Podcast Freq

I sometimes think as podcaster we can become complacent we can

1) Think that EVERYONE knows what a podcast is
2) Think EVERYONE knows how easy it is to get the content
3) Forget that not everyone is comfortable with new technology
4) Forget that people don’t know that most of the content is free
5) Forget that some people do not have broadband

As podcasters we MUST keep an element of that “naivty” that we had at the beginning and constantly think about people new to the media. We need to make it easy, we need to make it accessible, we need to tell people about how great it is…

How much do we concentrate on the above, how much do we think of the people new to the technology, how much do we spread the podcasting word. For people knew to the medium…hop over to The Podcast Sisters where we explain the new technology.

Today we continue to look at Q in relation to how you can promote your podcast on a budget.

Q= Quit waiting for others to write about your show and create your own press release. Most of the PR sites have help on how to put a press release together but key is ensuring that there is a story, that there is an angle to the release. For free or low cost option sites try sites such as

www.free-press-release.com
www.theopenpress.co
www.PRLeap.com
www.prweb.com
www.webwire.com

I continue the series of how to promote your podcast when you have not the mega bucks budget of the large organisations. Today we will look at the letter P.

P= Podcast Player. Have you got a player on your website so that people can play the show directly rather than subscribing via a podcatcher? It is important as 52% of people play podcasts direct from their PC. Also, if you are getting people to your site via search they may not have been looking for a podcast, the fact that they can play it there and then may mean that they will try it out. I now have the podcast pickle widget in my facebook group as well, so that again people who check out my profile can play the podcast whilst they are there…easy for them. We are still battling with many people who use the internet not knowing what podcasts are, or thinking that they need some technology before they can listen to the shows. It is really important to make it as easy as possible for them to try your show. Most major directories have some code that you can cut and paste into your blog post so that you can play the show there and then. Or try Adobe Flash Player.

The wonderful Donna Papacosta at Trafcom News has just posted a Podcaster Checklist which is well worth checking out. It is extremely comprehensive and as usual with Donna’s work, enourages you to ask the right questions and ensure that you have a clear vision for your work.

I continue the series of how to promote your podcast when you have not the mega bucks budget of the large organisations. Today we will look at the letter O.

O= Off site Optimisation. Search engines love web pages that have content that is popular. They work that out by looking at links. You can create inbound links by
1) Writing content that people enjoy.
2) Submitting to blog directories
3) Submitting to blog carnivals
4) Submitting to digg, stumble upon etc
5) Reading other people’s blogs in your area and making valuable comments on their posts.
6) Submit articles for article sites.

You need to reach out to people and give them a reason to check out your work.

There is a new association called The Association for Downloadable Media.(ADM). Its a desire is to help standardise the way that people deal with advertising and podcasting. There is an interim board at the moment to get the association up and running with members such as BlogTalk Radio, Libsyn, Nielson and Feedburner. They are asking for all podcasters to be part of setting the strategy, the agenda. The website can be found at downloadablemedia.org. The association is not free as they need to raise money to fund the venture. To become a member as an independent podcaster, the following details apply.

Individual Membership: $150/year
The Individual Membership is designed for the individual podcaster, video blogger or similar persons involved in producing or distributing episodic content in downloadable form. Individual membership is assigned to a person, not a company or organization. If you want to incorporate best practices and use industry standards for monetizing or measuring audience for your podcast or vidcast please join.

I am not US based so wondering whether it is “relevant” to people outside the US but it is an interesting idea of collaboration within the podcasting community. If you are US based, I think it is worth thinking about or watching the progress. If we are to improve the monetarisation of podcasting this may well be a venture that takes the media to a new level.

I know that I write that one of the great powers of podcasting is the global reach, but this week it has really hit home to me. I have received e-mails from all over the world - including all 5 continents - from people who have voted for The Engaging Brand at the Podcast Awards 2007, wow!

I mean this podcast is not from a huge business - it is put together by ME, little old non geek me. Under 2 years ago I had no idea what a podcast was, living proof that you don’t need to have a huge budget, staff behind you or loads of technical ability. For me the things that you need are

Passion for the subject
Passion for podcasting
Discipline (Something I have had to work on, I hasten to add!)
Desire to connect with people
A thick skin!
The ability to fail fast, fail forward and continue to evolve

All those hours I sat wondering why on earth I was editing the files, has suddenly become 100% worth it. I hope it inspires others not to podfade as your listeners do value the time commitment.

Continuing the series on how to promote your podcast if you have little or no budget, today we talk about N.

N= Newspapers. Often when you are blown away with the power of “new” media you can forget about traditional media. Personally, I think this is a mistake. Podcasting has the power of niche, it has the power of time shifting, it has the power of ordinary people reaching a global audience. What traditonal media has is traffic, page views, volume. Depending on the purpose of your podcast, it is great to tap into size of audience that newspapers have each day. Find an angle for your podcast, contact papers to promote your story. Key is giving it a different feel, than “I have a podcast!” An article in a newspaper can have a significant affect on your audience size.