Presently, audio is the type of media with the highest weekly reach. If this doesn't prove the medium’s growth, you can see it in the increased popularity of podcasts and the immersion of audio social apps, like Clubhouse. 

Now, you may be wondering, ‘what's so special about audio?’ Well, as your audience can hear your voice, you can deliver messages with more emotion. This allows the content creator to show their personality and communicate authentically, which results in more engaged listeners. 

Audio content is simple to create, cheaper to produce than alternative mediums like video and easy to consume. Additionally, it is an inclusive medium as it is easily accessible for visually impaired consumers. 

Given the growing demand for audio, it's about time that journalists and media outlets integrate more of it into their content. 

Here are five reasons why you should include audio in your newsroom:

Audio gives your audience access to exclusive content

Audio is a simple and effective way for media outlets to interact with their audience. And what better content to offer your listeners than an inside look at the inner workings of your newsroom? 

When starting a podcast for your media house, you could give your consumers a peek into the reporting process. Show them what you do and how you get to the bottom of a story. 

Not only is this inside scoop enticing for your audience, but it shows them that you are willing to be transparent with them. This is important because it adds emotion to a story that was previously words on a page — allowing you to build a more intimate and authentic relationship with them. 

Another form of content newsrooms can add to their podcast is previewing content that is set to be published. 

Providing your audience with exclusive content, whether it is a look behind the curtain or an early look at content, incentivises them to continue supporting your publication.

Audio allows for long-form storytelling

Reading a long article is a completely different thing from listening to a long story. 

For this reason, journalists can record themselves reading long-form pieces and add them as podcasts or audio files alongside written content on their publication’s webpage. 

As you can convey emotion better with audio, telling longer pieces in this format may make it more entertaining for your consumers. 

Additionally, this medium is also convenient. Normally, an individual would have to sit down and concentrate to read a longer piece. If they are listening to it instead, then they have more freedom to multitask and do other things while consuming your content. 

Diversify your social media content with audio

Given the fact that more than 70% of US adults listened to digital audio content at least once a month in 2020, it is clear to see that consumers are more open to audio content now than ever before. With this in mind, why not incorporate it into your social media strategy? 

You can incorporate audio into your strategy in multiple ways. Firstly, you could use an app like Headliner to create video previews for your podcast to promote on your digital platforms. 

Another way to incorporate audio on social media is by using designated social audio platforms like Twitter Spaces. 

This is essentially live conversations that anyone can join, listen and participate in on the Twitter app. Newsrooms can use this to discuss pertinent topics or pose questions to their listeners. All in all, it is a whole new way to engage with your audience at a deeper level. 

It allows you to reach a wider audience with text to speech

We’ve all heard of the saying ‘work smarter, not harder’; so journalists, why not give text-to-speech services a try? 

Programmes like ReadSpeaker allow you to add speech to written content, allowing your content to be available to a wider audience. This is specifically useful when trying to make your content more inclusive for visually impaired audiences. 

Adding audio to your content will also make it more accessible for listeners on the go or audience members who want to consume your content, but don’t want to be tied to a screen to do so. 

Audio helps you to keep an eye on upcoming trends

Lastly, it is crucial that you stay on top of any trends, so that you are constantly up to date with any developments in the audio sphere. You never know what might pop up and how it may benefit your newsroom. 

For example, the current smart speakers trend is making serious waves in households all over the world. 

Now, customers are using services like Amazon’s Alexa or Siri to find out what's going on in the news, to check the weather and even to play music. Because you can simply ask these speakers to update you on current news stories, this can benefit media outlets as it allows consumers to have quick and easy access to their content. 

What type of audio content is your favourite? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Do you want to know more about the growth of audio? Then be sure to check out The rise of social audio apps.
*Image courtesy of Pixabay