MBA2600 Q&A Wednesday: Is it Worth it to Start a Podcast in 2025?

0:00You've probably heard that podcasts are oversaturated, that it's too late to start one, that nobody's listening anymore. That's complete nonsense. Today, I'm going to show you why podcasting still works. I'm going to also show you the hidden benefits that no one talks about and how to make your podcast work in 2025.

0:24Welcome back to the$100 MBA show. I'm your host, Omar Zinhome, where I deliver practical business lessons three times a week, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, to help you start, grow, and scale your business. I've run the$100 MBA show for nearly a decade with over 2 ,500 episodes, hundreds of millions of downloads, and been named one of the best podcasts on Apple Podcasts. I've seen firsthand what podcasting can do for your business, your brand, and your network. I'm going to break it down step by step. Podcasting isn't just alive. It's thriving. But it's not about going viral. It's about going deep with your audience.

1:03And this is what makes podcasting so powerful. The deep audience connection you make. But first, we need to take a timeout. A quick disclaimer. Let me be straight with you. It's more competitive than ever to start a podcast. It is harder to stand out than it was five or ten years ago when I started. So does it mean it's not worth it? No, not at all. As Jim Rohn put it best, don't wish it was easier, wish you were better. If you're willing to put in the effort, if you're willing to be strategic, Podcasting in 2025 is still one of the best, if not the best way to build real engaged audience members that actually buy from you.

1:41And that goes back to the point I was making earlier. You're in their ears for 10 to 20 to 30 minutes. Some podcasts are three hours long. When people put on a podcast, they're not distracted. They're not going to easily click away or scroll away like on Instagram or even on YouTube. This gives you concentrated time with your audience to build a relationship. No algorithm is throttling your reach like on social media. You're not competing with short form distractions. You have their full attention for the most part the whole episode. Think about it. When you consume a podcast, you put on the podcast and you go ahead and do your thing.

2:20You put on the podcast, you start your workout. You fold the laundry. You start your commute to work. You start your walk outside, whatever it might be. And because of this, podcast listeners are high value customers. This is so important. The audience members that you have on a podcast are high value, much more valuable than somebody somewhere else because they are actually consuming your content. They're learning from you. They're building a relationship. You're building trust with them. And the numbers don't lie. According to Edison Research, 54 % of podcast listeners are more likely to consider buying a product from a brand they hear on a podcast.

3:00I know this firsthand. Many of the customers I've had with any of our products came from the podcast, came from people listening to us day after day, week after week. And trust me, because they heard me deliver real value every single episode. This builds a tremendous amount of trust and shows that I can deliver on what I'm talking about because they're already getting wins by listening to the show. And podcasting gives me a fighting chance because they're listening to my content enough to get a win and therefore prove to themselves that I can help them further. Attention is currency. And podcasting gives you more attention than almost any other platform.

3:41Now, Barry, who asked today's question, asked if it's worth it to start a podcast in 2025. It's not just worth it. It's one of the smartest moves you can make. And here's why. And I'm going to start with a few that you might not be thinking about. Number one, it builds your network fast. And you need a network to be able to build a solid business. Want to meet the biggest names in your industry? Well, you can interview them now that you have a podcast. Big names in your industry are launching things all the time. They're launching a new book, a new product, a new investment, a new venture, maybe even a charity.

4:15And they're going to want to talk about it. And they're going to talk to you because you're part of the media now. And that's something I realized when I started a podcast. I said, I'm a media member now. I'm part of how they get PR. I got to meet some of my personal heroes through my podcast, people like Derek Sivers and Seth Godin, who I got the pleasure of learning from, from their books and their courses and their content, as I was coming up in my entrepreneurial journey. And they came to me to be on my podcast. What an honor. So if you want to rub elbows with the people that are actually doing things in your industry, having a podcast gives you a reason to reach out to your heroes.

4:51Second reason why it's worth it. It gives you a platform to speak on stages. Again, a lot of people don't talk about this, but I get a lot of speaking opportunities because of my podcast. I get to speak at conferences and events I would have no business speaking at because of my podcast. And it's not by accident. And it's not because I have a podcast, so to speak. It's because the podcast allowed me to have an audience. And because I have an audience, they're going to want that audience to show up to their event. So they're hoping that if I speak there, that my name and people that follow me in my podcast will also go to their event.

5:25Being able to speak at these events allowed me to, one, go to these events for free. I get to go to the event as a speaker. Number two, I get to make friends with other speakers that are doing some very interesting things. And number three, it launched a whole revenue stream for me to have a speaking career. My podcast directly led me to speaking engagements at large events like DCBKK and MicroConf. These are large business events. I spoke for large companies like HubSpot and the U.S. Military. The podcast opened this door of opportunity speaking at events that I never knew was possible. Third reason why it's worth it.

6:02It helps you find and improve your voice. A lot of people don't talk about this, again, but so important. Podcasting forces you to articulate your ideas clearly and persuasively. And it's a training ground because you're getting so many reps with episode after episode. I've had over 2 ,500 reps because of all the episodes I've recorded in the last 10 years. You become a better communicator, become a better thinker, and ultimately, better business owner because you've got to be able to communicate your ideas clearly to your team, to your customers, to your vendors, to the people you're working with.

