The 7 Deadly Sins of Commercial Podcasting

By: Errol Smith Business Reporter, KTLA Los Angeles

1. Podcasting Without a Plan - Variations of this sin include podcasting because you can, podcasting because everybody else is doing it, and podcasting because it’s a cool new way to get your message out. But podcasting without being clear about why you’re creating the "show", what the business plan is for the program, and what value you can reasonably expect to get from the venture is cardinal sin number one.

2. Podcasting Without Providing Unique Value - The media landscape is exploding with new content bringing consumers a mind-numbing number of media options. To reach consumers overwhelmed by choices, the most important question you’ll need to be able to answer is, “Give me one really good reason why I should tune into your program.� Your chances of significant commercial success without a creating a program that offers unique value is slim to slimmer.

3. Podcasting Like a Broadcaster - Broadcasting is what old school "mass media� networks do. It’s communicating to the largest possible audience while hoping to reach a subset of people who are interested in the content and offerings. Nanocasting is the polar opposite of broadcasting. It’s hyper-targeted media content, aimed at an audience that is narrower, tremendously smaller, but collectively very interested in the programming and the offerings . From Mommycast, to Autoblog, some of the most promising commercial applications of podcasting we’re seeing on the landscape are using the “Nanocasting� model. The first commandment of Nanocasting is to clearly define your audience. Commandment number two is to "hyper-target" them.

4. Underestimating the Commitment - You can already record and distribute a podcast without even buying any equipment, and new offerings are promising to make podcasting even easier. But commercial podcasters are finding that the venture neither begins nor ends with capturing audio and creating an RSS feed. On the front end there is considerable planning and preparation. On the back end there is promotion, testing and business development followed by more planning, more promotion, more testing and business development. Webpronews reported recently that “nearly half of the blogosphere is dead--that is, inactive.� If the millions of abandoned blogs are any harbinger of the podcasting road ahead, it is likely that the leading cause of commercial podcast failures will be expecting commercial podcasting to be easy. Creating a podcast is one thing. Creating and sustaining a commercial media venture is another. The latter requires a commitment to consistently develop new content that subscribers find valuable.

5. Believing That Talent and Expertise Don’t Matter - The resounding message driving the podcasting revolution is that anybody can do it. If by “do it� you mean speak into a microphone from your basement, and then record and post an audio feed online, this is true. But once “vanity podcasting� is distinguished from commercial podcasting by the necessity to attract and keep an audience, talent and expertise becomes a factor. It just takes one stroll down iTunes boulevard to confirm that not every, staff writer, professional speaker, CEO, maven, author, entrepreneur, blogger, homemaker, hobbyist, enthusiast, or average man on the street has the talent to move from the silent Internet to the “talkies.� The technology gives everyone a soapbox, but getting people to listen and keep listening requires talent and expertise.

6. Being Seduced by the Age of Amateurism - Though “citizen journalism� has risen to prominence, consumer generated media is the rage and many people have come to trust the amateur and distrust professionals; bet on professionalism to win out in commercial podcasting. Podcasting by the seat of your pants, picking up a microphone with no knowledge of the media business, or the art and science of creating compelling programming may be fine for vanity radio, but for commercial podcasters it can be a deadly sin. As a commercial podcaster, you’ll be investing a lot of time and at least some money in your media venture. Bottom line: You’re either building a portfolio of valuable programming content that lots of people will want to hear, or you’re building the web-based equivalent of a library of home movies.

7. Believing That the Playing Field Is Level - The egalitarian veneer of iTunes is potentially misleading and deceptive. Seeing programming by ABC, FOX and The New York Times displayed in equal pixels next to programs like Ask a Ninja, Diggnation and French Maids TV gives the impression that the new media playing field is fairly level. But the most savvy commercial podcasters are playing to dominate their field of competitors, and they are moving early to stack the odds in their favor. Understanding that commercial podcasting is a team sport, savvy media entrepreneurs are accessing the best players they can afford to bring a critical combination of media expertise, marketing expertise, e-commerce expertise, and technical expertise to the game. As commercial podcasting matures (which could be tomorrow) expect to see the gap and the commercial value between the “A list� programs and “B� movies widen dramatically.

