Should you start a podcast?

Benefits of Having a Podcast

Podcasts can offer a tremendous number of benefits to business owners. They can inform current and prospective customers. They can enlighten customers so they better understand a product or service. Podcasts can serve to educate the listener on topics related to what you’re selling. They can help build your brand, connect with your audience and even generate advertising revenue. There’s no doubt that podcasts have a lot of offer.

Drawbacks of Having a Podcast

Podcasts also have some drawbacks, for the listener as well as for the business owner. Because there are so much podcasts, there’s a lot of competition in the market. It would take a lot of resources to compete with other podcasters that are selling the same thing you are. Also, not everyone prefers to listen to podcasts over other forms of information dissemination. Many of your listeners may be put off your company if it means they have to listen to your podcast for 30 or 45 minutes at a time. Finally, starting a podcast takes a big time commitment on your part. To do it right, you’d need to commit to the podcast on a regular schedule. This would be time that you can’t dedicate to other aspects of your business.

How to Start a Podcast

Here’s a list to give you an idea of all the things you’d have to do to have a successful podcast.

• have a written script or draft to work from every episode: otherwise, you’d be speaking extemporaneously, which won’t sound good to listeners who are short on time.
• invest in a professional microphone: otherwise your voice may be hard to hear or sound unprofessional
• invest in a small acoustic sound booth: otherwise the sound quality will be very poor
• invest in sound recording software: you’ll need this to edit mistakes and tighten the recording
• commit to a regular, weekly, bi-weekly or monthly schedule: this is so listeners will know when to expect the next episode

When it Might Not Make Sense to Have a Podcast

Sometimes a podcast is just a bad idea for a company. It can be a waste of time and resources if your customers aren’t the type to listen to podcasts. This would be time and resources that would be put to better use elsewhere. If you’re not a good speaker, it doesn’t make sense to have a podcast. Your listeners might be put off if your speaking abilities are lacking. You could take some elocution lessons, but again, this would be another commitment that takes you away from your business responsibilities.

There are some very compelling reasons to start a podcast. Just like other major business decisions, be aware that it isn’t a light decision to make. If you decide to go ahead with it, keep these things in mind.

“Remember, wealth has nothing to do with money, success has everything to do with failure and life is as simple as you make it!” – John Dessauer