Thinking of starting a podcast? Try these courses

Are you thinking of starting a podcast? Podcasts are growing in popularity with consumers, making it a good place for entrepreneurs or businesses to dive into.

TechCrunch reported that podcast creation has continued to grow — there are over 700,000 podcasts and 29 million podcast episodes, up 27% from last year. A growing listener base means big companies are also joining the fray. Spotify reportedly plans to spend US$500 million on acquisitions this year, and have acquired content studio Gimlet, tech platform Anchor, and true crime network Parcast for a combined US$400 million.

Google added playable podcasts to search results, Spotify released an analytics dashboard for podcasters, and Pandora launched a tool for podcasters to submit their shows, it said.

Everyone from Former First Lady Michelle Obama, self-help author, and blogger Mark Manson to plus-size supermodel Ashley Graham has dived into the podcasting world. But just because the big fish are joining the bandwagon, that doesn’t mean it remains elusive to the average ‘thought-leader’ — the number of podcasts being consumed has been increasing, partly driven by smartphones, and they can serve as a useful marketing tool for anyone.

They act as a great way to widen your reach across markets, complement your current content strategy, and potentially generate more income.

Podcasts can be informational, entertaining, and highly engaging, and can offer plenty of value to listeners. They can be delivered individually or as a series. And the best part is, just about anyone can start a podcast in any language.

Starting a podcast with the help of podcast courses

There are many considerations to think about if you’re thinking of starting a podcast, including the topics and niche you’ll be discussing, length, frequency, and equipment, to name a few.

Berkeley, for instance, offers a Podcast Bootcamp, an intensive seven-week, an in-person graduate-level certificate program that focuses on developing – from ideation through to promotion – a podcast series.

The university notes that students will learn by working with leading industry podcast professionals to learn start to finish how to take an idea for a podcast through to a branded podcast series. Students will also learn about interviewing techniques and strategies for reaching and engaging your audience, among others.

RMIT University offers an Introduction to Podcasting, candidates will learn all the basics of getting a podcast up and running, from what gear to buy, how to record interviews and edit audio, to how to distribute and market your podcast.

Podcast Engineering School’s podcast program offers live interactive online training, mentoring sessions, and a deep dive into podcast production, including the hardware and business aspects of it. At the end of the day, learning the nitty-gritty details about podcasting will help you produce better quality podcasts and satiate the demand for audio content as the trend continues to grow.

This article first appeared on U2B.