So You Want to Be A Podcaster?
You think you have what it takes to compete in the exploding
underground-industry of Podcasting and have a great concept for
a Podcast?
Have you checked all of this off your list?
* A Great Idea for a New Podcast! * A Killer Script (No the same
as a great concept) * Recording Software * A Microphone * A
Webpage (and plenty of bandwidth) * An Rss Feed for your Podcast
episodes * A Well Laid Out Plan on How to Market Your New Podcast
So how did you do?
Were you able to check everything off the list? Most of these
items are necessary to create and host your podcast, and if you
haven't bothered with a good marketing plan yet? Well, keep your
fingers crossed that your family and friends like the sound of
your voice because it is unlikely that many other people will
ever hear your Great New Podcast show.
Don't shoot the messenger. It is a dog-eat-dog world out there
with too many businesses competing for the same Podcast
audience. What's that you say? We are not talking about
businesses? Only a free, donation based, underground, podcast?
Well, that may be true, but the world of podcasting has grown
exponentially over the past year and that means there are a
large number of Podcasters out there who are competing for the
same listener base that you are. In fact, according to Forrester
Research, by 2010 the multitude of podcast shows should have
around 12.3 million regular listeners.
And don't forget that the business world knows a good thing when
it sees it; resulting in more and more businesses jumping on the
Podcast bandwagon over the past few months.
But that's okay; because there's still plenty of room in the
Podcast Empire and you can learn valuable lessons from the
business world...
They know how to put together a classy Podcast. They know how to
advertise.They know how to network. And possibly most
importantly, they know how to market a Podcast. And you can
scoff at the corporations invading the tranquil Podcasting
Nirvana all you want, but the fact remains... If you want to get
your new Podcast out to the masses, you had better bone up on
some Marketing Basics.
So where do you start?
Well, one of the most important things that you can do is to
understand and have a working knowledge of your business Value
Chain. What's a Value Chain you ask? Essentially it is the
logical flow of your new Podcast business starting with your
original concept and following every step through until the
finished product hits your listener's iPod.
Did you catch that? In other words, your Podcast's Value Chain
consists of all the steps you need to take to get your product
into the hands of your listeners.
A Podcast's Value Chain will consist of 10 steps:
Concept -> Pre-production -> Post-Production -> Publishing ->
Hosting -> Promotion -> Community/Search -> Downloading -> Show
Viewing
If you produce a podcast show, you will touch on each of these
steps. And while each step may offer you a unique set of
challenges, each will also provide you with their own
opportunities to monetize and market your new show.
The Value Chain of your Podcast Show will always be at the core
of your venture whether you utilize it or not. This being the
case, the more aware you are of your Value Chain, the easier it
will become for you to take advantage of and capitalize on each
step of the process.
This is the first in a series of articles that explain how to
take advantage of a Podcast Show's Value Chain and help you to
maximize your Show's listenership. To see the following
articles, please visit
http://www.podcastempire.com.
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