved massively since their emergence back in 2003. Back in the day Podcasts, let's face it we're not accessible and a bit nerdy. Now you don't need a degree in microelectronics to attempt to find one and access them either.

Smartphones are what has made it all possible and they represent the largest type of device for accessing podcasts.

I feel we need some more stats on this and not just the American 44% who listen to podcasts.

OFCOM reported in 2019 the following

"Around 7.1 million people in the UK now listen to podcasts each week. That’s one in eight people and is an increase of 24% over the past year – and more than double over the past five years. Ofcom research also found that half of the listeners have joined the podcast wave in the last two years".

1. Does your brain interpret listening, the same way as reading?

The simple answer has to be yes, a great example of this concept below, taken from an article written by Bookriot

"Reading a physical book and listening to the audiobook are two different paths that lead to the same destination. Each creates differing experiences and memories, but neither is better or worse than the other".

2. All the information you need to know.

Podcasts are like blogs. Like bloggers, Podcasters like to share their experiences and cover a wide array of topics. There is probably a podcast out there about any subject you can think of.

The Apple podcast stats report shows that there were 550,000 podcasts on the web in 2018. Today there are an estimated 750,000 podcasts in the world.

Spotify now has podcasts on its platform making it even more accessible for people consume information on the go, in the office or lying on a beach chair.

3. Using Time Twice

In our busy world and our lives being able to gain that extra edge or gain time multitasking or using our time twice has become the norm to most people. So whilst prepping your lunch or giving the car a clean you can be finding the information you need on a particular topic and gain it by listening. It makes sense, so instead of listening to the latest track by your top artist, you can be learning something.

4. Listening can enhance the experience.

Regardless of how you read most people skim articles or pages in books, however in our Human DNA, we are hard-wired to listen to stories, we listen intently. The written word is a relatively new development in our evolution. Stories, well stories have been with us since before the first printing press was imagined. Cave drawings and sharing information around campfires is how we made sense of the world and entertained our tribes (go and entertain your tribe).

5. Voice-activated and New Technology

Voice-activated speakers and technology being fitted into cars and other devices like TV's, mean it's even easier for people to find and absorb Podcasts. You can ask Alexa to play your podcast on an Amazon speaker or even from a smartphone in your vehicle (if you have the app of course). Some new vehicles are fitted with apps in their media systems, which will see more and more consumers ditching DAB in favour of the content they want to listen to when they want to listen to it.

Back in 2017 at duggystone radio we saw this trend and its why you can say "Alexa Open Internet Radio" and hey presto you are listening to Duggystone Radio. We also realise it's not always convenient to tune in when a show is on so we Podcast all our shows on to a platform then add to the station's Podcast feed (check it out here)

 

6. Consumer or Producer

So Podcast are pretty vital life hack for not only consumers of information "all of us" , but also for people creating content to get a message across or for business to really connect with their target audience.

Podcast don't negate the need for Blogs, Videos, Facebook posts and other social media platforms, they add to it.

but for business what does this all mean, does it turn a profit, does it make sense from a financial prospect.

Well let's look at some stats:-

• 2 million podcasts are registered by Google.
• 54% of podcast consumers say they think about buying advertised products.
• Businesses spent $497 million on podcast advertising in 2018.
• Brands that advertise their products and services on business podcasts enjoy an average 14% rise in purchase intent.

 

A killer fact MailChimp exploded as a business when it was advertised on a Podcast!

 

Summary

Podcast are defining how people consume information and its also a fast-growing marketing sector that companies are adopting to really connect with their existing or target customers. In our busy lives, it's an ideal platform for consumer information on the go and is as effective are reading. The information is abundant and is also more engaging as it taps into our human DNA for stories.

A final note for companies thinking I would love to podcast, I don't know where to start or it sounds mega expensive and we don't have the budget for that.

Well its part of what we do at Duggystone Radio, we "Turn Ideas Into Audio" we run both Classroom-based courses or even 1:2:1 session at our studios in The Midlands or Bristol.

Regarding the cost well we use systems that are free to edit the podcast and hosting that is free so you can test the water before you move to a host that has more functionality but which comes at a cost. Equipment does not have to be that expensive either, we have that covered as well.

For more information drop us a mail at [email protected] 

or check out our latest courses or 1:2:1 sessions 

 

I hope you found the article informative!

 

Blog sponsored by

The Humble Entrepreneur Podcast 

Duggystone Radio 

Turning Ideas Into Audio