• by Tom Hespos , March 28, 2006

To me, podcasting is an odd bird. I feel that way for a number of reasons, but mainly because it's been successful despite its clunky and not-very-intuitive distribution model that has many potential listeners wondering how to get on board. I've predicted in prior columns that the assets we create today for podcasting will eventually be distributed through simpler and more powerful systems, but for now we've got an interesting model, and podcasting thrives despite its complexity.

The other big reason I think podcasting is odd is that, at first glance, it appears to be another one-way medium. That is, I think that most people who work in the media business look at podcasting simply as a niche distribution of radio and television content. In a sea of emerging media that are decidedly interactive, podcasting appears to be a throwback to the broadcast model. But appearances can be deceiving.

Quite a few clients have asked me recently about whether podcasts are appropriate venues for their broadcast commercials. I caution them against this because podcasts are firmly in the interactive camp, and broadcast thinking tends to not get us very far in such media. In fact, although podcasting has a good deal in common with television and radio, the end user expects podcasts to be interactive.

When I look at what many popular podcasts have in common, the really good ones tend to be two-way. That is, the podcast is only the push component of a push-pull mechanism that furthers a dialogue. Typically, a podcaster will use a We site, e-mail, message board or other interactive element to solicit feedback from listeners and viewers. Those comments factor heavily into the editorial product.

A great way to get familiar with how this is best executed is to head over to Across The Sound and listen to marketing expert Joseph Jaffe and whoever his guest host might be that week. (Not only will you get a lesson on the interactivity of podcasts, but you'll also have an opportunity to brush up on your new-media marketing chops.) Joseph solicits feedback through a number of channels. First of all, Across The Sound has a companion blog. People leave comments there. Joseph reads most of them on the air and reacts to them. Then there's reader e-mail, which again gets read on the air. Joseph has even added audio comments, and listeners submit audio files to him to be played on the air. When was the last time your local radio station did that? The overarching point here is that there is an inherent expectation of interactivity when podcasts are concerned.

Sure, there are plenty of podcasts that are push only. I do find that they tend to be marginalized when they too closely resemble terrestrial radio shows. No listener feedback is a big drag--add "buy my crap" commercials and the long-term prospects for success become quite dim.

I'm not saying there will never be successful broadcast-only podcasts. But as marketers, we should be thinking twice about trying to inject broadcast advertising messages into this medium. It would be a better idea to try a conversational marketing approach, rather than risk strangling a podcast in its cradle by talking without listening.

Podcasting is NOT niche television or niche radio. It's a piece of a greater whole, and we'd be wise to respect that.