Podcasting & Beyond:

Catching Up with Jason Van Orden

When Shure Notes first addressed the subject of podcasting, the field was in its infancy.  Our guide was Jason Van Orden, a Gotham resident with a mission, a passion and plenty of courage.  Four years later, we decided to check on the state of the industry and one of its principal enthusiasts to see what’s happened since.

How’d you get into podcasting?

I discovered podcasting in early 2005. I was already doing some business as an Internet entrepreneur. I also had a technical background in audio and audio production and had been in the studio as a musician.   So my background was conducive to the technical nature of podcasting. 

When podcasting appeared on my radar, I realized right then that it would have a big impact on online communications, online marketing, entertainment and information. It was going to be a significant media form.

You knew something about audio, though.

That’s true. It combined skills and interests I already had. I set out to become an expert.  I started a couple of podcasts of my own and I put up a tutorial since there wasn’t a lot of good information out there at the time.  Four years later, it remains the #1 site for podcast how-to information.

When we did our first Shure Notes on podcasting, we used some of your material.

Most of the information I found back then was pretty technical and there weren’t that many podcasters out there. I understood that I’d need to organize the information and put it in laymen’s terms so that everyone could learn how to podcast. 

Let’s talk about your first podcasts.

I already knew how to make recordings so I just put together a simple set-up in my office.   It consisted of my laptop, a small two-channel mixer, a USB interface and a Shure microphone left over from my band days. 

My first podcast was called GothamCast. It was mostly for fun, since I was passionate about the history, art and culture of New York City.   It was a way to learn about the process and develop my own best practices.

Shortly after that, an Internet entrepreneur friend of mine from the West Coast and I decided to launch a podcast on Internet business.  He had a similar set up, so he recorded in his home studio, I recorded in mine and then we edited the audio files together so it sounded like we were in the same place.  

"If you have a microphone, a recording device and a way to get audio into your laptop, you’re ready to go."

I was able to get started with gear that probably cost less than two hundred dollars.   If you have a microphone and a recording device and a way to get audio into your laptop, you’re ready to go.

How have things changed since then?

For starters, the podcasts I do have changed.  GothamCast was an experiment and I no longer live in New York City, so that one went by the wayside.  The business podcasts became viable revenue-producers, so I devoted more time on those. And I’m considering more in that vein.

What I tell podcasters now is that if you really want to get your message out (whatever it is), think of yourself as a content creator and use multiple media channels – blogs, Twitter, podcasting, video sharing … all those cool new places where people go to get information.   Podcasting’s just one of them.

Over time, I’ve gotten very targeted about who I’m trying to reach.  With one of our business-oriented podcasts, we were very general about our audience in the beginning.   Now, we’re geared to a very specific market segment. 

“You can’t be all things to all people.”

We’re speaking directly to them and that affects how we market ourselves, how we brand ourselves and how well we’re able to stand out.  You can’t be all things to all people. 

How do you acquire subscribers?

We get as much exposure as possible through iTunes.  That means putting together quality content, releasing it on a regular basis, making sure we have good artwork and an accurate description to entice new subscribers. iITunes is still the 800-pound gorilla. 

We also get listeners from search engines and of course, word of mouth.   So those are the big three.

“iTunes is still the 800-pound gorilla.”

What trends have you seen?

You’ve got to make great content available on different channels, like we just talked about – YouTube as a video, blogposts that get indexed by search engines —use all the available channels.  Twitter, for instance, is a search engine of people’s thoughts.

There are going to be more devices and more sites and places where people will go to find content that’s relevant to them.  They’re all search engines for content and podcasters – content developers – need to be in all of them.

 

What else have you learned?

It’s just as important to keep people coming back as it is to attract new listeners.

“Give listeners a place where they can interact with you.”

Balance information with entertainment. Create a sense of belonging, interaction and community.  Give listeners a place where they can interact with you.    That’s why we have blogs on our sites.  They can listen to us, talk back to us and talk to each other.  That’s where belonging and community develop.  And it’s a “sticky” experience that keeps listeners loyal.

What are the five most important keys to success in podcasting?

1. Publish your podcast using a blog platform. 

There are few reasons for this:
It makes managing the feed easy; it makes posting the content easy.   You can get your site up and running quickly without the services of a webmaster. You can post video and audio to a blog even if you don’t plan on genuine blogging (posting new written new content).  WordPress is the platform I recommend and you can download it for free on your website.

There are promotional reasons to do it, too.  Google loves the blog structure and the fresh content that comes with it. It’s much easier to promote your content from a blog–type platform.

2. Be informative and entertaining.

Our business podcast is very informational.  However, we try to be interesting and entertaining in the way we present it.  People are easily bored so we try to keep it them engaged by telling stories and sharing our passion. 

If you’re on the entertainment side of things and you’re sharing your music, share something about your life. Fans are just as interested in the creative process, or how a specific song came about, or what happens in the studio or on the road.

3. Give your audience a way to connect.

Let them talk back to you and better yet, to each other. Blogs are a great way to do that. You can use forums or Twitter or Facebook – all tools readily available to build that interaction and a sense of community.  It’s much more enriching experience for your subscribers and will keep them coming back. 

4. Use as many channels as possible to get your content noticed.

Establish a pre-eminent position in the marketplace.  Once you know who you want to reach, be where they are.  When they see you again and again, you’ll get more attention. 

5. Know your audience and find out what they want.

Do your homework.  What sites, blogs or podcasts are your potential subscribers accessing today?  What needs do they fulfill?

Be specific about who you’re trying to reach and what they’re looking for.  Then, give it to them.

 

About Jason Van Orden

He is a published author, new media practitioner and speaker at industry events including the New Media Expo, the National Association of Broadcasters, CES, Streaming Media East, the Corporate Podcasting Summit in London, The Learning Annex, BlogWorld Expo and the New York City Podcasters Association.  You can access Jason’s free tutorial at HowtoCreateaPodcast.com.