The number of podcasts can seem overwhelming to those contemplating entering the medium.
Numbers like four million podcasts in the wild can be off putting. Yet the Feed from Libsyn’s latest episode delved a little deeper.
Many of the podcasts out there are not… active, shall we say. By using a set of criteria for defining an active podcast, things like, has published an episode in the last 90 days, has more than ten episodes and the like the number Libsyn came up with as 375,000 shows.
Let that sink in for a moment.
That’s 375,000 individual podcast feeds in all languages. I haven’t been able to find a language breakdown but we can assume many are in English, German and Spanish as these are the languages most often quoted as the most common. I’m sure Chinese would be a big language if the CCP were more casual in their policing of content from mainland China.
So some portion of that 375,000 is in English. That’s my native tongue even if every other English speaking country other than, maybe, New Zealand would beg to differ but I’ll go with Strine as a form of English. Even with a generous over estimate of 300,000 shows in English, the room for a committed, consistent, quality show is enormous. I’m not sure the world needs another true crime podcast but it appears the world wants plenty but that’s not the niche a disability organisation would place their podcast in. Imagine if you’d started vlogging when there were only 375,000 active YouTube accounts, just imagine where your reach would be now.
The available space for a well crafted, thoughtful and thought provoking podcast focused upon the people both in your organisation as employees and volunteers as well as the people you serve is almost limitless. As I’ve mentioned in other episodes, a seasonal approach would allow an organisation to focus on a theme for each season. The upcoming International Day of People With Disabilities, December 3 would make a great theme. Indeed each IDPWP has a theme and this year’s is: ‘Not All Disabilities are Visible’
If that isn’t a hell of a theme for both the day and a ten week season leading up to it then nothing is. A great theme for a first season. It would establish your organisation as both interconnected with the flows and currents of the international disability advocacy movement but could also reveal the organisation’s cutting edge approach to inclusion, empowerment and diversity.
There’s work involved in podcasting, that’s why there’s 3,625,000 zombie podcasts cluttering the directories across the interwebs but if you focus on your organisation’s key skills and outsource the “pod” parts, you can fill a niche, establish authority in the sector, speak one on one with your staff and current clients and potential staff and future clients and their parents/guardians/support networks. Your name will be the first one considered by listeners looking to work in the sector or avail themselves of your services.
There’s space people, stake your claim.
Contact Jon:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjonmoore/
or email at: jon@mrjonmoore.com