Podcasting for printers: Part 1

There are many great reasons for a printing business to create a podcast, whether you’re a large, medium or small business in this industry. In the first of this three-part series, we’ll explore why to start a podcast and your target audience. In Part 2, we’ll examine the what, where and when of ‘finding your voice’ as you determine a podcast format and plan. Part 3 will focus on the ‘how’ including the hardware and software requirements. Just over a year ago, I dove into the world of podcasting, launching Talk Paper Scissors – a podcast about printing and design, typography and branding, books and publishing. What started as a passion project quickly turned into an important communication channel that I’ve integrated into my role as an educator in the graphic arts industry. My dad was in the audio business his entire life. While I inherited some of his desire to connect via audio, I definitely didn’t have the technical skill set. Nowhere in my formal education was I taught how to write and record for audio, edit audio tracks, broadcast audio via the internet, set up RSS feeds to ensure that podcast directories could find my content, and so on. However, with the help of fellow podcasters, LinkedIn Learning and YouTube tutorials, as well as good old fashioned stick-with-it-ness, I was able to create and broadcast my work to the world. I’ve learned a lot creating Talk Paper Scissors and coaching others to create their own podcasts. I aim to give you a high-level overview of questions, tools and considerations for starting a podcast.

Why should a printer create a podcast?

According to author and podcaster Eric Nuzum, you only need two prerequisites to start a podcast: something to say and a passion for saying it. Podcasting is relatively uncharted territory for most businesses. As Buzzsprout describes in its excellent free resource, How to Start a Podcast – The Step-by-Step Guide, for every one podcast there are roughly 29 YouTube channels and 750 blogs. Plus, approximately 90 million Americans and 8 million Canadians listen to podcasts every month! Podcasting, therefore, is a comparatively untapped, yet indemand channel and unique opportunity to carve out space in an otherwise crowded digital landscape. More specifically, a podcast is a high-value, low-cost tool that can help you 1) establish yourself as a thought-leader in industry, 2) allow you to explore interesting topics that can add value to your current products and services, and 3) allow new customers to find your business. Therefore, podcasting is a tool that can leverage current sales, marketing and customer-service efforts in ways that few other mediums can. Unlike the fragmented and microbursts of marketing content blasted out each day on social media, TV and other commercial channels, podcasting is a unique long-form content approach. Podcasts are also often consumed onthe-go – while walking the dog, exercising, driving and so on. With easy accessibility to hardware and software, recent simplicity of recording and distributing your work, and the relatively inexpensive cost of both, there’s never been a better time to start your own audio broadcast.

Who is your podcast intended for?

You can use podcasting to educate customers about everything from the power of packaging design to the world of publishing. Whatever your topic, it should be aligned with your business goals while keeping your audience highly engaged. What are your audience’s desires, hopes, dreams and fears that will help direct the content you create and the overall strategy you employ? The ‘who’ must be addressed before the what, where, when and how. Creating an audience profile (sometimes called an ‘avatar’ or ‘muse’) is a helpful first step, including writing a description about a specific individual for whom you are creating this podcast. Then look beyond the obvious and try to pinpoint big emotions that lie under the surface. Don’t worry if it feels like you’re overgeneralizing at this point. No two people are the same, but understanding commonalities among your listeners is invaluable. No listener will be 100% like your avatar, however every listener wants to be like your avatar in some way, shape or form. Envisioning your future podcast should feel exciting and challenging. Let your ideas marinate for a few weeks and stay tuned for Part 2 when we’ll tackle the key questions of what, where and when to podcast.

Diana Varma is a Lecturer at the School of Graphic Communications Management (GCM) and the Master of Digital Media (MDM) program at Ryerson University. She also hosts a podcast called Talk Paper Scissors. www.talkpaperscissors.info