Is it time for your business to start a podcast?

In 2020, 68 million Americans listened to a podcast every week, and that number is only growing. The rise of audio media over the last year 一 from podcasts to audio messages to live audio chat rooms 一 has been fast and furious.

Live Audio

The app Clubhouse launched in March 2020 and kicked off a surge in live audio social media. Clubhouse offers invitation-only rooms for people who share common interests. Speakers broadcast messages live to listeners who tune in and out of these rooms after receiving notifications on their phones.

Then came Twitter Spaces, which launched on iOS in December 2020 and on Android in March 2021. It features live audio chat rooms that are public for listeners. The host of the room can designate up to 11 people, including themself, to speak at a time. 

Reddit also debuted a new feature this year that allows users to host live audio conversations in Reddit communities. Community moderators can start a “talk,” and anyone can join to listen 一 but the host must give permission for someone to speak.

Discord, a chatroom-style app geared toward gamers, had been allowing its players to talk while playing for years, supporting video calls, voice chat and text. They recently introduced “Stage Channels” that allow users to broadcast live conversations to a room of listeners.

Facebook Joins the Audio Frenzy

 
Recently, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed the company’s plan to enter the social audio space. 
“We think that audio is also going to be a first-class medium,” Zuckerberg told journalist Casey Newton in a conversation broadcast on Discord. “Every once in a while, a new medium comes along that can be adopted into a lot of different areas,” Zuckerberg said. “I think that’s going to be true with these live audio rooms.”

Facebook will soon debut a Clubhouse competitor called Live Audio Rooms. It will offer live audio conversation in addition to audio creation tools that will enable you to create Soundbites. Zuckerberg described Soundbites as “snackable” audio content—think short jokes, anecdotes, and moments of inspiration that feed into an algorithm, like an audio-based TikTok. In order to capitalize on the popularity of podcasts produced by third-parties, Facebook will make it possible to listen to podcasts within the Facebook platform itself— both while using the app or when the app is backgrounded. Podcast creators will be able to reach and connect with new listeners, all directly within the Facebook app. 

So, is it time to start a podcast or live audio show?

Maybe! There’s certainly no shortage of simple tools to help brands create and broadcast audio, not to mention innovative new ways to reach your audience.

But before you rack up the company credit card bill buying shiny new recording equipment, ask yourself three questions:

1. Can I offer content that will be valuable to my target audience?
2. Do I have an “entertainer” personality to host it?
3. Am I committed enough to produce a podcast consistently?