Talk about a long, strange trip. You were born in Alaska, spent years in Utah, have a degree in electrical engineering, worked for a pro audio manufacturer whose name we’re not going to mention, aspire to be a rock star and live in New York now, where you produce three podcasts and have become “the man behind the curtain” in your own “how to make a podcast” site. That’s a lot of ground to cover for a young guy.

When you describe yourself as a “webpreneur and a would-be rock star”, we’ve got to ask, which passion comes first? Sadly, the music has taken a back seat to the web business, just because the biz is what pays the bills and my podcasting projects take up a lot of my time. I still have the itch to perform and write music, though. Actually, I do write some music for my podcasts. My wife and I get out and play open mic venues when we can. We also have a record that is hanging in limbo, unfinished. How did you first get involved with podcasts? As soon as I caught the podcasting buzz, I knew it was going to be big. I saw the word podcast on the internet a couple times and then finally it hit me what was going on. I spent a week doing nothing but reading up on what was going on with this podcasting thing. Then I was hooked. Podcasting was a natural progression from my internet business pursuits and my audio background. It appealed to me not only from a business standpoint, but also as a creative pursuit. I really see it as a perfect outlet for my creative, technical and business interests.

Your podcasts include The Podcasting Underground, Internet Business Mastery and the critically acclaimed GothamCast. All your children. How are the kids different and which is your favorite? Each of my podcasts is distinct and stem from different interests. Each one is fulfilling in different ways. I really can’t pick a favorite. GothamCast is my “just for fun” project. I’m in love with New York City and everything it offers. I’m a western transplant discovering the big city. GothamCast gives me a place to share that with others who have the same infatuation with The Big Apple. It also gives me a place to share indie music, another of my passions. The Podcasting Underground is a venue for sharing tips and strategies with my podcasting peers. As a podcaster and a consultant, I stay in touch with the needs of podcasters. I keep a close eye on the news in podcasting. I’m constantly consumed in podcasting these days. Naturally my mind starts bursting with opinions and ideas. The Podcasting Underground is way to share those ideas. Internet Business Mastery is my foray into info-tainment. This is a podcast that gives some real “how to” information on making money with a web business in an entertaining format. My partner and I give real world advice based on our everyday experiences as web entrepreneurs. We get a lot of feedback from new web marketers who say that our show motivates them to pursue their business dreams. That’s very rewarding.

What about subscribers? How have you promoted your podcasts? This is a big question for podcasters. How do I get more listeners? That’s why I decided to write a book on promoting your podcast. It will be out this fall. It draws from my internet marketing experience. There are tons of great ways to promote yourself online for free.

The obvious first step is to submit your podcast to all the main podcast directories—iTunes, Yahoo Podcasts, Podcast Pickle. I get most of my subscribers from iTunes. But you need to do it the right way. You need to have a good title and use the right words in your description so that you will show up when potential listeners search the directories. You need to include keywords that your potential listeners might be searching for. For example, if you search for “internet business” in the iTunes music store, my podcast, Internet Business Mastery, comes up at the top. A big source of traffic for me is encouraging listeners to talk about the podcast on their sites and blogs. The more links you have back to you, the more traffic you will get and the higher you will appear in the search engines. How much help do you have in production? Your wife Melanie is a singer, for instance – does she help you? She has produced some clips for GothamCast. She gives me a lot of feedback, too. Other than that, I do all the production myself right now—recording, mastering and publishing. Sometimes it’s tough to find the time to produce three podcasts. You’re in the business, obviously, but thinking like, let’s say, a hip musician living in a major city … which podcasts do you really like? I do listen to a lot of business and podcasting-related podcasts. But there are a lot of great podcasts from the city that I really like. My favorite music podcast, 75 Minutes, is produced in New York. I also like The OvernightScape which weaves some great stories and bits of randomness that are oddly addicting. On a pop culture note, I like Beware of the Babylon. This is a couple of very funny Gothamites who get together for lunch and rant about life. Another great podcast for discovering New York is The New York Minute Show. Can you tell I’m loyal to my new home? Given the do-it-yourself aspects of podcasting, there have to be some real dogs out there. Any come to mind? Yeah, I’ve heard my fair share of bad podcasts. But I’d rather not name names. All you need to do is spend a few minutes browsing iTunes and you’ll find them. Some of the most common problems are horrible audio quality (easily fixed by a good sound card and mic) or unfocused content. You can’t waste the listener’s time.

That is why podcasting is great though. Anyone can join the social media revolution. Sure, some shows will suck, but they can get better. Maybe they’re happy just hearing their voice on the internet. The cream will rise to the top. That’s why directories and search engines will play a critical roll in deciding which podcasts get the most exposure. The podcasters that play that game the best will get the most listeners.

Are podcasts the equivalent of audio blogs? Do you think they’re here to stay or are they just the trend of the month? In other words are they cell phones or PDAs? Podcasts are not just audio blogs. You have to go to a web site to hear an audio blog. You are tied to your computer to listen. Podcasts are portable media. Sure, most podcasts are part of a blog, but you can subscribe to a feed. You automatically receive new episodes and sync to a portable audio player. You don’t have to remember to check a site for new episodes. You can leave your computer and listen on the go. That is the true power of podcasting—especially in a multi-tasking world with attention deficit disorder.

The technology allows anyone with a computer and an internet connection to start their own radio show so-to-speak. Actually, you can podcast from your cell phone now, too. There are over 30,000 podcasts. According to one study, as many as 75 million people will be listening to podcasts by the end of the decade. Apple is selling over a hundred iPods every minute. Podcasting is here to stay.

Are there “commercial” podcasts? In other words, will entertainment companies like studios and networks … record companies; news organizations –or even manufacturers – jump on board? It seems like the possibilities for merchandising are endless. This is already happening. NPR, MTV and the New York Times all have podcasts just to name a few. Major media and news outlets are seeing the value of starting a podcast. Audiences want more control over their listening material and they want to take it on the go. Any smart company should start a podcast as means of communicating with their customer-base. It is a great branding and promotion tool. It helps you get feedback from and develop a relationship with your consumers. Whirlpool is doing this really well. Incidentally, if you have a band, you should have a podcast, too. What a great way to connect with your fans on a regular basis.

What are the first steps to starting a podcast? The great thing is that you can start a podcast with gear you probably already own and for very little cost—maybe even free

depending on your goals. The best thing to do is to just get started. Decide what you want to say, record it and get it on the internet. With the right content, even an independent podcaster can have a hundred listeners in very little time. You can improve from there. What changes do you see for the future of podcasting? Podcasting will follow the progression of blogs over the last few years. Blogs have become a popular creative and business outlet. They have gained a lot of respect and clout in the media. Everyone has a blog now. Podcasts will follow the same trend, just faster I think. Also, it’ll become easier to find and subscribe to podcasts. We’ll be subscribing and listening to podcasts on all sorts of portable devices. We’ll see more mobile phones with podcasting features. And what about you? Look into your crystal ball and tell us what you’re going to be up to in the next year or so. This year I’ll release two podcasting books, one on promotion and one on how to get started in podcasting. Both will be out in the fall. I’ll also be launching a huge web site for podcasters this spring called Podcast University. This is going to become a major resource and community for podcasters of all experience levels.

We thank Jason Van Orden for his assistance in helping to shape this issue of Shure Notes and for teaching us the word “Utahn” to describe residents of Utah. You can subscribe to his podcasts, The Podcasting Underground, Internet Business Mastery and GothamCast. To learn more about the man who says he was raised in a place (Alaska) with “more caribou than people”, visit or contact him at www.jasonvanorden.com.

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