The internet has enabled an explosion of content creation and sharing. With so much information available online, search engines have become crucial for helping people find what they are looking for. Just as Google dominates web search and YouTube rules video search, Sound Branch aims to be the go-to platform for discovering voice content.

YouTube transformed online video when it launched in 2005. For the first time, there was a centralized place for people to upload, share, and search through millions of videos. It democratized access to video creation and viewership. Before YouTube, video hosting and distribution was fragmented across various websites.

Similarly, Amazon’s marketplace and search features have made it the starting point for online shopping. When people want to buy a product, they begin their search on Amazon because of its vast selection and ease of comparing options. Amazon has become synonymous with ecommerce in the same way that Google defines web search.

Sound Branch envisions a similar future for voice-based content. As smart speakers like Alexa and Google Home proliferate, there is growing demand for voice apps, audio books, podcasts, and other voice content. Sound Branch aims to be the central platform for creators to publish voice content and for consumers to search, browse, and listen to what they want.

We want to build the most robust catalog of voice content across all genres and topics. Its search functionality is optimized for the unique aspects of discovering content via voice instead of text or visuals. Sound Branch is also focused on developing voice-specific discovery features, personalized recommendations, and intuitive interfaces.

As voice technology matures, Sound Branch seeks to do for audio content what Google did for the web and YouTube for video. It wants to be the go-to destination for people to fulfill their voice-driven information, entertainment, and shopping needs. If it succeeds, Sound Branch will be the search engine for a new era of voice-first computing.

Radio stations are not just limited to the traditional way of broadcasting but have also adapted to the digital age. One such adaptation is the use of Sound Branch, a platform that allows listeners to send voice notes to radio stations. This innovative approach has transformed the way listeners engage with their favourite radio shows and has also opened new opportunities for producers and presenters to make their shows more engaging.

So, how can listeners send voice notes to radio stations on Sound Branch? It’s quite simple. All they need to do is download the Sound Branch app on their mobile device, create an account, and follow their favourite radio station. Once they have followed the station, they can then record their voice note and upload them to the station’s Sound Branch profile. Listeners can also add a title to their voice notes to make them more informative and interesting.

The advantages of using voice notes over text messages are numerous. Firstly, voice notes add a personal touch to the message. The sound of the listener’s voice adds a level of emotion and sincerity that cannot be achieved through text messages. Secondly, voice notes are more versatile than text messages. They can be downloaded and uploaded into other systems, making it easier for producers and presenters to access them. This is especially useful for pre-recorded shows where voice notes can be incorporated seamlessly into the show. Finally, voice notes can be played on air during the show, making the show more interactive and engaging for the listeners.

Now let’s take a look at how producers and presenters can use these voice notes on air during their shows. Once a listener uploads a voice note to the station’s Sound Branch profile, the producer or presenter can access it through the Sound Branch app or website. They can then download the voice note and play it on air during the show. This not only adds a personal touch to the show but also makes it more engaging for the listeners.

Producers and presenters can also use voice notes to create segments in their shows. For example, they can ask listeners to send in their voice notes on a particular topic and then play them on air during a segment of the show. This creates a dialogue between the listeners and the show, making it more interactive and engaging.

In conclusion, the use of Sound Branch in radio broadcasting has transformed the way listeners engage with their favourite radio shows. The ability to send voice notes adds a personal touch to the message and makes the show more interactive and engaging. Producers and presenters can use voice notes to create segments in their shows, making them more informative and interesting for the listeners. So, the next time you want to engage with your favourite radio show, consider sending a voice note on Sound Branch.

In today’s digital age, communication has evolved beyond just texting and calling. One emerging trend in recent years is the increasing popularity of voice notes. With over 150 million voice messages sent daily on WhatsApp alone, more and more people are turning to this form of communication to convey emotions and save time. This article explores the rise of voice notes, including who is using them, why they are popular, and how they can be used in both informal and formal settings.

