Startups.ie

[Vin.f]

Podcasting is a great way to promote any business or product and to attract new clients/customers or users. If you're offline this is especially true as you will begin to have an online presence thats as engaging or interesting as you intend it to be.
With that said, I offer complete professional podcast editing and engineering services to anyone with the need. I will SEO your podcast tags so that they are more relevant to searches in iTunes, I can submit your podcast to iTunes and I can also point you in the right direction for podcast hosting

If you would like to hear samples of my work just visit http://automatemysmallbusiness.com/podcast-subscribe/ (Episodes one to twenty in decending order)

Thanks for reading, I hope to hear your work soon.

[shanemurfy]

Hi Vin,

Do you think that podcasting is right for all startups? What advice would you give to a startup who has finite time and money with regard podcasting

Shane

[Vin.f]

Hi Vin,

Do you think that podcasting is right for all startups? What advice would you give to a startup who has finite time and money with regard podcasting

Shane

Hi Shane,
My gut feeling is that podcasting is a great idea for most startups. The main reason being that you are providing another marketing channel to the masses that intends to draw them to your site, company, or product.
Personally, I think that podcasting for startups could be a really interesting genre/learning tool as well as just a marketing tool. Let's say you record from idea to success story outlining the highs and lows, A lot of people can take valuable information from that and apply it when starting up their own business. You could also make some money from your podcasts if you can provide sound professional advice.

As far as pricing is concerned, Podcasting is very inexpensive. The only thing that will set you back is the cost of a decent microphone and a pop filter. To get into iTunes you need to have an rss feed which I believe you may need a website for (correct me if I'm wrong) so a domain name and hosting is an additional cost. If you want to have it edited professionaly then you're looking at around $55 per hour of audio (thats what I charge anyway, and yes, pricing is in dollars) However if you're confident enough in your vocal talents or you can live with your mistakes then an audio engineer isn't necessary (though it is advised).

As far as time is concerned, If you can sacrifce one or two hours per week, every two weeks or once a month (depending on the desired frequency) then you can easily chew out a decent podcast. Alternatively you can outsource the work to a voice talent or a V.A who will research the product, business, application etc.. and touch on essential points you wish to outline in the podcast. In this case it's balancing monetary costs with time costs so whatever you have more of or are willing to contribute more to should ultimately help in the decision process.

I still think that doing it yourself is the best option! You get to learn a little bit about audio software (if you're interested) you can talk with more conviction about a subject you are truly passionate about better than any V.A could, this makes for compelling listening and should provide you with a steady flow of subscribers, and you get to learn the process of podcasting as a whole from recording to submission.

I hope that has cleared a few things up for you shane. If you do decide to give it a go give me a shout and I can help you get started.

Best of luck,

-Vin

[shanemurfy]

Hey Vin,

Thanks for the comprehensive answer. I agree with a lot of what you are saying. My only concern is that, while podcasting is a great opportunity for some people, I believe it is a step too far for most. I work in marketing and I think there is a big risk that start ups try and jump at all the marketing avenues open to them. My opinion (and it is merely that) is that in general podcasting will work for a minority of people and to make it a success would require as much effort and focus from a marketing point of view as the business itself.

Jason Calcanis is obviously a guy who has used it exceptionally well to promote his products and there are lots of examples of people like him but I think they may be the exception rather than the rule.

If you operate in a niche industry and believe that the niche is under represented from a content perspective then blogging and podcasting are a great way to get your name out there. But if you dont operate in that niche than I fear that podcasting might be a distraction


Shane

[Vin.f]

Hey Vin,

Thanks for the comprehensive answer. I agree with a lot of what you are saying. My only concern is that, while podcasting is a great opportunity for some people, I believe it is a step too far for most. I work in marketing and I think there is a big risk that start ups try and jump at all the marketing avenues open to them. My opinion (and it is merely that) is that in general podcasting will work for a minority of people and to make it a success would require as much effort and focus from a marketing point of view as the business itself.

