Why Podcast?
This is a question I have been asking myself for several days. Through this article, I will share the fun and painful aspects of podcasting. I should put the disclaimer out there right now … I am not a techie person. Having said that, I do respect the growth of the Internet and innovative ways to get your message to a targeted market, which is why I wanted to tackle this challenge. This article addresses one rapidly growing trend – podcasting. A podcast is essentially an audio file that can be played from the Internet or downloaded onto an iPod or other similar MP3 player.
In order to write a useful article, I needed to undertake the task myself. Once you have finished reading this article, you may come to the conclusion, why not podcast? Or you may also be on the other side of the fence and ask why in the world would I ever want to podcast?
To help you answer the basic question of why, I have provided several items that should be addressed first …
Who should podcast?
Podcasts are great for individuals with a lot to say and feel more comfortable saying it out loud rather than translating it into print. The first article in this series referred to online journals and blogs, which are great for writers. If you are not a writer or cannot sit down long enough to create that type of document, a podcast may be the right avenue for you to pursue.
The podcasts that I enjoy listening to are those that involve a dialogue between two or more people, but one individual could successfully record by themselves. Under my model, the podcast could be seen as an interview in which you control the message by the questions that are asked.
There are many industries that are conducive to podcasts. From theater and education to healthcare and business consulting, any individual that can handle a radio-style interview can create a podcast.
How do you get it done?
We were recently able to interview several clients. In these scenarios, we drafted questions and let the discussion flow naturally. For time and financial reasons, we chose not to edit the recordings – it felt more authentic. We wanted to show that we were sincerely passionate about the topics.
Now, for those of you that want to do this yourself, I must warn you. There are some parts that are easy and fun and others that require some technical capabilities. Again, I am not a techie – this process has been very humbling.
Here are few basic steps to follow:
1. Determine how often you want to engage in this activity.
Unlike a blog which should be updated regularly, a podcast can be created only once. Depending on you product or service, it may be quite acceptable to create a single, stand-alone podcast. On the other hand, you may have a product that demands periodic updates, either daily, weekly or monthly.
2. Purchase or rent the equipment needed.
A blog could be free to setup and host. However, that is not the case for a podcast, at least from what I have found. In order to create my podcasts, I purchased time at the local radio station [Thank you Johnny Grissinger and Stacy Drake with WLTF 97.5]. I opted to take this route instead of purchasing the necessary equipment to record in my office for a few reasons. First, I wanted the audio quality to be as professional as possible. Secondly, I did not know what I was getting myself into and wanted to minimize my learning curve.
3. Record your podcast.
As I mentioned earlier in this article, with the podcasts that I recorded, we drafted several questions to help prompt discussion and lead our conversation. This helped all of us to stay on task and I would strongly recommend outlining the topics beforehand. Once we completed the recording, the producer and radio station personnel were able to save it in the appropriate MP3 file format and e-mail a copy to me.
4. Host your podcast.
This was where I started having problems. I was looking for an easy, free and inexpensive way to upload my podcasts to a web site. My initial goal was to have these uploaded to iTunes so they could be easily accessible to the world of iPod users. Once I discovered this was not as easy as clicking a button, I opted to create links from my own existing business web site. You can view my very basic podcast links by visiting www.PlatinumPublicRelations.com and clicking to ‘Client List’.
5. Promote your podcast.
Now that the podcast has been uploaded to a web site, what do you do about it? You’ve gone through all the steps to create it, now you need to let people know how they can access the podcast. As I mentioned, I was trying to get my files uploaded to iTunes. I have not abandoned this option, but as I write this article, I do not have this setup. For now, I can simply direct people to my web site with a clunky method to download and ultimately listen to the podcasts.
I am anxious to hear other experiences with podcasting. If you have tried this and love this method of promotion, please let me know.
[[[SIDEBAR]]]
A number of regional and national organizations have already discovered the power of podcasts. To listen to a few podcasts, visit the following websites:
Al Betz Reporting/Polishing the Pearl [coming soon] - http://www.polishingthepearl.com
Herald-Mail - http://www.antpod.com/
Platinum PR – www.PlatinumPublicRelations.com (click “Client List”)
WEPM’s Panhandle Live – www.wepm.com (click “Panhandle Live!”)
For an electronic version of this article with easy links, please visit www.PlatinumPublicRelations.com and click Noodlings.
