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What is Social Podcasting?

Your Guide to On-Demand Short-Form Audio

Micro-podcasts. Drop-in audio. Short-form audio. No matter how you describe it, there is a new wave of audio-based interaction headed our way.

The main theme? Shorter is better.

In the same way Instagram showed us how to connect with images (and fewer words), and TikTok opened the world to the power of video clips over longer YouTube series, short-form audio is set to challenge the traditional ways we’ve recorded and shared audio.

We call it Social Podcasting.

If Social Networking & Podcasting Had a Baby

You’ve heard of podcasting…that friendly medium where people record conversations with other experts and offer up advice, wisdom, or humor? You’re also probably all-too-familiar with social networking…the place online we all go in order to “see what’s happening” in the world.

Both forms of communication are embedded into our way of life. And both have incredible advantages — and disadvantages.

Through social media, we’ve gained a way to connect with way more people than ever before. But unhealthy algorithms, competition, and promotional methods inhibit us from making true, lasting connections.

Podcasting gives voice to ideas in a way that is completely unique to live radio, video, and even written content. It also gives listeners the ability to consume content on the go — driving, walking, cooking, whenever and wherever. However, long episodes, professional editing techniques, and oversaturated platforms make it challenging for creators to break into podcasting and for listeners to find the content that is most important to them.

Here’s the truth: in our busy world of being constantly “connected,” we’ve lost touch with the social interactions and learning opportunities that once enriched our lives. Instead of thriving in our access to information, we’re doing everything we can to sift through the piles of data and find what really matters.

But what if we could combine the best parts of social networking with the best parts of podcasting? Instead of time-consuming and shallow, our interactions become focused and deep.

Rather than connections driven by algorithms, we’d have connections driven by community, interests, and peer-to-peer interaction.

Instead of 2-hour live videos or unfocused chat rooms, we gain access to short-form audio that inspires, teaches, and invites diversity in a matter of minutes versus hours.

Social Podcasting is more than just sharing our favorite podcasts with our existing social networks (no offense, Breaker). It is a way to create podcasts, listen, and network all within a community. It’s where the best of both podcasting and social media come together.

Social Podcasting Vs. Traditional Podcasting

A study of US-based podcast listeners found that 74% listen to podcasts to learn new things. Other reasons for listening to podcasts include staying up to date, relaxing, and feeling inspired.

Podcasting is one of the fastest-growing forms of content creation. Yet, it still falls short when the number of creators and listeners is compared to TikTok’s 1 billion users or Facebook’s nearly 3 billion active users.

While we know why people do listen to podcasts, why is it that non-listeners don’t choose traditional podcasts? The main reasons: they don’t have time, podcasts use up a lot of their phone’s data, there aren’t many podcasts that cover topics they’re interested in, and podcasts are just too long.

Time is our greatest resource. We already waste an average of 145 minutes a day on social media platforms, so it makes sense that many people find it challenging to invest another several hours per week listening to podcasts.

Social podcasting, on the other hand, alleviates the pressure of time while still providing listeners with opportunities to learn, relax, feel inspired, and connect.

It promotes short-form audio over long, drawn-out conversations. While traditional podcasts feature one host and a guest, social podcasts feature a panel of diverse speakers. Topics of interest are also addressed. If you have a burning question, social podcasting allows you to pose your question as a podcast topic (or ask your question during a live episode in order to get direct feedback from panelists).

Most importantly, social podcasting brings us all a little closer together using community, social networking, and on-demand audio as a tool to help us all learn something new from each other.

The First Real Social Podcasting App

SOLVV is the first app to introduce a truly new approach to podcasting and social networking. While short-form audio is making waves across the internet, we’re making waves that matter.

Designed for both creators and listeners, SOLVV leads to deeper connections with others, focused conversations that inspire, and countless opportunities to learn something new in fast, 15-minute social podcasts.

If podcasting just isn’t for you, maybe it’s time to try a new form of audio-based content. Join the social podcasting movement with SOLVV.