Tap into the Podcasting Community


Let's review where we are in the process right now: You've tested and then launched a podcast. Your show is available on the Web with a working RSS feed. You're updating your show regularly.

Congratulations! You are now officially a podcaster. You're a member of the club. While there's still lots to learn, you've progressed beyond basic training andat the risk of mixing a metaphoryou're playing in the big leagues.

Now that you're officially part of the community, there are plenty of good reasons to get involved with your fellow podcasters. And, while the promotional value of getting involved in the community is obvious, it's equally obvious that the benefits of getting involved will extend far beyond the purely promotional.

Hang Out Around Podcasting's Virtual Water Cooler

The unofficial "water cooler" for much of the podcasting community is the forum section on Podcast Alley. Just go to PodcastAlley.com and select Podcast Forum from the menu bar. From there, you'll arrive at a page like the one in Figure 11.5. You'll find forums for both listeners and podcasters.

Figure 11.5. There are Podcast Alley forums for both podcasters and listeners.


Participating in both types of forums can be helpful. The podcaster forums include a wealth of information and experience about podcasting issues out in "the real world." The listener forums are an important gauge of listener tastes and preferences.

An Important Caveat About Forums

The forums you find on Podcast Alley and other similar sites can be an important tool for getting connected to the podcasting community. It's important to keep in mind, though, that forum participants are not a truly representative sampling of the podcasting community. For example, "early adopters" are sometimes represented disproportionately. By all means, listen to what's going on but don't forget that you're tapping in to a self-selected subset of the podcasting community.


Of course, Podcast Alley isn't the only forum for podcasters. A couple of other notable forums can be found at these web addresses:

  • http://groups.yahoo.com/group/podcasters/

  • http://podcastrigs.net/forum/

Participating in forums is a great idea for a number of reasons. The following sections discuss several things the forums can help you with.

Reduce Your Learning Curve

Whatever you want to do with your podcastand the list of options seems endlesssomeone else has probably been there and done that (or, at least, something similar). One of the most striking things about the podcasting community is its willingness to embrace newcomers and share information. As a fledgling podcaster, this is a tremendous advantage for you. You'll be able to benefit from the collective knowledge of a smart and talented community.

Learn Best Practices

Typically, technology offers new podcasters numerous options for accomplishing each step of the podcasting process but not all of these options are equally effective. As practices, procedures, and equipment for podcasting improve, your participation in podcasting's online communities will keep you up to speed on the best options out there.

Get Creative Inspiration

The podcasting community is incredibly diverse and creative. If you don't have a large staff to help create your podcasts every week, having access to ideas and feedback from a community like this may be the next best thing. Participate in online podcasting communities so you can find out what's going on out there. Get involved and allow yourself to be challenged. And, finally, become part of the community as a vehicle to get your creative juices going.

Pay Your Dues by Giving Back

There's an old joke in the world of technology that the definition of "expert" is a guy who's a chapter ahead of you in the manual. That's certainly true in the world of podcasting. You might still be picking the brains of other podcasters but if you've reached this point in this book and understand most of the things we've covered, thenbelieve it or notyou're not that far from being an expert yourself.

Be as generous as you can with your time when you encounter aspiring podcasters who don't yet know as much about podcasting as you do. Show them some of the tips and techniques that you've picked up already. You'll enjoy the benefit of goodwill along with a growing reputation of expertise. (And, of course, tell everyone to pick up a copy of The Absolute Beginner's Guide to Podcasting. They'll thank you for it.)

Gain Exposure to Centers of Influence

Okay, after all of that, we've finally come to the purely promotional aspect of getting involved in the podcasting community. One great way to get your podcast exposed to potential listeners is to piggyback on someone else's audience. There's an effective way to do this and there's an ineffective way. We highly recommend the former.

Over time, as you participate in the podcasting community, your colleagues in the various forums will begin to know who you are and what you do. They'll learn about the focus and quality of your shows. And, when it's appropriate, they will tell their listeners about you. Your penetration will grow as a result of your exposure to established podcasters who act as centers of influence in the community.

In addition to your exposure to centers of influence in podcasting forums, there are two other specific tactics you can employ.

Create and Distribute Promos For Your Show

Show promos are brief (around 30 seconds, usually) commercials for your podcast that are played on other people's podcasts. Adam Curry has turned promos into an art form and has regularly featured them on his Daily Source Code show.

Because of its popularity, Daily Source Code receives a tremendous number of promos and plays as many as possible in every show. There are also many other popular podcasts that play promos, too, and some may match your target audience even more closely than DSC.

A Quick Tutorial on Creating Great Promos

In many ways, your single greatest promotional vehicle for your show are the promos you create. There are numerous creative approaches to creating a promo but if you want it to be effectivethat is, drive listeners to your podcastthen your promo must be engaging, memorable, and personal.

Engaging means that you find something that can grab your listener's attention quickly and "hook" him or her for the duration of the promo. Music, humor, intrigue…something that grabs the listener by the collar and doesn't let go for 30 seconds or so. (Hint: If you do nuance, your promo is not the best place to showcase that particular talent.)

Memorable means that you find something that sticks in your listener's mind or is triggered there later on. Certainly, you'll want to give your podcast as memorable name as possible. If your podcast is commercial and you have a website, it should be the same name as your podcast and should be repeated in your promo multiple times.

Your promos will be much more effective if you personalize them for the podcaster who will be playing them. Don't forget, your promo is being played for that podcaster's audiencea group that, by definition, likes and/or respects the show host. When you personalize a promo, it grabs your listener's attention and piggybacks a bit on that host's goodwill with his or her audience.


Record Show Intros for Your Favorite Podcast

Another popular promotional vehicle is the creation of intros for other podcasters. These are the brief clips that are sometimes played at the beginning of a podcast that usually go something like this: "I'm Curt Franklin from Ultimate Podcasting. I listen to The Point podcast by Paul Figgiani and you should, too. And now, here's Paul Figgiani…"

If you create something that's funny, outrageous, or otherwise striking, then there's a chance that your favorite podcast might use it.

Promote Podcasting

As you read this, podcasting is still at the very beginning of a long and strong growth curve. Helping to support that growth curve is a powerful strategy for all podcasters to employ.

Unlike radio, podcasters are not competitively positioned against each other for the same audience. If you're on the radio during morning drive time and I'm on the radio in the same market and at the same time, then you and I have to fight for every last percentage of a ratings point. Radio is what economists refer to as a zero-sum game. If you and I are both podcasters, however, my success doesn't depend on your failure. Quite the opposite, in fact. If you're doing something interesting and I acknowledge and recommend it, the overall market for podcasting expands as the number of regular listeners grows.

So, in addition to promoting your own show, be an ambassador for podcasting. Some of the most visible podcasters in the business make this a key part of their promotional program. They do it because it works for them. And it will work for you, too.



Absolute Beginner's Guide to Podcasting
Absolute Beginners Guide to Podcasting.
ISBN: B001U8C03Q
EAN: N/A
Year: 2004
Pages: 167

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