Podcasts are a very popular type of content nowadays. But how did they come so far? It took them some time and some lucky events. Also, podcasts have gone through some evolutionary stages and developed different branches and genres. Read along to discover them.
The first important stage for podcasts was Apple adding podcasts to iTunes in 2005. They presented it as an always-available radio adapted for your taste. Also, in 2005 Yahoo launched its podcasting search site.
However, it wasn’t until 2014 when podcasts became popular. It started with the podcast series called “Serial”. It was different from the podcasts that appeared before. It was a narrative and also it had the same plot that developed during all of the episodes.
Nowadays there are about 660 000 podcasts. And these are quite different from the ones that started as an alternative to the radio. This is quite a number, isn’t it? But why are podcasts so popular for content creators?
Well, podcasts are cheaper to make than video content. Also, your podcast can be added to the same platforms as those of the most popular creators. Plus, they become more and more popular in the lines of advertisement. So, there is even the possibility to make real money out of them.
We’ve already told you about podcasts being cheaper than video. However, in time, a concept known as video podcasting has evolved. You may choose to do video podcasting if you want to be present on the video streaming platforms, or even because there is not much more work to be done than with audio podcasts only. You can choose to have a static image for your video, some animation, or even a video shooting of you recording the podcast.
We know a quite difficult question may appear. How is video podcasting different from vlogging? Well, long-form conversational-style videos are generally considered to be video podcasts.
To prove that this type of podcast grows in popularity, Spotify announced the global launch of video podcasts in July 2021. Those would be available for all the users from some selected content creators. And one more important feature for those who don’t like that on Youtube you can’t just switch between apps while listening to or watching something. Spotify says its users will be able to seamlessly move between the video version and the audio.
Now that you understand the difference there, let’s get to the next important classification of podcasts – podcast genres. There are multiple ways to categorize podcasts, but here you will find one of the most common and most permissive classifications. We will also give you some associations which can help you better understand these types:
- A scripted fictional podcast – this one is like a story or even a novel in which you have to follow a narrative path;
- An interview or a conversational podcast – this one is like a talk show in which there are multiple hosts who debate a chosen topic or a host who has different guests;
- A nonfictional narrative podcast – this one is like a scripted speech or even like a Youtube video of a vlogger where there is only him and the camera;
- A hybrid podcast – this one is like a soup made out of all of those types listed above.
So, we’ve been through the past and the present of podcasting. But what about its future? Well, from our point of view, podcasting has a whole lot of possibilities to evolve. As content creators and even major brands invest in it, we think podcasts are going to become more and more popular.
However, we don’t see them as mainstream content. One of the causes may be the fact that there is still no unique app where you can find any podcast. A lot of them are found on personal websites of numerous platforms, unlike videos, which most of us search only on Youtube.
However, it is only one point of view. We would like to call ourselves visionaries, but this is a field of trials and errors. Also, you don’t need podcasts to be the most popular thing on the internet for it to work just well for your business.
Hence, this was our brief presentation of podcasts. This type of content is attractive and, as you have already read, you can do it for your business without a lot of costs. You just have to have a good idea which will be of interest to your customers.
You can start working upon your new type of content and in the meantime check our podcast – Subcast. Maybe you will find some interesting ideas for yourself there too.
