You're thinking of taking a deeper dive into content marketing and wondering whether you should sink more into a blogging or doing a podcast.
Which one will get you a better audience and subsequently a better return?
I've done both of them, in addition to a wide array of content marketing and will share my experience and insight with you. Let me share my experience with you so you know where I am coming from.
I have been 'blogging' since 2009. Mostly on behalf of my small businesses. I operated an Ecommerce business from 2009 - 2012. From 2012 onward I have operated home service contracting businesses. Blogging has brought us great revenue there. I have also bought, sold and flipped an affiliate site blog (I cover that in a Youtube video) and I am also growing another authority side.
Side note: I saw the real heyday of blogging in 2013-2017. During this time engagement was at an all-time high on my blogs.
And I also have a podcast -- Contractor Momentum -- a podcast on growing and operating a home service contracting business. I regularly recorded for about 2 years and grew an audience, but I have since stopped. Why did I stop podcasting? Ultimately I found it a better use of my time to focus on growing my home service business then sharing my insight and selling info products in that space.
Let's break each of these down.
Blogging vs Podcasting: Serving Content In The Right Form
BLOGGING WORKS if you are publishing on topics with active search volume. Otherwise, blogging is basically a waste of time. These days, in 2021 nobody will simply read and follow your blog. Blogging simply works by appearing in search results and people reading that one page. Most readers will never go beyond that first page. To be effective with that you need to do keyword research and publish on topics with search
PODCASTING WORKS For Holding A Following. Podcasting is sticky. People routinely listen to and follow podcasts. Therefore once you get a listener they will listen to whatever topic you will publish. You will likely understand your audience enough to come up with topics that are interesting for them, although they are probably not searching for it.
Examples:
consider the topic of 'why I stopped podcasting'; there might be an audience that would be interested in it, particularly people who are frustrated with not getting results from podcasting, but they are not searching for it.I could write a blog post
consider the topic of 'blogging vs podcasting'; there are several hundred people a month searching for it on Google, so here I write it.
consider the topic of 'private labeling HVAC equipment'; this is a very hot topic among home service business owners and many people will want to hear the opinions of others on it, but no one is googling for it.
The Ultimate Compliment: Blog & Podcast
As you can see from the examples above, some content is best served by a blog post and others by a podcast. A strategic combination of the two is really the ultimate win. Use the blog to cover your topics with search volume. Use the podcast to cover topics your audience would never search for but would find engaging. The search traffic you receive can also be redirected to your podcast. Total win!