Local First Chicago hosted a panel of local Web experts to discuss various aspects of creating and marketing online content for small businesses.  I was there to introduce podcasting, talk about my experiences with using it to build an audience on Chicago Bites, and talk a little bit about the reaction to reviewing/rating businesses via this medium.

I was given a list of questions in advance, but since we didn’t into great detail, I thought I’d answer them here.

What is a podcast?
A podcast is an online radio show that is pushed to services like iTunes.  Listeners can then download the show onto iPods or similar devices or listen to it via their preferred service.  If listeners don’t use portable devices or services, they also have the option of returning to your site to listen to the show through a Web browser.

What equipment do you need to get started?
You can start very easily by buying a hand-held digital recorder or USB recorder and then convert the files using free software like Audacity.  The key is end up with files in MP3/MP4 format — this is what most devices like iPods play back. 

I’ve found that over time, the limitation of these starter options becomes apparent — the sound quality isn’t all it could be.  Most podcasters graduate to quality microphones and mixers if they’re serious about the medium.  Since we get asked a lot about it a lot, I put together a list of equipment that we use for the Chicago Bites podcast.  It’s all available for purchase through Amazon.

Is podcasting an alternative or a supplement to blogging?
I think the first question to answer is what you want to communicate to your audience.  From there, you can decide if a podcast is the best format to deliver your message.  For example, we felt the audience for Chicago Bites could be defined as people who were interested in the local food scene and would have the time to listen to a short-format show on their way to and from work.   We then created a 15 minute show about restaurants in and around Chicago.  We later added supplementary information to our site like photographs and written ratings for people who didn’t listen to the show but were still interested in what we had to say about area restaurants. 

I would say that podcasting and blogging can be done as complimentary activities, but the communication goals need to be understood in order for either to be successful.

What makes a successful podcast?
If you have talent and something relevant to say, you can start a podcast.  What I find is that people start out strong with a show, but fade after ten or so podcasts.  It takes time to build an audience for a show, so you need to have a passion for your subject and a willingness to talk about it over the long haul.  Your audience looks for consistency.  You also really need to think about how the show will flow, what are the intros and outros — again, consistency in the show format will set expectations and help build an audience.   And, if possible, be funny and sociable.

It’s also important to have a clean, consistent sound.  Our first podcasts were horrible to listen to — I wish we’d learned more about equipment and sound levels before we’d started.  We were lucky enough to have a few listeners who stuck with us, gave us feedback and advice while we went through our growing pains.  Eventually we moved on to a nicer sounding show.  

Still, I know we gained listenership because of the content of the show.  Good content will take you a long way.

The complete panel session, including conversation about SEO, community building, and marketing, can be found on OnSiteTV.