1. Voice notes are becoming increasingly popular as a form of communication, with over 150 million voice messages sent every day on WhatsApp alone.
2. In a survey of smartphone users, 29% reported sending voice messages at least once a week, while 38% said they receive them at least once a week.
3. The average length of a voice note is around 15 to 30 seconds.
4. Women are more likely than men to send voice notes, according to a study by Mobilesquared, with 53% of women sending voice messages compared to 43% of men.
5. Millennials and Gen Z are the most likely age groups to use voice messages, with 71% of Gen Z and 62% of Millennials reporting that they use voice notes regularly.
6. In a study of messaging app users, 52% reported using voice notes to convey emotions that are difficult to express through text.
7. People who speak languages that use non-Latin alphabets, such as Chinese and Arabic, are more likely to use voice messages because it’s easier to communicate in their native language.
8. Voice notes are more popular in Latin America and the Middle East than in other regions, according to a study by GlobalWebIndex.
9. Voice notes can be sent to individuals or to groups of people, with the latter being a popular way to coordinate plans or share information.
10. Voice notes are often used for informal communication, such as chatting with friends, but they can also be used for more formal purposes, such as conducting job interviews or giving feedback.
11. In a survey of working professionals, 31% reported using voice notes to communicate with colleagues or clients.
12. Voice notes can be used to save time and increase efficiency, as it’s often quicker to speak a message than to type it out.
13. People who use voice notes often report feeling more connected to the recipient of the message, as it feels more personal than a text message.
14. Voice notes can be replayed multiple times, making them useful for taking notes or clarifying information.
15. Some messaging apps allow users to convert voice messages into text, which can be helpful for people who are hard of hearing or in noisy environments.
16. In a survey of mobile users, 42% reported using voice notes while driving, which is a concerning trend as it can distract drivers from the road.
17. Voice notes can be used to share personal stories or experiences, which can be a way to build deeper connections with others.
18. People with disabilities, such as those with visual impairments, can use voice notes to communicate more easily.
19. Voice notes can be used to communicate in situations where it’s not appropriate to use text, such as in a noisy environment or when someone is in a meeting.
20. Voice notes can be used to express emotions that are difficult to convey through text, such as sarcasm, humour, or affection.

Voice notes are increasingly becoming a popular form of communication due to their convenience and personal touch. They offer an efficient way to communicate, especially for people who speak languages with non-Latin alphabets and those with disabilities. Voice notes also provide a means to convey emotions that are difficult to express through text and can be replayed multiple times for note-taking and clarification. While they are often used for informal communication, they have practical applications in the workplace as well. However, it is important to use them responsibly and not in situations that may be distracting, such as while driving. Overall, voice notes offer a versatile and useful mode of communication that can enhance connections with others.

There are lots of question and answer forums out there but none using voice. Reddit, Quora, Stack Overflow, TripAdviser – the list goes on.

Comments on particular issues can give insights but voice comments and intonation of the voice gives greater trust. 

Sometimes people want to watch a video for help, and other times reading text is just fine. When you have emotional issues to discuss, this is when voice comes in. It could be, for example, advice for new mothers. MumsAnywhere.com, an audio forum for mums by mums, is a great example of where voice can have an impact. Thousands of mothers on Mums Anywhere help each other with questions and answers all driven by voice notes. Users can listen to advice, and the listening to the voice gives users the wisdom of the crowd, and the empathy of the human voice. Founder Claire Morritt invented Mums Anywhere to solve a problem she had when she was pregnant with her first child. Gestational diabetes was diagnosed late in Claire’s pregnancy which led to much anxiety. Claire would often type emotional questions into Google only to get plain text returned. This simply amplified the anxiety. Emotional problems need platforms where emotions can be expressed and this is where the human voice wins. 

