The digital world is saturated with quick video clips that span every industry and hobby possible. For budding business owners, trying to carve out a social and digital presence for their company is tiring, especially if content creation doesn’t come naturally. Factor in limited budgets and smaller teams, and it’s easy to put marketing and growing your company’s voice on the back burner. Luckily, there’s another media platform developing at a breakneck pace, specifically among millennial business folk—Podcasts!
Podcasting is the platform taking the radio waves by storm. With nearly 500 million listeners worldwide and a significant increase in listeners since 2019, businesses and individuals looking to scale their companies should consider podcasting as a legitimate route for growth. Currently, 50% of marketers utilize podcasts to advertise their niche. With the growth rate podcasts are experiencing, business owners must jump on board sooner rather than later if they hope to leverage the benefits of podcasts for their businesses. Now, we know what you’re thinking. Isn’t the podcasting community oversaturated? Wouldn’t the equipment be a cumbersome and unnecessary expense? Don’t stress! Podcasting can seem like a daunting journey to traverse, but Common Desk has resources and upscale amenities made to support streaming for your company’s unique vision and goals.
The origin of the podcast
Many of us have become desensitized to the hype of podcasts. You may even roll your eyes when you hear about them, as they seem like just another trendy thing for influencers to start. However, podcasts aren’t a new invention and have been around since 2004. Created by friends Adam Curry and Dave Winer, a video jockey and software developer, the podcast was the enmeshment of radio broadcasts onto iPods, with the intent to listen to them on demand anywhere they went. Hence, the iPod Broadcast. However, their real popularity didn’t start until 2014, when the true crime genre rose. The increase in attention around chilling tales of solved and unsolved crimes caused podcast hosts to get serious about equipment and production value. The heightened quality only pulled in more listeners and has snowballed drastically into the 2020s. Now, listeners worldwide can find a podcast to satisfy any of their interests with subjects ranging from entertainment, politics, and history to finance, self-help, health, and more.
Why podcasts?
Maybe you’re thinking, “Cool backstory, but why podcasting and how can it help my growing company?” For starters, podcasts are convenient and easily accessible as individuals across nations have access to multitudes of different streaming apps and smart devices. It’s a point in the podcast’s favor that they’re flexible and can be engaged with in multiple formats. These days, most show hosts not only record their audio but film the discussion and post it on YouTube or Spotify. The versatility of podcasts gives listeners the ability to choose their adventure, whether they want to tune in to your show on a road trip, while cleaning the house, or sit down and watch it after the workday. With a mix of ways podcasts are delivered, your voice has a greater chance of reaching a range of audiences that learn, digest, and are convinced of a message different from their neighbor.
Podcasts are also incredible for building community. There’s a disarming, warmth to podcasts that make their listeners feel as though they’re having a conversation on the couch with you. Whether wrapped up in a blanket to navigate difficult conversations, howling with laughter, or sharpening the mind, there’s a personal aspect between host and audience that makes others respond.
The shared interests, time spent, and community built between audience and host typically means an increase in trust, brand loyalty, and willingness to grow with your company or purchase your product. After all, most people are emotional buyers. If you’re looking to sell products or gain clients, letting your audience into the ins and outs of who you are, your world, and your passions, you’re more likely to develop relationships with your listeners that stand the test of time, engage with you, and support your vision.
What makes a podcast successful?
It would be silly not to acknowledge that though the number of podcasts grows by the day, nearly half of them fizzle out or fail to gain significant traction. If you want to run a successful podcast, below are some qualities your show should possess to ensure longevity.
- Consistency: A consistent episode schedule is one of the most crucial considerations in growing a loyal following. Studies show listeners engage with nearly 7 hours of podcast time a week and episodes that range from 20 – 40 minutes long perform the best.
- Valuable topics: The subject matter of your podcast should offer something important to your listeners. Whether educating or entertaining, consider interviews, deep dives into your niche, or telling stories to keep your audience engaged and intrigued.
- Strong voices: Hosts make all the difference when it comes to podcasting. Passion, relatability, knowledge, and the ability to articulate are skills that help you create a solid presence and rapport with your listeners. The chemistry between a strong host and listeners is crucial to driving appeal to your platform.
- Production value: In 2024, quality is king. Clear audio, crisp images, good editing, and professional sound will drastically affect the success of your show. These days, there are tons of free or low-cost editing apps and software like Canva and Splice. If this is the area you’re most concerned about, keep reading to hear about Common Desk’s exciting resources!
