Podcast Expectations

In your experience, what do the following groups expect from podcasts?

- listeners; what do they expect when they put their earbuds in and start listening to your podcast?

- business; what do they expect when you start talking to them about having their own podcast? Do they get it? Do they need led by the hand through the whole new media experience? Are they afraid of being transparent via their podcast? Do they want it to look or sound overly corporate?

- schools; do they inherently understand the power of podcasts?

I'd love to know what your experiences have been.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by The DarkCompass Podcast on October 2, 2008 at 12:36pm

I have no idea what listeners expect from me when they listen to my podcast - music I hope.

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Permalink Reply by fatBuzz on October 2, 2008 at 12:45pm

Just as well that's what you give them ;-P

What's your experience, perhaps via feedback, as to their expectations re. audio quality, the length of the podcast etc?

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Permalink Reply by The DarkCompass Podcast on October 2, 2008 at 12:52pm

I sometimes ask for that kind of feedback in the show. The comments that come back are usually positive, the quality is fine for general listening - the shows encoded at 128kbps, so the music quality is usually the same as the original file I get from the artists. The length I am happy with, below 45 minutes, and I don't get enough out of it myself, any longer and I think some listeners will get bored.
Listenership continues to grow.

Rowley,

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Permalink Reply by fatBuzz on October 2, 2008 at 12:54pm

How have you sustained your podcast for so long? And what's your secret for growing the audience?

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Permalink Reply by The DarkCompass Podcast on October 2, 2008 at 1:15pm

My show has changed over time. Back in the day it had more rant/personal experience content, now it's more music/news comment, along with a little of me.

Keeping the listeners interested, a lot (just over 50%) are american listeners, I try to keep to UK lifestyles and news, which interest them.

Talking to bands from all around the world and basic becoming a social networking whore also helps, any music played, the artists get commented on their myspace - pushing that seed out to the artists fans.

Consistency is important. I try my hardest to do one every week, I have not missed on in a long time. There are times when I think, sod it I wont do one this week, but I still do one. Commitment.
Rowley
http://www.darkcompass.com

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Permalink Reply by fatBuzz on October 2, 2008 at 1:37pm

I think you're right re. consistency. As a listener it bugs me when a podcaster drops off the map. I realise I'm a total hypocrite, but I can say with hand on heart that when I was a regular indie podcast producer, my content was always released on a timely basis.

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Permalink Reply by paul nicholls on October 2, 2008 at 12:54pm

Hi Mark

I think that the whole podcasting scene has settled right down now and the razmataz that it offered in the early stages (late 2004/ early 2005) has tailed right off.

Podcasting for business now is becoming as common as the webpage. Businesses are taking them up well at the moment and I believe as more catch on, the demand will grow. Some business podcasts are inherently dull, others really quite interesting, a lot depends on the production and ultimately the content.

Individuals podcasting: Well, I've always said that podcasting would make very few people money. The various get rich quick schemes and companies have come and gone. Those who are doing personal podcasts are the die in the wool folks. There's a surprising number of old die hards. I'm less frequent in my podcasts, but getting circa 50,000 downloads per month (though it's tailed off in the last few months due to my recording less through being busy). There are still listeners out there.

As a listener, I've whittled down my listening to very few podcasts now. I like listening to my mates, and the BBC output (Friday night comedy, From Our own Correspondent etc). I've listened to the Lawyer podcast and one or two of the Cobra Pubcasts.

Schools - I've not really explored this area. I've seen a number around and have even thought about doing something with my youngest lad's school where I'm the chair of Governors.

People still want to listen - I'm sure its the interactive element that draws them in. Sadly the 'community' that was thriving 2005/6 has now gone. I still keep in touch with a few other podcasters, but spend a good amount of time chatting with my listeners, many of whom have become good mates.

Paul Nicholls
www.podcastpaul.com

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Permalink Reply by Tim from Radio Clash on October 2, 2008 at 2:00pm

Listeners - well to borrow Vic n' Bob's phrase, they expect the Moon on a Stick - engaging very regular content for free; and if it isn't to their liking they moan...ignoring the essential fact, it's free, they can't really moan about it! I've experimented with doing crazy evil whacked out shows to please only me and stuff that I thought would please the audience - interestingly the latter didn't provide the audience increase I hoped, so I'm back to doing it my way, that gets more feedback (interestingly not the moans) and makes me happy.

Businesses - quite a few people covertly or otherwise are running their blogs, podcasts etc as businesses - I have respect for the open transparent ones and am wary of the less open ones. Yes corporates have been all over the podcast like a rash for years; not really sure it's offered much more than training for them. The hype has thankfully died away, not sure it was replaced with the big opportunities that were suggested/promised - I certainly hoped that the podcast would open doors, in monetary or career terms, it hasn't

Schools - very interested in podcasts, my partner is a senior lecturer and heavily interested and experimenting with Facebook and social media, as well as video and podcasts via me, although there seems to be a backlash by students against being palmed off with distance type learning when they have paid for a full course. I can see podcasts and video being used more and more though for additional coursework, capturing lectures for later revision, and also testing - and there being new types of distance learning, but really the most effective way of learning is still with a teacher in a small group.

No most of the benefits personally have been otherwise - friends, good times, meeting new people. I too still listen to podcasts but have restricted my listening to a core of podcasts - time being an issue and also quite a few podcasts are tl;dl (too long, didn't listen - mine is one of those probly!) but if it's good I'll still make time to listen, quite a few of my podcasts I listen to are 1-2 hours - or more importantly get too formulaic - podcasts like any media get their own 'ruts' and formats, which is not why I got into podcasts - I like stuff to be more freeform than that - hence digital debris podcast is my sandpit.

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Permalink Reply by fatBuzz on October 2, 2008 at 2:04pm

Tim said;
"Listeners - well to borrow Vic n' Bob's phrase, they expect the Moon on a Stick - engaging very regular content for free; and if it isn't to their liking they moan...ignoring the essential fact, it's free, they can't really moan about it! I've experimented with doing crazy evil whacked out shows to please only me and stuff that I thought would please the audience - interestingly the latter didn't provide the audience increase I hoped, so I'm back to doing it my way, that gets more feedback (interestingly not the moans) and makes me happy."

I think you've hit the nail on the head squarely on a number of points here. Great post.