DOs and DON’TS of Podcasting

DO:

• Promote Your Podcast – Pay attention to the online conversations already underway on influential blogs and podcasts reaching your intended audience, and work to advance those conversations through active participation. If you need help identifying the hot pockets of influencers driving the conversation in your market, hire a PR firm.
• SEO your Podcast – Until spatial computing reaches critical mass, the web is still a text medium. People search for and find online information based on keywords and phrases. Consider how you will be found. Name and tag your podcast accordingly.
• Include Exclusive Content – Repurposed content has value if that content is desirable, but repackaging existing content with exclusive content widens your podcast’s appeal even more.
• Match Frequency to Format – If you intend to podcast time-sensitive material, commit to distributing new episodes frequently. If you want to distribute podcasts infrequently, choose a format that extends the shelf life of on-demand programming.
• Yimmer and Yammer – It has been said that podcasting works best as an informal communication channel. Studies show that people trust only doctors and academics as much as people like themselves, which means your podcasts should sound like a conversation rather than a broadcast. Most people don’t talk in sound bites, so think out loud and be yourself.

DON’T:

• Downloads are not Podcasts – Don’t upload an MP3 file to the web and call it a podcast. By definition, podcasts must be available via Real Simple Syndication.
• Brochures are not Podcasts – Don’t podcast an audio reading of a press release or marketing collateral. Make your podcast entertaining and informative.
• Try to Keep it Quiet – Don’t podcast proprietary or other sensitive material that you don’t want falling into the wrong hands. Currently, podcasting is not a secure media format.
• Underestimate Your Listeners – Podcasts are heard by a very motivated, tech-savvy audience of early adopters, many of who are already participating in online conversations.
• Be Afraid to Experiment – As stage productions iron out the kinks during previews, don’t be afraid to change and adapt your podcast over time. The rules are still emerging, so don’t be afraid to let your audience help you refine your concept by soliciting feedback.