My goal is crystal clear : talking about real estate in an original podcast demonstrates a certain expertise to future clients, sellers or buyers.
The audio podcast is something that everyone in the French marketing and media sector is seriously interested in. For a change, the trend comes from the USA and there the business has been growing steadily over the last few years to the point of becoming mainstream. Even if the American and French markets are not comparable in their structure, with a clear pre-eminence of talk radio in France, this can only open up new perspectives. My background as a radio journalist makes it easier for me to get involved in the independent real estate sector than others. I believe in it because audio remains a natural vector of message and emotion. And the future of voice content has never been brighter.
"Radio stations are no longer the only ones to decide who can take the microphone or what subject can go on air."
Let's put aside the radio medium in the institutional sense of the term. Let's talk about podcasts. In other words, spoken content designed primarily for on-demand listening, without the grid logic of private and public radio. The narrative podcast is a new genre. From documentary to fiction, the spectrum is wide. Whatever formula is chosen, it is all about the story and post-production. Otherwise, the interview, the conversation, the sharing of experience or information still work just as well. The public is still fond of good stories and figures that speak to them.
Booming business
Just look at the rise of the audio book. A voice, a story, a sound atmosphere are enough to captivate the listener. The development of the podcast will undoubtedly be linked to the growth of the audio book market.
Salvation may come from the GAFAMs or from the media themselves. These powerful players with high added value, but not necessarily radio groups. As in the United States and the United Kingdom, where the print media have taken up audio and made it part of their strategy to win over readers. All over the world, the urgency is to retain the existing readership, while reaching out to those who do not read the newspaper. Do what the Guardian or the New York Times do, to name but two. Propose thematic dossiers, reveal the behind-the-scenes work of the editorial staff. Some even go so far as to offer audio readings of their own articles.
In this respect, the French daily and weekly press has also entered the race.
With a few exceptions, local newspapers are not yet very agile on the subject.
It is true that a lot of education is needed to get traditional readers to migrate to an audio world.
"Ok Google, play me the latest episode of the Avenue Gustave V podcast."
The next revolution in usage is called smart speakers and connected cars. In each case, a voice interface plays the role of intermediary and search engine. Google Home, Echo (Amazon), HomePod (Apple), Sony, Sonos and other voice assistants are creating a new scale of value. Media, independent entrepreneurs, companies, communities will have to design answers to users' voice requests. Answers to be created in the form of specific audio content.
The informative, recreational or purely promotional podcast has a bright future ahead of it.