Tips presented by Christie L. Goodman, APR, Director of Communications, Intercultural Development Research Association, at the PRSA San Antonio event, October 2018

1. Podcasting Tips
Christie L. Goodman, APR
IDRA Director of Communications
PRSA-SA 2018

2. What makes a podcast
a podcast?
Downloadable audio – with subscription capability
Like radio shows -- You listen to them.
Not like radio shows -- You listen to what you want and you listen when you want.
According to Edison Research (2017)…
• Overall, 40 percent of Americans age 12 or older have listened to a podcast at
some point. That’s 112 million Americans who have listened to a podcast.
• 67 million Americans listen to podcasts monthly. Today, 24 percent of
Americans age 12 or older listen to podcasts monthly. For context, 21 percent of
Americans are Catholic. Thus, podcast listening is more common than
Catholicism in the United States.
• Two-thirds of podcasts are listened to on a phone or tablet. 52 percent of
podcasts are listened to at home, 18 percent in the car.
• 65 percent of podcasts are listened to on a phone, thus assumed more on-the-go
consumption.
Audio vs. video
• The advantage of audio is that you can be doing other stuff while you listen, like
driving or exercising.
• Audio still has a unique intimacy.
• So don’t do video of a talking head. There has to be a reason to ask your
audience to stop and watch.

3. Benefits of Podcasting
Podcasts allow listeners to time-shift and place-shift
media consumption
Podcasts are 100% efficient, since episodes are only
downloaded by listeners on an opt-in basis
Podcasts are easily accessible to a global audience that is
not defined by geographic boundaries
Podcasts afford companies the ability to leverage
electronic programming with no outside news media
filter
Podcasts are the most cost effective electronic media
distribution channel available
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Podcasting is a Tactic
Integrate the podcast into some facet of the organization’s
work. Don’t let it be your hobby at work. If you want it to
last, it has to relate to the organization’s goals.
Why might you want to do a podcast?
Share tips
Tell stories
Counter negative publicity
Crisis management
Expose employee talent
Humanize the company
Extend professional development
Let employees or customer feel closer to the CEO
Promote products and services (but never with a
direct sell approach)
Reach out to your biggest fans and advocates – they
have decided to listen, they are predisposed to your
message

4. https://www.docebo.com/it/blog/podcasting-strumento-mobile-learning/

5. Goal Setting
Why you are doing this, who it’s
for and some big picture details
Content
Planning what your podcast is
about and planning processes
Technology
Resources, equipment,
editing and production, and
data collection
Dissemination
How you’ll get your podcast to
people, promotion, building
community
Four Steps to Planning Your Podcast

6. Goal Setting
What do you want to accomplish?
Where do you want to be when you’re done?
• Motivate listeners to do something (vote, change
lifestyle habits)
• Share your expertise (teaching strategies, medical
info, how to barbeque, good movies to watch)
• Provide support (mom’s, cancer patients)
• Enhance your reputation (Whirlpool, Oracle)
• Recruit employees or students
• Share company news
• Share insights on issues
• Service: Virgin Atlantic introduced travelers to the city
they are going to,
• Publisher: interviews with authors,
• Management consultant: case studies, healthcare co:
wellness program
• Promote an event
Be purposeful
Understand Podcast Listeners
• Expect authenticity and transparency.
• Expect informal style of conversation vs. heavily
polished productions.
• Refuse to be sold to.
• Will listen a long time if the content is interesting and
relevant to them.
• May pause and restart several times when listening to a
single podcast.
• Will go back and listen to past episodes they missed –
especially our listeners.
• Regular listeners will feel part of a community,
especially if they share feedback and it is included in
the podcast.

7. Content
Create a predictable pattern.
Maybe start with a short term series, like 10 episodes
about a particular topic.
Plan your process for recording each episode (e.g.,
interviewer and interviewees)
• Pick a topic
• Follow a checklist
• Agree on key points
Plan how you will generating feedback
• E-mail
• Phone line or Google talk
• Mail
• Online comments to blog
• Surveys
What will you do with feedback?
Podcasting requires easy approval processes. It’s one
thing to have several levels of supervisors word-smith a
printed piece, but you can’t produce a podcast that way.
My directors don’t hear our podcast until it’s online.
Things to plan for
• Format: Interview or conversation (no reading)
• Number of voices
• Length (there’s no magic length)
• Roles (Coordinator, Interviewers and interviewees,
Technology support, Web site person, Audio editor,
Clerical for paperwork and forms)
• Costs (equipment, hosting, production, promotion)

8. Technology
Recording equipment
• Zoom recorder
• iPhone
• Microphones ()
Editing and Production
• There are easy-to-use audio editing tools online and
software
• How much editing do you want? Our editing does the
following: level the sound; add the intro, music and
excerpt; add the closing message; create simple show
notes; and add the ID3 tags (The tags allow
information such as the title, artist, album, track
number, and other information about the file to be
stored in the file itself).
• Editing takes time.
Feedback Mechanisms
Data collection
• Web site data: page views, downloads
• Subscription data
• You won’t get it all. Nothing will tell you they listened.
• Look for trends.

9. Dissemination
Some will listen from a web site, meaning they are sitting at a
computer (which means they have to look for it).
The others will subscribe and listen through their mp3 player (which
means the podcast is delivered to them).
Host on your own site or blog platform
Post to iTunes
Use other third party platforms
Post information online
• Online audio player
• Show notes
• Contact info
• Subscription link
• Archives or topical listing
• Photos
• Links to resources
• Creative commons license
Promote through your regular channels
Build community
See a list of directories: https://podcast411.libsyn.com/directories

11. PR & Communications-Related
Podcasts
For Immediate Release
(and the whole FIR Podcast Network)
https://firpodcastnetwork.com/
Inside PR
http://www.insidepr.ca/
On the Media Podcast
https://www.npr.org/podcasts/452538
775/on-the-media
Communities That Convert
https://communitiesthatconvert.com/

12. Resources
How to Start a Podcast in 6
Seamless Steps
https://www.theworkathomewoman.com/
start-a-podcast/
The Podcasters’ Studio
• Podcasting 101 – How To Start a Podcast
• Where to Submit Your Podcast
http://thepodcastersstudio.com/where-
to-submit-your-podcast/
Launch A Pod
https://www.launchapod.com/
Podcasting 101 GuideHow
to Make a Podcast
https://www.buzzsprout.com/how-to-
make-a-podcast

13. Intercultural Development Research Association
Dr. María “Cuca” Robledo Montecel, President & CEO
5815 Callaghan Road, Suite 101
San Antonio, Texas 78228
210-444-1710 • contact@idra.org
www.idra.org
www.facebook.com/IDRAed
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