Podcasting is a powerful, inexpensive and easy new medium for sharing your message with a focused and passionate audience. As a podcaster you’ll become a recognized expert in your area of interest or expertise.You can use podcasting to boost your credibility, build your list of customers and gain a fan base very quickly. This makes podcasting a great tool to promote a product or service.Here are four reasons you need to start a podcast today whether for fun or for business.1. Become a Recognized Expert or Celebrity in Your Chosen NicheHow would you like to be recognized as an authority in your area of interest or expertise? Podcasts are popping up all over the internet on every imaginable subject.But things are just getting started. Chances are you can still be one of the first to start a podcast in your chosen niche.You can quickly be recognized as an expert in your field. This is a powerful way to build a following or strong customer base.Think about when you hear or see someone on the radio or TV. They have instant credibility. As a podcaster you will enjoy the same credibility. People will value your opinion.You can leverage this position to influence your audience, promote yourself and even make money. If you have an audience that is interested in a specific niche, there will always be others who want to reach that audience, too. This is how you find advertisers or sponsors.2. Quickly Gain a Very Focused AudienceWith the right content, you will gain listeners fast. Not only that, but your audience is potentially worldwide. You can offer quality content to keep in touch with your customers and keep yourself, your product or your service in the front of their mind.Podcasting is a great way to cut through the clutter and reach your audience. This is not like the radio where your listener is waiting for something that interests him. He has chosen to listen to your podcast because it interests him.This makes podcasts very effective for promotion, marketing and growing a focused audience.3. Podcasting is a Convenient, Automatic and Inexpensive Way to Reach Your Audience or CustomersOne reason that podcasting has become so popular is that it's automated. Listeners subscribe to your feed. This means they don’t have to remember to return your site to check for new content. When you post new content, it's automatically downloaded to your listener.Because listeners subscribe to podcasts, they have chosen to receive your content. They have already shown interest in your message by subscribing. In addition, a podcast does not get lost in SPAM like with e-mail. You can be sure your message is reaching a focused audience.This means your content automatically reaches your audience without any barriers increasing the efficiency and ease of delivering your message.Because your podcast is delivered over the internet, it's a very inexpensive means of communication.4. With Equipment You Probably Already Own and For Very Little Cost, Your Podcast Could be Online in Just HoursAll you need to start your podcast is a computer, a microphone and a broadband internet connection. Later, you can buy nicer gear if you want. For now you can get started with very little cost. All you need is something to say and a desire to say it. Have no experience in Quality Video Editing ?, their are lots of cheap but effective editors on the net this days.If you were to try and do the same thing on the radio, you would have to face all kinds of FCC regulations to learn and follow. Plus you would have the expense of broadcasting. Podcasting removes all of that cost and trouble.With my how to podcast tutorial web site, your first podcast can be online in less than a day.