This is the show for creative entrepreneurs who have a message to share and want to live a life of freedom. Learn how to grow your network and net worth, hear from exciting guests and more. My name is Dylan Schmidt, and welcome to Digital Podcaster. Podcasting has been around for well over a decade now, and it's super easy to feel like the market is saturated, oversaturated, rated with audio content, with video content, with all sorts of content. But the truth is, there's still plenty of opportunities available for new podcasters to build a dedicated audience. In this episode, we'll explore three reasons why you should start or continue your podcast this year. First up, reason number one, podcasting is still growing. While podcasting has been around for a while, it's still a relatively new medium compared to other forms of media like radio and television. Now, I know you might be listening to this and think like, okay, podcasting is like radio. It's not radio. Really. The freedom that you have with podcasting that anyone has available to them is not like radio. Radio. There's a lot of rules and restrictions. Even if you were doing Sirius XM, not just anyone can start a serious XM channel. And so when it comes to radio, it's different. And radio has been around, as we know before television, and it's been around a long time. And when it comes to television, some podcasts are audio only. Some podcasts are video and audio. But again, television. I don't know about you, but I watch a lot of YouTube and there's a lot of podcasts on YouTube that I watch. And television is different. I don't currently subscribe to a television. I have that Pluto app which is like free TV, but I watch TV. So infrequently that I'm like, I could not pay for it and not miss it whatsoever. I got the news. If I need the news, I can find the news on the Internet instantly. But according to a recent report by Edison Research, 78% of Americans are now familiar with podcasting, but only 57% of them have actually listened to a podcast. This means that there's still a lot of room for growth and new listenership, because what we saw during the pandemic was we saw a boom in podcasts, but a lot of those podcasts have not continued on, which is not unnormal for podcasting or creating content for anybody at any time. People are always going to struggle with staying consistent and seeing the results because especially if they don't have the right strategy or the right support, it's really hard to keep going. And podcasting is no different there. But you listening to this are different because you're getting a strategy and you're getting support to keep going. Reason number two, why it's the perfect time in 2023 to start or keep going with your podcast is it's a great way to build your brand and communicate with your audience. So whether you're an entrepreneur, a marketer, a creative professional, an author, or just a human being trying to figure it out. Podcasting can be an ultra effective way to share your ideas and connect with your audience. Podcasting gives you the freedom to tell stories, share insights, build relationships with your listeners in a way that you just can't do with other forms of content. Coming from someone who works on this stuff all day, podcasts are highly shareable when you make clips of them, but they can also help you reach a wider audience beyond your immediate network through things like having guests on, through things like reaching your guests audience, through things like consistently creating content that attracts and builds your audience. Reason number three podcasting is easier and more affordable than ever before. It's now easier than ever to start a podcast. You don't need a fancy studio. You don't need expensive equipment to get started. I think a lot of people misunderstand this. I was talking with someone the other day that talked about, how much money do I need to start a podcast? $15,000? More? Less? Can I get by with $15,000? And I'm like, you don't need that. All you need is a microphone, a quiet space to record, and hopefully a computer. But let's just say a computer, because pretty much everyone has a computer these days if you're listening to this. But you could get a Samsung Q, two U USB microphone for $55, and that thing sounds amazing. And then when it comes to publishing your podcast online, there's plenty of affordable hosting and editing services that will help you distribute your podcast without even paying anything or paying a very, very small amount, like $12 a month. It's just the barrier to entry has gotten incredibly low. For good reason, though. That doesn't mean that everyone sticks with it, though. That's why the right strategy and the support is still vitally important for you to be successful with podcasting. So there you have it. Three reasons I'm giving you why it's not too late to start a podcast in 2023 or continue your podcast. Whether you're looking to build your brand, communicate with your audience, or simply to share your passions and ideas with the world, I believe podcasting is a powerful way that can help you achieve your goals. Let's go. Also, if you hear all this and you're like, yeah, Dylan, that's great. I just can't balance podcasting and making content. All this stuff, it's just too much. I got too much going on. I got you. I got a lot going on too. That's why I made an episode, a few back episode 127 called The Secret to Balancing Your Podcast and Your Busy Life. I'd highly recommend you listen to that episode or join us for Podcast Academy, because that is all about structuring your podcast in a way that works for you. That's all I got for you today. I will talk to you in the next episode. I hope you're doing great. Thanks for listening.