75 years’ ago this month, the BBC Light Programme began broadcasting, bringing audio entertainment to people for the very first time. Transmitting from Droitwich, the service started with the news and the chimes of Big Ben. It remained hugely popular and went on to become BBC Radio 2 in 1967.
Today the digital radio dial has literally thousands of choices. But an area that’s showing huge growth, particularly during lockdown, is “radio on demand” – the podcast.
There are about 7.1 million listeners in the UK – that’s an extraordinary one in eight of the population. Around half of those have started listening within the last two years and the smart money is on 2020 seeing a similar growth, particularly under lockdown.
Many listeners access their podcast through mobile devices and, as wearable technology soars in popularity and increasing numbers of people use voice activation services such as Alexa and Google Home, the future for podcasting looks set to grow.
That’s why podcasting is a hugely exciting marketing and communications’ tool for businesses and organisations.
Much like its great grandfather, the Light Programme, the majority of listeners consume their podcasts first thing in the morning. According to OFCOM’s 2019 survey, peak listening time is 8am (https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/latest/features-and-news/rise-of-podcasts) and most are listening while they do something else; driving, relaxing or studying in particular. The data also shows that almost two thirds of listeners are male (63%) and the largest age group is the 25-34s (38%).
Increasingly, businesses and organisations are using podcasts to reach their customers and stakeholders. But to encourage your listener to subscribe and listen regularly your content must be relevant, engaging and entertaining. Mosaic’s unique Five Ps to the Perfect Podcast training course will teach you:
- Planning – what equipment to use, how to plan your content and where to record
- People – how to be a host, carry out an interview and how to work with your audience
- Production – how to record and edit
- Posting – everything you need to know about podcast hosts and uploading
- Promoting – covering directories and marketing
Our course can be delivered face to face or through fully facilitated learning on Zoom. It includes really practical exercises so you’ve had hands-on experience of everything you need to know to create your own podcast.
To find out more about our Five P’s to the Perfect Podcast training, see our course details here or call 01206 841933 or email info@mosaicpublicity.co.uk.