I love podcasts. They’re informative, inspirational, (can be) fun, but best of all, they’re FREE…
…well, that is, they’re free to the listener, but they are actually quite the investment (time + money) for the host.
And that’s something that I can personally speak into.
According to a 2017 survey from Edison Research,
- 40% of Americans had ever listened to a podcast, which is up significantly from 11% in 2006
- 18-34 year olds are the largest group of listeners, making up 44% of the group, with 35-54 year olds coming in a close second at 33%
- Average listeners typically tune into five podcasts per week, are subscribed to six, and mostly listen at home or while driving
Though it’s been 10+ years since I first entered the world of podcasting as a listener, I’ve actually been recording my own podcasts since 2015.
I’m the co-host of three:
- New Churches Q&A Podcast: Church Planting, Multisite, Multiplication, Leadership Development, and Discipleship
- 5 Leadership Questions Podcast: Leadership
- IMbetween Podcast: Marriage, Parenting, and Faith
And as of April 2018, I’ve recorded more than 350 episodes on the three I co-host, as well as other ones I’ve been interviewed on as a guest.
In other words, I know the cost of starting and maintaining a podcast, and it’s definitely not free for the host!
But if you’re committed to it for a certain length of time, and have determined a clear purpose and reason for doing it, then it can be a fun endeavor to undertake.
I’ll talk about equipment options below, but let me get to the reason I’m writing this in the first place.
If your goal is to share information or spread an idea, a podcast may not be the best means for doing so.
[Read more…] about Thinking of Starting a Podcast? Don’t! Until you read this…