Chapter 15

Podcasting for Publicity

IN THIS CHAPTER

Bullet Podcasting in the political arena

Bullet Building an audience for your creative works

Bullet Enjoying communities and tourism

“True” podcasters bristle at the growing commercialization of podcasting. With many corporate podcasts dominating Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Stitcher, independent podcasters have voiced many concerns that boil down to one: A “true” podcast is done for passion, not for profit. The movement towards podcasting as a moneymaking venture goes against the grain of a “true” podcast. The words, opinions, and emotions should all be aimed at the listeners’ hearts and minds, not their wallets.

Well, yeah, that’s all fine and dandy — but before we cheer on the sentiments of the purist, indie podcaster, sheer love of the medium does not pay the bills. Also, when juggernaut organizations like NPR create runaway hits with millions of listeners, you won’t hear their producers or creators thump their chests and proclaim proudly, “No, you go on and keep your commercial revenue and corporate bankrolls. We’re going to keep on podcasting with our USB mic and preamp.”

Truth be told, podcasting has proven itself to be a great way of reaching consumers. It’s economical, unobtrusive, and can build a potential audience.

With blogging, social networks, and podcasts all vying for their place in the corporate world, all these platforms are finding themselves becoming integrated as part of a business’s marketing and promotion machine; and with the right directors, strategists, and content producers in place, these platforms are gaining traction. Podcasting has come a long way since the first edition of this book, but still remains an unproven medium for many larger corporations. Because podcasting is audio-on-demand, there’s still no easy way to measure numbers, feedback, and response in the same way radio and television advertisements are tracked. However, statistics from WordPress plug-ins like JetPack, online services like Google Analytics, and service providers like LibSyn continue to develop new methods to do so.

This doesn’t mean a change in recognizing the potential of podcasting is taking its time. When iTunes officially recognized podcasts, its podcast subscriptions went from zero to 1 million in two days. Those kind of analytics did make the corporate world curious about the platform, realizing that some independent podcasts were discovering new audiences for their products (and broadening their existing audience) one MP3 at a time. If the end goal of your podcast is publicity, this chapter is for you. We go through several examples of where podcasting has paid off — maybe not in dollars and cents, but in good word-of-mouth buzz.

Podcasting and Politics

In the political arena, innovation can be a political candidate’s best strategic option in winning an office. The “podcasting fad” that some of Capitol Hill’s old guard snickered and scoffed at is now part of their own outreach initiatives. Individuals interested in holding office — be it local, state, or national — are side-stepping conventional media and adding podcasting to their platform.

Remember What we’re defining in this section as a political podcast is a podcast hosted by a political figure or an individual seeking a political office. (We’re not talking about podcasts where a host discusses current affairs, rants about the state of the world, or cracks jokes about the latest scandal.)

So, what can a podcast do for you, the tech-savvy politician?

  • Podcasting (and its companion blog, if you use a blog as part of your delivery) connects you directly with your constituencies.
  • Podcasting can reach young voters, the elusive demographic that can easily make or break a victory at the polls.
  • Podcasting avoids the bias that creeps up in media outlets, allowing you as a candidate to present agendas and intentions uninterrupted.

When going political with a podcast, whether you’re running for the U.S. Senate or podcasting your term as School Board representative, here are a few things to keep in mind:

  • Keep your podcast on a weekly schedule. Monthly podcasts don’t cut it; the tide of politics is in constant flux. Daily updates are less than practical, but weekly podcasts work well for ongoing political issues, and you can shape their content to remain timely enough to fit the podcasting medium. Set a day for delivering your weekly message and stick to that schedule.
  • Focus on the issues, not the opinions. A political podcaster will always walk a fine line between public servant and political commentator. You need to stay focused on the issues. If you suddenly start hammering away with opinion and commentary, you’d become more like Sean Hannity or Rachel Maddow. If you want politics as your podcast’s subject matter, ask yourself whether you’re looking to help listeners understand the issues accurately and take meaningful action, or whether you’re just ranting and venting to entertain people who want their opinions reinforced.
  • Give your listeners a plan for action. When you cover the issues in your podcast, provide possible solutions to the pressing matters of your community and your constituents. Whether you’re detailing blood drives or fundraisers, or launching an awareness campaign for cancer research, increase that divide between political figure and political commentator by offering listeners ways they can get involved in the community and make a difference.

Warning Podcasting is definitely an avenue to explore if you’re venturing into the political arena, but this is not your sole means in reaching out to voters. You will need to campaign, of course. Get out on the road, shake hands, kiss babies, and the like. Unless you are recording said baby-kissing and hand-shaking, campaigning will mean your podcast goes on the occasional break. Make sure to communicate to your listeners that changes in the posting schedule are upcoming. When you can, give a podcast from the road to keep the communication lines open.