Plus: The Three Unpardonable Sins

8. Relying Primarily on RSS to Build an Audience - Real Simple Syndication (RSS) may be an easy way to build an audience for vanity podcasters, but commercial podcasters are already discovering that RSS is no substitute for proactive audience building and what Nanocasters call Really Targeted Syndication(RTS). The high response and conversion rates required to achieve and sustain commercial viability demands a mix of approaches, including behavioral targeting, co-marketing and brand building. So paraphrasing another axiom, commercial podcasters can not live by RSS alone.

9. Believing That Format Doesn’t Matter - Many early podcasters argued that free expression was the cornerstone of the podcasting revolution. They believed that podcasting should be free from anything that might standardize, homogenize or in any way cause podcasting to resemble the predictability of terrestrial radio. But a page from radio’s history suggests that commercial podcasters may want to reconsider. International Nanocasting Alliance founding member, Dr. Joseph Dominick, professor of mass communication, writes that radio “formats� emerged in the 1950’s in response to the growing number of competitors on the radio dial (3343 stations). The format became a tool to define a station’s image and attract advertisers. As a result of formats, radio revenues went from 227 Million in 1955 to over one billion in 1965.

10. Overestimating Podcasting / Underestimating Podcasting - If Roy Amara’s first rule of technology holds true, most commercial podcasters will overestimate the value of podcasting in the short term and underestimate the value of a well-developed podcasting program in the long term. It is likely that many early commercial podcasters will lose their first mover advantage by abandoning a podcast program, because it failed to generate a return on investment overnight…big mistake, and one of the deadliest sins. At the end of the day it's likely that success in commercial podcasting will be more like a marathon than a sprint.

Errol Smith, Co-founder International Nanocasting Alliance Bio:http://www.nanocasting.org/Smith.htm

What Separates Podcasters From Nanocasters? You'll Know It When You Hear It.

By: Errol Smith
Business Reporter, KTLA Los Angeles

Wondering what all this Nanocasting talk is about, and what separates podcasters from Nanocasters? Well...let me first offer a definition, and then draw a stark line in cyberspace.

"Nano" means very small and Nanocasting refers to the programming produced for the most narrowly but clearly defined target audience. This is the audience that is most interested in the type of programming, and from a marketing standpoint, the audience that is most likely to buy related products. Where the term podcasting casually evolved from vanity internet radio delivered via iPods, Nanocasting is an established model for commercial podcasting based on media and marketing science. Those interested in the marketing science behind nanocasting should read the TCI white paper.

Podcasting, by definition, targets the community of "iPodders" -- Estimates range between 6 million and about 22 million. But the total universe of people with broadband access who can tune into Internet radio via their PCs is over 150 million, and there are all sorts of “affinity groups� and online communities that are ripe for this application. Nanocasting includes them all -- from podcasting to beercasting to Godcasting. Nanocasting first defines the affinity group, and then asks, "What is the right business model for reaching this affinity group using Internet radio?"

But one big thing that will distinguish Nanocasting from podcasting is quality. As podcasting goes mainstream, podcasting will likely explode in “quantity,� but as with opinions and web sites, “quality� will be harder to find. For those who are doing “vanity radio,� quality won’t matter. But for those who are using Nanocasting to build or expand a business or a brand, quality will be everything. I’m not just talking about productions that “sound good" to the host. I’m talking about productions that were developed with “media savvy� about what it takes to attract and keep an audience.

At the moment, the podcasting phenomenon has virtually no barriers to entry. "Almost anyone can start a radio station in their garage, get on the air and produce great 'sounding' shows. But it's media and marketing expertise, among other things, that will separate the non-profits from the for-profit ventures, the serious media entrepreneurs from the hobbyists, and the podcasters from the Nanocasters," said Jay Conrad Levinson of Guerrilla Marketing International.

