Podcasting for Dummies®, 2nd Edition

Chapter 16. Podcasting for Publicity

In This Chapter

• Podcasting in the political arena

• Building an audience for your creative works

• Enjoying communities and tourism

"True" podcasters bristle at the growing commercialization of podcasting. With iTunes stepping into the podosphere and spotlighting many corporate podcasts, the independent podcasters have voiced many concerns that boil down to one: A "true" podcast is done for passion, not for profit. The movement towards podcasting as a moneymaking venture goes against the grain of a "true" podcast. The words, opinions, and emotions should all be aimed for the listeners' hearts and minds, not their wallets.

Well, yeah — and even as we cheer the sentiments of the purists, we have to observe that sheer love of the medium isn't all there is to it. Truth be told, podcasting has proven itself a great way to reach the consumer. It's economical, unobtrusive, and can be a great way to connect with your potential audience.

With the new buzz word in business being "Web 2.0," blogging, social networks, and the still-mysterious podcasting are all finding themselves becoming integrated as part of a business' marketing and promotion machine.

Podcasting has come a long way since the first edition of this book, but for larger corporations (such as Coca-Cola, Nike, and others), podcasting still remains an unproven medium when it comes to promotions. Because podcasting is "audio-on-demand," there's still no formal way to measure numbers, feedback, and response ...