Whatever is said about the domination of video among multimedia content, audio content also invariably has an audience, which, contrary to the predictions of sceptics, is growing. Specifically, podcasts are popular now and they have already risen from the category of novelties to the category of if not classics of the genre, then, at least, content which has a stable and considerable audience.

Podcasts are especially popular with busy people who have no time to be long distracted by video. And they can listen to podcasts during work which does not require much concentration, during a short rest or while travelling.

Such specifics of podcasts are good for those who create them, as the audience of such specific content is busy and, therefore, solvent. Therefore, podcasts are often not only a cognitive or entertainment content, but also a business. Podcasters are often engaged in advertising campaigns. But sometimes, podcasts as such can also be a business.

Let’s discuss how podcasts are created, which components are vital for their success and what a debutant in this field should start with.

Origins of podcasts

The word “podcast” itself is derived from the merger of a part of the name of the popular digital audio player iPod with the English word broadCAST (broadcasting), i.e., listening to the player. 

Initially, development of the genre was assisted by Apple specialists, as people’s fascination for podcasts was an additional incentive for the demand for the company’s products. But pretty soon podcasts became a quite an independent cultural phenomenon, which nowadays develops without any external support or mentorship.

What podcasts are most popular now

There are reasons to talk now about a significant slowdown in the growth of podcast audience. However, this was preceded by several years of rapid audience growth which cannot last forever.

Now various podcast topics and even podcasters have their established audiences. Of course, quality content creators increase the number of fans little by little, but of course this growth is not exponential.

As for popularity of certain topics, it is not unusual for this hour. Of course, podcasts which deal with science will not have a bigger audience unlike social and political podcasts, psychological podcasts, cultural podcasts or podcasts with all sorts of useful everyday information.

What you need for a good podcast and how to make money from it

For audio recording, you can use either a professional tape recorder or a laptop or PC with a good microphone in the kit. Yes, podcast is an activity demanding some investments as recording audio with a standard headset will not provide even mediocre quality.

However, you don’t need to buy premium equipment at the initial stage. Inexpensive equipment capable of providing acceptable recording quality and freeware audio processing software is sufficient. Later, if podcasts become popular and gain profit, you can think about having your own studio. However, a simple room free from echo and extraneous sounds is enough to start recording audio.

You should also take into account that a podcast is not just talking into a microphone while recording, but it is a serious content whose creation requires serious preparation up to writing a text in advance.

Podcasters earn money by placing advertisements, receiving sponsorships or donations from listeners.