Podcast Freq

Mobile phone manufacturers are adding features all the time and the ability to download podcasts will increase the potential audience even more. So are you ready with your podcast to capture this potentially HUGE audience. Podcasting News has a list of resources for mobilecasting, worth checking out.

A while ago I asked how do we get more female talent into podcasting or indeed how do we highlight the female podcasters out their as role models for others.
Interestingly enough, Janet Parkinson of Talking Voices has just published a podcast on Women in Podcasting and asks why aren’t there more women podcasters? She interviews myself, Anna Farmery from The Engaging Brand, Linda Mills from Podcast User Magazine and Suja from Podbazaar.

In the interview I talk about Women in Podcasting as a blog that Heather Gorringe and I set up, to build a community to explore how we can address these issues especially in Europe.

I came across what is called a diagram called the Modern Mediashere at the MarCom Interactive site. On the right hand side of the diagram, choose to click on all for each sector and you can see how podcasting fits into the whole mediasphere. It is an interesting pictorial view of the space and illustrates that podcasting is part of the media, as a podcaster you are part of the media!

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!

Leesa Barnes is looking for podcasters to interview for her new book. Here is an excerpt from her post on Podonomics

“I’m interviewing podcasters who have made money directly or indirectly from podcasting for my book called Podcasting for Profit.

The direct methods are:

* Advertising, Sponsorship, Tip Jars, Donations, Paid Subscriptions, Licensing, Consulting, Teaching

The indirect methods are:

* Lead generation, Selling products & services, More speaking engagements or media interviews, Getting book deals, Getting jobs, etc.

I’ve interviewed alot of podcasters over the last few days, but I need more

Podcasting has been a major marketing tool for my business. Here is a list of reasons that I believe podcasting can help small and medium business grow their revenue

1) It brings a voice to your company - a humanness.
2) It allows consumers to connect with you and your service
3) It is basically a free resource
4) It reaches out to people that you would not necessarily reach
5) It shows that you are forward thinking
6) It delivers content of value free of charge to your customers
7) It helps build your personal brand
It widens your network for support, contacts etc
9) It acts as a reminder each week about what your business is about to keep you focused upon your business plan
10) It increases your google rank when combined with a blog for searches

Podcasting depends on people finding your work. People find it by browsing directories, browsing featured podcasts and also by searching on Google etc

In order that people find your podcast you need to ensure that your tags are relevant and words that people search for - this also applies to your blog posting. It is an area that I have not concentrated on enough in the past. I am using a coach - Penny Haynes - to understand Search Engine Optimisation more and ensure that you get listeners from the extra resource of search engines.

I have to say that I have found this very difficult but Penny has sent me to WordTracker which is a great research tool and you can buy a day’s use of the tool for virtually nothing.

When I started out, I had no technical knowledge - AT ALL. I didn’t even know what a blog or podcast was! I learned through on line tutorials and by asking questions to other podcasters. However, today I came across a blog coach who is excellent - if you want to build a blog to support your podcasting audience - A MUST - take a look at BusinessBlogAngel. She is an expert on blogging - she uses typepad, and can help you differentiate yourself through your format and offers.

I have no connection other than looking for a coach to work with, but the areas that I want to expand my knowedge upon are:

1) Adding pages to my blog
2) Stretching the format across the page
3) Building a community forum page
4) Offering products for sale

Blogs are moving on rapidly and becoming more like websites. To ensure that you give your listeners a total experience make sure that you give a full focus to your blog page and style. It will help with the promotion of your podcast.

Recording a podcasting promo is a good way of introducing your show to new listeners. Many podcasters will allow you to swap promo’s to help both of your audience build. The key is to make the promo fun, and see it as your “shop window” for why people should listen to your show. It needs to give a taste of what the listeners will hear, but in an authentic way.

Think of it as taster, an appetiser for potential listeners. If you don’t feel comfortable recording this kind of audio then you can always ask a friend or check out elance.

There are also directories and sites that run an exchange program.
Kiptronic offers a network exchange

DigitalPodcast
Podcastspots
PodcastPromos

I prefer however to contact people in my niche, or podcasters that I listen to and ask them if they will play the promo. Remember also that asking a question on someone else’s podcast via audio, and mentioning your podcast is fine too.

People often think of Technorati but it is also important to understand how it helps you as a podcaster to drive more traffic. Technorati does not look for the audio but it does browse your blog to look for podcast references within your text. This is why show notes are important as a way of ensuring that Technorati is picking it up as a podcast. Keywords are then very important in the show notes, and also maybe referring to your podcast in other posts in between.

It is also important to ping technorati using services like pingoat or ping-o-matic. The ping is a way of telling Technorati that there is new content and that it needs to look at your site and get the information.

Remember a link to your podcast can be found at Technorati as part of a search result or when someone has searched tags - so don’t forget those tags on your posting.

Lastly, I always set up a watchlist for a new podcast so that I can see who is linking to it or any comments people are making.

Technorati is a great tool, don’t forget it is a PR tool for your product.

I have a fear for 2007 that I really do hope does not come true. Podcasting was all about bringing the ability of braodcasting to the masses, it is about niche areas, “amateur” set ups, ordinary people living an extraordinary dream. What I think would be sad, would be if the corporations and the big names dominate the directories. This way it becomes a self fulfulling prophecy of success as it gets harder for new or smaller podcasts to be found, to grow. I don’t subscibe to any larger ones with a couple of exceptions…I like to find the gems out there…the raw, unadultered passion for their subject. So how do we ensure that the essence of podcasting remains..accessibility to producing, and accessibility to new podcasts. So how can we do it?

1) Subscribe to one new podcast a week and support the smaller podcasters.

2) Blog about the great ones you find.

3) When giving an MP3 player, mobile as a present preload with some smaller great podcasts.

4) Ring in with comments to the smaller players so they don’t pod fade.

5) Digg them, or vote at Podcast Alley…the larger ones will always be top - why not vote for some of the smaller ones?

Seth Godin said small is the next big……and I firmly believe in that. I love the smaller shows because you can tell that they don’t do it for the money, don’t do it for celebrity just pure passion for their subject.

Finally, I am not against the bigger ones, not against celebrity…not at all, podcasting need stars. I have so much respect for them. I just want to ensure that as consumers we don’t lose the sight of the gems out there.

Digg has now added podcasting to their features which is another great way to promote your podcast and build your listenership.
It is also a great way to find some new listens to give you more ideas for your own - pop over and would love you to digg mine - The Engaging Brand!

Podcasting is growing, it has grown hugely in 2006 but podcasting is still in its infancy. I feel strongly that as podcasters we need to ensure that this powerful new medium continues to grow and develop. The biggest danger is that we become complacent and keep doing the same old things. But podcasting has just touched the surface there is still about 75-80% of web users to go for, there is a real need to tap into the boomer generation and women. We all need to spread the podcasting word, so here is task for you this holiday season - tell 6 people about podcasting, help them tap into this free resource, this free entertainment and lets make 2007 the year of the podcast.

I was lucky enough to interview Mitch Joel on my podcast this week. Podcasters really need to understand the idea of personal branding in developing their podcast image.The interview looks at personal branding and the importance of it in this age of networking, and new media. It is in 2 parts and you can listen for free here, well worth a check out.