So after 5 months, I’m finally getting the second session out that Marc and I gave at PodcampAZ last year. In this video we discuss some of the things we discovered during the first year with our podcast, The Wood Whisperer, including start-up equipment, marketing, media kits, press releases, sponsorships, advertisers, connecting and surveying your audience. And if you can believe it, we did it all in under one hour! Of course it goes without saying that these are just our experiences. You may find that not everything we talk about applies to you, but hopefully you can walk away with at least 1 new piece of information or insight into a relatively new medium (personally I think you’ll walk away with more And if the video wasn’t enough, you can also find our presentation on Slideshare.net

I would like to thank David Yamamoto again from the Phoenix PC Users Group. Without him this video would not have been recorded. Thank you Dave!!!

Some of the websites mentioned in the session

Skaeser Lights & Photography
blip.tv
Tubemogul
Podcast Designs
Branders.com
Survey Monkey
eSurveysPro
PRWeb
Podcast Brothers
Leo Laporte
Radiohead

Right Click to download iPod (mp4) file

Back in November of last year, Marc and I had the pleasure of hosting 2 sessions at PodcampAZ. The first dealt with how we used uStream.TV to connect with the of audience The Wood Whisperer. Of course uStream can be used all sorts of different ways, but really we looked at it as a tool to build connections with our audience. The result…both Marc and I have a much stronger sense in who is watching The Wood Whisperer as well as making some amazing friends in the process.

So for those who couldn’t attend PodcampAZ or were in another session (there were so many). I’m posting the entire session right here. Yes I know it’s an hour long, but there was a lot of great discussion going on and I didn’t want to leave anything out (not to mention I didn’t want another delay in putting the video out).

I’d also like to thank David Yamamoto from the Phoenix PC Users Group. Without him this video would not have been recorded. Thank you Dave!!!

Click to download iPod (mp4) file

This is a question I get from time to time and to be honest when I first started looking into writing my own press release for The Wood Whisperer, I quickly wanted to hire someone else to do it for me. So I began my search for any and all information on the subject. One of the best places I found was a site called Publicity Insider and from there a complete run down of the process and purpose of a press release. Really I look at a press release as a means to formally define what your company/service (yes your podcast is your company) can provide.

The press release can then be distributed through a number of methods including free services like I-Newswire, PR.COM , 24-7 PressRelease and PRWeb.com. Once the press release is distributed then reporters or editors can choose to use some or all of it in their own websites/newspapers/magazines. Remember you are basically writing an article for them, in order for them to use it they will need to see the value/benefit in what you are promoting (ie are you providing a service that will solve a problem or make someones life better by watching/listening to your podcast) .

Here is what my original press release for The Wood Whisperer looked like and how a couple of sites took that information and repurposed it on their own sites:
901am
Social Computing Magazine

Now keep in mind that with the online PR sites there are 2 options, free and paid. I decided to use the free service that pr.com offers and then pay for the upgrade with prweb.com. Why? I had a nice little intro video that I wanted to couple with my press release and to get that service I had to pay. I’m sure many of you know much more than me about distribution of press releases so if you have additional advice, please add a comment below.

So what does this press release do for me? Besides the obvious of getting your company/service officially out to the general reporting public, it also can provide a go to “what your podcast is all about” statement. If I ever need to give a company or individual a rundown of what The Wood Whisperer is about, I can simply point them to my press release with video on PRweb. The information is designed to be straight and to the point and the video is entertaining as well.

So if you’re like me examples always help; so here are just a couple press releases I found from other podcasts out there. If you have one of your own, feel free to list it in the comments below. I’m always interested in seeing how other podcasts create their own press release and to be honest I don’t see very many.

MBA Working Girl Podcast
Fantoo Girls Podcast