Valerie Geller is president of Geller Media International, a broadcast consulting firm working with news, talk, information and personality programming for radio and television throughout the world. Geller has more than 30 years of broadcast experience, including all radio formats and setup news/talk formats at a number of major stations including KFI in Los Angeles and WABC in New York. Geller says, "Because everyone can talk fairly easily, many believe broadcasting via the web must be easy. But here is the trick: The great ones just make it LOOK easy. Like any great athlete, actor, dancer or singer, most professionals have had years of training, learning proven techniques before finding their own voice.�

It takes knowledge, insights and understanding of media principles and techniques to create a sustainable Internet radio business or to effectively use Internet radio commercially. At the end the day, the profits will go to the media entrepreneurs who understand media basics, like how to get and keep audiences and how to deliver what people want to hear.

A month or so ago, I saw a post on Podcastnews.com entitled "Ten Pointers For A Successful Podcast.� The tips were generally good. If followed, they would likely turn a really poor podcast into a better podcast, but probably not a great podcast and never into a Nanocast. How can I be so sure? Because it takes more than 10 simple tips to turn a production by me and my video camera into a Steven Spielberg prodcution. More specifically, ten tips can’t take the place of 75 years of collective radio experience about what people want to hear and how to best deliver it.

Broadcasting professionals already know much of what podcasters will have to learn to become profitable Nanocasters. Those who decide to venture into commercial Internet radio without understanding media basics may find that they have wasted a lot of time and money. As for the audience… well, it’s like pornography; they may not be able to define the difference between podcasting and Nanocasting but they will know the difference when they hear it.

Errol Smith
Co-founder
International Nanocasting Alliance
Bio:http://www.nanocasting.org/Smith.htm

The Path to Podcasting Profitability

Elizabeth L. Fletcher J.D.

Podcasting could prove to be a very powerful new advertising vehicle. But before the ad dollars start pouring in, podcasters will likely need to make some serious changes in the way they produce and promote their programs.

There are many reasons why podcasting should be considered by advertisers in the same breath as print, radio, and television – such as greater reach, lower cost per thousand, and a unique micro-messaging delivery.

Podcasting is also free of FCC regulations, which alone has the potential of getting the collective attention of many advertisers out of the gate. For example, condom maker Durex took advantage of the FCC-free playing field when in May it became the (self-described) “first company to pay for a product placement on a podcast,� during the popular “Dawn and Drew Show.� A program highlight was reportedly the husband and wife host team and their dog Hercules taste testing the company’s flavored condom offerings. Durex’s position on the buy was two-fold: (1) Try to remove the “embarrassment factor� inherent in the product through the use of humor and (2) avoid potential FCC fines in the process. But the Durex buy is a rarity. Podcasters wanting to attract advertisers to their shows will need to produce programs that contain excellent content and broad audience appeal.

“Podcast commercialization depends on the content being something people want to listen to,� said Jennifer McClure, Managing Editor of the New Communications Blogzine (http://www.newcommblogzine.com). “It would be very easy to stick a one-way communication ad in a podcast but how does that differentiate it from regular radio? If advertisers are gravitating toward podcasts, then they are already thinking about an interactive relationship with potential customers. So why not provide turnkey ways to meet the needs? Come up with innovative programs to enable them to have a dialog with customers.�

Shows that succeed in providing quality content of interest to the largest possible audience then need to focus on listing their programs with various online podcasting directories to help get the word out. Using the blogs publicity model, podcasters should concentrate on linking in as many places as they can to generate listeners.

“Podcasting has caught the imagination of the press and of the radio industry,� said Ted Schadler, Forrester Research Vice-President. “Consumers are using their MP3 players, iPods and PCs to download talk show content (and) a lot of new consumers are doing their own content – a sort of ‘talk show in their basement.’�

However, one of the reason advertisers may shy away from podcasts and other interactive media as an advertising vehicle is because advertisers can’t ensure program producers have editorial standards. “The last thing an advertiser wants is their name aligned with is a show that has somehow offended the public,� said McClure.

Podcasters should have editorial policies that advertisers can download. “Such policies would go a long way to make potential advertisers more comfortable in choosing podcasts to communicate their message,� said McClure.

Producers should also be prepared to offer advertisers tracking data, such as listener demographics, which is not only highly important to the advertiser but also aids to set the podcaster apart as a professional.

