Podcast Freq

I hate to do a post that starts talking about 2008 in November but I think it is wise to begin thinking about what has gone well, what you need to improve upon now so that you can start the new year with fresh goals and, of course fresh enthusiasm.

So here are some questions to start thinking about ready for a successful 2008.

1) What has gone well and how can you do more of that, next year?
2) What do you need to improve upon and what actions are you going to take?
3) How do you measure your success? If you don’t measure…do you need to and if you do measure what are the results saying to you? Then set new targets for next year.
4) One that I like to think about is “Ask not what podcasting can do for you, but what you can do for podcasting?” We, as podcasters, all have a responsibility to bring more consumers into the space, to generate a conversation about podcasting, to raise awareness of how easy listening and subscribing really is….what have you done for podcasting?
5) How do you plan to keep the show fresh, do you need to review your album art, your blog, your format?

This is not an exhaustive list and you need to think about your specific show - but the important thing is to make some time for creativity, for inspiration. Podcasting is time consuming and time is one thing that we are often short of…so invest a little before the year end to ensure 2008 starts with a bang!

podcasting, podcast, subscribing to podcasts, goals, conversation

Continuing the series on looking at podcasts and podcasters that are not part of the large corporate world and who I listen to because they either entertain, educate, inform or inspire me in life. Today I am looking at H, which is an easy call as far as I am concerned!

H= Heather Gorringe. Heather is a UK podcaster who sent in a comment to my main podcast The Engaging Brand, she said that she loved the show but suggested that I interviewed more small businesses. I invited her on the show and the rest is history as we became friends. Heather has an amazing passion for podcasting and is presently on a Nuffield Scholarship to research how social media can help farmers reconnect with their consumers. Anyone who has met her is bowled over by her enthusiasm, her honesty and her ability to connect with listeners and consumers alike.

Heather produces a wonderful show - often promoted by iTunes called Wiggly Wigglers - which manages to both entertain, educate and inform! Wiggly Wigglers looks at farming, gardening and all things to do with the natural world/environment. The key to this podcast popularity is the humour, the humour is so natural and infectious.

Heather also co hosts 2 other podcasts - Middle Age Shed which is the story of how 2 middle age women struggle to maintain their weight and also The Podcast Sisters which is a podcast which explains Web 2.0 for the non geek and how to use web 2.0 to grow your business.

Heather is one of the influential podcasters in the UK and a great speaker on how podcasting has changed her business life.

Over at the Zune Directory it has been announced that podcasters will be able to submit their podcasts on 13 November. At the moment, I think they have taken the top podcasts only so make a note in your diary for the 13th…here is part of the announcement…

“The reason we are doing this is to seed the catalog with a base level of podcasts that Zune users and podcasters can build on over the next few months. Being a long-time podcaster, I understand that most content providers want to know about where their podcasts are being distributed and thus would want to actually submit his or her feed to us. It has been exciting over the past few weeks to have so many podcasters contact me and request inclusion in the new Marketplace podcast area – the catalog will have the first 1000 or so from us, but the rest will come from the podcasting community.

Please plan on downloading the new Zune Marketplace software on November 13th, then visit the main podcast section in the software to “Suggest a Podcast” for inclusion in the public Podcast Marketplace. ”

Now I know that I am an iTunes and iPod user but the Zune Directory will have increasing importance to podcasters…it no dout will become the second most popular directory relatively quickly so you need to think about having your show available and also buttons on your site for Zune subscription.

zune, podcasting directory, podcasts, itunes, zune marketplace

The production of podcasts can be tiring and draining mentally - they need you to invest a lot of time in research, production and also promotion of your show. Sometimes you can look at your show statistics and think is it really worth all this effort, or indeed it is worth the effort but you are totally bereft of ideas. We have all been there especially if you podcast alone. I often write about not being stale, about constantly pushing yourself to learn something new, about fighting podcaster complacency.
The easiest way that I have found to cope with this state of mind, is to realise that staleness comes from something that felt like new, now feeling old. Thus, with my very simple mind I know that I have to search for something new..to bring back the freshness. This might be

1) In myself, by attending a conference, barcamp, podcamp…anything that inspire the podcasting soul!
2) In the show, by doing something either I haven’t tried before or having a guest purely from left field that brings a different angle to the conversation.
3) Change the presenters..if you are solo..invite a co host. If you co host why not fly solo one week.

