So, you are thinking about launching a podcast as the key strategic element of your content marketing , lead generation and business growth? Great - you are feeling excited by the possibilities! What about your podcast category? Your podcast niche?
So off you go and pop over to Apple Podcasts (iTunes) and check out the categories that are relevant for your embryonic podcast idea...and see loads and loads of podcasts in your niche already. Your heart sinks. You feel like giving up already. There are too many podcasts in your category... apparently!
Please Don't Give Up At This Point
The key is looking at what your niche REALLY is, and getting very clear and detailed about the basic strategy items of developing a podcast . What unique aspect of your niche would work well as a podcast? What value and support do you intend to provide to your audience? Who are your audience? What do you have to say about a unique aspect of your niche?
Drilling Into Podcast Strategy
Get the idea? You need to really drill down into your niche, your audience and your uniqueness to develop a strategic podcast. A podcast that can be a success for you - as defined by you. This is not a quick 10 minute chat with your best buddies before you rush off and order a shiny new microphone and gadgets you THINK you might need.
When you spend time on the strategic aspects of your potential niche and truly dig in and explore your niche then it is likely that you will be able to come up with a unique podcast concept. Yes, despite initial impressions to the contrary, despite seeing all those competing podcasts in 'your' podcast category.
Too Many Photography Podcasts? - A Case Study
Maybe the best way forward at this point is to share a recent observation of mine. You might know that I host my own podcast called Stitchery Stories . It is based around my hobby of textile art and embroidery. The podcast category in Apple Podcasts that it does well in is Visual Arts (not surprisingly). Since launch July 2017, the podcast has been in the UK Top200 Visual Arts podcast category just about every week, and this week for example I spotted that 3 episodes were in the Top200 Visual Arts episodes listings. Yippee. This is particularly exciting for me because my audience demographic are not 'typical' Apple Podcasts iTunes users. Also, the episodes ranked were the first two, and the latest, so it looks like there is some serial podcasting binge listening going on.
People discover the latest and then they are going back to the start to listen to all the episodes. An interesting idea I will keep an eye on in the rankings and stats.
So, as I trawl through the listings, looking for where Stitchery Stories and my episodes are ranked... what do I notice? It seems like "all the podcasts in Visual Arts are about Photography"! And I spot new ones too. Why on earth would anyone think about launching YET ANOTHER podcast about Photography? I thought about it and then went and checked out each photography podcast in the Visual Arts category.
How Many?
There were 66 out of the top 200 podcasts. Yes, exactly ONE THIRD are based on Photography! Really? WOW!
Firstly, that tells me that actually, photography is an incredibly popular subject with podcast listeners. All those podcasts are getting enough listeners to get ranked regularly in the Top200 Visual Arts. Not just ranked - let's face it, at one third coverage, photography is DOMINATING that category. Photography is also an incredibly popular hobby, and a great employment option too. We live in a very visual age on social media and there is an endless appetite for quality images. Also, for visual storytelling.
Related: Content Marketing To Build Your Personal Brand
The Importance Of Sub-Niches In Podcasting (or anything)
As I checked out each photography related podcast in the category, there emerged a wide range of photography sub-niches. Landscape, nature, film, fashion, beauty, portraits, street, travel, journalism, food, art, swimwear. The list goes on. And then of course there are the podcasts by 'named' photographers sharing their photography and business building wisdom. Plus, podcasts around the business of being a professional photographer. There are also podcasts about improving your technical ability as a photographer. Understanding the equipment, and subjects such as light, composition, filters and so forth. Oh and of course manipulating the images afterwards.
Keep Digging Into Your Niche To Discover Podcasting Opportunities
Is it now very clear why there seems to be so many podcasts about photography? There are so many sub-niches and specialist aspects to the high-level niche of photography. I would bet that there are still aspects of photography that are not covered with a podcast. Therefore, for the right person with a clear and strategic consideration of their niche, or a determination to do something different and better, then there surely is still an opportunity for launching 'yet another podcast on photography' within the Visual Arts category.
If you were a photographer and were considering launching a photography podcast, would you have stalled at that first revelation around the volume of existing photography podcasts. Or would you have stopped and thought about it a bit deeper and spotted what I spotted? Of course, if you don't know what you don't know, then it's easy to give up too early. And miss a fantastic opportunity. That's why a conversation with someone like me is a great idea.
Podcast Possibilities
I focus on guiding you through ALL the elements of creating a fantastic podcast that supports your business goals. There truly is much more to podcast strategy than picking a title, getting some artwork done, buying a microphone and hitting record.
I am launching a specific 'Podcast Possibilities' package which will focus on these ideas. At the end of my process, you will be very clear about podcasting for your business. You will know if podcasting is indeed the perfect platform for YOU and your business. It is not for everyone. Better to know now, than after wasting many hours, tons of effort and a pile of money on something that you should never have started.
Interested to discover more?
Drop me an email info@podcastprogress.com and let's have a chat and get started.