If you're a slightly hyper-techno PR pro, you've probably
immersed yourself in the worlds of blogging and RSS, or really
simple syndication (see PR News Aug. 9, 2004). Perhaps
you're even getting your own news to journalists via RSS. You're
probably pretty darned proud of yourself. I certainly was.
Then I was told that plain old RSS is "so 2004."
Apparently, the buzzword in 2005 is "podcasting," a term that
didn't even exist this time last year.
Podcasting is an audio program broadcast through RSS to iPods or
any other MP3 players. A listener subscribes to free "podcasts"
made available via RSS feeds; intermediary software downloads and
stores the audio on the MP3 player for use at the listener's
convenience.
Already, there are dozens of daily radio shows that "podcast"
instead of broadcast, ranging from bloggers gone audio to
National Public Radio and the BBC making entire shows
available online.
The technology behind podcasting actually isn't limited to audio
- nearly any data file can be attached to an associated RSS feed
for sharing, including photos or even video.
Still, podcasting adoption is in its infancy, with a limited
amount of content available. And some question whether people
really care about recording radio shows, dismissing the iPod as a
fad.
Others, however, say consumers' thirst for mobile, on-demand
content will fuel podcasting's success, while a growing number of
journalists call podcasting a preview of how on- demand content
will work on the Web.
What is undeniable is that more people are using RSS each day,
strengthening its power. RSS' role as an open, free syndication
network could well develop into an entirely different information
delivery paradigm -- one where personalized media surpasses mass
media in influence.
While podcasting still is in the zygote stage, there may be ways
to apply the technology immediately. Here are a few examples:
Reach 18-to-35-year-old spenders:
For now, if your target audience bops up and down to U2 against
purple backgrounds, well, "Hello, hello." You're practically
guaranteed to reach a group that is young, spends to keep up with
the latest trends and has an insider mentality perfectly suited for
viral marketing.
Turning a corporate blog into an audio podcast for the launch of
your consumer-technology project could win you major points with an
entire audience of early adopters.
Make attractions more interactive:
If you work on behalf of a museum, an art gallery or even a
tourist board, podcasting may hold immediate value as a tool for
providing complementary audio programming to your attractions.
Supplying audio devices to every visitor isn't realistic - but many
of your visitors actually may have their own.
Enrich internal communications:
If your co-workers don't visit the company intranet every day or
read all the internal e-mails that fly by, they may be willing to
listen to a quick "radio show" on company events and announcements
- especially if it's interesting.
Using special guests, employee interviews and some creativity,
you may be able to turn your daily show into a real driver of
company culture. And all you need to create a daily program is a
computer and a microphone.
Draw a bigger audience for audio content not suited for the
desktop:
Many companies already post audio content online, such as
investor calls and keynote speeches. But who really has time during
their workdays to listen?
The same business audience that might only listen to the first
few minutes of your audio programming at their desks may be willing
to hear it in its entirety during the commute home. And you might
even be able to save some money off the cost of hundreds of
conference bridges for those all those investor calls.
(For more information on podcasting, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcasting.)
Contact: Ian Lipner is associate director in the Washington,
D.C., office of Lewis PR and founder of YoungPRPros.com. He can be
reached at 202.349.3866, [email protected]