The Future of Podcasting
Have you heard about the future of podcasting? It’s not a secret, but it’s also not obvious. If you’re already podcasting, this article may or may not be for you, but if you haven’t started recording and releasing episodes, then building for the future is probably something you’re already thinking about.
The future of podcasting isn’t in long form interview style podcasts. There are only so many fascinating people to interview, who are also willing to be interviewed, and will talk about what you want them to talk about. There are hundreds of great interview podcasts out there, in every niche. If you’re someone who’s building a podcast to deliver actionable content to your audience, interviews are a great way to get started.
But let’s say that you run gardening podcast. It’s springtime while I’m writing this and gardening is on my mind. But I don’t know where to start. Sure, I can find an authoritative podcast, featuring a host who has curated a diverse slate of guests, speaking about a variety of gardening related subjects. The problem is, I just want to get started gardening, and while I want to use the resources this fictional podcast host is offering me, I don’t want using those resources to become a barrier to the thing I actually want to do—garden.
If I have to spend more than 5 minutes sifting through the episodes of this gardening podcast to find a “how to get started,” episode, or I find myself hopscotching around list of episodes to create my own playlist, well then I’ve hit on the future of podcasting.
The future of podcasting is limited-series podcasts, or for those with lots and lots of content, curated podcast playlists. Think about it, when you log onto a YouTube channel, say to learn how to make a podcast, you’re probably going to watch a series of videos, often not recorded at the same time, which the host has identified as important for “how to start a podcast.” Linked together in a playlist, the videos essentially become a low-budget online course. You can even link to outside resources and downloads in the video description.
Imagine if our fictional gardening podcast was the same, with a set of playlists curated by the host, separate from the main episode feed, designed to answer broad questions the listeners bring to the platform—how do I get started with gardening, year-round gardening for beginners, advanced gardening tips for seasoned pros—the list is virtually endless.
Whether you’re podcasting about tips and tools for gardeners, diving deep into the world of Pokemon cards, or coaching others to success in their own lives, limited-series podcasts can help you repackage your existing content, and tailor your offerings to micro-audiences—the groups within your niche whose needs overlap, but are subtly different. Like an amateur gardener with many seasons under his belt, and me, just starting out.
