Do you have a successful podcast and want to expand your listener base? One way to do this is by live streaming your content.
While this may seem like extra work, it requires minimal additional effort and financial outlay. Below, we discuss why you should consider live streaming your podcast.
What is Live Podcasting?
When you record a podcast, it is usually done by you alone. You may have a guest, or you may have co-presenters. When you finish the topic, you can go away and edit the footage before releasing it to the public. Live podcasting, on the other hand, is where you record the podcast, but stream the discussion to your audience in real-time.
There are several reasons you should consider this. Mainly, it is because live streaming is becoming the next big thing in entertainment. Retailers have begun to incorporate live stream shopping into their marketing, opening television shopping channel-style streams conducted in real-time. Even the online casino industry is undergoing a user revolution. Live streamed casino games, managed by dealers in a studio, are bringing new players in droves. Backed by casino offers, it has given the industry a huge boost.
Reasons for Doing a Live Podcast
There are several reasons you should consider upgrading your podcast to a live one. Some of the biggest benefits are listed below.
Build Your Audience
Growing your podcast audience is tough. There are hundreds of other podcasts out there, many of them probably based on a similar topic. People only have so much time to listen in the week, so getting their attention is paramount, and a livestream can do this.
Podcasts are convenient, but some people want a more hands-on form of entertainment. Having a live podcast lets you reach out to a new community of people who prefer streaming. You may find this new audience even goes back and listens to previous content you have made.
Build a Community
When you put out a podcast online, your feedback comes from social media comments and posts. This can be quite an impersonal response. However, when you do a live podcast, people are engaged and can comment in real-time.
The upshot of this is that people communicate with you, you talk to them, and they interact with each other. This fosters a community around the podcast, and people love to be a part of groups such as this. This means they will be more likely to tune in next time, listen to recommendations you make, and even purchase merchandise or support the podcast with donations.
Use It as a Vehicle for a Big Event
You don’t have to change every episode of the podcast to a live one. You may get more value from them if you make live podcasting as a method of marketing major events. For example, if your podcast has been commissioned as a radio show, or if you are announcing a tour, you may schedule a live podcast. This could be a one-off that describes what people can expect and how they can get involved, alongside the general theme of the show.
Ways to Integrate a Live Podcast
You don’t just have to live stream your standard podcast. There are several ways you can approach adding it to your content creation methods.
The first is to conduct it as an aftershow. This is where you break down the response the podcast has had, and what was included in it. For example, you may release it on Monday and then look through the social comments for questions. This could then be released as a live podcast the following week.
Another idea is to use it as a question and answer. If you specialize in a certain field, then get the inner circle of fans to take part and ask any questions they have. You can discuss them, and they can also be used for future episodes of the podcast. This also helps build a community, with your fans providing springboards for content. Of course, you can just live stream the podcast itself. This has many advantages, not least that it takes less time and you don’t have to do twice the editing.
Invest in some quality equipment and make sure you know your topics. In a few months, you should see your audience grow substantially due to live podcasting. Eventually, it could become one of the main forms of content and by starting now, you can stay ahead of the curve and take the next step on your podcasting journey.