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 So You Want to Be A Podcaster?
You think you have what it takes to compete in the
exploding underground-industry of Podcasting and have a
great concept for a Podcast?
Have you checked all of this off your list?:
* A Great Idea for a New Podcast! * A Killer Script (No
the same as a great concept) * Recording Software * A
Microphone * A Webpage (and plenty of bandwidth) * An Rss
Feed for your Podcast episodes * A Well Laid Out Plan on
How to Market Your New Podcast
So how did you do?
Were you able to check everything off the list? Most of
these items are necessary to create and host your podcast,
and if you haven't bothered with a good marketing plan
yet? Well, keep your fingers crossed that your family and
friends like the sound of your voice because it is
unlikely that many other people will ever hear your Great
New Podcast show.
Don't shoot the messenger. It is a dog-eat-dog world out
there with too many businesses competing for the same
Podcast audience. What's that you say? We are not talking
about businesses? Only a free, donation based,
underground, podcast? Well, that may be true, but the
world of podcasting has grown exponentially over the past
year and that means there are a large number of Podcasters
out there who are competing for the same listener base
that you are. In fact, according to Forrester Research, by
2010 the multitude of podcast shows should have around
12.3 million regular listeners.
And don't forget that the business world knows a good
thing when it sees it; resulting in more and more
businesses jumping on the Podcast bandwagon over the past
few months.
But that's okay; because there's still plenty of room in
the Podcast Empire and you can learn valuable lessons from
the business world...
They know how to put together a classy Podcast. They know
how to advertise. They know how to network. And possibly
most importantly, they know how to market a Podcast. And
you can scoff at the corporations invading the tranquil
Podcasting Nirvana all you want, but the fact remains...
If you want to get your new Podcast out to the masses, you
had better bone up on some Marketing Basics.
So where do you start?
Well, one of the most important things that you can do is
to understand and have a working knowledge of your
business Value Chain. What's a Value Chain you ask?
Essentially it is the logical flow of your new Podcast
business starting with your original concept and following
every step through until the finished product hits your
listener's iPod.
Did you catch that? In other words, your Podcast's Value
Chain consists of all the steps you need to take to get
your product into the hands of your listeners.
 A Podcast's Value Chain will consist of 10 steps:
Concept -> Pre-production -> Post-Production ->
Publishing -> Hosting -> Promotion ->
Community/Search -> Downloading -> Show Viewing
If you produce a podcast show, you will touch on each of
these steps. And while each step may offer you a unique
set of challenges, each will also provide you with their
own opportunities to monetize and market your new show.
The Value Chain of your Podcast Show will always be at the
core of your venture whether you utilize it or not. This
being the case, the more aware you are of your Value
Chain, the easier it will become for you to take advantage
of and capitalize on each step of the process.
This is the first in a series of articles that explain how
to take advantage of a Podcast Show's Value Chain and help
you to maximize your Show's listeners. To see the
following articles, please visit http://www.podcastempire.com.
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