5 Surprising Rewards That Come With a Career in Podcasting

We know the world is changing, and one of the biggest revolutions is happening in how we consume content. Nowadays, whether you’re commuting, working out, or just relaxing at home, headphones and speakers make audio content– especially podcasts­– easily accessible. Podcasts connect people in a special way: they’re more personal than radio, easier to enjoy than books, and unlike TV or the internet, they leave your hands and eyes free to get other things done at the same time.

This presents a great opportunity for any would-be podcasters out there, whether you are an expert or simply an amateur enthusiast. Thanks to the internet and the generosity of other content producers, there are more listeners, more topics, and more ways to connect with your potential audience than there ever have been before. Starting out is easy and fun, and to get you inspired here are just a few of the more unexpected perks of getting into the podcast game.

5 Surprising Rewards That Come With a Career in Podcasting

Podcasting Opens Doors to Interesting Experiences

The more success you have with your podcast, the more likely you are to end up branching out into all sorts of weird and wonderful places. If you are starting out on your own, the chances are your podcast is about something you are passionate about (is it microbreweries, Mesoamerican pyramids, or perhaps Minnesota?) and as you steadily move up the ranks in popularity, you will find yourself presented with lots of opportunities to explore your chosen topic even further.

At the top of the podcasting world, consider the example of Malcolm Gladwell and his excellent ‘Revisionist History’ podcast. In service of his show, Gladwell has, in no particular order: attempted to get himself run over in a parking lot by a self-driving car; jammed along with Jack White; gone behind the scenes in the HQs of both McDonald’s and Taco Bell; and taken the Law School Admissions Test (he did it as a challenge, it nearly induced a panic attack).

You Can Meet Your Heroes

Sometimes, one podcast might create the opportunity to start another. Off the back of Revisionist History’s success, Malcolm Gladwell pioneered a new show alongside Rick Rubin, Justin Richmond, and Bruce Headlam. For all of its listeners, the new show provides ‘liner notes for the digital age’, but for the producers, it allows Gladwell and his co-hosts to sit down with recording artists whom they idolize and ask them all the questions they never got answered in other people’s interviews.

So, if you’ve got an idea for a podcast and you’re not sure it’s worth pursuing, ask yourself whether it would be worth all the effort if you got to meet the people at the center of your passion. Whether that means your favorite artists, the most brilliant economists, the producers behind your favorite show, or the chefs who make the world’s greatest food, creating a quality podcast could easily be your ticket to a personal relationship with your heroes.

Your Passions Become Your Daily Bread

Chances are, when you get a free Saturday you take the opportunity to lose yourself in your hobbies. Some lucky people end up making their passions into careers, and podcasters are definitely among this crowd. A skim through the top podcasts will show you how many things are podcast-worthy: Love Island, prank calls, Premier League football, deathbed confessions… Humans are interested in some strange things, and whatever your passion is, you won’t struggle to find an audience for your show.

Over time, this means you won’t just end up chatting about your hobby with a few listeners, you’ll be sharing your passions with a crowd of like-minded people. Unlike so many of us who end up stuck at a desk or hauling machinery around, a successful podcaster is someone who has succeeded in turning their hobby into a vocation, and can live up to the cliché: “If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life”.

Preserve Your Culture

In our 21st century world, local cultures are constantly at risk of getting forgotten or mixed into the globalized world. It can be easy for your local community to slowly disappear into the city around you, and all of a sudden you realize the jokes you love, the stories you remember, and the people you look up to have been engulfed by the world that doesn’t appreciate them. Podcasting can be a great way of responding to this.

By putting your voice out there into the world, you can preserve for all time your own little slice of history. Maybe it’s your accent or your outlook, your worldview, your religion, or your sense of humor– whatever makes your community stand out, you can create a corner of the internet that bears witness to it. You don’t have to talk about your community all the time, or even at all, just doing what you love is enough.

Find the Best Co-Workers Easily

Some of the most joyful moments in life come when we’re speaking with someone and we discover that they share our passion. Because your business as a podcaster revolves around producing content you’re passionate about, anyone who applies to work with you is applying because you share a love of something important. Whether it’s a co-host, a producer, or an editor, you can organize your team so that what’s most important to you is what’s most important to the group.

People all over the job market will jump at the opportunity to work in a sphere they are passionate about, and once you start thinking about employing people for your podcast this is a huge plus. Rather than focusing on the salary, the working hours, the commute, or the benefits, you know your team is with you because, at the most basic level, you all love the same things. You can ensure a great working environment right from day one.

Channel Interest Into Profit

For plenty of new or growing businesses out there, getting clients to invest in you personally is a huge obstacle. Podcasting can be a way of helping to move potential customers from wariness towards trust. As a podcaster, you can become a personal figure for listeners: it’s your voice, your ideas, and your name on the door. Once you have got a regular, committed group of listeners, you’re perfectly placed to help them find the products and services they need.

Some companies start their own podcasts to help potential customers engage before they commit to buying, but even non-commercial podcasts are great locations for advertising. An advert from a podcaster you trust stands a better chance of convincing. As a podcaster, you won’t just be able to make money from the podcast itself, you can use it as the perfect spotlight for your business, or as a place to champion other enterprises and help your audience connect with great products.

So, why don’t you get started? It can be as simple as getting together with a friend to discuss your favorite films or putting together a script on why you think more people should consider going vegetarian. There are plenty of sites out there to talk you through the tricky stages of choosing the right tech and editing your content. Once you’re ready to go, head on over to Helium Radio Network and start broadcasting your show to the world!