Carefully Choose Clients For Your Podcasting Effort

While listening to episode 36 of Podcasting Today, I heard a few good pieces of advice by Rob Walch of Podcast411.com.

The topic was dealing with stubborn clients and how to make a positive arguement for releasing interviews in podcast form rather than on radio. Radio interviews essentially dissappear the moment after being broadcast. However, consumers can find your podcast for years to come.

Also, to make interview(s) with the brand more genuine, avoid sales and marketing folks. While they may know the lingo, they tend to always be in sales mode and the conversation may sound less genuine.

Instead, reach out to interview the CEO, CTO or Product Manager. These people:

• have greater vision of industry
• understand the competitive landscape
• are familiar with the niche trying to be filled, and
• possess in-depth knowledge of the product or service.

How to Keep Your Audience Engaged

It can be difficult to get someone to listen to what you have to say. But it takes significant effort to keep your audience engaged, coming back for more and evangelizing on your behalf.

Scott Bourne posted a simple list worth checking out: Four Ways to Improve Your Podcast/Netcast/Webcast

Podcasting for Your Business

I’m an avid podcast listener. At first, I couldn’t understand why anyone would be interested. But after I tried out a few podcasts, I was hooked. While in the car, I playback content from my iPod through the car speakers. I never listen to the radio anymore.

I currently subscribe to over sixty podcasts that vary in topic:

• Marketing
• Search Engine Optimization
• Project Management
• Sales
• Technology
• Mac-centric
• Parenting
• Humor

They all jockey for position in my list. It doesn’t take much for me to get burned out and start dropping the weaker ones.

This type of content has been around for years, but advances in the past two years have made it easier than ever for anyone to publish and distribute, as well as for consumers to access and playback.

What’s great about podcasting is that it is truly a when, where and how you want it medium.

I really enjoy producing podcasts. It’s an opportunity to be a bit more creative than traditional online marketing.

If you are ready to test the waters by publishing audio or video content, you should take time to properly plan:

1. Strategy
2. Content creation
3. Production
4. Promotion via social media

You also need to set some expectations:

1. Don’t make an unattainable goal/metrics for your podcast. Your podcast may be better at establishing affinity for your brand over the long term than measurable transactions in the short term.
2. Results take time. You don’t pull the plug after three weeks. You’ll need to earn trust and credibility. Having a reputable brand name attached helps in credibility, but if the content is overtly/heavy handedly branded, it will put off viewers. Plan at least a twelve week editorial calendar to start.
3. Make subscribing easy for the consumers and available in many different channels. It’s not all about hosting on a single Web site. The content should be distributed anywhere, any way, any how the consumer wants to get it. The consumer wants to be in control.
4. Quality content needs to be short and digestible, as well as compelling and memorable. You can always drive people to a Web site afterwards to retrieve additional content (e.g. URLs/recipes/ingredient lists).
5. Frequency is important. Weekly is best. If the podcast is good, subscribers will come to expect it. If you don’t meet expectations, consumers will unsubscribe to listen to other podcasts competing for their attention.
6. Don’t let the lawyers cripple your efforts. There’s no better way to deflate the wind in your sails than to let the lawyers on your ship. ‘Nuff said.
7. Respect copyrights — Yours and others.
8. Don’t limit yourself to just video podcasts. Not everyone has a video iPod nor the time to sit in front of a computer to watch video. Audio is certainly easier and faster to produce and has less impact on your hosting/bandwidth expenses.
9. Don’t underestimate the amount of work necessary to help consumers find your podcast. There’s no limit to the tactics and networking to help promote your efforts.

If your content is good, your subscribers will become fiercely loyal evangelists.

Please share your thoughts.
-Roland

Being heard around the world

I listen to a number of podcasts during my commute:
- Technology News (This Week in Tech, This Week in Media, DL.TV, Inside the Net, Diggnation, What’s New New, Engadget, Cranky Geeks)
- Advertising and Marketing (The Advertising Show, RadioLounge, 360 View, Business Tips and Traps)
- Mac-specific (MacWorld, The Mac Geek Gab, MacCast, Mac Tips Daily)
- Favorite TV shows (Lost with Jay & Jack, Generally Speaking Lost Podcast, SciFi Channel Official Battlestar Galactica Podcast)
- Fun (Ask A Ninja)

A few weeks back, the host of MacWorld podcast solicited listeners to record their experiences with Macs. I did because I really wanted to win an iPod Nano FM Transmitter. This morning, I found an email from the host saying my comment was selected and included in their latest podcast.

There is something cool and exciting about hearing your voice online (plus my comments are being heard round the world by MacWorld listeners).

Check it out if you are interested:
Macworld Podcast #40 05/25/2006
My comment starts about 25 minutes into the Podcast.

What do you think? Have any great podcasts to share? Please post your comments. Thanks.
-Roland

Roland Reinhart is an interactive marketing professional. His observations can be found at NewMediaSandbox.com and Chaos365.com.

©2006 Roland Reinhart. All Rights Reserved.

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