Another voice forum has been created by James Knight, a business coach. James’ business, IMA Strategies, is designed to enable better connections in the workplace. Once people complete the IMA questionnaire, they are given a colour to explain their personality type. Personality types can be High Red, High Yellow, High Green or High Blue. Red and Yellow are big picture thinkers who prefer a faster pace. Blues and Greens are more interested in the detail and prefer to work slower. Greens and Reds are logical in their approach to business whilst Yellows and Blues are creative. Now everyone is unique and all have our own DNA and particular level of intelligence, but IMA allows you to better understand the people you work with. People with the same colours tend to be on the same wavelength, and our communication approach needs to be adapted to fit the personalities in question. James has set up IMA Nation as a podcast site to allow people to listen to audio explaining their strengths and weaknesses. Members of IMA Nation can join groups and discuss all sorts of issues using voices notes. 

Everyone likes a good discussion, and discussion forums have been around for years online. Whether it’s the bottom of newspaper articles, product reviews or self help support groups. Enabling audio forums for your brand gives greater authenticity and truth to comments. In a world of fake news and fake reviews, listening to genuine people and their tone of voice goes that little bit further when building communities online. 

 

Useful Links 

Mums Anywhere

https://mumsanywhere.com/

IMA Nation

https://ima.soundbranch.com/timeline

How to start a podcast in 6 steps

1. Plan your podcast
2. Plan your episodes to get a feel for your topic and its longevity.
3. Choose a format.
4. Choose your equipment and record your podcast.
5. Publish your podcast.
6. Next steps.

Plan your podcast

To create a podcast you need to ask who and what is your podcast for? Finding an audience is key to a successful podcast.

Whether you are looking at podcasting from a hobby perspective or a business perspective as long as you provide your target audience with valuable and entertaining content you are on the right track.

So, why do you want to make a podcast? It’s important to know “why” so you can stay motivated even when you’re finding it difficult to grow your podcast.

Give them a reason to listen.

Whether you provide information or entertainment make sure you provide value for your listener. A reason to listen means they will come back for more.

Planning Your Episodes

It’s time to think about your podcasts episodes. So, how long should an episode be? Your podcast length depends solely on the content. Don’t cut down good content or pad out short content!

A long episode would probably be anything over an hour and a short episode would probably be anything under 20 minutes.

Whatever you choose just try to be consistent. If you have 40 minutes of valuable content don’t down to 20. Just because you want to do 20-minute episodes. Try to find a consistent length for an episode which is tailored for the content you make.

How often do you release an episode? Just like your episode length, your content will dictate this. There’s a good case for putting out a weekly episode if you can because consistency is key for longevity.

Longevity is still possible if you do a fortnightly or even monthly show because there’s no point just putting episodes out for the sake of hitting a self-made deadline. One excellent episode a month instead of 4 very average episodes has more chance of growing your podcast.

Your listeners will tell you if they think your episodes are too short or too long. Use your audience to make changes and adjust to the most popular format.

However, be wary of making big decisions based on one or two comments. Only change things if it’s something that will benefit the majority of your listeners.

Choose a podcast format

It’s your show. This means you can choose whichever format suits you, and you don’t have to stick with one.

So what are the common types of podcast formats?

A solo show is also known as a monologue.

You don’t need to rely on anyone else and the podcast is also exclusively yours. You make calls on sponsorship and monetization and you don’t need to split the profits.

However, it is the most intimidating style of show for a beginner. You need to make sure you remember that you’re not talking to yourself and that you’re talking to the listener.

A co-hosted show alongside a friend or colleague.

Make sure your co-hosted podcast has great chemistry between the presenters. This can create a great listening experience and you can bounce off each other.

When choosing your co-host make sure both you and your co-host can set aside time to record. Set out ownership early. Who’s podcast is it? Will you split any future income 50/50? Make sure everything is clear from the get-go.

An Interview podcast.

Doing an interview gives you the opportunity to have a chat with someone and have a fresh voice every episode. Your guests will have their own audiences who may listen to the interview and could end up subscribing which is a good way to grow your audience.

You will need to learn the skill of interviewing through practice, so don’t approach the celebrities in your field from the start. You also need to constantly find and approach potential guests because without them you have no show.

