Smart Podcast Marketing

Podcasting may be the hottest technology on the Internet right now, but not everyone is impressed by it.

"People experiment because content creation can be fun, sort of like finger-painting was back in preschool, but people also run out of creative energy, and the maintenance of a site, blog or Podcast becomes a chore," adds Coursey.

In a recent Publish article, Coursey says that the independent voices of podcasting will soon fade away, and states that "it is hard to be original and interesting over time, and major media outlets will be the big fish in this small pond."

Well said. I have to say, I agree with a lot of what is said in the article. With a few important distinctions:

First, I think the author underestimates the need of individuals to create something of their own. Podcasting has been driven, up to this point, by very motivated individuals with a lot of creativity to spare. Podcasting also gives a lot of frustrated folks just the outlet they need to get their creativity out there, and that need shouldn't be underestimated.

Second, it could be that producing a podcast on a regular basis turns out to be more work than it's worth, to some. But by following some basic guidelines - keeping podcasts short, to 5-10 minutes each, or keeping them fresh with stuff you can't get anywhere else - and re-using shows frequently to reduce the workload, a podcast producer can extend the life of their creative outlet indefinitely.

Third, podcasting isn't the sort of thing that everyone on earth is called to do, but it's getting increasingly easy for people to consume. With IE7 incorporating native RSS and all the additional plug-ins and services and extensions and such that let people download and listen to podcasts to their hearts' content. It's going to become increasingly easy for people to find and subscribe to and download podcasts, so I'm not sure why the author thinks that people won't bother with podcasts.

Last, what difference does it make, if podcasting never becomes mass media? Everything, in case he hasn't noticed, is going niche. People are better able to connect with like-minded folks, than ever before, and they are drawn together in new ways to enjoy common interests -- that includes electronically. To think that going "mass media" is a measure of success, is definitely old paradigm.

Last, podcasting isn't just about "ego-casting", where folks put together shows to hear themselves talk. The concept of podcasting can be carried over into a multitude of business uses, which are all technically podcasting - improving customer communication, corporate communication, any kind of communication which lets people connect better, is not the kind of thing that's going to stop appealing to people, anytime soon. Perhaps in its present state (with creative rogues producing entertainment for the niche masses), podcasting will not last, but it can be repurposed in a multitude of ways that make it look like something else. Perhaps one permutation of it will not survive, but it can take on many shapes and sizes which are all, still, podcasting.

Good article and thought-provoking. But I think time will prove the gentleman wrong.

Well, I've succumbed to the lure of orange and green. Podtopia.net now has colors much more in line with the rest of the podcasting world. I've gone with an orange header and highlights, and green navigation, headings, and auxiliary text. The main body of the text is black, same as it ever was.

Old Podtopia.net


New Podtopia.net