IN an era in which reading has become increasingly less favoured by many, podcasting provides a viable option to consume content in audio form. No doubt, its importance has been made more significant with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with global listenership seeing an increase of 42 per cent.

A podcast is an on-demand audio file that is available to listeners at their convenience for download or subscription, to be consumed either immediately or for future use. For almost two decades now this free, on-the-go medium has been used by marketers to communicate their message. Players in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean are just beginning to see it’s worth.

But let’s face it, podcasting is going nowhere anytime soon. It has come to stay, so it serves us well to get in the know about it and its benefits. You know for sure that this content form is vital when major players like Google and Spotify joined Apple to invest in the platform. Additionally, there are myriad other podcast directories (think distribution channels), and scores are popping up more regularly.

As of October 2020 there are over 1.5 million podcasts and over 34 million episodes. Of these figures, there are over 525,000 active shows and over 18.5 million episodes which are updated consistently. You can claim a sizeable chunk of the audience because podcast listenership is highly mobile. More than 4.5 billion people across the globe use the Internet, with mobile devices accounting for more than half of this usage.

There is a potential wealth of marketing benefits this platform has to offer, even though only six per cent of marketers are using it as a way to evangelise their message. There is a missed opportunity when you consider the following statistics from Podcasthosting.org:

81 per cent of podcast listeners pay attention to podcast ads;

63 per cent say they sometimes or always ignore TV commercials;

66 per cent sometimes or always ignore digital ads;

61 per cent sometimes or always ignore billboards;

59 per cent sometimes or always ignore radio commercials;

60 per cent of podcast listeners have bought something from a podcast ad;

72 per cent of people who have listened to a podcast for four or more years have made a purchase;

54 per cent are more likely to consider the brand advertised (only seven per cent are less likely).

There is evidence to support the view that product advertising on podcasts drives brand presence. If you have a great podcast, listeners (your existing and potential audience) will visit your page frequently to hear what you have to say. It, therefore, drives traffic to your website. The best part for your community is that you are giving value at no cost to them; it is accessible from smartphones or whatever their preferred platform. The advantage is that your listeners never have to worry that they will miss an episode. With just the tap of a button — as long as there is WiFi available — your podcast is accessible; or listeners may download the audio files to listen sometime in the future.

Another benefit of being a podcast host is the connection you make with your audience and the opportunity they have to connect with you. If you are doing an interview-style podcast, increase your influence, profile and network (and hence your net worth) by associating with experts in their respective fields. Remember, according to the late entrepreneur and motivational speaker Jim Rohn, “you are the average of the five persons you spend the most time with”. A podcast, therefore, can shoot your average way up.

You may be local but despite that, you can go global — reaching guests and an audience from anywhere in the world. The Entrepreneurial You, launched at the end of March 2017, already has listeners in 125 countries.

Finally and perhaps most importantly for you, you can earn from your podcast through a variety of ways — whether directly or indirectly — while making a global impact. In this era during which a pandemic has driven worldwide pivoting, be careful not to delay starting your podcast any longer. Get in on the action now because your audience is waiting.

Heneka Watkis-Porter is a podcast host/coach, international speaker, 5x author, founder of Patwa Apparel and host of Leadercast events in Jamaica. Send comments/feedback to henekawatkisporter@gmail.com.