MWGblog

I have just returned from my 4th Podcast/Portable & now New Media Expo. Once again, a first class event. As most of you know, I have been involved with podcasting since before it even had a name. Having participated in it all along the way, this year’s Expo solidified many of the thoughts I’ve held over the last year. The items in this list are not fully developed; I could easily do a 30-minute podcast on each. These are more a summary of my stream of consciousness top ten take aways:

1. The Expo continues to enable us to re-connect with old friends. There is a real sense of camaraderie among the original podcasters. That was no different this year. Good times with lots of great podcasters.

2. The New Media Expo was once again a great opportunity to meet new people who are excited about podcasting. A lot of fresh faces this year.

3. Tim Bourquin (the show’s organizer) got some flack this year about the exhibit floor being smaller – not true. The show had the exact same exhibit space as in years past: 12,000 square feet. It was a much bigger venue, which affects the perceived size. Kudos to Tim for stepping up and making the financial commitment to lock in the Las Vegas Convention Center. That said, the exhibit space did not grow. In a “growth” industry that spells trouble. My take, one I shared with Tim at dinner this past week, was to lose the exhibitors and focus on the conference. (The conference sessions are where the real value lies in my opinion.) Tim is one of the most diligent and hard working people I know. If he can’t corral the exhibitors it is not for a lack of effort, it is a signal that they are not sold on the market potential. (Curious to see what he announces regarding next year.)

4. A schism is developing between “indie” podcasters and those they thought were focused on supporting them. I had conversations with CEO’s who are now clearly focused on large corporate clients; those with the resources they believe are capable of massive reach. They want to fulfill those companies’ production and ad sales needs. Think podcasts produced by TV networks, media companies and news organizations etc. This makes complete sense from a business plan and sales perspective, but is very different from what you heard from these same companies just a year ago. Some of the well-known employees of these companies have not yet come to terms with this shift. You hear one thing from them and something completely different from their “C” level management.

5. Many content producers have finally realized that if they want to monetize, they are on their own. You are your own best salesperson. Need proof? Look at who did not attend this year. If ad sales/aggregation groups were working as a market segment, they would have been the largest contingent of exhibitors. Most have vanished or “refocused” their business plans.

6. If you insist on trying to monetize your “indie” podcast (less than 50K downloads per episode) I stand by my previous advice: Sell your own ad/sponsor deals. If it is not in your blood – i.e. you don’t like selling/asking for money, my advice is to contact Todd Cochrane. Wow! Big surprise there. Many know that I have, at times, been critical of Todd’s collection of companies. But I also give credit where credit is due. With the shift of everyone else heading to the higher ground of corporate size distribution and budgets, Todd & Co. are the only folks left who passionately believe in the “indie” podcaster. I still think you can and should get more, but if you don’t like the work involved, Todd will give you a fair shake.

7. Passion is critical. Find something you love and podcast about that. Things seem to work out for those who are truly passionate about their content.

8. Corporate podcasting is alive and well. Just as with my presentations at this year’s CES and NAB conferences, companies and the folks they have charged with their podcast initiatives continue to come to sessions to learn how to produce compelling and interesting content. As I’ve said before, the real money is in consulting to these organizations, they have budgets: money to spend. If you carefully look to see who continues to come to NME events you’ll notice many of the monetization experts are in the podcast consulting business.

9. A common thread I heard during conversations with some well-known podcast figures was “I’m figuring out what I am going to do next” and “it was good while it lasted.” See #10 below.

10. I can’t help but end with this: My presentation last year was dead on – I gave everyone a full year’s notice. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

UPDATE: 11. (How could I have forgotten 11? Everyone knows all good things go to 11.) Brian Ibbott did an amazing job with the Coverville 500. That took real planning, work and investment. I can’t tell you how impressed everyone was with the event. Brian put on a great show and was ably assisted by Dan Klass as the evening’s MC. Great job guys!

As I mentioned earlier, I am heading off to PodCamp NY this week. I’m looking forward to it. The only change to my plans is that I have agreed to do a presentation along with Tim Bourquin on Friday at 3PM. We’ll be talking about growing your audience and monetization. My part is a condensed version of the presentation I gave last week at NAB. This one just tuned for the PodCamp audience.)

