Could Podcasting be for You?

In attempts to leave the traditional workplace, many people are turning to blogging to making a living writing about topics they enjoy.

Every day, however, more and more blogs crowd the Internet, and even if you’re an awesome writer with great content to share, you’ll probably have a lot of competition no matter what topic you’re blogging about. One of the ways to cut through that competition is to offer not just blog posts but also podcasts. The number of podcasts about any give topic is much, much lower than the number of blogs about the same topic. This is a unique way to work from home if you’re sick of the office life.

Podcasting is basically hosting a talk radio show online. You can choose whatever format works for your niche, from short ten-minute podcasts to much longer shows that last over an hour. Many podcasts have two or three hosts, but you could also do a podcast solo. Podcasts can include music, special gusts for interviews, and more. After you record your podcast, you can upload it directly to your website, as well as put it on iTunes and podcast aggregation sites for people to download.

The main way you can make money with advertising is through selling advertising packages, so this job requires you to be a bit of a salesperson. You can sell banner adds on the site where you host your podcast, and you can also sell timeslots for advertising within your podcast. Some podcasts read advertisements during the show, while others have set chunks of time that advertisers can fill with whatever they want.

Keep in mind that like blogging, podcasting is not a get-rich-quick scheme. While it does allow you to work from home, it takes most podcasts several months to gain enough readership to attract advertisers. Do your research before you start podcast – know what is already out there in your niche, invest in the best tools for recording your podcast, learn how to edit your podcast properly, and learn about ways to build an audience and reach out to those listeners.

Do you have a podcast? Has it provided an income allowing you to work from home? Tell us about your experiences with a comment!