Why is everybody starting a podcast in 2024?

If you’ve been online recently, you’ve probably noticed just how many podcasts are out there on the market. It feels like everyday a new one is launching, offering up new ideas and taking on different industries. Why is everyone making a podcast nowadays, though?

According to Rephonic, there are over 2.87 million individual podcasts out on various platforms across multiple industries, with over 381,000 actively posting. As of 2022, Pew Research Center has found that over 60% of people over the age of 12 have listened to podcasts. The COVID-19 pandemic played a big role in this podcast renaissance, with one of the biggest jumps happening in 2020. While the whole world being shut down played a big role, there’s another reason why so many have fallen in love with this medium, and it starts with the introduction of video recording.

When podcasts began implementing video recordings, they unlocked one of the most flexible pieces of media that could be used across multiple platforms. A podcast episode is not just audio anymore- it can turn into long form content, short form content, and written content. This allows you to expand your digital presence and cultivate a seamless and effective content strategy. 

Long form video content is important to your social media strategy because it allows you to dive deeper into topics that you care about, and can turn you into a thought leader in your industry. For your audience to sit down and listen to your podcast, they are committing more time out of their day to hear what you have to say, which leads to deeper connections and a sense of trust with your audience. Filming your podcast episode and putting it out in full on platforms like YouTube offers an additional bonus. With YouTube’s search engine capabilities, it can turn your podcast video recording into a piece of evergreen content, helping to keep your status as a thought leader for years to come.

Through the magic of editing, your podcast can be turned into short form video content. It’s these videos that can really take your podcast to viral heights. Posting on platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts allows you to reach more listeners and give them a taste of what’s in store in the full length episode.

Thanks to AI, transcribing your podcast episodes is easier than ever. Turning your episodes into written word can serve as a framework for SEO optimized articles that will help expand your digital reach. Impactful quotes from the episode can be used on Twitter or Threads to share your message. Those same quotes can also be used to create engaging graphics that you can use across platforms like Pinterest or Instagram. 

Building a strategic content plan can feel really overwhelming, but more and more creators and brands are realizing that podcasting can be the solution to the problem. It’s not about the podcast, it's about the content it can produce for you. So, why not take the jump?