Are podcasts the future, or is there still space for written content?
Podcasts are fast becoming the most popular way for consumers to get the information they want. The latest figures are staggering, with a recent study showing 68 million people listen to podcasts every week. Sixteen million in the US would consider themselves dedicated podcast followers, and those numbers are a sharp increase from the year before. The national lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 certainly contributed to that growth, but it’s unlikely to slow.
The podcast is a fast and convenient way to get the content you want. Regardless of the subject you are interested in; you will find a healthy number of podcasts covering it. From the most popular, like sports, news, and technology, to the more niche markets, like legal sports betting in Canada, podcasts have you covered.
The continued success of podcasts will come as no surprise to many but is there still space for written content? Will people swap newspapers, online articles, and adverts for podcasts? Some avid fans of podcasts certainly believe so, but others believe there is room for both to co-exists and even work together to help us become better informed.
In this article, we list the benefits of using podcasts and compare them to the benefits of online content writing.
Podcasts - fast, convenient, and readily available
One of the main attractions of podcasts is just how accessible they are. You can catch up on the latest episode of your favorite podcast on your home computer while relaxing, hanging on to every word. That’s great if you have the time available in your day to kick back, get comfortable and enjoy the experience but the beauty of podcasts is you can get your hit while you work. There’s no need to clear a space in your busy schedule.
Clicking on your chosen podcast using your Android or iOS smartphone then popping in your earphones allows you to fit it around your day. Many people listen during their commute to or from work. Others choose a quiet time to zone into their next task, cutting themselves off from the rest of the office and listening to a podcast while they go through their to-do list.
With podcasts, you aren’t just in charge of what you listen to. You decide when you listen, how you listen, and even where you listen. Never again will you miss the release of the latest episode. With your smartphone, you are always in touch.
Written content - affordable, fast, and perfect for SEO
Are the days of written content numbered due to podcasts? Is the written word the radio while podcasts are the TV? That’s not a bad way to think of the situation as, like TV and radio, podcasts and written content can co-exist. There’s room for both to work separately and even come together on occasion and operate as a team. There are many benefits to the written word that podcasts just can’t match.
One of the most important of these is the SEO benefits of web content. If you own a website or business and want to get your brand noticed, reaching your target audience, the best and most effective way to do this is through search engines. For the likes of Google to find and sort your site into the correct category, they look out for keywords and search terms. Search engines scan all sites for words and phrases that help put sites in the correct order. It’s not possible to do this through audio, so the text is required. That’s why all successful sites have text that is tailored to ensuring they rank highly on search engines.
SEO comes into play with any site or business. Let’s take a pair of shoes as an example. If you type “buy new shoes” into Google and hit search, you’ll find millions of results, but most people won’t look beyond the first page. Even more, click a link in the top three. Getting your site, business, or even your podcast in the top three of Google is done by clever SEO.
This means web content will be around for many years to come. The written word isn’t in competition with podcasts. They both serve a purpose and can both work together to help us get the information we need quickly.