ABOUT PODCASTS

Podcasts are short audio programs which are on the internet available for download for free. Using a magical kind of code called RSS feeds, these programs can be subscribed to and automatically downloaded whenever there is new content, or accessed on a one time basis.

There are several advantages to podcasting:

1. Self-selecting audiences- Traditional media uses a brute force approach to getting messages across: by sheer number of viewers, at least some of them will be interested in your message by default. Even those people who are interested may not absorb or retain anything because they are overwhelmed with ads and tend to tune them out. On the other hand, podcasting is more like "messaging karate," where pressure is applied to highly specific points in order to maximize results. People who encounter your podcast already have a built in interest in the goals and aims of your organization. Since the message is more detailed and personal, podcasts are far more likely to turn that interest in to activism. A recent PodTrac study demonstrated that podcast messages are 7 times more likely to be retained than those on television.

2. Reliable, Internet Based, NOT email- How many political emails did you receive today? Most activists get dozens of action alerts, fundraising requests, newsletters and updates from a multitude of organizations. Sifting through the clutter can be overwhelming; most people don't do it! What use is your message if it lands in the trash bin without ever having been read? Alternatively, a podcast can set your organization apart from the crowd. Like an email list, once someone subscribes, your message will be automatically delivered. As opposed to reading long paragraphs of updates, a well constructed podcast can deliver more information that is more likely to stick.

3. Direct contact with your members- If you had the option of trying to convince someone of something by writing them or a note, or sitting down with them in person, which would you choose? Email is long distance note-passing while podcasting delivers your voice directly into the homes, cars, and ear buds of your target audience. Since most people who download podcasts put them on portable MP3 devices (such as iPods), they take your message with them wherever they go.

4. Podcasts have a track record of success-  In an April 2006 article on http://www.mediatransparency.org, a leader of a conservative organization commented that "I think podcasting, like other social media tools are incredibly effective for niche constituent groups within larger political entities. For example, a Toronto-based candidate for a national political party uses podcasts both to address specific local issues that aren't given air-time on the national scene, as well as to address special interest areas that are of importance to him and his constituents."

Just a Few Influential Organizations Who Have a Podcast

• The 2008 Barack Obama Campaign

• The White House

• The Council on Foreign Relations

• Idealist.org

• ACLU

• The Social Security Administration

• The Democratic National Committee

• Greenpeace International

• PETA

• Hundreds and hundreds more!

Shouldn't your organization be on that list?

To get started, shoot us an email and set up a consultation for your free, no strings attached 5 minute sample podcast, made to your specifications, that you can put up immediately.