Best of all I was able to score some last minute reservations at Gordon Ramsay’s at The London (Thank you Amex). As a long time Gordon Ramsay fan it should be a good way to kick off a great event.

Looks like Tim Bourquin and the crew at TNC New Media are working along the same lines as I proposed in my presentation at this year’s Podcast & New Media Expo. My first few slides featured the tombstone at left. Yes I did have a slide that said  “Podcasting is Dead,” but as with all things it was the context that mattered. I’m as heavily invested in podcasting as anyone. You’ll have to listen to the full presentation when it is available on our Podcast Academy channel (irony?).

The main thrust of my argument is that podcasting is dead for those trying to monetize the content they produce because it no longer holds any special sway or benefit. Frankly, in some cases the term may be hindering content producers because of the perception of that term among advertisers. The podcast community, the use of podcasting for individuals, corporations and organizations to distribute content, the ease of entry and all the benefits podcasting has brought us are alive and well. But if you are trying to make money from your content, you need to face facts; you are a Digital Media Entrepreneur. (Some like New Media Entrepreneur – that works too.) The sooner you expand your scope the better. That is a much bigger pool to swim in, and as such, all avenues of distribution must be considered, RSS or otherwise. While the phrase “podcasting is dead” sounds drastic, it is a good thing. It is meant to grab the audience’s attention and drive the point home: expand your scope. After all, in years past would have rather been a newsletter article writer or have expanded your scope and been in the publishing business?

Anyway, I noticed on the page for next year’s event, the name has changed. Now it is the New Media Expo.

On Friday Sept. 28th at 1:00PM, all the authors of our new book, Podcast Academy™: The Business Podcasting Book will be doing an author signing at the New Media Expo. If you’d like to meet some of the original practitioners of podcasting, this is a great opportunity to see them all at once: Greg Cangialosi, Ryan Irelan, Tim Bourquin, and Colette Vogele. I’ll stop by as well. Check us out at the Expo’s book shop.

This last week I received my first advanced copy of our new book, Podcast Academy™: The Business Podcasting Book. This is one serious book. When I agreed to do the project, I did what any respectable “Editor-in-Chief” would do. I invited the smartest people I know to act as authors. They turned out an impressive 420 page tome that weighs in at a hefty 2.3 pounds! If you are involved in any sort of corporate or organizational podcast initiative this is the book for you. Should be on store shelves by the end of the week. Bravo once again to our impressive list of contributing authors: Greg Cangialosi, Ryan Irelan, Tim Bourquin, and Colette Vogele!

I have a feeling that Endurance Planet, the podcast created by Tim Bourquin (of Podcast Brothers and PME fame) has been sold. Tim has often mentioned finding a new home for Endurance Planet. When talking with him the other day, he let it slip that he had just done his last EP interview. When pressed, he was tight lipped about why. My guess is he sold it. Given its track record and the niche it fills, Tim should have gotten a good price for the show and archives. I guess we’ll have to wait to see if I am right or just spreading rumors.

Update: Confirmed. Tim sold it, though the buyer has not been publicly disclosed yet. They made mention of the sale in the 1-25-07 Podcast Brothers. Congrats to Tim & Co.

I accepted an invitation to speak at CES this year. Looks to be an interesting panel along with friends, Eric Schwartzman, Jason Van Orden and moderated by Tim Bourquin. It is an important topic: Audio and Video Podcasting: The Right Way To Use This Medium for Marketing. That plus the Las Vegas location made it a no brainer. I’ve been to CES a few times and always had a great time. [Link]

I just posted an interesting interview with Tim Bourquin on our Behind The Mic Series. If you are curious about the story behind the Podcast and Portable Media Expo, you may find it interesting. I have to admit though, my favorite part is our discussion of “advanced” field research techniques for measuring the spread of podcasting. [link]

The Podcast & Portable Media Expo has been named as the 2006 Award winner for Expo Magazine’s Best New Show in the Trade and Consumer Show category. Congratulations to Tim Bourquin and the entire team at TNC New Media. It is quite an honor.