Piaras Kelly PR - Public Relations in Ireland

There’s been a bit of talk recently about the merits of podcasting, especially after the addition of a podcast directory to iTunes 4.9 resulting in one million downloads in two days. Some people are dampening the hype because they either can’t see what the fuss is about or reckon that the benefits are far overstated.

For example, in a recent ‘For immediate release’ podcast by Shel Holtz and Neville Hobson, they discussed criticism from one of their listeners that their podcast is far too long and that they gave up after fifteen minutes. Who could listen to such a podcast? Well…me. Maybe that individual didn’t like it, but it obviously holds some appeal.

However I do take his point. The success of a podcasting strategy is all about knowing and understanding your audience. Podcasts like ‘For immediate release’ will have to become more professional if they are too become more popular. More podcasts are going to have to include chapters and artwork just like Adam Curry’s Podfinder.

Curry describes podcasting as TiVo meets Wayne’s World, well if podcasting is set to rock the real world then it has to adapt to a world where the consumer is in control. At this point he can now download specialised programming that fits into his interests, but not into his lifestyle. You can block pop-ups, skips ads, but have to sit through an hour of a podcasts or bother fast forwarding it to get to the part you want to listen to.

In the meantime if you’re going to podcast, then make sure you know your audience. Make sure it’s relevant, frequent, fits into their life and above all, is interesting.

For example, Virgin Atlantic offer podcasts about their destinations. The majority of tourists are inquisitive about their destination and travel with information about the area they are visiting or at least research it.

You should offer podcasts to your audience if it’s something that can fit into their life. I’m waiting for a chain of gyms to offer podcasts to supplement their classes and instructor’s tuition. Instructors have readymade schedules to suit the categories of individual that walk through their doors. Why not have a series of podcasts developed for them also? Most people want reassurance and motivation when they’re in the gym. What a perfect way to give them that. Better yet, offer a series of photos showing them how to perform the exercises correctly via Flickr for their iPod photo and you’re laughing.

Other ideas off the top of my head are nutritional advice to suit your exercise plan - do you want to be a bodybuilder or a marathon runner? What’s the best athletic gear to buy - should you buy runners with supports for the threadmill or gloves to protect your hands when bench pressing? How to mix up your workout plan to get the best results - swimming for all round conditioning or skipping to burn off those excess calories fast?

Why is podcasting the perfect fit for gyms? Just look at how many of them are wearing headphones. Now off to Total Fitness to sell my idea