When it comes to choosing powerful marketing platforms, two of the best these days are podcasts and blogs.
Both provide informative and entertaining ways to validate your expertise, win customers over, and foster that valuable brand loyalty.
They also serve as tools to generate more leads and rock your SEO strategy.
Your only problem may be in determining which one will bring the best results for your business. Will it be a blog, a podcast, or a combination of the two?
With that being said, there are distinct pros and cons of each, and you’ll need to closely weigh these when planning your digital marketing strategy.
The goal is to achieve a significant ROI with whichever choice you make, and this requires knowing all you can before getting started.
Take a look at all these pros and cons in the “Blog vs Podcast” dispute, and determine what will be more beneficial for your particular business.
What’s the Deal With Podcasts?
Podcasts are one of the fastest-growing marketing mediums available and are already making their mark.
The number of listeners has skyrocketed over the last few years, and if you’re not at least considering starting your own podcast, you may be missing out on that momentum.
What you don’t want to do, however, is haphazardly throw a podcast theme together just to get in the game.
It will take a well-thought-out plan to design a podcast that not only amplifies your brand and properly represents your business but also will be of interest to listeners.
Podcast Pros
Take a look at the breakdown of pros of podcasts, factoring in your business needs and targeted audience for the best effect.
1. Reach younger audiences
Research estimates now show that younger audiences are listening to podcasts.
Almost 50% of those aged 12 to 34 listen to podcasts in any given month.
If your business needs to reach Millennials or Gen Z, podcasts may be your go-to marketing tool going forward.
Some studies are beginning to show that younger audiences lose patience with reading long-form content such as that in articles and blogs and prefer to listen in instead.
2. Increase opportunities to reach a captive audience and multi-taskers
Podcasts are available to captive audiences, such as those driving or sitting in traffic, doing household chores, or even working out at the gym.
Listeners may also don headphones or earbuds at night to listen in on before falling asleep.
Let’s face it; we currently live in a world where multi-tasking is common. And with the availability of podcasts, we can get more done in less time.
For example, listeners can learn something new or important while also working out their bodies to stay healthy and strong.
Unlike blogs where you need a mobile or computer screen to read them, customers can listen to podcasts anywhere, and this provides a way for you to reach them regardless of where they are.
3. Add a personal touch to your brand
A podcast is a way to showcase the personality of your brand and company.
By doing this, you can build a deeper audience connection by reaching listeners on a more intimate level.
If done right, it can invite people in and win them over. After all, podcasts offer a human voice to your company and brand.
You can offer conversations with those in the industry, take on current subjects or topics, include helpful advice, and add a touch of humor for a winning combination.
Podcast Cons
Now let’s take a look at the not-so-amazing side of podcast.
1. Requires more of your time
For podcasts, a high investment of your time is needed to ensure a successful production.
There are several steps involved, including brainstorming topics, planning schedules, contacting guests, recording, post-production activities, and, of course, marketing.
Time will be needed to develop talking points, explore frequently asked questions (FAQs), and find ways to incorporate customer and listener comments.
You will also need to remain patient while constantly monitoring results during the time it requires to build up your audience and gain recognition.
2. Involves intimidating technology
Although podcast technology continues to evolve, it can be intimidating at the start.
As a result, anything you do can be time-consuming and even frustrating if not done correctly the first time.
The technology involved will allow you to record the audio, edit those recordings for fluency, upload to a host, and finally publish your final product online.
Be sure to factor the time and resources needed to become familiar and comfortable with the tech into your podcast planning stages.
Depending on your budget, you may need to hire someone to specialize in this area or train a current staff member to at least handle it part-time.
3. Provides no convenient call-to-action
Since people often listen to podcasts while they are away from their computers and involved in other activities at the same time, the option to click on a call-to-action button or link is not immediately available or convenient.
While listeners may be excited, inspired, or curious about what they hear, they will still need to take that extra step and navigate to your site for further action.
This is where you can lose many potential customers.
4. Limits ability to gather marketing analytics
Since podcasting is still the new kid on the block, there are limitations in the ability to compile marketing analytics and in closed-loop marketing.
While some analytics tools are available, they are rudimentary and may not help or offer enough insight into what is working or not with your podcast.