Jason Calcanis is obviously a guy who has used it exceptionally well to promote his products and there are lots of examples of people like him but I think they may be the exception rather than the rule.

If you operate in a niche industry and believe that the niche is under represented from a content perspective then blogging and podcasting are a great way to get your name out there. But if you dont operate in that niche than I fear that podcasting might be a distraction


Shane

Hi Shane,
You're 100% right in what you're saying. Not everyone will need to get into podcasting, and It won't suit each business or individual equally.
As I know very little about marketing, I would have thought that any opportunity to get yourself heard or recognised was a good idea, but obviously not.
With that said, then maybe those who provide educational or learning tools as a service would benefit from podcasting, those who constantly design or create innovative products could also benefit but would probably be delivered as an audio blog rather than a podcast.

What I think you need to ask yourself before you break into podcasting is

Can I provide quality information that will benefit potential listeners?
Can I discuss a particular topic regularly without the content becoming stale or repetitive?
Is there/Would there be enough information on a particular topic that will allow for long term discussion and commitment to a series of podcasts?
Will the information I provide in my podcast attract listeners either now or in the future?
Do I have enough time to set aside for recording podcasts regularly?
And finally,
Will podcasting actually benifit me, my company or my product?

There's a metal fabrication company in the states called big blue saw who sent me a podcast not too long ago to edit. The guy who created the podcast took a different approach then I had expected and instead of talking about the company and everything they did there, he interviewed a client instead asking things like what he did for a living (as the piece fabricated was installed in the workplace), his background and how he got into his line of work, he asked about the company he worked for , what they did, and then finally asked about the fabrication and how it fit in with the rest of the theatre's installation and of course then the all important feedback on the clients dealings with the company.
It was an interesting enough podcast in my opinion. Very short, only about twelve minutes or so in duration and I liked the approach and the way in which the podcast was conducted.
With saying that though, I don't think you could have a successful podcast with it's main topic focusing on just a metal fabrication company as you would run out of things to talk about by the end of the first few episodes, so maybe this guys approach was out of necessity rather than design.But still, it does give you something to think about.

I agree with what you're saying about podcasting for a niche market. With a lack of information available it's good to flood as much and as soon as possible to establish your authority in that particular market. Again, that's my opinion and without a marketing background or much experience in marketing as a whole it could be a mute opinion, but an opinion nonetheless.

While we're talking about podcasting. I think Startup's.ie could really benefit from a podcast. It's an informational/educational platform at the end of the day and there's so many topics that could be covered. I mean there could even be some great interviews with successful companies, CEO's, struggling start-ups, start-ups who have successfully broken niche markets.... The list is almost infinite.

Stephen, If you're reading this and you think that creating a podcast for the site is something you'd like to do or would consider then give me a shout and I'll be more than happy to help you out.

[Barry]

Vin,

I would definitely subscribe to a StartUps.ie podcast. I listen to This Week In Start-Ups, but it's a US show with US guests talking about a US market so some of its relevance is lost. Stephen, make it happen!

Barry

[shanemurfy]

I too would listen to one... and would love to contribute if needed.

I love the sound of my own voice

[Stephen]

Hey Guys,

I am just back from a few days away in Portugal, Great to see so much activity while I was away, also the quality of replies is fantastic, so thank you. I knew very little about podcasts as I don't really listen to them myself but it sounds like something that I need to look at for Startups.ie. Dave is working on a new logo for the site and we have other exciting features that are in the pipeline, I am trying to keep all the balls in the air. Vin maybe you could give me more of an idea as to how we could develop this...

Kind regards,

S

[shanemurfy]

Hi Stephen,

I have quite a bit of experience in new service development online and have lots of thoughts on ways to bring startups.ie into a place where it is the hub of the irish startup community

If you want to have a chat about it ove skype let me know

Shane