Podcast or Blog - Now That is the Question!
You know that if you want to gain authority in your field, sell products, or influence others, then producing engaging, helpful content is a great way to drive traffic to your website. But what is the best way to present that content?
If you have followed us for a while you will be aware that we don't believe in doing all the things, and you will also have learned that we also firmly believe that doing all the things will not work for every business. As with any type of marketing, your chosen channels should work for you, not the other way around, and how you approach marketing is wholly independent, so how does podcasts or blogs fit in to your chosen marketing mix? Both are two commonly used methods that in many ways strive to yield the same result, but is there one that would be better for you than the other? And will one make better use of your time and abilities, and engage with your target market in a natural and more efficient manner?
BARRIERS TO ENTRY
Whatever content you share, it will only be as good as the content marketing strategy behind it. What also matter is how well the type of content you produce will perform for your chosen audience, and let’s not forget, your business! When discussing whether to blog or podcast, we can tell you that both have been fiercely competing to be crowned ‘the best’ over the last two or three years. Due to certain entry barriers, blogging is still the most popular choice for creating content, as all you need is access to internet, a website with a blog feature and an ability to type up interesting content. It is in many ways as easy as it is to write posts on Facebook, and if you’re short on time you can outsource to agencies just like us who will generate that content for you.
The main problem blogs are facing is that it can be difficult to keep people’s attention. A study by Kennesaw State University showed that frequent social media users have shorter attention span. This means that short-format posts will have the most impact. It is also worth considering that if the only place you advertise your blogs is to your social media followers, you will likely see a somewhat high bounce rate where visitors swiftly leave the blog without getting stuck in.
Psst: To help combat this, we would suggest that you post your blogs on Google My Business and LinkedIn, as well as build a list of dedicated subscribers.
As opposed to blogging, publishing podcasts take a little more effort than simply typing your content: You must record your audio and edit it, before uploading it to a media host and then publishing it. When publishing your content, it is important to consider the sound quality of your recording. Although podcasts are a medium most will consume whilst undertaking other tasks and therefore providing the opportunity to reach individuals even when they’re busy, they will quickly leave the recording behind and stop returning to future podcasts if they know it will be hard to clearly hear what is being said.
SEARCH RANKINGS
It used to be that blog posts had an advantage over podcasts when it came to search engines. With blogs and other written content being made up of text and therefore being faster to load than audio and quick and easy to find and share, podcasts used to rely on transcripts and blog posts to promote the episodes and make these discoverable by search engines. As of March 2019, Google Podcasts automatically transcribes dialogue and uses it as metadata. Since August, Apple is doing the same thing through their podcast app. Despite the new transcripts and ranking feature, podcasters can’t rely on this feature alone, so to truly optimise audio content for search engines it will help to include transcripts including relevant keywords.
Psst: Publishing your podcast on your website alongside a transcript / blog post allows those with hearing impairments to find your content. On all our websites blogs, news and podcast pages can be included as standard. You can read more here.
BENEFITS & DOWNSIDES
BLOGS
BENEFITS
Enhanced SEO -
Although the features for audio files and podcasts being ranked are slowly getting there, blogs will be featured in rankings as soon as your latest post has been crawled by the bots at Google HQ. The use of keywords and the ability to choose these carefully will naturally aid your rank, so unless you take time to write your entire script there will be opportunities that get missed.
Sharing -
As mentioned earlier, it is much easier to share a blog than a podcast. Podcasts will eventually reach the same level of share-ability (visibility), however blogs will continue to dominate at the moment.
Thought Leader -
Podcasts might be something you can listen to whilst undertaking other activities. They are however not something you would generally turn to when seeking answer to a question. Blogs and articles are what individuals will visit when looking to get an answer to their question, which is why having a blog on your website where keywords and key phrases have been included will help you get found by a wider audience.
DOWNSIDES
Work Load -
As mentioned previously, the blogging world is a competitive one. This means that you really need to put the work in to make your business stand out. The key here is consistency, which means posting good content weekly or at least on a predictable schedule. In addition, your articles must have attention-grabbing titles, a SEO friendly format, and provide content that 1) provides value and 2) connect with your audience on an emotional level.
PODCASTS
BENEFITS
Reach A Captive Audience -
As mentioned earlier, podcasts reach your audience almost anywhere, at any time. They can subscribe and listen to your show with a couple of clicks. More importantly, they need only their ears to experience your message, making it possible to tune in whilst driving, riding, cooking, and so on. People often have their hands occupied with something else, and are more likely to stick with the listening experience, than click away.
Relationships -
Podcasting provides an intellectual and emotional intimacy that visual text lacks. Audio allows for the speaker's emotional nuance, allowing you to build a relationship with your listeners. A podcast that's released on a regular, predictable basis becomes a habit.
Less Competition -
There are over 500 million blogs on the internet, with only over 2 million podcasts. That means that the odds are in your favour if you were to start a podcast. Would you rather try to be noticeable in a room with 500 people or a room with 2?
DOWNSIDES
Podcasting is great, however there are two drawbacks from the benefits it provides: Much like channels like YouTube, it can be hard to build an audience. This will in turn have an effect on how quickly (if at all) you can monetise your efforts.
WHAT’S RIGHT FOR YOU?
Making the choice of how to best present your content will be dependant on a few factors. As some of your audience will be visual learners whilst others enjoy listening, you will find that the one method will supersede the other in certain areas and vice versa - there really isn't a way either form of content creation will suit all your audience. What truly matters is what will work for you! You should take into account:
Your goals for the content you create
Your existing skillset and strengths
The need of your audience (related to the first point)
The time and energy you have available to focus on one method or perhaps combine the two with the aim to make a multi-faceted content stream to capture a wider audience.