Anytime a podcast goes public on the issues, its creator walks a fine line between public servant and political commentator. The following podcasters all keep their content focused on the issues and less on what they “feel” are the issues.

The first politician to host a political podcast of this nature was North Carolina Senator John Edwards with the One America Committee Podcast with John Edwards back in 2005, covering poverty, Internet law, and environmental issues. Senator Edwards’s wife, Elizabeth Edwards, was also featured, raising awareness on breast cancer. The success of the One America podcast caught the attention of the former govern-ator himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who podcasted his weekly radio address. Follow-up podcasts presented by politicians included the Oval Office with George W. Bush and Barack Obama (see Figure 15-1) hosting podcasts on a weekly basis, much in the same manner as FDR’s Fireside Chats only this time happening on your mobile devices.

Photo depicts Barack Obama, at the time of this writing, carries the distinction of being the last sitting president to host a weekly podcast from the White House.

Source: White House Archives

FIGURE 15-1: Barack Obama, at the time of this writing, carries the distinction of being the last sitting president to host a weekly podcast from the White House.

At the time of writing this fourth edition, shockingly, politician-hosted podcasts are something of a rarity. Perhaps The New York Times struck close to home in its 2017 article “Politicians Are Bad at Podcasting” (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/27/arts/politicians-are-bad-at-podcasting.html) when journalist Amanda Hess remarked, “The lawmaker podcast boom is just another way that our political news is becoming less accountable to the public and more personality driven. But that’s not the only thing wrong with it. The podcasts are also boring.”

Ouch.

Perhaps there aren’t a multitude of podcasting politicians to choose from presently, but this is hardly a reason to dismiss using a podcast as part of your campaign outreach. If you’re wanting to get in touch with the people (as a way to respond when voters complain about poor communication with their representatives or the candidates running for office), why not invite them into your kitchen, offer them a cup of virtual coffee, and ask them to relax a bit? Instead of dishing up prepared statements from professional speechwriters, you can offer voters (and worldwide listeners) impromptu, candid, sincere opinions on issues facing the country and the world. Podcasting can prove to be a promising platform, but remember a podcast of this nature can carry far more impact when it continues beyond the campaign.

Telling the World a Story, One Podcast at a Time

The whole point behind promotion — be it for books, film, or other forms of entertainment — is to win prospective target audiences (or build on existing ones) with something new or to give a different take on a familiar commodity. For a fraction of the cost of print advertisements and broadcast-media commercials, podcasting opens markets for your creative work — and can even start to get your name into an international market. Your podcast can not only offer a gateway into the unexplored corners of your new world, as Tee and his wife Pip Ballantine did with Tales from the Archives (http://www.ministryofpeculiaroccurrences.com), pictured in Figure 15-2, but these podcasts can tie back to the property you are promoting, enhancing the intellectual property (or IP) experience with sly references and clever crossovers. If you’re an established presence in the writing market, or any entertainment field, the fans you have nurtured, with time, will not only eagerly support your podcast, but also introduce your MP3s to reader groups, friends, and enthusiasts of the subjects you’re writing about.

Photo depicts Tee Morris and Pip Ballantine introduce listeners to their steampunk world one short story at a time with their award-winning anthology series, Tales from the Archives.

FIGURE 15-2: Tee Morris and Pip Ballantine introduce listeners to their steampunk world one short story at a time with their award-winning anthology series, Tales from the Archives.

Podcasting can introduce your original IP to audiences worldwide. For artists in more visual arts such as film, dance, painting, or sculpture, podcasting can serve as a journal leading up to the premiere of your work or a behind-the-scenes look at how works go from idea to fruition. It’s an instant connection with your audience, and a great way to build an audience by getting them to know you on however intimate a level works best for you and your work. Planning a strategy for this kind of promotion only helps your agenda:

  • When podcasting even in a visual media, briefly describe the action for the audience. In Masterpiece Studio (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/podcasts/), both hosts and guests add details about scenes and moments into their interview that accompany audio clips from productions being discussed. It is never taken for granted that people have seen the episode or special event this companion podcast is showcasing. (Many times, the host will give a quick spoiler warning.) In only a few words and a few seconds, Masterpiece Studio sets the scene for what’s happening and why they are talking about it for the sake of listeners who are currently watching the latest PBS offering.

    If you’re documenting your visual art, it will take only a moment to describe what you’re doing. For the painter: “I am using green with just a hint of black so we can make the eyes appear more unearthly, unnatural.” For a dancer, “In reconstructing the Australian Aboriginal dance, you must remain grounded and deep in your squats, more so than what is normally seen in modern dance.” Commentary like this, especially in a voiceover with video, does not need to go into every minute detail; but a few words are needed to create or complete a picture.