Sandy Sponaugle is the founder of Platinum PR, a marketing, public relations and event planning firm in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. For more information about Platinum PR or to read our “Noodlings” blog, please visit www.PlatinumPublicRelations.com
In order to write a useful article, I needed to undertake the task myself. Once you have finished reading this article, you may come to the conclusion, why not podcast? Or you may also be on the other side of the fence and ask why in the world would I ever want to podcast?
To help you answer the basic question of why, I have provided several items that should be addressed first …
Who should podcast?
Podcasts are great for individuals with a lot to say and feel more comfortable saying it out loud rather than translating it into print. The first article in this series referred to online journals and blogs, which are great for writers. If you are not a writer or cannot sit down long enough to create that type of document, a podcast may be the right avenue for you to pursue.
The podcasts that I enjoy listening to are those that involve a dialogue between two or more people, but one individual could successfully record by themselves. Under my model, the podcast could be seen as an interview in which you control the message by the questions that are asked.
There are many industries that are conducive to podcasts. From theater and education to healthcare and business consulting, any individual that can handle a radio-style interview can create a podcast.
How do you get it done?
We were recently able to interview several clients. In these scenarios, we drafted questions and let the discussion flow naturally. For time and financial reasons, we chose not to edit the recordings – it felt more authentic. We wanted to show that we were sincerely passionate about the topics.
Now, for those of you that want to do this yourself, I must warn you. There are some parts that are easy and fun and others that require some technical capabilities. Again, I am not a techie – this process has been very humbling.
Here are few basic steps to follow:
1. Determine how often you want to engage in this activity.
Unlike a blog which should be updated regularly, a podcast can be created only once. Depending on you product or service, it may be quite acceptable to create a single, stand-alone podcast. On the other hand, you may have a product that demands periodic updates, either daily, weekly or monthly.
2. Purchase or rent the equipment needed.
A blog could be free to setup and host. However, that is not the case for a podcast, at least from what I have found. In order to create my podcasts, I purchased time at the local radio station [Thank you Johnny Grissinger and Stacy Drake with WLTF 97.5]. I opted to take this route instead of purchasing the necessary equipment to record in my office for a few reasons. First, I wanted the audio quality to be as professional as possible. Secondly, I did not know what I was getting myself into and wanted to minimize my learning curve.
3. Record your podcast.
As I mentioned earlier in this article, with the podcasts that I recorded, we drafted several questions to help prompt discussion and lead our conversation. This helped all of us to stay on task and I would strongly recommend outlining the topics beforehand. Once we completed the recording, the producer and radio station personnel were able to save it in the appropriate MP3 file format and e-mail a copy to me.
4. Host your podcast.
This was where I started having problems. I was looking for an easy, free and inexpensive way to upload my podcasts to a web site. My initial goal was to have these uploaded to iTunes so they could be easily accessible to the world of iPod users. Once I discovered this was not as easy as clicking a button, I opted to create links from my own existing business web site. You can view my very basic podcast links by visiting www.PlatinumPublicRelations.com and clicking to ‘Client List’.
5. Promote your podcast.
Now that the podcast has been uploaded to a web site, what do you do about it? You’ve gone through all the steps to create it, now you need to let people know how they can access the podcast. As I mentioned, I was trying to get my files uploaded to iTunes. I have not abandoned this option, but as I write this article, I do not have this setup. For now, I can simply direct people to my web site with a clunky method to download and ultimately listen to the podcasts.
I am anxious to hear other experiences with podcasting. If you have tried this and love this method of promotion, please let me know.
[[[SIDEBAR]]]
A number of regional and national organizations have already discovered the power of podcasts. To listen to a few podcasts, visit the following websites:
Al Betz Reporting/Polishing the Pearl [coming soon] - http://www.polishingthepearl.com
Herald-Mail - http://www.antpod.com/
Platinum PR – www.PlatinumPublicRelations.com (click “Client List”)
WEPM’s Panhandle Live – www.wepm.com (click “Panhandle Live!”)
For an electronic version of this article with easy links, please visit www.PlatinumPublicRelations.com and click Noodlings.
Sandy Sponaugle is the founder of Platinum PR, a marketing, public relations and event planning firm in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. For more information about Platinum PR or to read our “Noodlings” blog, please visit www.PlatinumPublicRelations.com
posted by Sandy Sponaugle at 7:26 AM
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