Podcasting has been on a meteoric streak the past few years with an estimated 700,000 podcasts in production and some 2,000 to 3,000 new shows launching each month. Advertisers have taken notice, spending close to $500 million on podcast ads in the U.S. alone in 2018, up more than 50% from the year before, and projections are that figure will top $1 billion by 2021. We made podcasting with Our Airtime Pro internet software easy, so you can take advantage of this growing trend.
Everyone seems to want a piece of that action, including tech giants Apple, Google and Spotify, and established radio companies like iHeartMedia and Entercom Communications, which are now heavily investing in podcasters and eagerly positioning themselves to capture more of your ear time. Google has recently introduced full-text podcast searches in its results, as has Apple in its Podcast app, so finding these shows is easier than ever.
Podcast and broadcast in one with Airtime Pro
With all that momentum, there’s never been a better time to jump into the podosphere. Fortunately, starting an internet radio station and creating shows with our Airtime Pro online radio platform is a cinch. In fact, Airtime Pro offers a built-in podcast feed as well as podcast hosting.
To start podcasting in our Airtime Pro, simply go to the My Podcast page in your station’s Airtime Pro interface and enter the show’s title, metadata and schedule. “How to publish a podcast with Airtime Pro” will guide you through all the details. After uploading a full-length radio show to your station, you can easily publish it to your podcast feed and SoundCloud in only two clicks.
Get more listeners
To get your show into iTunes, Spotify or another podcast distribution platform, all you have to do is submit your RSS podcast feed URL to the iTunes Store.
In the same way, you can also import a public iTunes RSS feed into your Airtime Pro station and schedule those podcasts for play. And did you know you can also exchange radio programs between stations using our podcasting feature? Here’s how.
For a full overview of broadcasting your own and others’ podcasts, read more here.
Of course, setting up your podcast and distributing it is the easy part. Creating compelling shows that will attract a growing audience and bring additional revenue to your station is far trickier. As with any radio show, niche topics tend to do well, attracting the passionate listeners that advertisers covet. Any regular show that you already broadcast can be expanded and turned into a full-blown, entertaining podcast. For instance, if you do a weekly hour on say the best of New Orleans jazz, that could be an ideal candidate.
Rather than just playing tracks, however, the most successful podcasts take full advantage of voice narrative. Whether it’s a weekly show on music, politics, or local culture, it’s essential that you liven up your podcasts with information your intended audience can’t find elsewhere and will keep returning for. Historical background, anecdotes and interviews with subjects or experts: this is where you can truly distinguish your podcast from the rest of the pack.
Also, keep in mind, podcasting is a flexible format with a lot of momentum and room for experimentation. Scripted podcasts, both fiction and non-fiction, have been much in the news lately, with film and TV production companies increasingly optioning them for the full Hollywood treatment. So no matter how unusual your concept might be, podcasting is a great way to flesh it out and introduce it to the world. And, who knows, your idea could become the next hot property.
Additional resources to up your podcasting game:
“5 Questions to Ask Before Starting a Podcast at Your Organization”
“How to Launch your podcast on a Shoestring”
Wondering which tools the pros use to make their podcasts stand out? Here are the 67 tools Podcast Junkies uses to get the job done. Also, check out their “Incredibly Exhaustive List of Podcasts About Podcasting.”
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