Podcasting allows listeners and producers to connect around topics too narrow for traditional broadcasting.
Likewise, traditional broadcasters have started to use podcasts to extend the reach of shows that appeal to small segments of their audiences.
Credit counseling is a perfect example of a podcast niche that has grown substantially over the last two years.
As noted financial author Suze Orman has written in her books and spoken about at her live seminars, most Americans avoid talking about their money and their finances, especially when they find themselves in debt.
At the same time, credit card customers and mortgage holders who feel like they are in over their head often crave a connection with other people in the same situation.
A variety of credit counseling podcasts allow debtors to share their triumphs and their challenges with each other.
With this supportive community as a backdrop, professional credit counselors can offer guidance and advice to consumers that are too nervous or too embarrassed to seek professional credit counseling on their own.
For example, the professional credit counselors at American Consumer Credit Counseling have prepared a series of podcasts that cover core financial skills, such as budgeting, negotiating lower payments, and saving money for the holidays.
Meanwhile, the producers of the Debt Podcast cover topics like bankruptcy laws and the credit reporting industry.
Mainstream broadcasters have also found new audiences for their archived shows on credit counseling and other financial issues.
Public radio's Marketplace series offers a free "Takeout" podcast that highlights credit counseling and other personal finance topics.
Commercial talk show host Dave Ramsey makes one hour of his daily show available for free, so listeners with credit counseling issues can be inspired by callers who proclaim their freedom from debt on the air.
Of course, since anyone can produce a podcast, it's also easy for scam artists and shady credit counseling agencies to post questionable content.
Make sure that any credit counseling podcasts you subscribe to disclose the sources of their information and their association, if any, with the Consumer Credit Counseling Service of America.
Other credit counseling agencies might tout their "non-profit" status, but really exist to pocket exorbitant fees without providing any real service.
By relying on information from legitimate credit counseling podcasts, you can start making better decisions about your own financial future.
Recommended Podcasts: American Consumer Credit Counseling Dave Ramsey Show Debt Podcast Articles Written for All Podcast Secrets.
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