Last week, I attended the Podcast Movement 2024 Conference at National Harbour outside Washington, DC. Podcasting is enormous, with new podcasts starting every day.

For someone who does not have a podcast, it was a blur of podcasting subjects, technologies, and monetization methods. I plan to start a podcast on technical public speaking this coming week. Be on the lookout.

Yes, you can make money in podcasting. Full-time podcasters are doing just this.

So, what does podcasting have to do with enhancing your public speaking? This article outlines three ways podcasting can help you in your speaking.

Broaden Audience Reach

A podcast allows you to extend your reach beyond live events and conferences.

Your speaking events only reach your limited audience. Wouldn’t you like to reach others with your subject knowledge while doing something else, maybe sleeping? The on-demand nature of podcasting allows this to happen.

People listen to podcasts when jogging, doing yard work, traveling in their car, and a thousand other situations.

According to backlinko.com, there are 504.9 million people worldwide who listen to podcasts. Even if 0.01% of these people listened to your podcast, that is over 50,000 people. When was the last time you spoke to over 50,000 people? My guess is never. That is the power of podcasting.

By sharing your insights and expertise through a podcast, you can engage with a global audience anytime, increasing your visibility and impact.

How much would you spend on marketing to get 50,000 sets of ears to listen to you? I don’t know the exact figure, but my guess is it would probably be prohibitive.

If you solve the frustration for your target audience in your podcast, guess what happens. The people who listen to you will spread the word amongst their friends, relatives, and work colleagues. Word of mouth is powerful.

So, one of the ways podcasting helps you in your speaking is to broaden your reach.

Another way podcasting helps you speak is by establishing you as a thought leader.

Establish Thought Leadership

Hosting a podcast positions you as an authority in your field.

Many years ago, Walter Cronkite did the evening news on CBS. He was looked upon as the authority on the news. Having a podcast will do the same for you.

Hosting your podcast has the same effect as writing a book on your subject. My business coach and now friend was vying for a speaking event with another, more experienced speaker.

My friend had written a book on public speaking. The more experienced speaker had not. My friend got the job. The event planner viewed him as more of an expert because he had written a book.

Your podcast provides a platform to delve deeper into your expertise, interview other industry leaders, and share valuable knowledge, reinforcing your reputation as a thought leader.

Something about the spoken word establishes you as the authority on your subject. Your ability to vary the pitch, pace, and volume of your voice on your podcast is more powerful to your audience than the written word. It makes what you say come alive for the listener.

So, podcasting helps you speak by broadening your reach and establishing you as a thought leader.

It also maintains ongoing engagement with your audience.

Maintain Ongoing Engagement

Podcasts offer a consistent way to stay connected with your audience between speaking engagements.

Just like diversification in your finances will yield the most money in your investment account, diversity in the ways you reach your audience will produce more significant engagement with your audience.

Regular episodes help build and maintain a loyal following, keeping your message and brand in the public’s mind.

Like your weekly newsletter frequency being predictable to your audience, your podcast is available on a regular weekly day and time, giving your audience comfort that they know when your podcast episodes are available.

You may even want to go live with your podcasts and take calls from your listeners. You can record the live podcasts and publish them for everyone to hear.

Your podcasts can do something that your weekly newsletter cannot. Your weekly newsletter is available to only the people on your e-mail list. Your podcast is available to the 5.44 billion people who have Internet access. Pretty awesome!

So, podcasting helps you in your speaking to broaden your reach, establish you as a thought leader, and maintain ongoing engagement with your audience.

Are you convinced that a podcast would accelerate your speaking?

Technology has never made it easier to start a podcast.

What are you waiting for?

Call to Action

Start your weekly podcast to

• Broaden your reach with your audience

• Establish and maintain your reputation as a thought leader

• Maintain ongoing engagement with your audience

Being a confident, engaging, and effective technical speaker is a vital personal and professional asset. With more than 40 years of engineering experience and more than 30 years of award-winning public speaking experience, I can help you reduce your presentation preparatory time by 50%, overcome your fear of public speaking and be completely at ease, deliver your presentations effectively, develop your personal presence with your audience; and apply an innovative way to handle audience questions deftly.

Working closely with you, I provide a customized protocol employing the critical skills and tools you need to create, practice, and deliver excellent technical speeches and presentations. Let’s connect and explore how I can help you become the exceptional speaker you were meant to be. Please reach out to me at frank@speakleadandsucceed.com or 703-509-4424 for a complimentary consultation. Schedule a meeting with me at calendly.com/frankdibartolomeospeaks.