  • For writers and musicians: Edit, edit, edit. Awkward pauses, stammers, and stumbled words are obstacles for a writer introducing his work to the podosphere: They’ve gotta go! The approach is no different from that of an independent musician who podcasts a rehearsal session or a recording: You don’t want off-key instruments and vocalists missing the high notes. Your podcasts need to sound sharp and clean.

    Musicians, no matter if it takes 5 or 50 takes, should have their instruments in tune, lyrics clearly pronounced, and all notes sung on key. Writers should enunciate, speak clearly, and (most importantly) enjoy the manuscript. Each piece, whether music or printed word, should be a performance that serves as your audition to a worldwide audience. (While that may sound a bit nerve-wracking, don’t think of it as walking out on stage so much as building something fine to send into the world.) Just have fun, and your audience will enjoy the ride with you.

    If you need a refresher on the basics of editing, skip back to Chapter 8 for the primers on editing with Audacity and GarageBand.

  • Open or close your podcasts with a brief, off-script commentary. Before beginning your latest installment or after your latest chapter concludes, a brief word from the author is a nice (and in many cases, welcoming) option for a podcast’s audience. This commentary gives the author a unique opportunity to connect with readers, to share ideas about what inspired a scene, to promote an upcoming book-signing, or to give an update about what’s happening in the next book’s production.

    This approach adds to the intimate experience of podcasting a novel, and podcast storytellers like Mur Lafferty, Phil Rossi, and Chris Lester use this to invite listeners into their real world after sharing the world they imagined. Let your audience members know who you are, and they’ll show their appreciation through their support of your current and future works.

Podcasting continues to prove itself as a viable means of promotion for artists of any media unable to fund their own coast-to-coast tour. It may make conventional creators shake their heads at the idea of giving their works away for free, but the numbers and individual successes of authors taking this chance is the proof in this publicity. Now, before ink even hits the page, authors are building fan bases and getting their names out into the public.

And some of the really lucky ones get to write books for the For Dummies people!

Keeping Good Company: Community Podcasts

Slice-of-life podcasts that encourage community among listeners and fans are podcasts that promote. They can promote a show cancelled too soon into production, an issue affecting the well-being of a community, or offer a voice to a cause. The promotion comes from word-of-mouth advertising (buzz) that these podcasters generate from their thoughts, comments, and opinions on their subject — be it traveling across Spain, daily life in New York City, George Lucas's Star Wars, or Joss Whedon’s Firefly.

Slice-of-life podcasts let the world into locations and clue people into possibilities that listeners may be curious about. After a few podcasts, you can even encourage listeners to experience that corner of the world, that idea, or join the community.

Do you have a cause you want to give attention to? Do you want to raise awareness in your county or district? Do you want to share the experience of preparing for a wedding or anniversary? Consider sound-seeing tour podcasts in order to build an online community through your podcast.

Creating a podcast to encourage testimony

Community is synonymous with podcasting. This book talks a lot about community, establishing a connection between you the podcaster and your audience, impatiently waiting for the next episode. Podcasts can also bring an existing community — a group with a shared interest, a community of homeowners, or a group dedicated to a cause — together and keep its members informed. The podcast can reach audiences in and outside of your community, sharing your interests and concerns with others, making your community even stronger in the long run.

The WDW Radio Show (Figure 15-3, found at http://www.wdwradio.com) has been a long-running podcast about planning the best trip to the “House of the Mouse,” Walt Disney World. Hosted by Disney expert, author, speaker, and entrepreneur Lou Mongello, the WDW Radio Show has built an impressive community around his family-friendly podcast, featuring a blog, videos, and live broadcasts as part of his audio travel guide.

Travel planning is not the only topic of discussion on the WDW Radio Show. Lou also hosts interviews with representatives from the Walt Disney corporation, shares comments from listeners about previous episodes or queries about best travel tips, and many personal anecdotes on everything from a favorite amusement park ride to the best Disney vacation memories. What makes the WDW Radio Show more of a community than just another podcast is in how its podcast works to not only inform listeners on getting the most out of a visit to Walt Disney World, but also encourage listeners to share their own tips, ideas, and stories about the “best” way to experience Disney, Epcot, and other properties. This community, in turn, promotes the Walt Disney image through the best of methods: word-of-mouth.

Photo depicts The WDW Radio Show encourages community by keeping its members and fans of the Mouse in the know.

FIGURE 15-3: The WDW Radio Show encourages community by keeping its members and fans of the Mouse in the know.

The podosphere takes great pride in its sense of community, but the podcasts showcased here are set apart because the community is encouraged to take a more active role in the issues, concerns, and points of focus the podcast is centered around. More than chiming in with feedback, the community takes an active role in participating with increasing awareness over the podcast’s main subject. In some cases, the producing of the podcast brings the community together, either through listener contributions, listeners directing the course of the show, or listeners coming together for a common cause.

