Podcast Freq

I often speak to people who are depressed by the lack of feedback, for me feedback is great however I do not judge the success of The Engaging Brand or Middle Age Shed upon the level of feedback

1) Often people like to listen to the show - they listen for learning, entertainment, if they feel that need is being satisfied then they may not have anything to add.
2) People can lack confidence in sending in feedback - make it easy for them, however remember some people do not want to join the conversation.
3) The best part of podcasting is content when and where you want it - often people are not at a computer to provide feedback. They may want to and think of doing it but then don’t get round to it.
4) If I have lower feedback but as long as my downloads are increasing over time - I feel that shows engagement. I take increasing downloads as feedback - feedback that people are valuing the content.

As I said I love feedback and the more you get the better the sense of community. However, do not despair if the feedback is low. Recent studies show that between 2-5 comments is the average - remember that the large shows will be driving that figure upwards. The ultimate feedback is whether people are downloading the show. 4 tips for increasing feedback

a) Run a blog for the show
b) Ask for feedback!
c) Provide different ways to feedback - audio, phone, e-mail
d) Treat all feedback with respect

Following on from last weeks which asked Why more women are not involved in podcasting? I wanted to highlight some thoughts which are out on the web.

Leesa Barnes has a Top 10 Savvy women in podcasting - I will have to add a goal for 2007, to get on the next list!!

Karin Hogh of The Pod Journal and a respected podcasting commentator added her thoughts on women missing from the blogger and podcaster magazine.

Karin also added further commentary at the Women in Podcasting blog, giving contact details for anyone wanting to promote their work in the Blogger and Podcaster magazine.

I love podcasting and that is from someone who is quite shy! I am no feminist I have to say but I would love more role models in both the podosphere and blogoshere. I am not saying that there are none, however I think we need more. I think the reasons could be

1) Fear of the technology - but there is no reason, if I can do it anyone can!
2) Lack of self confidence - well, again I find it easier blogging and podcasting than networking at events. You are behind the computer so you do not have to face anyone!
3) Lack of time - many women are running between work and home. Sallie Goetsche has a great post over at Women in Podcasting about how commenting can be as rewarding as producing.

For me web 2.0 is all about content and dialogue. Sure the big names tend to be male with more technical backgrounds but their fame is not because they are male it is because they are pioneering the technology. I would love to encourage more women into the arena and that is why Heather Gorringe and I started to build a community at Women in Podcasting. If any women would like to join the discussion join us and promote the power of blogging and podcasting to other women!

In previous posts I have looked at how you can use humor, opportunity to express opinions and expertise to engage with listeners. Today I would like to offer a fourth way

4) Community.

Social networking is on the rise. 40% of social networkers spend >1 hour on the internet, 37% visit sites everyday and 41% visit a few times per week. Many people are enjoying the sense of community on the internet, the sense of belonging that in some ways has eroded in our local physical neighborhoods. Podcasting can learn from this and build a sense of community with forums, merchandise, membership shows, interactive programs such as Twitter. Again this will not be for all, however there is an opportunity to engage with listeners by giving them the opportunity to join with similar minded people (4th most popular reasons for people joining social networks sites eg MySpace).

At the Online conference Leesa Barnes presented an insight into how people are making money form podcasting - cannot wait to see the book!

In summary she looked at 3 areas and gave examples of each one

1) Direct Methods. “Monetarise your content” Examples are Adevertising, sponsorship, tip jars, premium content, licensing

2) Indirect Methods. “Monetarise your skills” Examples - Consulting, teaching, books, speaking, shows

3) Integrated Methods. “Monetarise your audience” Examples - Affiliate marketing, merchandising, selling services/product

The Top 2 earners come as no surprise - advertising and sponsorship. Leesa also says that during her research she has found that it takes a minimum of 6-12 months to build a “podcast brand” to then extend it to make money.

A great insight and one that gives you a structure to think about how you want to grow your earning potential. Much depends on where your skills lie, which one of the methods plays to your strengths, which one fits with your audience profile?

