What Is a Podcast?

A podcast is a series of spoken word, digital audio files that are focused on a certain topic or theme. The term “podcast” can refer to an individual episode or a series of episodes that represent a show/program. Usually, downloading a podcast applies to an individual episode, while subscribing to a podcast means that you are subscribing to a podcast show/ program.

You can subscribe to the show on your smartphone and listen to it whenever and wherever you like (for example in the car). A podcast series commonly features one or more hosts that are discussing a particular topic or a current event/situation. Also, the content within a podcast can be scripted or totally improvised.

Although in the beginning, tech podcasts were more popular, currently there is a lot of available on a variety of topics such as business, music, sports, entertainment, education, gaming, politics, etc. Right now, there are over 30 million podcast episodes. They’ve become so popular that 51% of the US population (over the age of 12) have listened to a podcast at least once in 2019.

Podcasts can be played on the Apple Podcasts app, Google Play Music app, and many other apps. The amazing thing is that podcasts are more flexible than the traditional radio formats – podcasts can be any length (from a few minutes to a couple of hours), any frequency (daily, weekly, monthly), any format (one-on-one interviews, panels, storytelling, etc.) and any topic (that would never make it to radio).

Before starting a podcast you should define your target audience. Then invest in the right equipment and recording software, because when it comes to podcasts the audio quality is crucial. A podcast should be recorded in an echo-free room. Moreover, it should start and end with pre-recorded intros and outros. These messages are usually accompanied by music (you can use a royalty-free jingle).

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