Expert Podcasting Practices For Dummies®

Chapter 33. Spreading the Word with Social Media

In This Practice

• Using social networks to publicize your podcast

• Bookmarking your way to more listeners

• Using a virtual world to promote the real one

Traditional radio uses (well, yeah) radio and television ads, billboards, and the like to get you to listen to their shows. And sure, ads can help (that picture sure shows how wacky that morning zoo is, doesn't it?). But even more effective is getting friends to tell their friends and get them to listen to the show themselves. A billboard is, at best, just an impersonal plea to listen — and at worst, a blight on an otherwise‐impressive landscape. By contrast, a friendly word from someone you like or respect (or two hours in a locked car being forced to listen to a show) is much more influential.

In the brave new world of the Internet, it's possible to get a note from anywhere in the world about a show from anywhere in the world. There's just too much information — and programs available — to go through all of it yourself, so the recommendation of a friend becomes even more valuable. That word is likely to come through popular social Web sites, where people come to meet and exchange information. These are sites you can use to your advantage and make your podcast spread to a wider audience.

Getting the Word Out through Social Networks

The biggest advantage of using most social‐networking resources is that they're free. You can set up a site on just about every network at no cost to you. From ...