Some less common but interesting other formats you could try:

Documentary: As the narrator, you walk your audience through a range of interviews and conversations to paint a picture and tell a story.

Roundtable: You are the regular host and you get a number of guests/permanent co-hosts to talk through one specific topic.

Recording your podcast

Equipment.

The minimum you need to record a podcast is a computer or laptop with a built-in microphone and access to the internet.

However, the lower the cost for your setup and equipment, the more limited the sound quality of your show will be. However, a simple USB microphone setups can give great results if you choose the right mic. The benefit of keeping things simple in that it’s easy and a lot cheaper. So depending on your budget choose the equipment suited to you and go from there.

Recording and editing software.

You need some software to actually record and edit the audio. The good news is that this doesn’t have to cost you anything.

There’s a free programme called Audacity which is suitable for all your podcasting needs and can be used on both Windows and Mac. If you’re a Mac user you probably have Garageband installed by default which is also a popular audio software for podcasters.

If you want to pay for something more professional there’s Adobe Audition, which is available through a paid subscription.

Editing.

This is where you iron out mistakes, stitch together audio clips, add in music or FX and make sure it sounds great with EQ, levelling, compression and more.

If you’re prepared to spend a bit of money to save time, you can always outsource your editing and hire someone else to do it for you.

Music.

You don’t have to have music, but many choose to add it at the beginning and to the end to add an extra layer of professionalism.

What Music Can I Use? There are a lot of websites that have music you can legally use on your podcast. The music will be referred to as royalty-free, stock, or library music. You can choose to pay a one-off fee for a song which entitles you to use it on your show, or you can now get subscriptions that give you access to a library of music.

It’s possible to find free music for your podcast if you search for creative commons licensed music, but it’s often very commonly used. Always check the source site and make sure you have permission to use a particular piece of music.

So now you’ve done the groundwork and planned out your podcast, it’s time to get to work and start recording your first episode.

Publishing your podcast

You can publish your podcast in different ways. The most common is via a media host but you can also publish it by yourself if you self-host.

Media hosts are services that store your audio and allow your listeners to listen, download, and subscribe to your podcast. You can either have a website set up on their site to deliver them, or place them on your own existing website.

Once you’ve created your show inside your media host of choice, you can then submit it to be listed in various directories, where listeners can discover, subscribe to, and download it.

If you want to self host your podcast you need a personal server to generate the RSS feed to syndicate your podcast. This option offers complete control over your podcast, but is complicated and can be time-consuming unless you are an experienced web developer.

A new way you can publish a podcast is via Sound Branch. The platform makes creating a podcast really easy and requires no editing skills. It gives you total control over your podcast and is easy to use. It has basic features like push notifications and the ability to create a playlist of your episodes. Download the app or go to www.soundbranch.com and start today.

Next steps

Once you launch your podcast out in the world, that’s when you’ll move on to thinking about promotion and building your audience.

If you consistently deliver great content for a wanting audience, then you’ll eventually be in a position to start thinking about monetising your podcast.

There are several different podcast ad networks that can connect you with advertisers. They do all the work of finding advertisers, negotiating rates, give you a script, and more. You usually need a larger audience of at least 5K or 10K listeners per month. So grow your audience stay consistent and you can reap the rewards.

Since the inception of the smart phone, we have all become happy snappy taking so many photographs we need to store them on the cloud as we have run out of space on our phones. Add video and this problem becomes more pronounced.

Whilst we capture lots of photos and videos we don’t capture that much voice data. OK, perhaps the odd journalists record voice with voice memo or phone recording services but these people are few and far between.

The real opportunity is getting lots of people recording their voice. As voice resides in many different places it’s not been recorded in one place. Voice data is all over the place, be it voice mails on your phone, your work voice mail system, WhatsApp voice notes and phone conversations which aren’t recorded.

Now, I’m not saying personal phone conversations should be recorded. But if they are business calls recording and transcribing the audio could save a lot of time. What we need to get smart on is how we record voice data. Imagine if you could search back all your conversations, analyse the sentiment and play them back!

