Today is such a great day. I started this morning with a quick 20 minute listen to one of my favorite podcasts- so motivational. I love podcasts and have a little bit of an obsession with consuming content. I even listen to them at twice the speed so I can get through more great info. I estimate that I consume about 40 hours worth of podcasts each and every week. Crazy I know.
I think that podcasting will someday takeover talk radio. It’s just so much more convenient. You can listen when you want, with no (or very few) ads and you select the topics relevant to you. Win, win…..win.
A few quick stats on podcasting that I recently read from an Edison Research Study (Share of Ear)
- The average American spends more than 4 hours a day consuming audio. The study didn’t look outside the United States but I imagine it is similar- if not more. Most of that (52%) is AM/FM radio. But podcast is the fastest growing category.
- Americans listen to approximately 21,117,000 hours of podcast audio each and every day.
- Those who listen to podcasts “listen to a lot of podcasts”.
- In recent years podcast awareness has grown 105%, listening has gone up 163%
- The study concluded that America is in the “golden age of audio consumption”
But the study also found that while podcast listening has skyrocketed only about 1/3 of Americans have listened to a podcast. Many do not even know what a podcast is. So let me explain.
I think of a podcast as an internet radio show. Basically a podcaster (someone recording a podcast) will prepare and research information on a topic of interest, sit down and record an episode. After recording there is some postproduction and editing and then the episode is posted online. Listeners can listen when convenient, directly through a website or through some service like iTunes or Stitcher. The best part about it…..it’s FREE.
I recently started a podcast of my own here at Family Before Fortune and I am having a blast recording episodes. I have been humbled and blown away by the response. So many people have given the podcast a try and shared with their friends. I even spent 8 weeks on iTunes New & Noteworthy list which was incredible.
I’d like to invite you, if you haven’t already, to give podcasting a try. A few that I love and recommend are:
How Did You Get Into That w/ Grant Baldwin
This is Your Life w/ Michael Hyatt
Serial (a different kind of podcast- real-life investigative research)
And of course- a little personal plug for my own
The Family Before Fortune Podcast
The future of podcasts is very bright- join the wave!!
If you love listening to podcasts shoot me a quick message on Twitter and let me know what your favorite is. I am always adding good ones to my list
PS – If you have never listened to a podcast before it is super simple. Click here and you will be directed to a short tutorial.
PPS- If you like my podcast please consider *Subscribing*, *Reviewing* and *Sharing*- it would mean a lot to me. It’s easy to do- (On Apple Device click here, on a PC click here)