Podcasting Archives - UMSL Marketing Blog

November 30, 2016January 4, 2023

Share of Ear

By: Gregory Pride

podcasting .jpg — Photo credit: www.nicolassolop.com

Photo credit: www.nicolassolop.com
Observing the Share of Ear report, the obvious takeaway is that podcast listening and awareness are all significantly on the rise. This year, more than half of the survey respondents knew what podcasting is, and that is very important. What that means is that now is a better time than ever before for a company or individual to start developing a brand via podcasts. There are a few possibilities for how a brand could be grown through this medium, but they require dedication and a great deal of patience.
The first, on the individual side, comes from the information about education. Podcast consumers are starting to become more and more like mainstream America, according to the study, so podcasts about very mundane or specialized topics could actually have an audience now. Shows about video games, movie reviews, or other aspects of pop culture could allow an individual to reach out to the market and gain a wider audience.
The biggest value for businesses is that podcasting allows them to reach out to consumers in a venue where they can’t easily grab their attention: the car. By creating a weekly or monthly show about topics of interest to their customer base, they’ll be able to expose consumers to their products while they’re just driving around. As long as the show is actually on a topic that the customers enjoy, this will be a great opportunity for businesses.
Most importantly, podcasting is a venue that’s constantly growing. The trend is rising upwards in every aspect, and individuals building themselves up or businesses growing their brands need to hop on the trend before the market is too flooded for them to gain ground.

November 22, 2016January 4, 2023

Podcasting 101 with Vernon Ross

Have you ever heard of Serial? It’s an investigative podcast series hosted by Sarah Koenig that tells a true story over the course of a season.Think “Making a Murderer” in radio format. Continue reading “Podcasting 101 with Vernon Ross”

September 9, 2016January 4, 2023

Podcasting Panel Recap – Tips for Starting Your Podcast

By: Chelsea Cepicky
UMSL Business recently held a podcasting panel at the Charter Communications building in St. Louis. Panelists included a variety of St. Louis area podcasters with different backgrounds and areas of expertise. This provided guests with a variety of insight and points-of-view. The panel included the following;
Podcasting Panel 1

Vernon Ross (moderator) – Founder and CEO of Ross Public Relations and host of the Social Strategy Podcast
Jeff Julian – Chief Marketing Offier at AJi Software and host of The Midwest Marketing Show
Jade Harrell – Creator and executive producer of RareGem Productions
Caryn Tomer – member of the corporate marketing and communication team at Daugherty Business Solutions and co-host of Technically Speakingpodcast
Mich Hancock – Owner of 100th Monkey Media, host of MichMashpodcast and Executive Director of TEDxGatewayArch
Michael Green – Founder of People Behind the Science podcast

We spoke with the panelists after the event to find out some of their top podcasting advice. Here is what they recommended:
What are your top tips for a beginning podcaster?

Vernon – It’s key to know your topic well enough to be able to talk about it with a guest or on your own. If you’re interviewing, you get an immediate bump in credibility with your audience and respect from your guest when you can have a conversation with them as a peer and not a fan. Knowing your topic well elevates the brand of your show.
Mich – Decide how to create your own unique presence in an area for which you have a ton of passion, otherwise it will feel like a chore.
Michael – Work on your listener persona or avatar – Who is the one “perfect” audience member you want to speak to? What’s the objective of your podcast and what metrics will you use to measure your progress/success?
Jade – Understand that this is a long-term commitment and that makes it a promise to your audience and community – be consistent and deliver.
Caryn – Make sure you are starting a podcast because you have something to say and want to serve an audience. If you’re just podcasting for the sake of podcasting, you probably won’t sustain it.

What are your favorite tools/equipment used for podcasting?
podcsting 2

Vernon – For podcaster getting started I recommend a Xoom H4N or a Xoom H5. More affordable models include the ATR2100 from Audio Technica. Lots of podcasters use this microphone because they’re cheap with a good sound.
Mich – Shock City, I prefer to just show up, interview and allow the experts to make it sound awesome, edit it and send along the final product.
Michael – I like learning about and trying the latest tech. My favorite piece of equipment for podcasting is the Heil PR-40 microphone. It’s a bit pricey, but due to the way it’s engineered it can make an echoey, small room sound nearly as good as a professional recording studio when it comes to podcasting. Tweet me if you would like additional recommendations.
Jade – I recommend Adobe Audition.
Caryn – While you don’t have to spend a lot, a good mic can go a long way. We bought $100 Shure that work perfectly.

For those unable to make it live to the sold out event, a three part video series will be produced (thanks to Jeff Julian) and released shortly featuring the panelists. Look for this coming soon. In the mean time you can follow each of these dynamic and engaging panelists on their Twitter as follows:
Vernon Ross – @RossPR
Mich Hancock – @mich_hancock
Jeff Julian – @jjulien
Jade Harrell – @raregemonline
Caryn Tomer – @CarynTomer
Michael Green – @aMikeGreen
If you’re interested in learning more about podcasting and starting your own podcast, check out our class, Podcasting: Why, How and When with Vernon Ross on November 12 from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.