San Antonio Podcasters

PODCAMP SAN ANTONIO IS ON MAY 3, 2008

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Fellow Podcaster, Fred Castaneda shares the benefits of using a premium podcast service like PremiumCast

You can find our more about Fred by visiting his sites:
Gain Control of your Day
Struggling Entrepreneur
Folklorico Music & Dance

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Getting around the “Suck Less…” pitch Recently there has been gumbling in the Pod-o-Sphere over the recent “Suck Less” commercials from Podshow. Wouldn’t you know that someone would come up with a way to remove the “Suck Less” so that shows will…….suck less.

Host of the Financial Aid Podcast and Podcamp co-creator Christopher S. Penn has posted this on his “Marketing Over Coffee” site.

A couple of things come to mind: 1. In the New Media if you do things the Old Media way someone will come up with a way to get around it. 2. Being part of the New Media means doing things differently. Running 30 second or 59 second ads day in and day out across the board in the same spot will not work and probably alienate the same folks you’re trying to “market to”.

So don’t do it.

Being “New Media” mean just that. New as in doing things differently. New as in be creative. New as in don’t offend the “early adopters” who are your biggest fans.

I have always liked the Paul Harvey sales pitch model. He starts sharing a story, usually about his own experiences, and by the time you’re halfway into it you realize he’s talking about a product. It is the proverbial V-8 moment. Yet, I’ve never been offended at anything he had to say or at the fact he was “selling me” something. He does it in a genuine and sincere manner that is in line with his show.

That’s the key to staying true to your show and being able to earn a dollar. Do that and your listeners will not only appreciate it, they’ll stick around for more and spread the word.

Cheers, Jennifer Navarrete

Ever gotten ribbed for something you did that wasn’t quite right? I do. All the time.

For example I recently put some text on a group photo posted by David Le Deaux from our last meeting. The last group photo was taken at Christmas, and with a New Year well underway, it was looking quite dated. I hurriedly threw on some text, which ran off the picture, and posted it as our most recent group photo. Yeah, I knew it wasn’t perfect, but figured I would fix it later. Did I get some ribbing? You bet. Is it fixed now? Yep. Will something like this happen again? Most likely.

It prompted me to think about a few things:

There are a several schools of thinking in the podcast world. “Make sure it’s perfect before we ship/release/do it” vs. the “Just get it out there and we’ll fix/change/edit as we go along.” There’s plenty of reasons for both.

In the “Make Sure It’s Right…” category you’ve got folks who think you shouldn’t release a show unless it is perfectly polished with intros/outros, sweepers, bumpers, promos, listener feedback, theme music, recorded at the right settings, levels, has a fast download rate, is downloadable in every format known to man, has a blog/webpage that perfectly compliments the theme/vision of the show and on, and on, and on……

In the “Just Get It Out There…” category you’ve got folks who for all their passion and excitement of recording (of course with bad levels and incorrect settings) send their show out into the podosphere. They are so thrilled with their creation (warts and all) you can’t wipe the goofy smile off their faces. They can’t wait to have everyone and their brother tell them how witty/funny/smart/amazing/cool their show is. Ahhh…ignorance is bliss!

I listen to quite a few podcasts and maybe half of these are in the perfectly polished arena but the rest are in varying degrees of the “Just Get It Out There” mode. Why do I listen to the shows I do? Many reasons, but I would say the personality of the host(s) more than anything else keeps me listening. So in other words, I listen to your show because of YOU. Entertain me. enlighten me, educate me, tell me a story, pique my interest, make me laugh so hard I spit the coffee right out of my mouth. Whatever it is, I listen because of you. Not because you have a kick-ass sweeper and your promo is ‘da bomb. Nope that’s not why I subscribe, download, and jam those earbuds in.

