Marketing Your Podcasts
Since the rise of podcasts, everybody seems to get busy creating their own shows and looking for effective ways to market their finished products. There are many ways to promote a person’s podcast with very minimal or no cost at all. Here is a rundown of some ideas that could help you generate a massive following for your podcasts.
- Maximize the use of Facebook and Twitter - It is undeniably faster to have a bunch of followers on Twitter than on Facebook but nevertheless, you should still make use of these two social networking sites because Facebook lets you interact with your fans easier.
- Try to befriend other people who are new on Podcast - By doing this, you can boost the traffic in your own podcast and at the same time, have some friends along the way. Newbies tend to help each other out in making their shows more known to the public.
- Why not hold a contest? - Try asking interesting questions among your followers and ask them to post their answers on your Facebook fan page. Make sure to have some kind of prizes to attract people, but these don’t need to be costly.
- Make promos for other podcasts - Ask your new friends if they want to have a 10 to 15-second promo on their shows. This would attract users to download their shows.
- Make sure to engrave your mark - Since there are probably thousands of podcasts all over the Internet, always think ahead of the pack. Think of some remarkable and brilliant gimmicks or features that will leave people amazed.
- Make some interviews - Depending on the topic you have chosen for your podcast, look for one or more people to interview. Make sure that the topic is interesting and relevant.
- Create a video of your show and upload it on YouTube - Create a YouTube channel for your video podcasts and post your videos if they are less than 15 minutes. Put the link of your show at the beginning of the description and also on the screen.
- Add your podcast to as many directories as possible - If you want to achieve success in marketing your podcasts, the best thing to do is to place them in a directory which can be accessed by all Internet users.
- Find niches and forums - Let your followers know about your new show on podcast. Finding your ideal place in the virtual world is very important in hitting it big.
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Getting Started In Podcasting
Many people are now getting hooked in creating and distributing podcasts. A relatively new trend, podcasting is different from traditional radio distribution because of the use of a computer. Aside from this, podcasting allows you to subscribe to shows, automatically download these to your computer and automatically transfer these shows to your portable digital player.
There is no need to own an iPod or any portable music player just to create or listen to podcasts. All you need to have is a computer with sound capabilities, a podcasting software, a fast Internet connection and a music player, which can also be optional. It is important. though, to take note that podcasting is not necessarily connected to Apple’s iPod music player—the device’s popularity only lends its name to the phenomenon.
Sound files are more or less large in size, that is why a speedy Internet connection is required to make receiving shows less painful than the procedure which involves a modem of a telephone. Aside from a reliable computer, a specific type of software is needed to manage podcasts. The software is used to maximize podcasting’s unique abilities. You can start listening to podcasts with your browser, but if you want to experience the full benefits of this new media, you must use software that is especially designed to receive podcasts. If your computer is connected to the Internet, regardless if it’s DSL, campus wi-fi connection or a cable modem, you can easily schedule automatic downloads of podcasts on your device whenever it’s available.
On the other hand, if you have a portable digital music player like Creative’s Zen Micro or Apple’s iPod, your podcasts could be automatically transferred onto the gadget and can be taken along for playback wherever you go.
With podcast, you can download and store shows on your computer’s hard drive as compared to streaming audio. You can’t retain a streamed audio, hence, you can’t save or transfer it to a portable music gadget.
The difference between podcasts and other media forms is that they enable users to experience automation, subscription and the portability of the former. In fact, podcasting is considered as leverage in the power of Internet and also the computer’s automation of tasks that gives the users an amazingly convenient way of obtaining and enjoying media. This is the reason why podcasting is rapidly gaining popularity all around the globe. It’s not impossible to see this phenomenon as one of the primary media forms to conquer the mainstream. However, with the birth of social media, the popularity of podcasting has been, unfortunately, overshadowed.
read moreMy Favorite PodCasts Of All Time
Podcasting is a kick away from the boring routinely stuff you might be undergoing. It is the perfect companion if you are waiting for the bus or if you just want to zone away from a depressing mood. It is also an excellent source for some nerve-wracking jokes and conversation pieces. If you are up for some comedy, there are lots of podcasts that will truly keep you laughing. Podscast also has conversations dealing with science and politics, which will make you brainier in a fun way.
You can never go wrong with some comedy podcasts. Relive the bullying experience through the Ricky Gervais Show. A guy named Karl Piklingotn is the perfect target for bullying. Two popular comedians team up to bully this poor guy. This podcast now evolved into an animated series, the Ricky Gervais Show and the Idiot Abroad. The WTF with Marc Maron features Marc Maron, who is a stand up comedian. This twice-weekly podcast usually consists of interviews with several comedians and comedy writers.
Keith and the Girl features a couple, Keith and Chemda. Keith is a stand up comedian while Chemda hosts this nightly show. This dynamic duo records a different show and story every single night. This couple talks about anything under the sun and they interact well with their fans too.
Totally Laime, meanwhile, features the witty host, Elizabeth Laime. Laime usually has lots of guests in her show, ranging from comedians, artists and popular people from the pop culture. Have fun listening to the insightful comments of this woman. It is a one of a kind as a woman dare to venture the male dominated comedy podcast world.