As we enable digital teams and more people work from home we need to ensure that those teams are connected. Slack and instant messaging are useful but don’t lead to personal conversations. Google Meetings, Zoom Calls and Go To Meetings work fine but you need to schedule them. Surely, there is an easier way to make communication more personable without the scheduling and leveraging the usefulness of voice data.

Linking the business KPIs with the emotions in the business is a sure fire away of enabling harmony and engagement in your business. What if your CEO listened to every single conversation! Well, there aren’t enough hours in the day I hear you say. There are enough hours in the day if you change the approach. Again we need to change the habits on what we input to get better output and competitive edge.

There are three changes to make. One, do not schedule meetings unless they are absolutely necessary such as first time meets with new staff. Two, record all your voice data and messages in timelines, groups and chats. Finally, ensure all voice messages have a limited duration of 10 seconds.

Meetings don’t start on time, they often aren’t minuted and cost businesses lots. The trick is to give everyone a voice by having fewer meetings and, instead, having short form nanocasting voice notes. This gives greater breadth to conversations in a more inclusive and diverse audience. By having more voices and a breather width of listening, your brain power is expanded. The Chinese whisper disappears and the customer truth comes out.

At first, this change of approach will seem alien to many people. Firstly, some people don’t like the sound of their own voice. Forcing people to think more than they talk and get their message out in 10 seconds is a challenge. Finally, some people like sitting in meetings!

If you are brave and bold enough to have fewer meetings, record lots of short form audio and then play it back. This leads to greater insights, business intelligence and smarter business decisions.

What if you could map with AI the sentiment of staff after losing a deal? How could you link the quality and quantity of internal conversations to net promoter scores and repeat business? Who are the leaders in the business and how could you suggest using AI, which questions they are not asking and which staff they haven’t praised for a while. What if you could book travel automatically based on business conversations? How could you suggest which learning resources should be consumed based on conversations or a missing conversation?

The interesting part is when you have the voice data you can do lots with it. Fail to capture it and you will be left behind. Businesses need to adopt a multimodal approach to voice capture and recalling conversations across the web, mobile devices and smart speakers.

The great thing about voice is when we have all left the business or retired, our staff can benefit from the history of our voices. What about listening to the founders of the business back when they started talking about the company values? Like a fine wine, voice data goes up in value over time. Indeed, Rome was not built in a day so you need to start capturing your voice data now to harvest the benefit in your near future.

You can learn how to capture more voice data and put this to use at:

SoundBranch.com

Author Bio

Sean Gilligan is a UK based entrepreneur and author of the book “Flexible”. Sean for the last 15 years has run Webanywhere in Chicago, Leeds and Katowice Poland. Sean is number 67 in the Worldwide Listing of Corporate Learning Movers & Shakers 2018. Sean is a bootstrapper and has not taken on outside capital to grow Webanywhere in 3 countries and has recently founded Ventures Anywhere his start up arm which includes Sound Branch.

 

Have you ever been at a party talking to someone only for your mind to wander and observe a conversation happening elsewhere? Now you’re probably thinking this is quite rude because if you’re already in a conversation you should pay attention giving the person eye contact and listening intently.

If the conversation is funny, engaging and entertaining then of course we’re engaged and our mind doesn’t wander to other parts of a room. But even if our own conversation is very interesting we might want to explore other conversations yet with time constraints; this is not possible. Whilst business networking, for example, you have to choose who to talk to and who to avoid. You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover but quite often we like people like ourselves and so gravitate towards those chameleons. Nonetheless, I think everybody with a curious mind wants to play back and eavesdrop into other conversations.

After all, the other conversations in a networking event might be more relevant and more interesting than the conversations you chose? The British are very polite and we will often listen to somebody labouring a point rather than abruptly saying I’ve just got to go.

Whilst in the real world dropping in on other conversations is nigh on impossible unless you are flighty and enjoy interrupting people mid sentence! For most of this, this is not the case and it is humanly impossible to listen to every word that every person says.

