(Click Here) for the podcast version of this article
There is an old saying people use and it goes something like this: “If a tree falls in the forest, does it make any sound if no one is there to hear it?”
That’s a good question even if it does sound a little dumb. If the falling tree does make a sound and no one is there to hear it does it make any difference whether it happened at all? Will anyone even know or care that it happened?
I think we all know the sound is there, it just takes someone to be there to experience it to be sure of the fact, or at least, share the experience with others so they will know that it happened.
I think that’s the way it is with podcasting also. There are many existing and brand new podcasts being put out every minute of everyday. Some are heard and some are out there just waiting to be heard. Some are great, some are good and other’s … well … they’re there, but … who knows why? (Sorry, sometimes those editorial comments just kinda slip out.)
If the sites and sounds are there but no one is there to see or hear them, that’s as if they aren’t there at all, isn’t it? No one knows about them. No matter how good or bad they may be, without an audience, they are just background noise that is ignored and goes completely unnoticed. To a beginner, that can be somewhat discouraging. To an advanced user, it is a challenge. The challenge to both being how to get someone, or many someones, to hear and see the sites and sounds and share the experience with others.
Now, I don’t want to go into a big discussion on how to get or grow an audience at this point, but I will say this. The better the quality of the material and the way it is presented, the better chance it has of being recognized in a positive way and becoming a successful venture.
Why would anyone care if their podcast is successful or not? Isn’t it enough that they produce it and it is there for someone to listen to?
You don’t have to look very far to see the answer to the first question. Podcasting, whether audio or video, is becoming one of the most important means of communicating ideas between people. Some are there just to make us laugh and some are there to help us understand what is going on in the world around us. Even others are there to inform us of our favorite past-time, hobby or interest, or, educate us in any number of subjects. If someone produces one and no one knows it exists, the information is sitting there with no audience and no hope of becoming effective or successful in any way. So, simply producing one doesn’t mean that the information it contains will ever be heard or seen.
It is important to remember the reason why you want to produce yours if you want to see your audience grow. What is the reason you wanted to do one in the first place? Was it to communicate an idea or raise the awareness of some injustice or concern? Was it to make people laugh at certain situations, or, themselves? Perhaps you wanted to generate an income, or help others generate one, and you use the medium to sell the products, share the information and the process. Whatever the reason, there must have been something about it you thought was important enough to spend time in producing it.
At some time or other, you will want to be sure that the message you have for others is going to be heard. There are ways to accomplish this and we will discuss them along the way over the next few weeks. In the mean time, just remember the reason a podcast can sometimes be like a tree falling in the forest is because no one is there to hear it.
See ya next time . . .