Another form of entertainment is sure to keep your ears glued to listening, the podcast How Did This Get Made? Paul Scheer hosts this rather oblivious conversation about horrible movies and how they managed to climb up the ranks. If you are looking for some good film analysis, listen to the Slate Spoiler Specials. This will surely give you a good view of movies and what to expect.
Want to listen for something to make you brainier? Listen to Skeptoid, a weekly science podcast. Weekly episodes focus on a single phenomenon. Could be something from an urban legend, an alternative therapy or anything that is in popular culture. Professor Blastoff features comedian that rib each other off and don’t really have much knowledge about certain issues. But they to have make expert guests that surprisingly shed light on different topics.
read moreIs There A Future For Podcasting?
Podcasting once became a popular communication tool and although its future is now a bit bleak, there is really no way of telling what will happen to this excellent communication medium. While the popularity of podcasts has significantly decreased especially when social media sites emerged, it doesn’t mean it is done for. In fact, there are still people who have complete faith in podcasting and still make podcasts despite the lack of media hype since everyone’s attention is on social networking sites. Though this is the case, I strongly believe that there is still future for podcasting, at least in my opinion. It may be considered as an outdated communication medium but it definitely has a lot of potential if it is only given a bigger room to grow and develop,
One of the things hindering podcasting growth is the fact that they are not easily accessible on the internet. This means that looking for podcasts in search engines can be a bit of a challenge. Because of that, people making podcasts do not really get the exposure that they need to promote their material. Hence why, most of the podcasts being produced slowly fades or shut down the podcast creation altogether, which is a total waste. If only people producing podcasts are a little more creative, podcasting might have been in the peak of its popularity up to this day. But not all people like thinking outside of the box – a common reason for podcasting failure.
If podcasting is used in the right context, it will surely get the attention that it requires. Take for instance PodCamp, this popular podcasting channel has utilized the newly emerged communication tools to their advantage. Rather than just showcasing podcasts, PodCamp has also introduced other media forms to grab attention and to attract people to tune in.
Podcasting are loaded with features offering unique pros and cons. If it comes to anything time-sensitive, podcasting is not really the best communication platform out there capable of delivering results. This is mainly because there is no way of telling when someone will tune in. I must admit, podcasting is a total bust in the click stream and it would be impossible to keep track of users tuning in, not unless of course you have purchased exclusive domain names.
In a nutshell, podcasting offers the perfect way to deliver information to people who prefer watching or listening than reading. In addition, podcasts are also ideal for those who are willing to tune in at certain times of the day to listen to the podcasts that they like. The problem with this communication tool, meanwhile, is the fact that it is not a good and adequate medium to use for promotion. In addition, creating podcasts involve a lot of work and effort, which means you will really have to commit time and energy should you decide to go this route.
Though it may seem that there is no future for podcasts in a world that is now dominated by social media activities, it is not to say that it is completely dead. But of course, with other more effective media platforms that can be used to talk and interact with the public, it is safe to say that podcast is now a dying media form. And unless someone would be brave enough to reinvent the way podcasts are produced and delivered to the mainstream, it is definitely facing a bleak and uncertain future.
read moreThe History Of Podcasting
Podcasting made it possible for several individuals to share their audio creations to the entire globe. The usual content of broadcasting radios and the same old boring stuff that fill the MP3s of some people have been replaced by a unique and funky technology, known as podcasting. This one-of-a-kind communication platform made it possible to store a whole new generation of audio magnificence.
As the virtual world progress, technology has taken a notch higher every year and MP3 players became rampant, and people are craving for more meaningful and unique content to fill their players. So, how did podcasting emerge from its silent shell?
Since the Internet revolution in the 90’s, the history of podcasting slowly emerged. Blogs have been known to be the predecessor of podcasting. Blogging made it possible for every individual to express every type of emotion that has been held in silence. People since then have been using blogs to communicate with each other, and then one day it just became a way of life. Over the years, blogging has earned a very popular spot in the political arena as well. It has been considered as a legitimate medium for airing out political opinions. Creation of news feeds, also called as RSS by Dave Winer, made it possible for people to read their much-anticipated blogs.
Podcasting slowly progressed with the evolution of audio blogging. Instead of jotting down their thoughts, individuals record themselves. These audio blogs were posted in the form of MP3 files in their respective blogs. It just has a downside though, you have to regularly check for new MP3 files. In this regard, Adam Curry came up with a solution. He found a way to automate the syncing of the content to portable audio players. Collaboration between the two geniuses paved the way for a new revolution in podcasting. The feed now instructs your computer where to download the audio file. If this was not enough, Adam Curry wrote the first pod catcher software. This software checks for updates and then downloads the audio files. It made it possible for the MP3 to be automatically transferred to the Ipod.
The term podcast then gained recognition and was used for the very first time in an article in ‘The Guardian’ in February 12, 2004. The term became synonymous to audio blogging. Ben Hammersley also used podcast to refer to amateur Internet radio. Currently, new technologies and ideas are emerging to pave the way for a more sophisticated podcasting technology.
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