6:36And let me be honest with you. When I started, my delivery was rough. I mean, I can't listen to my first 100 episodes. It's cringeworthy, but it means I've improved. And they say, if you don't have cringeworthy work, you started too late. And because I started and I worked on the craft, now I can record episodes in pretty much one take. I could deliver key messages with clarity. I even get to do live speaking gigs with a lot more comfort and confidence because of how much practice I've had. Most of all, I can speak clearly and confidently to my customers, whether I'm selling to them or doing a workshop online or speaking to them one-on-one.

7:15And that skill is invaluable because communication is the mother of all skills. If you can communicate well, you could teach well, you could sell well, you can live well because you could be valuable. But if you can't communicate your value, then it's really worthless. Now, let's be honest. I get it. There's a lot of podcasts out there. But let me give you the reality. Let me give you the facts. There are over 100 million YouTube channels out there. 100 million YouTube channels. But there's less than 5 million podcasts out there. And get this. Most of those podcasts never make it past 10 episodes.

7:51In fact, 90 % of podcasts never make it past episode 10. That means if you start a podcast and stick with it, you're going to be ahead of 90 % of the competition. It's not too late. It's just that most people won't be consistent enough to win. And that's your competitive advantage. I can tell you firsthand doing a podcast for 10 plus years. One of the biggest reasons why I have success is because I didn't quit. I kept on going and I atlasted my competition. Many of the podcasts, I would say most of the podcasts that launched when I launched, no longer publish and therefore are not my competition anymore.

8:32So how do you make podcasts work in 2025? So my opinion is if you're going to do this, you got to do it right. You're going to put in the time anyway. You might as well do it pro. Here's how to start a podcast that actually grows your business. First thing, know your audience. Don't just talk to everyone. The best podcasts feel like they're speaking directly to you. Choose a niche where you can add real value. So, for example, if you were going to start a car review podcast where you talk about all the new cars coming out and what is the best car to buy and for what reasons and all that kind of stuff, I would choose a niche.

9:10Maybe you want to focus on electric cars or maybe muscle cars or sports cars or family cars like SUVs and vans. And that way you can speak the language of that audience member. Somebody looking to buy a family SUV has different needs, are going to be interested in hearing about certain features and certain aspects of that car and what they should look for and all that kind of stuff versus a podcast that talks about classic cars, how to restore them and all that kind of stuff. My second tip is once you know your audience, you want to make sure you give that audience member as much value as possible.

9:46The best advice I can give you is to be a valuable podcast, to be a good show, just like any show on TV or a great movie. The reason why it's successful is because people talk about it and people share it and people enjoy the experience. So, for example, my audience are people that are in a nine to five job or side hustling or in the early stages of starting a business and grow their business. And they want to be able to level up. These are busy people. They're in careers. They're working on their business. They don't have much time. So the value I give is short, punchy, actionable advice. I could make my episodes longer.

10:22I can make them three hours long like some other podcast, but that doesn't actually add value for my audience member knowing who they are. My third tip is to see podcasting as a long-term bet. This is not a quick marketing hack. In order for you to see results, again, is to be consistent and to be around for the long haul. So at least commit, I say, at least commit to two years of podcasting. It's not one of those things you want to dabble in. You want to go all in and do it right and really commit to building that relationship with your audience through that podcast. So if you're going to do this, commit to two years so you can give yourself a chance to build that intimate relationship with your audience members and be able to convert them into customers.

11:06And that leads me to tip number four is that make sure they know how to learn more so that they can buy your products and services. And when I say make sure, you don't need to have some huge obnoxious call to action at the end of every episode. You'll rarely hear me talk about the products and services I offer on the show. And the reason why is because when I say make sure, all you got to do is make sure it's easy for them to find with a Google search. So if they Google my name or Google the title of this podcast, they're going to get the website and the website will have everything they need.

11:34So as long as you could do that with your podcast, it's aligned with the brand and even just your name. That's all you need to do. because people that want more will look for more. You don't need to overtly sell every single episode and say, hey, if you love this episode, they're going to love my product. Again, you're building a relationship with your audience and those who want to buy will get to your website, will get on your email address. Now, I would say that you want to make a conscious effort to continue giving them value via email, whether it's through a newsletter or some sort of free content or a guide or something like that.

12:07So a call to action to a guide or a workbook or something like that, is super helpful. That way you can continue to give them value on your email list. And then when you do have something to offer, you can email them that offer. So Barry, who asked today's question, my final answer is podcasting in 2025 is 100 % worth it. If you do it strategically, you want to build deep trust with your audience, do it. If you want to expand your network and meet key people, do it. If you want to improve your communication skills and sales skills, do it but if you're expecting overnight success just skip it if you've got a question you want to ask and you want me to answer it right here on q a wednesday just go to 100mba.net slash q thanks for tuning into the hundred dollar mba show if you found this episode valuable in any way the best way to say thank you is to subscribe to the show whether you're listening right now on apple podcast or spotify or any podcast app hit subscribe or follow and if you found this episode amazing and you know somebody that might want to start a podcast, share this episode with them and make sure you show them that, hey, you're thinking of them and you got their back.

13:14Just like I will always have your back here on The$100 MBA Show. As always, I'm Omar Zanom and I'll see you in the next episode.