“Radio is running out of time,” says Modern Babies EP

Streamed audio content is the way of the future, according to Josh Butt, executive producer and co-host of ‘Modern Babies’ a recent branded podcast produced by Nova Entertainment for Australian fertility group, Genea.

“It’ll be on-demand in the same way TV is going to be completely on-demand,” he says. “People will have the ability to connect their device to their car if they don’t already and at some point they will just want to play their own music or their own podcasts.”

This means more high-quality podcasts will be the staple for audiences everywhere, and there will be greater opportunities for brands looking to engage with wider markets.

Genea is a good case-study on how a podcast helps a company connect with an audience, particularly with utility-based content.

“Unless you’re interested in having a baby, you’re not going to be listening to this,” Butt insists. “It’s very intimate. And so I think it’s a great medium for it. Also, you’re not going to sit there and watch a video about this.”

“I compare it to Bunnings videos. You don’t need the how-to-hang-a-door video until you’re hanging a door. And then you really need it!”

Podcasting won’t necessarily be the right medium for every brand or every product, Butt says, it depends on the audience you want to engage with.

Podcasting, he says, “sits at the start of a consumer journey.”

“You want to build brand affinity with your audience. And it is a great way of providing them with content which serves an audience’s needs as well as your own.

“If the opportunity for the podcast is to build better brand engagement, build brand awareness it really might be very good for you,” Butt continues. “It’s not just about making one … or 6 or 10. It’s series and series and really go deep-dive in it.”

“The other great thing about podcasts and audio in general,” he says, “is that you lose a lot of bias when you’re listening to someone.

“So you might hear a story about someone and feel very differently than perhaps if you saw it. And so there’s an opportunity for story-telling…There’s an opportunity to hear people’s experiences  and feel something very different.”

Josh Butt’s interview is from Episode 9 of the new and highly regarded podcast series on Australia’s podcasting industry, BE Podcasting – Engage Your Audience.