Most Super Bowl commercials are just 30 seconds. The costs involved are astronomical, and ultimately very little information is conveyed to the audience. In the past decade, we’ve seen podcasts emerge as the new frontier of media. Where else can you hear a longform discussion on emerging green energy technology, or an intensive recap of the finale of Game of Thrones? Given that podcasts are infinitely more cost effective to produce than Super Bowl ads, podcasting opens up a world of possibilities for conveying complex messaging to a targeted audience.

Legacy media outlets have recently thrown their hat into the ring to try and break into podcasting, but they often misunderstand what makes podcasts popular. Podcasts are not the radio. Highly scripted and produced segments sound nice, but what drives podcasts’ popularity is the depth of conversation. There is simply no other viable communication medium to engage your audience and hold their attention for 20-60 minutes. You probably don’t need to make 3 hour long episodes, but it’s easy to understand how much more information can be conveyed in a free-flowing, 3 hour conversation than a 30 second commercial. 

Should you make a podcast?  Most podcasts never make it past 10 episodes. Persistence is simply part of the equation. Can you offer a unique perspective on an issue? Do you have an audience? Do you have more than 30 seconds worth of information you need to convey?

Can you afford not to have a podcast?