Notes from Podcamp Toronto 2008 roundtable discussion facilitated by Donna Papacosta, Wayne MacPhail, and Victoria Fenner

1. Business Best Practices
a roundtable discussion
Podcamp Toronto 2008 - podcamptoronto.org
February 23, 2008

2. • facilitators:
• Donna Papacosta
Trafalgar Communications - http://trafcom.com
• Wayne MacPhail
w8nc - http://w8nc.com
• Victoria Fenner
Magnetic Spirits Productions -
http://www.community-media.com/spirit

3. Recommended to
organizations
• Podcasting easier to sell than blogging
• “Like a radio show”
• whereas blogging has comments - seen as
difficult to facilitate

4. Selling the idea
• “I can do this for you.”
• Start off with something simple.

5. E.g. a small community
• Mary Shields: helping to educate people on
topics such as sustainability, environmental,
health issues
• using community radio - citizen media has been
around for a long time
• now: new technology adapted to an old
concept
• we are no longer limited - internet gives it new

6. a small community
• instead of streaming audio, archive as a
podcast (audio files)
• Victoria Fenner - communities hosting
shows at rabble radio (www.rabble.ca)
• Wayne McPhail - people have great stories
but don’t know they have great stories.
People think it is going to be way more
complicated than it is.

7. creating the podcast
idea
• talk to everyone in the office - why did you
choose to come here?
• e.g. Cococamino - selling chocolate is a way
to get the idea of fair trade out
• Starbucks podcast - scripted, slick, boring. If
there is no story, there is nothing
• be careful not to make it too slick and
scripted

8. creating the podcast
idea
• get to the fundamental emotional impact of
the story - there often needs to be
something potentially lost for a good story
• if you want to get honest feedback, don’t
make it too slick. Make it easy for people to
change it. Make your recording set up look
more “bush” to start. Depends on audience.

9. creating the podcast
• sometimes people are too wooden - record
them second, third time until they loosen up
• sometimes the first off-the-cuff recording is
the best, becomes too “tight” in second
recording
• after a while you get a feel for what is the
best content

10. creating the podcast
• a lot of people at the beginning are not used
to podcasting, speak like real people with
“ums” and “ahs” - count on a lot of post-
production

11. selling podcasts to
potential clients
• how do you get people to shift from print to
podcasts?
• audience is not necessarily the younger
demographic - this can be an eye-opener to
the corporate executives - need to de-bunk
this for them (no one too old for an iPod)
• do not sell it on the basis of subscription
concept - nobody understands RSS

12. why do a podcast?
• another channel for reaching people
• reaches people who are auditory
• Vergel Evans - if the podcast that contains
content that is “evergreen” (classic) the
corporation is more likely to buy in.
• Donna - do 6 episodes as a limited series
that is really a pilot project (but don’t tell
anyone it is a pilot)

13. why do a podcast
• creates a reason to tell people to check
your website on a regular basis
• Rob Clark: some consumers using podcasts
as a way to quickly catch up on your
company/organization

14. podcast as official
corporate message
• don’t script, but decide in advance what will
be covered
• decide in advance what certain “markers”
you are going to hit - cleans up meandering,
gives the podcast more cohesion, makes it
easier to edit
• being interviewed is easier than having to
contribute articles to a newsletter

15. working with non-
profits
• often so cash-poor that they don’t feel they
can experiment - it is perceived that it is too
extravagant to podcast
• can bring stories to life
• you are providing an organization the ability
to tell a story

16. • for the average person, we are seen as being
at the leading edge of the new media (even
though we feel we have been doing it for
years)
• we are establishing the market - it will be
easier for those who come after us
• companies are looking for ROI prediction -
how can we sell the idea there will be
impact from podcasting?

17. • some solutions: it’s not the quantity, but
quality of people reached
• you cannot compare it directly to traditional
venues - you are never going to reach
60,000
• the 1,000 you reach with the podcast are
more interested

18. “selling” podcast idea to
the corporation
• use common language
• if they do not think podcasts are serious -
Larry King on CNN has a podcast; show
them examples of business podcasts
• show how much discussion is generated on
the Internet - selling it as a way to engage an
audience - generates discussion

19. predicting ROI
• how many people linked back in Technorati,
etc?
• who are the key bloggers in the market
• Donna: ROI = “return on influence”
• Ryan: ROA = “return on attention”

20. predicting ROI
• Dave Fleet: passionate people will search
out your company and will want to talk
about it
• Wayne McPhail: looking for ROI: you are
asking the wrong question
• Wayne: if you are on the leading edge, you
can get some media coverage as long as
client is mindful this is for a very short time

21. challenges of
bilingualism
• Robin: Canadian government is concerned
about bilingualism - how do you deal with
this?
• Wayne: he has experience with multiple
tracks in different languages. Incorporates
core messages in other language e.g. at
beginning and end.

22. researching differences
between industries?
• New PR wiki
http://thenewpr.com/wiki/pmwiki.php
• Ice Rocket.com for searching through blogs
• Google blog search

23. these notes generated during roundtable discussion
& recorded by Connie Crosby
thanks to all participants!