Passion is an oft under estimated force driving us to pursue our interests and change the world. Learning to podcast is a dynamic and accessible way to channel your passion into a meaningful endeavour. Whether you’re passionate about a specific hobby, topic or cause, podcasting empowers you to amplify your voice, find your tribe and make a difference. In this blog post, we’ll explore the numerous benefits of learning to podcast for passionate reasons.
A Platform for Your Voice
Podcasting provides a platform for your unique voice and perspective. Finding your individual voice is one of the major benefits of podcasting. A Groucho Marx line: :Authenticity is everything, once you’ve learnt to fake that you’re home free. And you may need to fake it till you make it but not for long. Nothing hones your individual voice to the world like podcasting. You’ll be concerned more with the tech and intricacies of your gear set up to begin with. Has my audio file made it to the podcatchers of the world? Fairly quickly, within 5 episodes, those concerns fade to a background concern. Then your voice becomes what is. This is a truly remarkable moment of personal growth and empowerment.
Speaking with authenticity, passion and purpose shows clearly in your audio. It allows you to express your thoughts, ideas and experiences without constraints. Whether you’re passionate about a niche interest or a broader topic, podcasting gives you the opportunity to be heard.
Your podcast becomes a canvas where you can paint your passion and your voice becomes the brush that creates mental pictures for your audience. The wonder of audio is its gift of allowing the listener to create the images they need/want to understand your voice.
Share In-Depth Knowledge
If you have deep knowledge or expertise in your field of passion, podcasting allows you to share in a comprehensive and engaging way. There are no rules in podcasting, no gatekeepers telling you to cut your show’s length or stretch it out to some arbitrary time length. This is both a gift and a curse, in some ways. Without gatekeepers you need to be disciplined enough to know when an episode is completed. Do not fall for the “average commute” argument sometimes postulated by the less well informed.
As I said, no rules, you are not on the radio. Equally, an understanding of how people actually listen to shows matters. From what I’ve observed and my own listening practices, individuals drop into and pause then restart an episode depending upon what’s going on around them. So longer shows that don’t “fit” the average commute metric aren’t an issue. While we’re on this, what is an average commute? Surely this varies from town to town, city to city and locale? I live out of town, it takes me 15 minutes to drive in. In an early part of my life, I was a 3 minute walk to work and even earlier, in my 20s, a two hour train ride each way to attend and return from my place of employment. Clearly designing episodes to meet those travelling times would be problematic.
The latest episode of Hardcore History ran for six and half hours. It took me a day and a half to listen to it but there were no issues. I wasn’t annoyed that I had to pause and restart.
When it comes to crafting your episodes, the rule of thumb is: the episode should run for as long as your content holds people’s attention.
Simples.
Unlike shorter forms of content like blog posts or social media updates, podcast episodes provide ample time to delve into topics, offer insights and educate your audience.
Connect with Like-Minded Individuals
Podcasting creates a virtual space where you can connect with like-minded individuals who share your passion. Your show becomes a magnet that attracts listeners who resonate with your voice through your content and interests.
The sense of community that forms around your podcast can be incredibly rewarding, fostering connections with people who are as passionate as you are.
Indeed it is possible to find fellow travellers from across the world. These bring new perspectives to your thinking and many may even become guests on your show, if you do interviews or guest episodes. As I’ve mentioned, “No Rules!”.
Creative Expression
Podcasting is a medium, encourages creative expression. Experimentation with different formats, styles and approaches to crafting your episodes are part of the process. From storytelling through interviews to documentaries and narrative pieces, podcasting allows you to express your passion in diverse and imaginative ways. The medium is the message as I discussed way back in Season 1 Episode 7. The freedom to express your passion is almost unlimited. True enough, there’s not usually a video component but painting word or soundscape pictures are, in some ways, more potent a communication method.
This creative freedom is deeply fulfilling and personally rewarding.
Build a Brand or Personal Branding
Podcasting can be a valuable tool for building a brand, business or personal. By consistently producing high-quality content related to your passion, you establish yourself as an authority in the space. Authenticity as discussed is the powerful effect of a good podcast. Coupled with consistency it is unstoppable. It is a slow burn way to grow a brand but it is inevitable, in ways I never considered when starting way back on 1 February 2016. It feels like we lived in a completely different world back then and maybe we did but the voice from a mic to a listener’s ears is one of the constants through that time period, ups and downs. To hear how podcasting can assist through the downs, have a listen to Season 9 Episode 12 Podcasting for Mental Health.
Fulfilment and Personal Growth
When you share your passion through this medium, you will experience a sense of fulfilment and personal growth. Pursuing something you’re deeply passionate about leads to a more meaningful and purpose-driven life. This is another of the great intangibles around the world of podcasting with ripple effects throughout the rest of your life. A fulfilled individual with purpose has uplifting effects on all those around them which feeds back in a positive way.
Podcasting becomes a journey of self-discovery, learning and fulfilment, enriching you and those in your orbit.
Impact and Change
Podcasting is the platform for making an impact and inspiring change. Your passion whether it aligns with a cause or social issue or is hobby based or drama, your podcast becomes a catalyst for raising awareness and encouraging action in any field of endeavour.
You have the power to influence, inform and mobilise your audience to create positive change related to your passion.
Learning to podcast is a powerful and fulfilling way to share your passion with the world.
If you’re driven by a burning passion for a particular subject or cause, consider embracing the exciting journey of podcasting—it’s not only a platform for your voice but also a pathway to sharing your passion with a global audience, making a difference and leaving your mark on the world.
All that said, if you are ready to jump into the wonderful world of podcasting, JMPS will be offering a “How to Podcast” course based on 1000s of episodes, nearly a decade of hard won experience and predicated on 40 years of meditation practice which might not seem related but it is. Through the meditation practice, I’ve learned to discern the necessary from the superfluous. The Course, as it’s coming together, will cover just what you need to enter the medium and nothing you don’t. The first intake is closed now but if you’re interested there’s a link to the application form in the show notes for when I run the course next, so jump in, I’d love to have you onboard.
The next couple of episodes, in Season 9 are some bonus episodes around the benefits of learning to podcast. I think you’ll enjoy them.
If you’ve found some value in this episode, please tell a friend who might be interested. This really is the best way you can help this show spread the word and such referrals are deeply appreciated, thanks.
In Show Links:
Season 1 Episode 7
https://sites.libsyn.com/482292/the-medium-is-still-the-message
Season 9 Episode 12
https://sites.libsyn.com/482292/s9-e12-podcasting-for-mental-health