Blog and Podcast: The Difference & Helpful Tips for Having Both
While blogging continues to evolve, so do podcasts. There are over four million podcasts and six hundred million blogs, and these numbers are expected to continue growing.
So, how do you decide if blogging or podcasting is right for you, and what’s the difference? Can you have both a blog and podcast? In this article, I’ll answer these questions to help you learn everything you need to know.
My Blogging and Podcasting Journey
My blogging journey began in 2014 when blogs were already a thing. By then, I was probably late to the game, but I had no idea what I was doing. It started as an online diary for me to share my experiences and have something to read when I got older. But the more I blogged, the more I realized there is more to blogging than just typing and publishing. Same with podcasting!
Podcasts were created in 2004 by Adam Curry and software developer Dave Winer. They launched the program iPodder so people could download audio blogs to their iPods. The first podcast service provider, Libsyn, was born that same year. But just like blogging, podcasting didn’t become popular until 2014.
My podcasting journey began in 2022 – but unlike blogging, I knew exactly what I wanted to talk about. Immigrant stories. Since starting my podcast, I’ve had incredible opportunities to network with people worldwide and to be a guest speaker at different events and podcasts. And with blogging, I’ve had opportunities to write for other blogs, just like this one. (Thanks, Polly!)
Since I've done both blogging and podcasting, I've noticed their similarities and differences. And there are benefits to blogging and podcasting that I'll share below.
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Difference Between a Blog and Podcast
Blogging and podcasting have different formats, engagement, and equipment. Understanding these can help you decide which is best for you or if you want to do both.
Format
The main noticeable difference between blogs vs. podcasts is that blogs are written, and podcasts are audio.
With a blog, you publish content, including text and images, on a website. WordPress, Medium, and Squarespace are popular platforms for blogging.
On the other hand, podcasts are audio content people listen to instead of reading. They're published or distributed on platforms such as Spotify, Castbox, Apple Podcast, or Audible – to name a few.
Engagement
When we create content, engagement helps us understand our audience, build connections, and drive results.
With blogs, readers engage by leaving comments directly on your posts, so you’ll want to have this enabled. You can also encourage readers to join your email list or contact you for further engagement.
With podcasts, listeners can email the host, leave comments on the show's social media platform, and add a review to the podcast platform. In the latest news, Spotify also allows listeners to leave voice messages and podcast hosts to create polls for listeners to engage.
Spotify for podcasting
Equipment
Equipment is the most significant factor for many choosing between starting a blog or podcast.
For a blog, you need:
Internet connection
A laptop, iPad, or phone
Blogging tools (to write and optimize your articles for search engine optimization and your readers)
For a podcast, you need:
A microphone
Headphones
A laptop
Audio editing software
A camera (if you want to include video)
Blog and Podcast Similarities
If you’re considering both podcasting and blogging, the similarities make it simpler. A podcast and blog should be optimized for search engines, can cover any topic, and are easily accessible.
Search engine optimization (SEO)
Optimizing your blog and podcast helps them rank on search engines so your target audience can find them. For SEO, you want to use relevant keywords in your content (title and description for your podcast and title and content for your blog). Keywords should be related to your content and what your ideal listener or reader is searching for.
Keysearch is a great tool for finding keywords relevant to your audience and the topic you want to podcast or blog about.
Flexible topics
Your podcast and blog can cover any topic. However, it's best to have a main topic or niche that covers what your target market cares about to be successful. For example, my podcast is about immigrant stories, so each episode features an immigrant from a different country sharing their particular story.
Since I coach people on launching their podcasts, my blog is mostly about podcasting. I also turn my podcast episodes into blog posts and share those on my blog – more on this below.
Easily accessible
65.7% of the global population have access to the Internet, meaning podcasts and blogs are easily accessible to most people. This lets you reach a wide audience with either option. If you use both podcasting and blogging, you can connect with even more people.
Benefits of Having Both a Blog and Podcast
While there are many effective marketing opportunities, blogging and podcasting offer significant benefits. You can reach a wide audience, repurpose content, cross-promote, and own both platforms.
Reach a wide audience
With over 333 million companies in the world, it’s necessary to have more than one marketing strategy to stand out, reach your target market, and grow a successful business. While some people prefer to read blogs, others like listening to podcasts. When you have both, you can reach each group.
Some people like both blogs and podcasts but consume their content differently at various times. When you have the option for both, you can meet your audience where they are.
Repurpose content
When you repurpose content, you can save time and energy. There's no reason to reinvent the wheel when you don't have to.
For example, you can turn your blog posts into podcast episodes and vice versa. Each blog post can be a podcast episode; all you have to do is record yourself reading your blog and make slight tweaks to include more details and backstories for podcasts' conversational, longer-form formatting.
As I mentioned, I turn my podcast episodes into blog posts. In this episode, my guest mentioned how she had to unlearn certain cultural norms once she moved to the United States, which was the main topic of my article. I linked the episode so my readers could listen, which let me repurpose my podcast content, market my podcast on my blog, and reach a wider audience with SEO.
Cross-promote
Linking my podcast in my blog articles and vice versa, as I mentioned above, is cross-promoting.
If you have a blog or podcast and decide to launch the other, promote each on the other. I link show notes on each podcast episode, which leads to my website. On my blog, I promote and link my podcast episodes where they're relevant.
Own both platforms
With many marketing strategies, like social media, you don’t own the platform, so you’re at the mercy of algorithms and risk losing your content or audience.
With a blog and podcast, you own your space and have more freedom and security. Of course, you need to produce high-quality content to rank for your target audience to find your podcast or blog, but as long as your content is helpful, it can be found.
Best of all, you’re the creative director of both and decide how you’d like to use them or change them in the future.
Blog and Podcast: Conclusion
While I may be biased as a blogger and podcaster, I find these to be the best strategies for marketing and growing your business. Since I have a blog and podcast, I understand the benefits of having both with the ability to reach more people, repurpose content, cross-promote, and own both platforms.
With similarities, like SEO and flexible topics, they're both great options. Their differences, like content style and tools, make it easier to decide which one you prefer starting first, and then you can incorporate the other later if you'd like.
To learn more about blogging, check out Polly’s SEO blogging course. If you want to learn more about starting a podcast, I host a free monthly masterclass where I share everything you need to know about launching your show. Contact me to learn more about my free podcasting masterclass.
