Though its rise in mainstream popular culture began around 2004, podcasting has been around since the 1980s, when it was sometimes referred to as “audio blogging.” With numerous advances in online platforms and digital media devices, podcasts are now more prevalent than ever before and offer listeners a variety of subject matter, spanning nearly all industries, likes, and interests.
Whether you’re into art, metaphysics, politics, religion, music, or anything else, you’re sure to find a podcast that incorporates your interests. Many times, these platforms are solo ventures hosted by individuals as a simple pastime, while even world-renowned celebrities have podcasts of their own as well.
Once intrigued with podcasts as a form of entertainment, many people often ask the question, what is a podcast network? We’ll answer this question and more in the following post.
What is a Podcast
In the most general sense, a podcast is a spoken series of episodes that focus on a particular theme. Some podcasts are entirely audio while others are recorded and feature in-studio interviews on private websites or public video sharing sites.
Overall, the theme of a podcast episode ranges widely and often dives into a specific subject matter. For example, some podcasts may focus explicitly on finance or real estate, while others will feature material with a specific interest in parenting in urban Chicago.[adsense]
As part of the nature of a podcast, the episodes are downloadable via web syndication to any listening device with compatibility.
Podcast Networks
So, what is a podcast network?
Podcast networks are a collection of similarly themed podcasts connected together via a network. This is like an affiliate relationship with podcasts in the same respect as to how businesses partner with others in a network in order to gain a larger customer base.
As per the network model, similar genre podcast episodes are typically broadcast in coordination with one another in order to reach a larger audience, and to make it easier for listeners to search for, download, and/or share other episodes.
Audiences from similarly themed podcasts are essentially shared, as the network allows the promotion of related episodes from linked podcasts within the network. This creates a higher rate of discoverability among podcasts that are a part of the network.
Network Benefits
Joining a podcast network has numerous advantages for startup podcasters as well as for those who’ve been podcasting for a few years. The element of increased exposure via the network model creates an incentive and offers the element of indirect advertising for podcasts with a relatively small audience base.
Some podcasts simply don’t have an audience base at all, which is typically the fault of not only a saturated podcast market, but also by not choosing to advertise or partner with networks.
Podcast networks unlock the doors that keep potential listeners from ever knowing your podcast even exists. Additionally, networks help maximize the traffic that you’ll receive, which could be seen as an incremental gain toward any podcasting goals that you might have.
Going Forward in Collaboration
Collaboration is often key to any tangible business success. While networks offer the first step into gaining a greater audience, it’s really up to the podcast host to engage the listeners and create a loyal fan base.
Moreover, as a loyal fan base is generally the hope of any podcast host, gaining premium or paid content subscribers is often the ultimate goal.
No matter the content involved, podcast networks are proving to lead the way toward a better podcast experience altogether, for both hosts and listeners.