UnMarketing, 2nd Edition

14UnPodcasting ¹

We showed up very late to the podcast party. Although it has been around for more than a decade, podcasting is experiencing an explosion of interest. Between technology allowing us to listen on the go in our cars and from our phones, to the incredible popularity of podcasts such as Serial and shows from NPR, the mainstream audience is consuming podcasts more than ever. And why wouldn't they? You can listen to what you want, when you want, and the majority of them are free. UnPodcast listeners listen in their cars, on the plane, from the treadmill, or while walking their dogs. The audio format of podcasts allows an intimacy with the listener that you can't get with the written word.

One of the reasons people love making podcasts is that they are so easy to bootstrap. You can record them at home or from your local coffee shop, if you like. There are a variety of microphones and applications you can use to record and upload at a low cost. Since we had spent many years building a large audience, we wanted to meet their expectation of quality. If we are hoping to get the podcast in front of corporations looking to hire professional keynote speakers, for example, we need to think about how quality will affect their impressions of us.

The thing to remember is that the level of quality becomes part of your content. Remember to take into consideration how you want to be heard. If your show sounds amateur, then your brand looks amateur. Audio is unforgiving. The quality ...