Podcasting for fun (while promoting in the process)

When it comes to promotion, no one does a better job in promoting your business than your most passionate fans.

They work for free, set their own hours, and sing the praises (if you are lucky) of whatever it is you happen to be producing. Many times, these podcasts are nicknamed fancasts, but these are podcasts where consumers independently sit down around mics and talk about your business, be it an entertainment property, a product, or some sort of service.

But what, you may ask, is the line between a fancast and a podcast about your business?

Well, if you recall the sidebar from Chapter 5, The Expanse has The Churn, produced by SyFy Wire. The Churn is hosted by SyFy and features authors Ty Franck and Daniel Abraham as cohosts, who write collectively as James S.A. Corey, author of The Expanse novels. This makes the podcast an “official” production, and upon listening to it, you know without question that anything appearing on this show is firsthand knowledge of what is happening on the set, coming from the creators of the world, and shared from the actors bringing these characters to life.

That does not mean The Churn is the only podcast about this popular SyFy offering.

The Expanse Podcast: Tales from the Rocinante (http://solotalkmedia.com/category/the-expanse-podcast), is hosted by Solo Talk Media, a graphic designer from Ontario, Canada not affiliated in any way with SyFy or Universal Studios. Solo Talk Media (also known as Mark) is a fan of The Expanse and launched this podcast to share his love for the series. Along with show recaps, Mark reports news on The Expanse cast and crew and offers his own speculation on how things will unfold over upcoming episodes. Other shows like Solo Talk’s include Beltalowda (https://baldmove.com/category/the-expanse/) and Crash Couch (https://crashcouch.podbean.com/), two podcasts independently produced from SyFy’s own official podcasts. These are examples of fans who are sharing their appreciation for this science fiction series, serving as an unofficial street team for the production.

Warning When it comes to fans podcasting about a specific property or a generic theme, don’t expect all the opinions coming from the podcast to be positive. If fans don’t like a direction or a decision taken in a series, they will share it on their podcast. A fan’s podcast could be considered the highest form of feedback, and should be regarded as such. You might like the podcasts supporting your favorite sports team, show, or organization. You also might hear some opinions radically different from your own.

Between fancasts hosted by experienced sports journalists (Puck Soup at https://pucksoup.libsyn.com/website) or passionate hockey fans like the hosts of The OilersYYC (http://oilersyyc.ca), the National Hockey League receives regular promotion and attention free of charge. Irish culture is also given plenty of attention through podcasts like historian Fin Dwyer’s Irish History Podcast (https://play.acast.com/s/irishhistory) and celebrated musician Marc Gunn’s Irish and Celtic Music Podcast (http://celticmusicpodcast.com), seen in Figure 15-4. What’s terrific about these podcasts is they can actually work to not only promote your passion but promote your own brand. Marc Gunn, for example, in showcasing Irish and Celtic music, culture, and lore on his podcast, also spreads awareness of his own brand as an accomplished musician. The podcast, blog, and companion app all offer listeners a chance to find his music alongside the music of other independent musicians featured on his podcast.

Photo depicts while SyFy hosts The Churn, Solo Talk Media produces The Expanse Podcast: Tales from the Rocinate, a podcast by fans for the fans.

FIGURE 15-4: Marc Gunn, in offering a platform to musicians everywhere with his Irish and Celtic Music Podcast, also promotes his own music brand.

Community-driven podcasts cover a wide range of audiences. However, all communities share a similar mindset, and you can apply these sound production (see what we did there?) principles:

  • You are the host, but it’s not all about you. Community podcasts should be about the community. Yes, there is room for personal thoughts and commentary, but in small doses.

    The podcast is about the community and how it interacts with the world around you; that is what the content should focus on. Your podcast can feature other members of the community who share the same opinions as yours or even take opposing viewpoints (a spirited debate can up your show). Just remember that the community-based podcast is not about you personally, but about how you see the world, how that connects with the people around you in the community, and how all that comes together in the pursuit of a common interest.

  • Avoid the negative. It would be easy to turn a podcast into a gossip column or a personal rant against the very concept that brought the community into being. While there is no law or ethic barring you from speaking out or voicing concerns, a community is based on support. Whether you consider yourself a fan of Harry Potter, Apple Computers, or your local county, your goal in a community podcast is to remain positive and celebrate the benefits of being part of the cooperative spirit. If there is a matter of concern in your community, then there’s room for debate and action, as with a political podcast — offer some possible solutions to these issues.

Regardless of the kind of community you’re chronicling, your podcast should work much like glue — helping to keep supporters together in the face of problems (instead of just crying in your collective beer) and celebrating what gives them joy. Reinforce that sense of community and keep your podcast strong.

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