The Lead

The session this morning focused on the whys or why-nots of podcasting an event. Much of what we do as public relations professionals is recommend, create and execute events on behalf of our clients. It's simplistic to think of recording an event -- whether it's a presentation, performance, etc. -- as merely an MP3 file sitting there waiting to be downloaded. That's where my viewpoint was wrong. Duh.

PR pros can take advantage of podcasting in a way that isn't necessarily a banal, two-minute interview or even a self-centered talk show. For example, what if you were a not-for-profit organization and you hosted an event/Webcast designed to persuade a legislature and other key influencers to support a particular issue. And during that Webcast, you found the live Web audience to be small. Instead of simply hoping that people navigate to the site to view the Webcast, what if the session was recorded, converted into an MP3 format and then was pushed to those key influencers by email, or mailed on CD or other media?

There are many technical and content considerations when determining what to record and deliver as a podcast. We need to be aware of issues such as sound engineering, audio redundancy and fair use as we develop our programs. But most importantly, we need to make a solid business case for creating a podcast. Our approach is to be strategic -- how will this help us meet our communications and business objectives? If we can answer that question and provide a solid, strategic foundation for the podcast, the possibiliites will be great and plentiful.

More from SXSW later...