Posted by While you consider amping up your presence on Facebook and Twitter or while you grapple with starting a Blog, have you thought about starting a Podcast?
I started the Six Pixels of Separation Podcast in May of 2006. Now, almost 230 episodes later, I’ve (finally) begun to realize why I create the audio program every week. It’s not what you think. When I first started tinkering with audio, I simply thought it would be easier to talk than it would be to type out a Blog post. Boy, was I wrong. Having something compelling to say and being able to record it, is not as easy Blogging (caution: I say this with full knowledge that I consider myself a writer – first and foremost – and that if you’re not a writer – or if you don’t have a knack for the written word – Blogging can be super-challenging as well).
Podcasting is a selfish act.
While it’s humbling to know that people like (and listen) to the show, it really is a very selfish act. I use the platform of a Podcast as a gateway to meet people who are smarter than me and people who I want to learn from. I use the platform of a Podcast as a gateway to connect and learn from some of the brightest minds in Marketing and business. The bonus of all of this, is that I can publish these podcasts for anyone and everyone to listen to, but I don’t do it for the listeners or the community. I do it because I can get people like Seth Godin, Don Tapscott, David Weinberger, Sally Hogshead, Charlene Li, Steve Wozniak and many others all to myself for a brief moment in time. Most DJs on traditional radio don’t do it for themselves. They do it for ratings, to build audience, to get more advertisers or because their programming director told them to do it. If you really stop to think about that, there’s a reason the content you hear on Podcasts (at least the more independently produced ones) sound so diametrically opposed to everything you hear on the radio.
It’s an audio experiment.
Podcasting also allow me to tinker and toy with audio. The Media Hacks show or my debates with Joseph Jaffe and Mark W. Schaefer are the type of audio that you won’t hear on radio. Using my portable audio recorder (which is now the HT Recorder app for the iPhone) I am able to create audio from a beach in Phuket to a busy London hotel restaurant. It’s a place to think differently about audio – which is, admittedly, very difficult for some people listening. Most listeners are trained to think that what they hear on the radio is a "best practice" (it’s not… it’s simply the model that works for those looking to sell lots of advertising through audio programming).
Picking brains.
In the end, Podcasting is a total pleasure. It allows me to connect with some of the people I consider to be the smartest in the world, and ask them the things I would like to know along with the things that I think other people should know about them too. Podcasting allows me to become a peer to a lot of these thinkers. It’s also a networking tool. If I can capture their attention for a short period of time and they enjoy the conversation, they may be more inclined to take my call should I require something in the future. It’s also a great way to capture a "moment in time." It’s an amazing medium to have a conversation about something current, share it with the world and then have it there for anyone else who wants to take a listen at some point in the future.
If your business is looking for a new media Marketing innovation, Podcasting may be just the right thing.
Never another podcast episode or article 
Hey Mitch,
I love listening to the great conversations on SPOS. Just wondering if you have any advice for young marketers who are thinking about getting into the podcasting game?
Thanks very much,
Cheers
Mitch, you know how I feel about podcasting. 😉
You have certainly become a star in this area. I really enjoy your show.
May I use your blog as a platform for a second? I recently republished my Podcaster’s Checklist, which might be handy for your readers who are thinking about using this audio format that we love so well. It’s at
http://trafcom.typepad.com/blog/the-podcasters-checklist.html.
Thanks!
Could not agree with you more Mitch. Without a podcast I might not have the opportunity to speak with you. I’m looking forward to it.
I think podcasting is a great marketing tool as well. The ability to separate myself from other professionals and companies via my podcast has allowed me the opportunity to meet and chat with many people I may otherwise never have had the chance to.
karim kanji
http://www.facebook.com/SocialMediaShow
Looks like I added a period after “html,” so the link won’t work. Let’s try it again:
http://trafcom.typepad.com/blog/the-podcasters-checklist.html
Mitch, I got inspired by Six Pixels to get into podcasting a few months ago. I’ve made 10 for my own company but got sidetracked in recent weeks making them for two clients.
I have to say I love what a podcast can do for businesses. Within a couple of weeks I’d got new speaking gigs and it hasn’t stopped since.
I’d love to know how you make your show (and I’m a big fan of David Usher now thanks to Six pics).
From a B2B position, though, I’m convinced that if you haven’t investigated what you can do with podcasting you’re missing out on showing how unique your company is on the web.
Thank you for the candid insight regarding podcasting. After a bit more research, I plan on integrating this platform. Previous to your blog it had been on the back burner.
I think your other accomplishment Mitch is that you’ve created a great brand. It’s the gold standard for podcasts. Thanks for the hard work you put into them!
I’ve written two Blog posts that may be helpful in answering your question:
http://sixpixels.mirumagency.com/blog/archives/how-to-podcast/
http://sixpixels.mirumagency.com/blog/archives/12-ways-to-conduct-a-great-interview/
Enjoy the ride!
What Donna is not saying is that my first-ever engagement with Podcasting was as a guest on her amazing show! Being interviewed there also helped me realize that this new media would change everything… and it did. Thanks for inviting me on that show, Donna!… and for becoming such a close ally and friend over the years.
My pleasure, Mitch. I will always remember interviewing you for the first time back in 2006!
That’s another great point: Podcasting (especially audio) is definitely not as crowded as Blogging and Twitter… which makes it easier (if you’re great!) to build an audience and credibility.
I’m pretty ghetto in terms of how I record. Although I switched to Mac, my set-up remains very similar to the way I Blogged about it a ways back…
http://sixpixels.mirumagency.com/blog/archives/how-to-podcast/
Just make sure it’s something that your passionate about: both in the content and in the production… otherwise, it will be more like an albatross.
I appreciate that Mark, but it wasn’t the intention at all. I just wanted the opportunity to talk to these leaders, debate and connect. I’m glad you’re now a part of the show too – another aspect that makes it a selfish act is the diverse opinions.