Podcasting has emerged - in lightning bolt fashion - as an exciting way to communicate information. Simply put, a podcast is an audio file delivered via the Internet. Think radio talk show, but one you really want to listen to, delivered directly to you - how, where and when you want to receive it.
Podcasts took off when Apple made various podcasts available on its wildly popular iTunes directory. Consumers started downloading these "radio shows" en masse, adding them to their music libraries. Podcasts can be about any topic: personal viewpoints, news, politics, sports, comedy, speeches, tours, music, business – you name it. Apple now has over 20,000 podcasts in their iTunes. The vast majority are produced by "ordinary Jills." Many other Internet destinations offer podcasts, from www.podcast.net to www.podcastalley.com to www.podcastalley.com.
The corporate world is beginning to embrace podcasting. Big players like Cisco and IBM consistently post podcasts on their Web sites. Similarly, smaller progressive companies such as Nuance and SolidWorks Corporation (Beaupre hosts and produces its podcast content) have jumped on the podcasting bandwagon.
Why are podcasts taking off for business?
- Push vs. pull – in addition to posting podcasts on corporate Web sites, companies can automatically serve them up to interested listeners via RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds (more on this later).
- Personal – we enjoy listening to people speaking with other people vs. reading dry Web site copy.
- Easy – it's relatively simple to create podcasts; simply interview knowledgeable spokespersons vs. writing, editing, proofing, etc. Grab a mike and some free software, and podcast away.
- Quick – you can produce and launch a podcast in a matter of hours.
- Versatile – podcast applications are endless, from conveying thought leadership to customer interviews to news announcements to guest interviews to speech excerpts.
- Ego fulfillment – podcasts are a great way to spotlight key executives, customers, partners and luminaries.
- Inexpensive – podcasts consume a fraction of the cost and time of video productions.
- Exciting - podcasts add zip to Web sites by populating them with more interactive content.
Getting back to the advantage of push vs. pull, RSS-driven podcasts provide many benefits for businesses, including:
- RSS lets people easily receive the content they want to get. People opt in to podcasts, voluntarily subscribing to the content. This is markedly different from e-mail and spam no one asked to receive. New podcasts don't go into e-mail inboxes; podcast notifications are delivered to you via RSS readers or Web browsers, and downloaded to your MP3 players or PC for your listening pleasure.
- To receive podcasts on a regular basis (from companies you care about or for podcasts produced regularly in a series), sign up for RSS readers such as SharpReader (for Windows), NetNewsWire (for Mac) and Straw (Linux). RSS readers are also available via dedicated Web-based services like Bloglines and Pluck. You can also set up your favorite Web portal – think MyAOL, MyYahoo! or MyMSN – to regularly receive favorite podcasts.
- Thanks to the magic of RSS, new podcasts are immediately sent to the subscriber as soon as they are broadcast. When people synch up, podcasts are automatically downloaded.
- Podcasts are also being featured on many corporate Web sites – in a more traditional Internet application. But remember, this is a pull approach vs. a push approach.
- People can listen to podcasts whenever they want, wherever they want, thanks to mobile devices from laptops to MP3 players. This advantage will become even more important as the global mobile revolution deepens.
Web portals like Yahoo! enable people to search for particular podcasts by topic, author, subject or other keywords. New podcast favorites are listed on home pages and there are also "new & noteworthy" and "staff picks" sections as well. Podcasts can be augmented with "tags" that help describe the podcast and enable people to find other relevant, synergistic content.
Some of the lessons Beaupre has learned in producing quality podcasts:
- Keep it short – the best podcasts are 5 to 10 minutes.
- Make it natural - like a great talk radio show, the best podcasts aren't canned, commercial or scripted, they sound spontaneous.
- Don't ramble – despite the need for spontaneity, podcasts must be focused and coherent.
- Keep it moving – while interview content should be thought out ahead of time, remember to keep the interview moving at a good pace; don't get bogged down in too much detail. People tune out quickly.
- Make it fun – listening improves when natural human dynamics are interjected.
- Augment talk – musical intros and "bumpers" add spice to the spoken word.
- Good audio – this is one of the tricky technical elements of podcasting. To get great audio quality, you need to make an investment in the right equipment.
- The host – another critical element to podcast success are hosts who know how to interview, when to shut up, how to ask the right questions, respond effectively to comments in real time and then bring it all together. Hosts also need voice talent.
- Edit – it's rare getting a perfect show. Take the time to go through recorded content and tighten things up.
- Content is queen – remember, a great podcast ultimately comes down to the information being conveyed. Think audience, fulfill a need, don't make it self-serving.
– Andy Beaupre