And for those podcasters willing to exert the extra effort to reach such standards benchmarks, the future of podcasting is bright. Forrester Research estimates that 12.3 million people will be synchronizing podcasts to their mp3 players by the end of the decade. “Podcasting will become radio TiVo,� said Schadler, “allowing time-shifting of radio shows in exactly the same way television programs are currently time-shifted.�

Elizabeth L. Fletcher J.D.
Bio:http://www.nanocasting.org/fletcher.htm
http://www.blawgzine.com/.

Growing and Keeping an Audience

By: Valerie Geller
International Media Consultant

Ah, here's the curse of doing talk programs: Because everyone can talk, everyone thinks it's easy! It may LOOK easy, but it's not. This is hard work, based on preparation, personality, knowledge, and of course, craft. The method: Focus, Engage, Opinion/Position and Storytelling.

While it may be difficult to create powerful radio broadcasts, the principles of what works are easy. Here they are:

1. Tell the truth.
2. Never be boring.
3. Make it relevant. If a listener gets bored, he or she "zones out. "

KEEPING YOUR AUDIENCE

Here's what happens when your audiences goes away: At that moment, what's going on in the mind of the listener is better or more interesting than what was coming through the speaker. When that happens, your listeners either leave the station mentally, or tune out physically, their attention goes elsewhere.

WHY LISTENERS LEAVE

Think about it. Have you ever sat in your car, stuck in traffic waiting for the traffic report to come on? You may actually KNOW when that report is coming, so you wait. Or maybe you're waiting to hear a song title. You want to find out the CD or the artist, but somehow you zone out...the report came and went or the song title came and went, and YOU MISSED IT? WHY? Because it was boring. The presenter, host or announcer did NOT make it matter.

You must MAKE IT MATTER.

Storytelling makes it matter. A storyteller who CARES about what he or she is presenting makes it matter. This is NOT an acting job. If it MATTERS to the you, it'll matter more to the audience. Part of telling the truth is being authentic, and genuinely caring about what you are talking about on air.

WHAT THEY ARE NOT GETTING FROM YOU

When a listener leaves either mentally or physically and actually switches off, here is what is NOT happening. That listener is NOT engaged. He or she is BORED. ZONED OUT. Looking for some other stimulation or immersed in his or her own thoughts.

WHAT DO YOUR LISTENERS WANT?

The Powerful Radio Principles can offer your listeners what they want and what they need. Here it is:

Your listeners want to be informed and entertained. They want new knowledge. They also want NOT to feel alone. They ARE story junkies. They want to feel connected into an isolated world they find themselves in. A listener wants to feel at home with or comfortable with the person on air. They like to feel they "know" the presenter or host. Sometimes listeners like a little help in making up their minds, say, they are not completely certain of what they may think about a subject or topic, here they can get enough information or opinion or viewpoints to make up their minds. And in commercial radio, when the spots are effective, listeners say they like to learn about bargains, new products or services. And if a listener is having a down or despairing black moment, he or she wants to be inspired.

We are lucky. Most people out there listening do not have exciting lives or careers. Because of this, listeners also desire "talkable topics." They want to be able to turn the radio off and have ideas and interesting new things to say to people. Listeners also want vicarious experiences. They like to be taken on journeys they cannot get to on their own.

And everybody loves to laugh. If you can make a listener laugh, it's like handing them a solid chunk of gold.

And,. this is a tough one: They don't really care about YOU. In personality radio, many personalities get confused and think if they talk about themselves it will be interesting. But powerful radio is not about YOU, it's about the listener. The personal is universal, but the private tends to be boring.

WHAT'S NEW?

Audiences want to learn new things. (They also appreciate help with their "show prep" for dinner, just in case they don't have anything interesting to say to the people in their lives.) Give them stuff they can talk about. Listeners also want you to get ahead and lead them and give them ideas, things to think about. Finally, they want to feel good. If you can do that, you have that audience completely with you. And if you don't care, they don't care. Make it matter!


Valerie Geller
President of Geller Media International
Bio:http://www.nanocasting.org/geller.htm
www.gellermedia.com