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Podcast Definitions
Podcasts, vidcasts, vodcasts, netcasts – all these names are floating around in the media right now, but the various names for audio and video podcasts all describe the same thing.
Put simply: a podcast is a media file which is sent via the internet to a computer, and which can then be listened to or downloaded onto a personal media player.
What are podcasts like? Many of them are niche "shows" on all the topics under the sun and there is a lot of variety of style content and production standards. Successful podcasts compete directly with radio for your audio time, and video podcasts are a growing sector.
Models for corporate podcasting include the audio-visual company newsletter, key training, charitable or fund-raising, updates on a campaign. Podcasts also play a role on shaping consumer and political opinion worldwide - they are, essentially, word of mouth.
Content to Go
A podcast is, quite literally, content to go. Podcasts - like TiVo or Sky+ - are time shifted media. Your viewer or listener could be getting your message any where at any time. And because of the success of personal players such as the iPod, it's media on the move.
You need to bear in mind - your podcast can travel. This suits consumers because they’re busy people these days - they like to be in control and choose what, where and when they watch, listen and read.
Podcast Episodes
The word podcast has come to mean any audio or video online, but most podcasts are released on a regular schedule, and this regularity helps to keep an audience engaged. A one-off podcast is not going to maximise the potential of this medium.
Much of podcasting resembles niche publishing, with the podcaster maintaining the interest in their key but narrow area and each podcast forming the next chapter in an ongoing dialogue with their listeners. This well-established publishing model is simple, easy to plan, and works well for many businesses.
Push / Pull Podcast Technology
Podcasting is an automatic mechanism whereby multimedia computer files are transferred from a server to a client, which pulls down XML files containing the Internet addresses of the media files. In general, these files contain audio or video, but also could be images, text, PDF, or any file type.
In simple terms, once subscribed you automatically receive each new episode.
Easy to use software automatically downloads new podcasts, which are able to be copied onto computers, playstations, or mobile media players.
Feedback Loop
What sets podcasting apart from conventional published and broadcast media is that it is a two-way communication. Enhanced podcasts can contain email and web links, so that the mechanisms for customer response are built into the media stream.
This feedback loop is perhaps the most important yet least understood aspect of social media. If you set up your podcasting with the right editorial structure in place, you can maintain and build interest. But if you allow people to play their role in your program-making and contribute, you can gather valuable data from an engaged audience.
User generated content can be as simple as a voice message, or an email. Well-planned corporate podcasts should definitely build this into their podcast strategy.
Not Just for Christmas
It's been said that podcasts have 'long tails'. The first episode you put out can still be generating new subscribers six months later. Obviously this depends on the podcasts, but when people find something they like, they often go through all the back issues of your podcast. The old episodes get new listeners.
There are commercial implications to this activity. Your podcast planning should allow for this effect, especially if any part of your interest in podcasting lies in providing any kind of product or public service. But it's not just about making sure product awareness is up to date, or published schedules are current; it's about the potential for creating longer-term archival value.
New Media, Old Values
At thepodfactory, our producers run broadcast-quality technical facilities. We use professional presenters, voice-over artists, writers, editors, and music composers to ensure your podcast production is everything you would expect.
We undertake a lot of work on location, and we are practised in the fine art of dealing with people unused to the recording process, getting them to relax, be natural and forget about the microphone.
But the real difference between us and other facilities offering podcasting is that we offer a totally integrated, intelligent approach.
Production Process
We aim to produce the perfect fit - for the internet, for your business, for your audience, for your budget.
We can provide specialist podcast services such as enhanced podcasts (added links, visuals, feedback mechanisms), or we can produce a simple audio message which will communicate with your customers.
We know how to 'monetize' your podcast, should you be in a position to provide content people will pay for, and we can work with you on any level of brand sponsorship and advertising, building that into the production process.
