Podcasting for Business with Ian Levitt, CEO at Studio Americana
In 2005 Apple added Podcasts to iTunes, and they have steadily grown in popularity ever since. Apple currently hosts 1.96 million podcasts with over 47 million episodes. Of the US population (12+), 41% have listened to at least one podcast in the last month. That number has almost doubled over the previous five years, with only 21% of the same group in 2016 (1). Part of the reason for the growing success of podcasts is that they make creating large amounts of content easy and accessible for your audience. In a 1-hour recording session, you can create your podcast, record a video, and use the transcript to adapt blogs quickly. Your audience can choose to listen in the car, watch you on YouTube, or skim through your blog.
While the podcast creators and audience grows, so do the services around creating podcasts. Ian Levitt, CEO at Studio Americana, worked in radio for 20 years as a DJ, technical director, and program director before starting his own podcast production company in 2017. They record, produce, and edit podcasts on various topics from environmental advocacy to accounting to sporting horses. Ian answered common questions about podcasts as content.
For those who might not know, what is a podcast?
A podcast is a radio show that you can listen to at any time. It doesn’t have the content or time constraints of traditional radio and can be heard from anywhere on the planet.
Why should someone start a podcast?
There are many reasons to start a podcast. If you’re passionate about a topic and want to share that passion with others - a podcast is a tremendous way to do it. If you’re going to be a thought leader within your space, podcasting can be a crucial part of that strategy. Provide listeners with valuable content, and it can become an excellent lead generator.
However, if you feel like you “should” start a podcast, but don’t really have a passion for doing it, now might not be the right time.
What do you need to start a podcast?
You definitely need a plan of some sort. On a very basic level, you just need something that records and edits audio. You also need to understand how to host the audio and connect it to where people are listening (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, etc.).
How much technical knowledge does someone need to start a podcast?
This depends on the type of podcast you want to create. If you have a working knowledge of Zoom (for interviews) and are willing to spend some time going through YouTube tutorials on basic audio editing (add music, trim the front and back of a piece of audio), you can definitely get started.
What makes podcasts successful?
Great question! It’s two key things.
First, you need to truly understand who your audience is and consistently deliver the type of content they want. It’s the only thing that will keep them coming back.
Second, you need to make them aware of you. Unlike radio, you’re not broadcasting to a specific geographic location centered around a radio tower. So, audience growth is about finding and connecting with the people that want your content, regardless of where they live. The cool thing is, the passion that is driving your podcast is likely shared with a community you’re already connected to. This holds true whether you’re doing a podcast for a hobby or for business.
How often do you need to publish a podcast?
Generally speaking, if you can get to once a week, that is a pretty good way to grow an audience steadily.
That said, we produce a show that only publishes once a month yet consistently puts up great download numbers and is only growing. It is another case of providing the exact content their audience wants.
Why are podcasts growing in popularity?
It’s the same reason Netflix and video streaming, in general, have exploded over the last decade. The on-demand model is what people want. The convenience of tuning into any topic you want and listening on your schedule - what’s not to like?
What should a podcast be about?
Anything, really. If you’re passionate about something and want to share that passion, podcasting is a great way to do it.
What are some common podcast formats?
Many podcasts are in an interview format, but there are certainly other genres that have done very well. Narrative podcasts - scripted and storyboarded like a movie - are always growing. They are much more labor-intensive, but good radio theater is hard to beat.
Some shows are just one person, usually a subject matter expert, providing their insights on a topic in their field. In this format, I think it’s especially important to let people really get to know your personality. These kinds of podcasts can easily be 10 minutes or less per episode, though they could also be 2 hours long if the content is engaging.
When should someone come to talk to you about getting help with their podcast?
Studio Americana really shines when someone has a concept that they want to get off the ground or take to the next level. Whether someone is brand new to podcasting or five years in, we can take a lot of the pressure off. Many clients have us do the recording, editing, and publishing. Some people just want the audio editing or to get the podcast launched. Overall, it’s about having a team of people who can navigate through all the aspects of production with you.
Audiobooks are also a big focus of our business. Producing audio to those standards has significantly informed the processes we use for our podcast production.
Looking for help making content work for your business?
Send us a message with a little bit about your business and we can chat about how Lillian Link can help you accomplish your goals.