Your role is to keep that element of surprise there for the listener..that element of surprise their for you! That surprise that you learn a new skill i.e recording an interview, that you have contacted someone for the show that you never imagined that you would, that you learn something new about yourself…like how to reignite the flames of motivation.

One question I ask is ” If I wanted to surprise me, what would I do!”

It is coming up to 2 years since I had an iPod bought for me - a gift that changed my life literally. I had no idea at the time what a podcast was, and I had no technical background. Within 2 years, the majority of my time and the majority of my income is generated via social media….what a whirlwind two years. Now the iPod is part of my life, part of my everyday living.

1) I use it as a hard drive to carry a back up presentation to clients. I would be carrying it anyway for entertainment so it means there is nothing extra I have to remember to put in my briefcase.
2) I use it as my photo album, before I never could find the photo’s I was looking for…now the memories are with me all the time.
3) It is my learning and development tool - I don’t attend courses, I listen to podcasts on all sorts of areas to develop my skills…expand my learning…
4) I use it as my library….I only listen to audiobooks.
5) I now do 40 minutes exercise each day without getting bored…why? because I am entertained and engaged during that exercise either with a podcast, an audiobook or a video.
6) I use it as my address book for when I am offline…I don’t have a pda, so I carry my mobile and my ipod.
7) I wake up every morning to my iHome. I have over 10,000 songs on it and always play them on shuffle so that I never know what is coming next.
I use it as a child occupier when out with friends! I have downloaded a few cartoon, and short films….wonderful to help entertain a bored child when you are out for tea!
9) I use it to record when I am out and about…normally I use a micro audiotrack but if I find myself without it..I use my iPod.
10) …..Great for plugging into your ears when you don’t want to speak to people on the train etc……:)

When you create your podcast, it is easy to become so close that you lose objectivity on the standard of your podcast. A question to ask yourself regularly is “If you were not the producer of the show, would you listen and subscribe to the show?”

Here are some checks and balances that I would have in place…

1) Listen as a subscriber frequently…in car, on a computer, on an iPod. Does it sound OK?
2) Compile a list of subjects covered…are you repeating topics too frequently, is your content remaining fresh?
3) Listen to other shows on your subject - are you different, are you all talking about the same things…are you putting your distinctive personality on your subject area
4) Review your review in iTunes, in podcast alley, to see what people are saying?
5) Have you got a Technorati and google alert for your show, to see what people are saying about it?
6) What are your subscriber numbers doing…..increasing or decreasing?

The first 10-12 shows are about finding your voice, finding out how to express your personality through this new medium. At some stage, you find that voice and it then becomes important that you don’t become too comfortable with it…..when I say comfortable, I really mean complacent. You become that close to the product and the production becomes so much easier than before that you don’t put in the same level of effort, or give the same amount of energy to the show.

If you have honest friends that will give you objective feedback - use them as a resource, use them to act as your warning signs that you need to freshen either your approach or your content.

What other checks and balances do you have, that you want to share with other readers?

I have been a member of the Blubrry community since it’s launch, I have always been a huge fan of their work.

I am delighted to see that they have updated their page layout - check out Middle Age Shed (love that logo!) and The Engaging Brand to see the new buttons.

The page looks clean and I love the simple layout….look at the range options

Add to Digg, Google, Delicious
iPhone feature
Zune

The tag feature is great for finding new shows and I also love the fact that the shows are now central to the page. Often directories are bland and look just like a long list of shows…Blubrry is different, it has a retail appeal in it’s layout. When you add to the design strength the ability to join affiliate programs and earn money from your podcast…it is a powerful package.

I think the only thing that is missing now is the community of the show. Would it be possible to have a news feed for the blog, or links to the facebook group etc…oh and of course the Facebook Blubrry player!

The art of search for podcasting is such a critical element of future growth….one of the reasons I use Blubrry as my link to my podcasts is that for people new to the medium, will find the site easy to navigate and easy on the eye….as I said with the retail feel. It is so important that people find the experience of listening to their first podcast or downloading their first show…easy, otherwise they will not stick around and it will be the equivalent of a lost shopper during the checkout process.

So well done Blubrry…as always love the changes
[tags] blubrry, podcasting directory, podcasts, search, attracting listeners [ /tags]