While podcast audiences have expanded significantly each year since their inception in 2004, compared to other media such as television, listenership has remained modest. Here are seven compelling reasons to jump on the podcast bandwagon right now:
1. Multitasking Allows You to Get More Done In Less Time
The best part of listening to podcasts (rather than watching TV) is that you can do so on the go! You can now be entertained or learn something new whenever you choose, no matter where you are. You'll look forward to your morning commute and daily duties with this hands-free, eyes-free type of entertainment. Listening to music while folding clothes, cooking dinner, or doing the dishes will lighten your load. Podcasts bring a leisurely type of multitasking to your calendar in a world when we constantly appear to be busier and busy attempting to juggle job and personal time.
2. Limit the amount of time you spend in front of the computer or on the television
The average American household now watches TV for 8 hours each day. Scientists have established that screen time puts a tremendous strain on the eyes, and there is speculation that it is also harmful to the brain. Podcasts are a wonderful alternative to visual media since they are entertaining. Podcasts, like videos, do not require reading and demand minimal energy, but they do not create the same visual strain or mind-numbing. According to studies, listening to podcasts stimulates the brain more than watching television. This is because, rather than spoonfeeding their listeners, podcasts push them to use their creativity.
3. Podcast Listeners Tend to Be Successful
You would not be shocked to learn that the largest audience for podcasts is highly educated, rich individuals, after reading about how podcasts stimulate the brain more than television. Now, you might think that bringing this up is a little snooty, but we believe that everyone, regardless of background, can benefit from the instructive and entertaining content of podcasts. Everyone in the United States has the opportunity to achieve the American Dream, so why not start with a simple step like listening to instructional podcasts in your subject of interest? If successful people find this information valuable, perhaps we can all learn from them and take a few steps closer to success.
4. Experts will teach you about unusual topics.
Podcasts are simple to use and gives a way for the average individual to communicate with the public without relying on traditional media. This is one of the many reasons why podcasting is such an effective educational tool. As a consequence, industry specialists from many sectors may easily share insider knowledge with the general public. You may now learn directly from trained professionals in an easy, short, and free session, rather than reading tough manuals or being inundated with irrelevant material. Take into account the following: When you're seeking to sell a small business, you suddenly have access to the opinions of hundreds of specialists.
5. Avoid Media Bias
Another advantage of podcasting is that we are no longer restricted to receiving our news from the three main networks. Only "four in ten Americans believe they have 'a great deal' or 'a good bit' of faith and confidence in the mass media to present the news fully, correctly, and fairly," according to a 2015 Gallup Poll, tying 2014 for the lowest level in history. News sources are restricted, and often untrustworthy, whether you are watching television or listening to the radio. Podcasts, on the other hand, provide a great deal of variety; the sheer number of podcasts available ensures that you'll be able to find more than two or three viewpoints on any particular topic.
6. Encourage small businesses to succeed.
Millennials are concerned about corporate social responsibility, according to recent data. This means that millennials will reject unethical companies like Nike, preferring to support local or fair trade businesses over giant multinationals, and purchasing from businesses that collaborate with charity. TOMS, a company that provides a pair of shoes for every pair sold, is a great example of this. The bulk of podcasts are modest startups, except for a few dozen well-known networks. This means that rather than fueling the corporate giants of news and television, your listenership can be utilized to directly support the host of a show you enjoy.
7. Preserve the art of story-telling
Finally, podcasting represents a revival of a fading kind of oral storytelling. Storytellers who memorized the full work passed along complete epic poems like The Odyssey from generation to generation for ages. This oral tradition has been observed in numerous societies throughout history, but in modern American society, written and visual media have practically extinguished the storyteller. Podcasting, on the other hand, has revived this tradition, with narrative accounting for a significant portion of all podcasts.
