With our success of the podcast here in Reno, Steve, our President (and if he had a blog, I would link to it), wants to replicate the same type of content specific to Salt Lake City where our other office is located. Steve asked me to email him the benefits of podcasting so he can gather support in the office and the SLC community. But I said, “Hey, that sounds like a blog post not an email!”
The Podcast
When Robert and I started the podcast, our expectations weren’t very high. We had access to an Edirol sound recorder that our CEO had purchased and a handful of mics. We knew we wanted to interview local business professionals about life and work in Reno, Nevada. We did one practice run where we interviewed each other – an embarrassment that we call episode #1 – and then we went to work. We recorded that first one on June 16th and have recorded 19 subsequent episodes. That amounts to just over one a week.
Benefits of the Podcasting
- Meeting Local Professionals
Robert and I have a great time chatting with each interviewee. We usually get to chat for about 15-30 minutes before we record and then 15-30 minutes after we record. It’s fun to get to know people on a more personal level, and we have made some great friends who we would have never met prior to the podcast. - Practicing what we Preach
Our goal is not to make the podcast about Twelve Horses. We rarely mention Twelve Horses during the podcast, and if we do, it’s usually the guest who brings it up. That said, we definitely promote the podcast via our Twelve Horses website and our Twelve Horses blog. When customers ask us if we can implement a podcast for them, we get to say, “Yeah! Have you heard ours?” It has also allowed us to learn the ins and outs of podcasting and make mistakes so we can avoid them when implementing for customers. - Viral Marketing
We’ve selected people to be on the show that we find relevant or buzz worthy. When others listen and like-wise find them worthy of buzz, they blog about it. We’ve also snatched opportunities to interview those with a following. Every time we get write ups and links on other sites, more and more people learn of the podcast and Twelve Horses. This increases our search rankings and listenership. - Relationship Marketing
If you want to meet someone, it can be intimidating to call them out of the blue and ask them to lunch. On the contrary, it’s been quite easy to call and ask them to be on the podcast. - Media
We have had the opportunity to interview two local editors of newspapers and a broadcast reporter. Of course, these interviews didn’t garner direct media coverage or subsequent articles about Twelve Horses (ethical issues abound) but they did allow these media outlets to learn a little more about Twelve Horses and vice versa. - Becoming better Interviewers
Robert and I have really had to focusing on how we talk and present ourselves. Saying “right” or “so” too frequently is distracting. Saying “uh” sounds unprofessional. I’ve learned how to research people to come up with interesting and compelling questions. This is an art form that I am still perfecting. To help with this, I listen to people like Leo Laporte whose an experts at the art of an interview. We also listen to a ton of podcasts to help learn how to be natural and conversational. Some of my favorites are: Buzz Out Loud, Diggnation, Cranky Geeks, This Week in Tech and Inside the Net. - Coolness
This is a cool line item in your job description. It’s fun and I get excited about scheduling an interview, meeting the person and then posting it live. I love to hear feedback and I desperately want local business to participate online. I can’t think of a better way to spend my day.
Steve, I hope that helps! I recommend blogging and podcasting to anyone who will listen. It’s a great hobby and when you can work it into your day job, you’re well ahead of the pack.
