Podcamp Toronto : Corporate podcasting best practices

Donna Papacosta is leading this roundtable discussion on corporate podcasting. The session has attracted some 20-odd participants, may of which come from the non-profit or community sectors.

Some key points raised during the discussion:

• A podcast seems to be an easier sell than a blog - companies relate podcasts to radio shows and so grasp the value much more easily.
• It seems easier to sell podcasts as a turnkey solution, rather than expecting corporations to get into editing and other complex technical aspects of podcasting.
• It's important to get to the fundamental emotional impact of a story. 'There has to be some skin in the game'.
• You have to be willing to ask people to restart their interview or do it over until the essential message comes through. The second interview is usually tighter, but sometimes the first off the cuff version is better.
• Use the first questions to warm up the interview subject. The stuff in the middle can often be the best content.
• The problem with interviewing people who have never been interviewed before, is that they don't have sound bites. You have to plan on a lot of postproduction in those cases.
• Don't sell the subscription value of podcasts. People don't understand it. The basic concept of 'radio on the internet' works best.
• Doing a limited series podcast is a good way to dip your toe into the space before you're totally convinced.
• Without scripting your interviews, be sure you spend a few minutes going over what is going to be covered. Getting a few key messages down helps structure the podcast and makes editing easier.
• ROI and metrics : it's possible to measure your downloads, but perhaps more difficult to predict the impact ahead of time. Print, for example, has distribution statistics. It's important to convince clients of the value of quality, rather than quantity.
• It's important to use common language and use examples (ex: GM and Diggnation)
• Metrics can revolve around the discussion generated on the Internet. How many bloggers wrote about a podcast? What does Technorati have to say about the splash made in the marketplace?
• Icerocket.com + Google search = good search engine for blogs
• Return on Attention = a good way of selling social media