What’s the Deal With Blogs?
With so many blogs available to customers today, the main thing you need to do is find a way for your blog to stand out and get noticed.
From there, providing quality content to keep the attention of readers and visitors will be essential.
The reasons online users read blogs are to learn new things, be entertained, and discover industry news and trends, in that order.
Blog Pros
Here’s what text on a screen can do for you.
1. Supports search engine optimization (SEO)
Blogs are beneficial to SEO in several ways, including the ability to use the right keywords to optimize the chances of a searcher finding you.
Entering queries into a search engine continues to be the method most used for those along the buyer’s journey seeking both general and specific information.
As long as you tap into optimal SEO, blogs are a formidable marketing powerhouse.
2. Requires less specialized technical knowledge
If you have a quality content marketing plan and someone familiar with posting techniques, the technology surrounding blogs will not be much of a factor.
Unlike podcasts, blogs require little technical expertise and very few tools to create.
3. Allows for the ability to provide links or calls-to-action
A call-to-action with text on a button or a link entices your reader to act while they are still inspired to learn more or jump right in and buy what you have to offer.
Blogs benefit from optimally placed CTAs, providing readers an easy and convenient way to take the next recommended step.
Examples of CTA language include buy now, learn more, sign-up, share on social media, and various others.
4. Allows for various content formatting
Blogs require less time to read than most podcasts take to listen to. This is especially true if you do your job with regard to formatting.
Content formatting includes the use of headlines, shorter paragraphs, numbered or bulleted lists, and insertion of relevant images and graphics.
By making your content scannable, readers can gain a sense of what they’re looking for and focus on sections most valuable to them.
This can factor in greatly, allowing people to control more of their own time and consumption experience.
As long as you follow blogging best practices, your blog will ensure a better time for your audience.
Blog Cons
It’s not all fun and games with blogs. Here’s where they might let you down.
1. Requires a strong marketing copy team
Your content marketing plan and strategy require strong copy, which means you need a strong team of writers, editors, and strategists to ensure your blogging is beneficial to readers.
You want readers to invest time in reading your message and return often to help position you as a leader in your industry.
This process will take time and talent.
2. You’ll face a high level of competition
Millions of blogs post each month, meaning readers have a lot to choose from.
They can find various blogs across all industries and topics. So just having a blog doesn’t give you an automatic advantage.
You will need to put in the extra work to define your strategy to rise above the competition.
This strategy may include sharing specialized expert advice, delving deeper into stories, providing instructions, or approaching subjects and topics in a whole new way.
Blog vs Podcast: After all, Which One Should Your Business Choose?
When is a blog better than a podcast, or a podcast better than a blog?
There’s no one right answer since all businesses are different.
With the rise of the use of mobile devices, podcasts are just as easy to access as blogs these days. As a matter of fact, mobile apps with podcasts are more popular than ever and continue to grow.
Blogs, however, offer more opportunities to optimize your SEO and help potential customers find you.
So, how do you choose? Start by asking these questions:
➤ Who is your intended audience?
Who do you need to engage with? Pay attention to age groups and other demographics as well as interests and needs, as they can play a role in making your choices.
➤ What medium does your intended audience access the most to find content?
In other words, how does your buyer persona prefer to consume content?
➤ What do members of your intended audience want or need to know?
If they are looking for educational information, detailed instructions, or visual aids, then a blog is a more likely choice to go with.
If your audience is looking for thought-provoking content easily consumed while on the go, the podcast is the better choice.
Review the pros and cons of both podcasts and blogs again, and narrow in on those that affect your business the most.
Finally, when it comes to podcasts or blogs, no one says you can’t have both. There may be benefits to adding them to your marketing plan.
Just make sure you have adequate staff to meet the needs for both and a budget for the tech needed for different platforms.
Keep your content marketing plan at the forefront, and you’re bound to reach positive results for your business.
Wrap Up: Picking the Best Marketing Platform
When it comes to selecting the winner in the “blog vs podcast” dilemma, it will all depend on your particular business needs.
But remember: whichever you choose — podcasts, blogs, or a combination —, quality content remains at the core.
Since we’re on this topic, take our quick assessment and find out how to make your content marketing strategy rock!
