Podcasts. I love them. I’ve published around 300 of them, and I was the first business communicator in Australia to publish a regular podcast, way back in 2004 (around the same time as the amazing iPod was released). I was also the first foreign correspondent on the ground-breaking ‘For Immediate Release’ internationally-focused podcast for business communicators in 2005 (Hopkins).
Podcasts allow the listener to multitask, to attend to washing up, or drive their car, or hang the washing out on the line. The listener can walk the dog or the baby, wash the car, fix a child’s bike. All this and more.
At first, podcasts were hosted by either one or two-people, and resembled a radio show—the more technically skilled podcasters utilised sound effects and music. A little while later, adverts started showing up in shows, pointing the way to a new and far more professional publication.
In the early days of podcasting, this level of production required sophisticated skills and the patience to grapple with audio editing software such as ‘Audacity’, ‘SoundForge’ and, later, Adobe’s powerhouse ‘Audition’. But in the last few years many podcasters have taken advantage of the power and user simplicity of all-in-1 tools such as the RØDECaster Pro II (RØDE).
Famous Canadian podcaster Mitch Joel recently updated yet again his ‘how to start a podcast’ article (Joel). It is very much recommended reading and has the support of the business communication community, who have repeatedly shared the latest editions of the article to their networks.
Podcasting is easy to do once you come to grips with the technical requirements (how to record, how to post online, how to ensure people can find your podcast). These aren’t difficult hurdles to overcome, and once tackled will allow the would-be podcaster to enter a whole new world of customer engagement and outreach. Like traditional radio, it can be a compelling medium when done right.
Hopkins, L.J. “Report to for Immediate Release Podcast.” translated by Lee Hopkins, Hobson & Holtz, 2011 2011. https://leehopkins.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/fir-qld-floods-report-2016_03_29-12_48_12-UTC.mp3.
Joel, Mitch. “The Complete “How to Podcast” Guide.” Six Pixels https://www.sixpixels.com/articles/archives/the-complete-how-to-podcast-guide-2023-edition/. Accessed 25th March 2023.
RØDE. “Rødecaster Pro Ii: Podcast Production Studio.” https://rode.com/en/interfaces-and-mixers/rodecaster-series/rodecaster-pro-ii. Accessed 27th March 2023.