At the online podcasting conference Dr Dennis Mocigemba gave a fascinating insight into a recent International Podcasting survey that he had completed. The main points for me were

1) Average duration of shows in Nth America - 36 mins, Europe - 25 mins.

2) 86.2% of podcasters were male - although the listeners are split quite evenly.

3) Most popular feedback mechanism for the shows were - E-Mail (84%), Blog (77.7%), Skype (15.9%), Audio (24%)

4) 78% of podcasters are themselves on the show, however 12% play a role!

5) 60% of podcasters in Europe have no commercial ambitions compared to 42% in Nth America

6) Top 5 ways of earning income - 53% from advertising, 46% from advertising on the blog, 24.6% from services. 23.9% producing podcasts for others and 1.1% from donations.

Shortly the audio will be available from the website. The stand out factor for me was that podcasting had a high experimentation factor for people. Many used it to be the person they might or like to be! It allowed them to express themselves in a way they couldn’t in their everyday lives!

I gave 2 presentations this weekend at the wonderful on line conference which was organised by Coop World and Penny Haynes.

There were some wonderful presentations by people like Jason Van Orden on how to promote your podcast, Leesa Barnes on Podcasting for Profit, Heather Gorringe on how to use your podcast for successful viral marketing, Elisabeth Lewin on Podcasting in 2006: What We Learned and an intriguing study by Dr. Dennis Mocigemba on International Podcasting.

You will be able to buy CD’s of the event from the website, for anyone looking into podcasting or interested in developing the podcast the investment would be worth it. Or you can get some insight by listening to a series of podcasts with some of the speakers at the blog - International Podcast Expo.

I came across a 3 part series about podcasting. For anyone who enjoys an in-depth look at all aspects of why and how to create a podcast you will enjoy the podcast series by Christopher Simmons at Music Industry Newswire.

This series is looking at how to build that audience - it is not about using all the ways, it is about finding the one works for you. Today we are talking about expertise.

3. Expertise. Many people want to learn, they want to use podcasting as a way of expanding their knowledge or learning something new. To build an audience you need to build trust in your expertise - be it subject related, be it entertaining. Choosing a subject that you are passionate about is a major part of this, and knowing your subject so that people want to come and listen to your show. They trust that the knowledge that you impart is one that they can rely upon. They trust in your ability to inspire them

You will have seen the post by Steve Shickles as a tribute from all of us at 451 press. Events like these are shocking and I remember the pain of losing a colleague in the London bombings, life just seems different. Social media is playing a significant role in supporting people with their shock, with their grief, with their questions…..the power of the online community shines in such a great way.

I mentioned on the A-Z of Podcasting, the power of imperfection. After events like these you realise the full power of human imperfection.

Let’s as a community of podcasters and bloggers ensure that we reach out to those who need our support more than ever and show that there is still an overwhelming number of great hearts in the world.

Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund

April 16, 2007, will be remembered as one of the darkest days in the history of the Virginia Tech community and the world beyond.

To remember and honor the victims of those tragic events, the university has established the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund to aid in the healing process and generate financial support.

The fund will be used to cover expenses including but not limited to:

• Grief counseling
• Memorials
• Communication expenses
• Comfort expenses
• Incidental needs

If you plan to give, please click the link below:

In a recent survey 55% of people said that they joined social networks to express an opinion. Podcasting is another way that you can invite people to share their views and feed that need that people have of “being listened to!”

2. Opinions.
Podcasting is another tool that allows people to express their opinion, not just the host. If you have a comment line, e-mail address for the show or ask for audio comments to play in the show you are connecting with that person. An emotional connection is formed with the listener by playing their voice, they feel part of the show, part of the discussion, respected and values for their contribution.
Think of Geek News Central, Six Pixels of Separation,For Immediate Release they are comment driven shows….which draws the audience into the discussion and builds a loyal community. All of these shows grow their audience by being a “great host”, welcoming the guests into their podcasts and encouraging people to join their party.

Think about how you can invite people in, invite their opinions via e-mail or audio….give people options.

