If you haven’t heard, podcasts are hot, hot, hot. And, they work for bloggers. Although I’ve been a guest on many podcasts and managed my high school’s radio show, I don’t have a podcast of my own – yet. I went to this session to learn and share information about how to combine blogging and podcasting.
This is one in a series of BlogHer13 posts.
Thanks to Lian Dolan of The Satellite Sisters and Chaos Chronicles; Lindsay LaVine and Deborah Shane for sharing podcasting tips for bloggers. In addition to this session, my friend Beth Rosen of BoomFluent also presented a fun podcast petting zoo session at BlogHer13.
In the “A Case for Podcasting” session, the speakers covered:
- growth and power of podcasting as a content tactic
- commitment, consistency, content, guests
- marketing and promoting
- legalities, protecting your work and
- best podcasting tips
Visit the BlogHer site for a full podcasting for bloggers session transcript.
Along with some podcasting stats, here are my notes with apologies to the speakers for not capturing every wonderful suggestion.
Podcasting Statistics from The Podcast Consumer 2012 by Edison Research
Five Reasons to Podcast
- Audio is powerful.
- Google loves podcasts.
- If you don’t create it, there’s nothing to be found. – Deborah Shane
- Podcasting starts to replace radio listening, once someone turns to podcast.
- No matter what your subject, once you get close to your listeners you can take them anywhere.
22 Podcasting Tips for Bloggers
- BlogTalk Radio and Stitcher.com both offer show hosting options. Check out both sites along with itunes and podcast.com to see who’s talking about your topic.
- Make a commitment to be consistent; show production time ranged from one to six hours a week for the panelists.
- Book guests out for 60-90 days [8-12 weeks].
- Aim for driveway conversations that keep people listening in the car when they pull into the driveway.
- Your niche should be something you’ll be really excited about every time you turn the mic on.
- New podcasters should start with content you’re really comfortable with. Once the mic goes on, you can get a little nervous. The more comfortable you get, the more comfortable you are behind the mic, then you can expand your horizons.
- Less is more. Deborah covers 3 topics: career, personal branding and content marketing via social media. She looks for leading voices in those areas.
- What makes a great show? Your energy, your personality and your enthusiasm around a take or a topic you’re interested in.
- If you’re new, it’s pretty important to script the show and rehearse. Is something funny? Work the material so it’s a tight story.
- Writing for the ear is very different than for the eye; so practice reading what you’ll be saying.
- To produce a podcast, record a call, edit the recording in garage band, send it to iTunes, syndicate it with libsyn.com; they send feed to iTunes. Then, put the show on your website.
- Before you use it, get permission if you’re going to use something that’s not yours.
- Get your guest’s permission in writing to use the podcast in any medium you want forever. issues that come up with copyright. eff.org monitors legislation in making sure that podcasting is open and available to everyone.
- Is your podcast a business? Look into an LLC.
- Unify all marketing and integrate everything so that your podcast has reach and its own URL to copy/paste link to social media.
- A podcast is a performance. Find your true voice.
- Keep it short. It’s better to leave them wanting a little more next week.
- Be committed and consistent.
- Own your niche in a few specific content areas.
- Find guests who are actively promoting themselves and represent the top or emerging voices in those areas.
- Get an image/logo for the show.
- Record an open and a close.
How about you – do you have a podcast? What podcasts do you like to listen to?
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