39 - Tip Tuesday - The Art of Podcasting with Elsie Escobar

To know podcasting, is to know Elsie Escobar.  She is probably one of the most passionate people for this medium who I have met, and her love for it is infectious.  As podcasting gains more popularity, there seems to be less and less originality in the newly released podcasts.  If you're thinking about creating your own, this is a can't miss episode, as Elsie gives some brilliant ideas of what you can do with a podcast outside of the basic interview.  

Elsie started podcasting because she really loved listening to podcasts.  She has made it a goal to be a student for life, and it was podcasting that really gave her that ability.  She started her own podcast by teaching yoga classes.  Because she was one of the only few producing a yoga show, iTunes was very good for building her brand.  Today, Elsie has several different shows.

What are some ways to use podcasting to promote your business outside of the standard interview format?  Publishing a book was actually started via a podcast, and one of the originators ended up getting his own publishing deal.  Scott Siglar, has been a name in podcasting for a long time.  

There was even one guy who did a whole muppet show, with various voices, etc, and families loved it and would tune in.  He ended up getting hired by Jim Henson's company to travel and do some puppeteering.  He started by selling some episodes in the iTunes store, by using CD Baby.  

How can you use it to promote your brand?  Even brick and mortars can use this as having small recordings of things that are being held at your place.  You can interview guests that might be coming into your place.  You can use it as a way to promote your events.  Elsie gave a great suggestion of talking about new items coming into your store, or advice and tips based on your profession.  Elsie even said she has heard local dentists doing their own podcasts.

Elsie suggested as a business owner, step by step ideas of podcasting may not work for everyone.  It's really about making the curtains go up, and figuring out how it's going to work for you.  It's really not as plug and play that people like to make it out to be.

What are some of the formats?  The interview format is really one of the most popular ones because you can batch them, and you can also build your audience quickly by leveraging your guest's audience.  You can also have a co-host, where the batching is a bit more difficult.  However, it's great because people really get to know you a lot better, and people really love to watch the relationship work and grow.  If you're working solo, it's a little easier because you only have to worry about scheduling yourself.   However, it might be harder for you to fill that time with just talking.  You can also do a round table type, where you have a facilitator, then a group of experts and you have a discussion around a topic.

There's also the scene podcast, where the scene is the backbone of the podcast.  For example, a travel podcast where you talk about where you're traveling.

Podcasts Mentioned:

Mommy's Cocktail Hour

Amateur Traveler Travel Podcast

She Podcasts

 What would you recommend for a publishing schedule to get the most from it?  Elsie recommends the first couple of weeks to have 3 in that week, and then slow down to a weekly podcast.  Then if it feels like a little too much, and you have a following, then you can drop it off to every other week.  For optimal following, a weekly episode would be great.

More About Elsie:  Elsie Escobar is a digital Jedi, working in the mystical paradox between tech and holistic living choosing podcasting and the magic of audio as her weapon of choice.

Her services include Digital Media Strategy and Development with a podcasting focus, which encompasses creation, production and launch, but most importantly breaks out of the cookie cutter podcasting mold and pushes the boundaries of what is possible with the medium creatively.

She's currently the co-host of She Podcasts the podcast for women podcasters and The Feed: The Official Libsyn podcast, which key focus is on keeping people podcasting. You can also get your yoga on the go with her long running Elsie's Yoga Class - which has over 100 audio yoga classes for your consumption.

Step into her world by following her on Instagram, her hub of choice http://instagram.com/yogeek"