- Audience interaction: Connecting with your listeners via social media, like Instagram or TikTok, or through the show itself creates a sense of belonging and community with your audience and can be a helpful, organic marketing tool for advancing your show. Each week, podcast hosts should spend some time responding to comments or shouting out their listeners within the show or on social media.
Common Desk makes podcasting easy
Common Desk has provided its professional communities with quality workspace amenities for years, but did you know we have podcast studios? Between our flexible memberships, private offices, and conference room rentals, Common Desk has carved out beautiful, designated space for both seasoned podcasters and beginners to record their next best episode. Located in our McKinney, The Ion, San Antonio, and Salt Lake City spaces, our podcast studios are fully equipped, soundproof, and rentable whether you’re a member or a one-time visitor. Each studio features state-of-the-art equipment like Rode microphones, whiteboards, Apple TVs, audio/video capabilities, and more to make your recording session successful. We caught up with Amanda, our Community Associate at Common Desk – Travis Park Plaza in San Antonio, to hear her firsthand experience utilizing our studio to start a podcast with her relatives.
“My sisters, cousins, and I started a podcast called Life From Our Angles. We’re all a few years apart and in different seasons of life. The podcast aims to shed light on our unique perspectives as we each navigate our chapters. Our studio space at Common Desk – Travis Park Plaza is so beautiful! It’s cozy, inspiring, and perfectly designed. The words just seem to flow when you hit record. The studio is also fully equipped with new equipment which makes recording seamless and enjoyable. Come see it and check out our podcast on Apple Podcasts or YouTube!”
Podcast rentals are included in the majority of Common Desk memberships and are bookable using our allotted credit system, much like our conference rooms. Booking is an easy process done through the Common Desk members app or by chatting with your hospitality team. For non-members, podcast studios are open to rent by the hour during business hours. To learn more about the rates for the location of your interest, give our Customer Experience team a call at 214-216-6913, or feel free to contact us.
While choosing what avenues for messaging and marketing to pursue is a personal process for each business owner, we hope you’ll consider the goldmine of podcasts. If it’s something you’re interested in embarking on, don’t hesitate to include our Common Desk crew in the process. With resources right at your fingertips, Common Desk provides some of the best flexible options and materials to help you get started. In the meantime, we’ll leave you with some favorites from our Common Desk teams’ podcast rotation these days. Whether you’re looking to laugh, stay up to date with pop culture, or get into biohacking, our team has a range of hobbies and interests we’re sure you’ll enjoy. Check them out below!
The Top 5 Podcasts our Common Desk team is listening to:
- How I Built This — Business
Join host Guy Raz as he interviews the best-known entrepreneurs from around the globe. Learn how legendary business leaders built their brands from the ground up. Characterized by in-depth interviews and stories, How I Built This is the perfect podcast for entrepreneurs, big dreamers, and business owners looking for inspiration.
- The Toast — Pop Culture
Sister duo, Jackie and Claudia Oshry, have taken the podcast world by storm. Their weekly show is a riotous sprint through news in popular culture. Each morning, the Oshrys deliver five stories from celebrity and pop culture, along with their electric, hilarious personal commentary. Perfect for listeners looking to detach from the workday, stay in the media know, and have a quick laugh.
- Morning Brew Daily — News
Writers Neal Freyman and Toby Howell at the business newsletter, The Morning Brew, address daily news from the business world, economy, and much more. Described as the podcast they tune into to learn by our associates, the Morning Brew Daily is informative, snapshot insights from what’s coming out of Wall Street and Silicon Valley. Made for savvy business professionals, start-up entrepreneurs, or folks interested in keeping a pulse on the economy are sure to enjoy the Morning Brew Daily.
- Ninjas Are Butterflies — Comedy
Join Josh Hooper and Andy DeNoon as they traverse the world of weird, captivating stories and conspiracy theories, and crack ridiculous jokes along the way. Described as your perfect cocktail for comedy and anxiety, Ninjas Are Butterflies is a great reprieve from your daily task list if you’re looking to laugh and be entertained by vaguely chilling stories from around the globe and throughout history.
- Mind Set Win — Sports
Delivered by Red Bull, Mind Set Win is the show that explores the mentality of elite athletes and high-performing icons in today’s society. Giving you the tools to build a no-nonsense, gritty mind that goes the distance in your own life, Mind Set Win is the ideal show for anybody looking to level up the way they think. Whether you’re an athlete or a business professional, Mind Set Win helps you advance in whatever you’re after.
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