Discover how flower industry podcasts can help you learn, grow, and create and build a business that will reward you financially, creatively and emotionally
By Nita Robertson, AIFD, CFD
For consumers and businesspeople alike, podcasts can be a great source of information and entertainment, but for florists and other small businesses, they can be a great platform for extending one’s marketing content.
How and where did podcasts begin?
The first Apple iPod was released nearly 22 years ago, in October 2001. Three years later, in 2004, broadcaster, media personality and internet entrepreneur Adam Curry and software developer Dave Winer devised a system that enabled them to download online radio broadcasts from the internet directly to iPod devices. Winer created an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) aggregator software, and Curry (a.k.a. “The Podfather”) coded a program titled “iPodder,” which could extract audio files from an RSS feed so they could be transferred to an iPod. Because of their efforts, people could listen to radio broadcast files on the go and store them on a portable player. These “podcasts” were a game changer.
“Podcast” is a portmanteau of the terms “iPod” and “broadcast.” The term traces back to Ben Hammersley, a columnist for the U.K.’s The Guardian newspaper and a journalist at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), who coined it in February 2004 while writing an article about internet radio blogs, which included mentions of Curry and Winer.
In 2005, Steve Jobs, a co-founder of Apple, introduced the idea of subscribing to a podcast by building the concept into his iTunes platform. Users could easily subscribe to thousands of podcasts and download the episodes to be listened to offline. The introduction of podcasts into the iTunes market resulted in more than 1 million podcast subscriptions within two days, bringing podcasts into the mainstream media.
Podcasts have experienced stratospheric growth since their creation, especially during the last decade. In 2013, there were about 32 million podcast listeners in the U.S.; today, that number is estimated to be around 144 million—a whopping 350 percent increase. While there are many podcast listening platforms in the U.S., currently, the top two are Spotify and Apple Podcasts—which, together, reportedly command a share of U.S. podcast listeners ranging from 45 percent to 65 percent share (depending on source).
So, how many people listen to podcasts, anyway?
Statistics on podcast listenership are researched, compiled and reported by a number of credible organizations—including Edison Research and Triton Digital, Pew Research Center, The Nielsen Company, Statista, Demand Sage, Exploding Topics, Insider Intelligence, Podcast Industry Insights, and DiscoverPods, among others. While there is a bit a variance in some of their data, the following numbers appear to be the most widely accepted.
• Worldwide, an estimated 464.7 million people listen to podcasts—that’s an astounding 58 percent of the world’s population! And, it is predicted that this number will increase another 8.7 percent, to 504.9 million, by the end of 2024. The current worldwide listenership figure is a 69 percent increase from 2019, when there were 274.8 million podcast listeners in the world.
• Around 144 million people in the U.S. (approximately 43 percent of the population) listen to a podcast every month, and an estimated 93.5 million people (28 percent) listen to podcasts weekly. An average weekly U.S. podcast listener listens to eight episodes per week, and, more important, 69 percent of listeners claim to have been exposed to new brands and products as a result of podcasts, and 38 percent of listeners report purchasing things that are mentioned in podcasts or podcast ads.
Now, knowing all this, are you interested in creating a podcast for your business—or, at least, finding some that would help you along on your own personal or professional journey?
Required listening
Podcasts are the perfect medium for multitaskers (like busy businesspeople!). They can be informative or simply entertaining, and they are convenient and easy to enjoy. Most podcasts are free to listen to, and you can listen to them at home, at work or when you are on the go (reportedly, 22 percent of listeners listen to podcasts while they are driving or commuting). Another great thing about podcasts is the fact that you can pause them whenever you want.
In addition, because there are so many types of podcasts—from all around the world, almost anyone can find a podcast that appeals to his or her interests—including many great floral-industry-focused shows. Here are 15 of our faves, leading off with FR’s own brand-new podcast.
• “Flower Hour with Florists’ Review”
• “Mornings with Mayesh,” from Mayesh Wholesale Florist
• “How We Bloom,” from OASIS Floral Products
• “The Flower Podcast,” hosted by Scott Shepherd
• “The Business & Pleasure of Flowers,” with Vonda LaFever, AIFD, CFD, PFCI and Lori Wilson, PFCI
• “Botanical Brouhaha,” with Amy McGee
• “Team Flower Podcast,” with Kelly and Jesse Perry
• “Flowerlounge with Katie Hess”
• “The Hotel Florist,” with Franceska McCaughan
• “The English Florist,” with Lindsey Kitchin
• “Viva La Flora Live,” with Anahit Hakobyan
• “Slow Flowers Podcast,” with Debra Prinzing, PFCI
• “The Flower Pros Podcast,” with Art Conforti, PFCI
• “My Small Business & Me,” with Rona Wheeldon
• “Little Bird Podcast for Florists,” with Kathleen Drennan
How to start your own podcast
Podcasts provide a great way for business owners to reach a wide audience with content that is valuable and entertaining, with the ultimate goals of promoting, building and expanding their businesses and brands. Many businesses don’t understand the true potential behind podcasts, and there are innumerable reasons why they are the perfect addition to any existing marketing strategy.
Fear not: it’s not hard to get started. Lots of popular podcasts have a basic setup of a microphone, a computer, headphones, and audio recording and audio software. Note: You don’t have to buy expensive equipment to have good audio.
Do your research, have fun, and stay organized and consistent. Record your first episode, and remember that because it’s not live, you can edit or redo any parts you want or need to. Then, you simply export the file in an MP3 format, upload it to a podcast provider—and promote the heck out of it.
You can produce and edit your podcast recording using specific software, or you can hire a professional. One DIY solution is Spotify for Podcasters, which offers free podcast creation tools for everyone from beginners to pros, but there are many others, as well. Just do an internet search, and you’ll find more than enough helpful information and sources for podcast creation and editing to get you started.
Flower Hour with Florists’ Review
We are excited to announce the launch of the flower industry’s newest podcast, “Flower Hour with Florists’ Review,” which will provide inspiration and knowledge gained from the experiences of a wide range of industry notables and doers from around the world. This new podcast will expand the conversations in our monthly print publications, and the content will be not only entertaining but also educational.
Every month, we invite floral professionals across the globe to share their knowledge of and passion for flowers and business, with the goal of inspiring and helping listeners to build businesses that reward them financially, creatively and emotionally. “Flower Hour with Florists’ Review” connects growers and designers, identifies trends when they are just on the horizon and introduces flower professionals to new ideas. We talk to the current leaders in our industry as well as up-and-comers, including talented designers, successful retail shop owners and studio florists, inspiring educators, and innovative suppliers and manufacturers—and, even, professionals outside the flower industry. Their valuable insights and experiences are sure to help listeners grow, both professionally and personally.
“Flower Hour with Florists’ Review” is the perfect medium to get staff inspired, entertained and learning new things. We look forward to keeping you company in your shops and studios, in your delivery vans and personal vehicles, and wherever you like to listen to podcasts.
Visit our website, floristsreview.com, to subscribe. We greatly appreciate your support!
