Podcasting – an effective and powerful way to get your message across

Getting your message across to your target audience in a powerful and engaging way is probably the biggest challenge that a Public Relations Consultant faces these days.

With the competition for our attention and the sheer plethora of messages we face every second of the day PR practitioners need to think of alternative ways of connecting and engaging with audiences – and that is where Podcasting comes in.

Just look around you when on a bus, train or walking in the street and note just how many people have an Ipod or MP3 Player in their ears. The numbers are staggering! But what if some of those people were listening not to the music of their favourite artist but a Podcast by your client or brand?

There are now thousands of brands podcasting every day, engaging with their audiences in a new and exciting way. And more importantly we know that when someone listens to a podcast, particularly when mobile, that the retention of key messages is greater than reading copy!

And just look at the facts about what is happening in the world of Podcasting – 1.7 million people download podcasts from the BBC every single month while Britain’s second biggest podcaster is the Telegraph media Group!

So what is a podcast?

Well firstly the word Podcast is a bit of a misnomer! “Pod” might give the impression that it might just for be for Ipods only – but it’s not. And “cast” gives the impression that it is based perhaps on broadcasting, but again that is not the case. A Podcast is based on what can commonly described as “push up and pull down” – the sound file, converted into a MP3 format (thus playable on any MP3 player – even your smartphone) is placed onto a platform and the listener pulls it down, downloads it in common language, onto their listening device.

So, with so many people downloading podcasts and playing them back, particularly when mobile, what are the key steps behind putting an engaging and powerful podcast together?

Well there are six key steps to creating that effective podcast.

First up is content. There are a whole range of tips to creating key content – too many for this short article but the bottom line is creating content in episode form that engages in an insightful, informative or entertaining way.

Next step is to produce your podcast professionally. There are many downloadable open platform systems around, many excellent, but beware – your audience have high standards and demand well produced podcasts.

The third step is to brand your podcast – but do so subtly and that requires good use of a music ID and a powerful ~skin~ which is like a CD or album cover.

Fourth: Make your podcast easy to find and easy to download. Search engine optimise your show notes and give instructions on how to download your podcast.

Fifth: Publish. In fact, publish, publish, publish! Don’t just place your podcast on your own website there are lots more platforms to place it on to improve download numbers.

Finally, your podcasts is not an island so integrate it into your comms programme.

Obviously there is much more to podcasting so it’s worth exploring the subject more deeply and the PRCA webinar on 'Creating Powerful Podcasts' on 19 January 2011, 16:00-17:30, does just that - and through case studies of good, great and not so good case studies as well as hearing from one of the UK’s leading PR podcasters.

But whatever you do – don’t forget that people now consume messages more through visual and audio stimulation than just reading – so get podcasting into your arsenal of tactics for your next PR campaign!

For more information about this PRCA training course click here, or contact Alice Chadwick-Jones on 02072336026