In a digital world the rules of the game change. Conversational branching in different groups by different people can be followed. These conversations can be listened to and played back and indeed can be switched off at an instance.

Let’s take an example of a group of friends discussing where to go on holiday in Tenerife. Some of the people in the group may have never visited Tenerife in their lifetime. Others may have been to Tenerife with good and bad experiences which would be eagerly listened to by the wider group. What if a couple having a conversation about a particular hotel, a taxi firm with reliable transportation from the airport or indeed a tour company offering day trips. Now think about the ability to play these conversations and to branch through until your interest wanes. You can then either simply stop the conversation and do something else or perhaps you click a link to a shopping cart, an order form or simply request a call back?

Now it could be better than a simple call back! What if that person in Tenerife joins the conversation?  Perhaps Manuel would talk about day trips to the north of the Island and up the volcano? Maybe it would be Enrique talking about child safety seats for transportation from the airport?  Finally, it could be the general manager at the 5-star hotel Louis who talks about the latest water park facilities?

What does this all mean? In a digital world you can listen to other people’s conversations and people from afar can join in. Whilst the content may be initiated by friendship groups that discuss things such as Tenerife commercial vendors, with the correct permissions, they could drop into those conversations and participate themselves to add further value.

This is conversational commerce and with the rise of VoiceFirst technology gives you an insight as to how buying decisions and customer journeys might change. Instead of reading blocks of an emotional text reviewing the latest hotel or restaurant, deep communication with voice notes from both trusted friends and perhaps their trusted advisers might change the outcome of buying decisions. After all, there is a certain level of comfort in listening to somebody’s voice when making a large purchase decision. Holidays usually cost several thousand pounds and so the opinions of your close friends and other trusted advisors should lead to a better outcome overall.

So yes you’re probably right, it’s rude to leave your current conversation abruptly in the real world and join another conversation. However, in the digital world you can listen to many conversations as you like with a greater breadth of knowledge and understanding in the process.

If you would like to learn more about conversational commerce and how you can listen through branching conversations simply visit soundbranch.com

We have all been there in meetings where one person dominates the conversations. Now it is fit and proper that someone should chair a meeting and ask the difficult questions. Indeed it’s important to have debates in meetings otherwise perhaps we are not trying hard enough. There are however sometimes more junior members of staff or staff who prefer to just listen when they have a part to play.

You see the problem is how do you break the habit of a lifetime. We are all programmed differently and some people like myself like to talk. In fact I would say I talk as I think. This can often mean other people don’t get a word in. There is a saying that too many cooks spoil the broth but in a democratic society listening to everyone’s voice counts. This diversity and inclusion leads to new thinking, better ideas and ensures that all angles are covered.

How do you break this habit and tame the charismatic leaders who perhaps need to talk less and listen more? One thing you can do is change the environment and this is where technology comes in. Online meetings scheduled in diaries with links to live video are common place in the business world. Some online meeting software allows controls on who can speak and who can just listen. What they don’t control is the duration that everyone speaks. Online meeting software also doesn’t deal with interruptions when people are cut off mid sentence.

What I want to talk about is a different approach to conducting a meeting. This is a halfway house between the prevalent email chains and the face to face meetings which sometimes overrun, never start on time and often lack meeting minutes. The idea is just in time meetings using voice messaging.

Voicemail use to be popular back in the day and I can foresee a resurgence of the use of voicemail. The distinct advantages are that you get a person’s emotions transmitted and you don’t have to schedule a meeting.

Now the important board meetings and certain types of conversations have to and must always be held face to face. There is however a longtail of meetings where the first question “Do we really need a meeting?” needs to be addressed. In these instances where a meeting is not necessary yet, real discussions and opinions need to be gathered. Voice messaging can win the day.

Starting with the exit in mind we want productive, high quality conversations that make a difference. Voice messaging allows everyone to be listened to and to have their voice heard.