In case you don’t know, I belong in the “Just Get It Out There” category. Our first shows were mono and in one you can even hear the metronome in the background since I forgot to change the setting in GarageBand. Terrible audio? Probably. Hang my head in shame? No Way! You see there is something in those first few shows that shines through regardless of the audio gaffes. Passion.

We were so excited about what we were doing that it didn’t matter if it was “right” or not. I mean drinking coffee, chatting with my sister and recording it all? What fun! And we did have fun. A year and half later our audio has gotten marginally better and while there is still lots of room for improvement, we’re still having fun. And isn’t that really what matters?

It’s great when we, as podcasters, help one another out with suggestions and advice. We definitely need that to continue if we want to see podcasting grow. It’s true, we should all try to improve our shows as we progress. But don’t over worry or over obsess about what’s wrong with your show. Don’t listen to the naysayers who give you grief about what you’re doing wrong. Improvements will come with time and experience. Just get it out there and most of all have fun.

Cheers, Jennifer Navarrete

P.S. As a big believer in “Just Get It Out There”, I’m in good company. Guy Kawasaki’s Art of the Start speech uses the first Mac shipped out as one example of “Just Get It Out There”.

In the boards recently there has been some discussion about the monetization of podcasts.

Monetize….is that a dirty work?

For some it is but, for others the only dirty words they know are of the 4-letter variety. I say live and let live. If you want to make some money from your podcast then do (or at least try to). If you don’t want to make money on your podcast, then don’t. Let’s not bash each other on the head for choosing one over the other.

I agree with Leo LaPorte who spoke at the PME II when he said (I’m paraphrasing here big-time) we should be promoting and encouraging one another. This medium is too new for us to down each other based on our stance on this or any one issue. Our main priority goal should be letting folks know it even exists.

What, you say? There are people who don’t know about podcasting? Are they living in caves?

No they’re not…..well at least I don’t think they are.

Our passion got us into podcasting. It’s passion that keeps us up during those 3am editing sessions even when your loved ones wonder what has gotten into you. When you’d rather buy new equipment for your show than get the car tuned-up. When you buy a plane ticket to fly half-way across the country to meet other crazy podcasters because they’re the only ones who truly understand the podcaster in you. When you’ve stopped listening to radio. When you now have friends across the country/world that you wouldn’t have met if it wasn’t for podcasting. When you jam those earbuds in for news, entertainment and to some hear some really cool Podsafe Music every chance you get. Yep, passion. But that passion…..well….it costs money.

What started out as a hobby with the mic that came with your computer, free software, free audio hosting, free blog pages you found on the web can become a pocket emptying proposition. All in search of a better sound. Mixers, preamps, USB Mics, XLR Mics, shock mounts, mic stands, headsets, etc… The list is varied and for everyone it’s completely different. What works for you may not work for me and vice versa. It’s no wonder we begin to look around and think, “Hey, I sure could use some money for a pizza right now . Too bad I spent my last $20 buying an iRiver on eBay.”

So if you decide now is the time for the baby that you’ve loved and nurtured into fruition to start earning it’s keep (or a least a triple-shot, cinnamon cafe-mocha now and then) I say go for it.

The next time your favorite podcast site has Google AdSense or a banner ad or maybe asks you to use a promo code like this:

” Own a piece of the web with your own Domain Name and save 10% using Promo Code: blu29 at the checkout

or

“Unleash the power of your domain name by adding a Hosting Account and save money doing it by using Promo Code: pod29 at checkout

Be a lover not a hater. Or at least be an encourager, supporter, promoter for your favorite podcasts and in doing so for their creators.

Happy Podcasting!

P.S. Speaking of monetizing, here is something I found that works directly with your ClickBank account.

Join CBClicks Here!

We created this podcast to continue in our efforts to promote podcasting in the San Antonio area. Each month we will post our monthly meetup discussions. We will also take the time to get to know the members of the San Antonio Podcasting Meetup Group by showcasing a different podcaster each month.

To find out more about our group click here or drop us a line at sapodcasters @ gmail . com

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