Today I will start a new series of posts - this time on emotional connection. The reason for this, is that when you look at the successful podcasts they all have an emotional element, be it often subconsciously. The trick is finding for your show how to build an emotional connection with listeners and over the next fews days I will talk through different ways that I have seen work within the podcasting world. Feel free to disagree.

1) Humour. The world we live in can sometimes be stressful, eventful, mundane, sad etc and humour is a great way to lift spirits and escape from some of the harsher realities of the world. There are the comedy podcasts that do this in a very obvious way…but not all of us are Ricky Gervais! You can bring humour into your podcast in other more indirect ways such as storytelling (people love stories and especially the ones that they can relate to), through laughing at mistakes, through banter between hosts, etc

People often are listening to podcasts to escape the monotony of a journey, the pain at the gym, mundane computer work…if you can help lift their spirits then you are making an emotional connection.

Tomorrow we will look at another way of making that ever so important emotional connection to build your listener base.

I was a panellist at the Corporate Podcasting Summit and there we heard from various corporations who had successfully incorporated podcasting into their organisations. I wanted to share 3 case studies which were excellent.

1) United Nations - Small Arms Demobilisation unit takes guns out of circulation once there is a ceasefire. They gave out to their field based people a MP3 player to ensure that they kept their teams informed. They used podcasts to give information about what was happening within their organisation, case studies/success stories and also little role plays to help improve the skill level.

2) English Heritage. They wanted to extend the reach of their national conference so used podcasting to reach more people. They also used the podcasts to answer questions that delegates had or left on their feedback form. Great way to spread the word and market your organisation.

3) First Data. They replaced teleconferences with interactive podcasting. They had an open telephone line so people could leave comments and then make the next show around those questions, views etc….They felt that this created a feedback loop instead of static teleconferences.

Just 3 ways that companies were using podcasting to SOLVE an internal issue. I think that is the key, they are not podcasting because “everyone else seems to be”, they are looking at their internal issues and using podcasting as a solution.

For me podcasting is a tool, you use the right tool for the right occasion. You would not use a hammer to cut cloth! Podcasting is a tool in your corporate toolbox, when you have an issue choose the right tool to address the problem.

Today is the end of my series on podcasting - ideas, tips and thoughts. I have enjoyed writing the series and I hope I have given you some inspiration. Today we cover Y and Z.

Y= Yardstick. When you start podcasting you start with a goal. It is important that you set yourself yardsticks to measure your progress. It depends on the goal but they may include downloads, links, mentions, PR, marketing leads, sales….. Yardsticks keep you on course and are important times for celebration. When you reach one, stop and celebrate. You put in a huge amount of work into your show - make sure that you celebrate your success. I remember my first ever yardstick was - don’t laugh but 100 downloads! When that was achieved I had the best night out with friends that you can ever imagine….I know it was hardly a tough one, but the pride I felt was as good as any of the feelings that I have now. Obviously my yardsticks now are a lot tougher but I look forward to the achievement of them and that keeps me going on the nights when editing seems the last thing I want to do…

Z= Zest. It is important to have a real passion for your subject and allow your listeners to hear it. To avoid podfading you need to keep the ideas flowing and the energy high. Here are tips that I use
a) Read blogs, books, magazines to inspire me…particularly like trend and design despite the fact it is not my forte!
b) Listen to other podcasts….see how they are evolving or listen for things you don’t like as a listener and ensure you are not doing the same thing.
c) Jot ideas down wherever you are….I carry a moleskin notebook and as I people watch or am travelling etc and I have an idea, I capture it before it disappears…
d) Keep going back to why you podcast, what is your ultimate goal to keep your vision for your show alive.
e) Talk and link with other podcasters…they are a great source of inspiration and motivation to keep going

Phew I have got to the end of the series and I have enjoyed writing about my thoughts and experiences. I will be a speaker on the panel at the Podcast Expo in September and hopefully we can explore some of the ideas there. If you are going to be there, let me know it would be great to meet up.