Personality. Droning is an attention killer. Right now for research purposes only I’m listening to a podcast that is purportedly designed to give you tips on public speaking. The podcaster has one tone – a dull one. I’m questioning the interest level of the broadcaster, so why should I bother listening to the content. Behind the dullness may be the most intriguing and provoking ideas in the world. But who’s going to bide their time waiting for the nuggets to pull them in? And more importantly, why am I still awake when by rights this podcast should have sent me to sleep?

Relevance. Know your audience and address their needs with reference to your company and its offerings. If you’re a tech company check the most popular diggs, vet techcrunch and mashable for the topics that are jarring and inspiring your kin. If you’re in marketing, suss out what the big agencies are working on. Find out who’s won the latest awards, and check out their work. Then talk about them.

Have a co-broadcaster. It’s far easier to engage your audience if it feels like they’re part of a talking shop rather than simply being addressed. I like it hard which is why I don’t. But you should, if you have a hot topic on your hands. Plus with two or more heads you get a more balanced opinion so your listeners are far more likely to relate to the subject matter.

Respond to your listeners. As your podcast grows in popularity you’ll get emails asking you to cover certain topics or questioning your line on a particular subject. Address them. Not only is it great PR to mention that so and so called in/wrote to ask about x, y or z – it’s also an essential way of making and breaking news yourselves. And since the chances are your podcast is relatively niche, you might even get some new product line ideas from your audience. Make it as easy as possible for them to contact you. Mention it on your website, in the show notes and of course, in the podcast itself while the moment is warm.

Set an agenda and stick to it. Give yourself an agenda as you would for a meeting. Expect to digress now and again – that’s human nature. But do stick to the subjects on the script and keep things on track.

Know your limits. It’s ok to have a short podcast, but not so great if you bust your listeners’ eardrums with an hour of chat. Rein it in. The runtime of an episode of ‘Neighbours’ is generally enough for any audience. Don’t forget they’ll be listening to it on their commute or in the kitchen/study. Half an hour is generally more than enough time to cover the topics of the day and pitch (subtly) any new products or services you’re working on. Don’t stretch your listeners’ capabilities. Podcasting is all about adding value, remember?

Develop a brand. Once you get into the swing of podcasting you’ll naturally gravitate towards a certain style. Try also to slot different segments into the ‘cast, punctuated by musical moments to break up the different sections. It’s important your podcast has its own personality. Don’t suppress it. You’ll soon find out by trial, error and audience feedback how well it’s being received. Adjust your tone and format accordingly. Keep an eye on iTunes to see how it’s being perceived by its wider audience (although don’t pay too much attention to the star ratings, since studies show most people are skewed towards the 5s and 1s with very few able to differentiate between 2s, 3s and 4s; I long for the day when Apple intoduces a thumbs up/down ratings system…) and stay close and loyal to the opinions of your most prolific customers.

Supplement with web content. Always, always, always produce show notes. They’re a mental recap of what’s gone on. They give your listeners additional information. A why, where, how, what and when relating to the podcast’s content. With links to even more information on the net or across other marketing channels. It’s so important to keep the conversation going after the podcast has finished. Don’t deny yourself the chance to convert that listener into a customer – or if they’re already one, to upgrade them to a bigger, better product. And when you get feedback, feel free to revert to the podcast theme through clever use of business blogging.

Did we mention we do business blogging, too?

Hey: after all that, now’s the time for me to put my money where my mouth is.

I promised you some awesome podcasts. Note: you’ll need iTunes to see, and subscribe to, these ‘casts. But it’s absolutely worth it. So, my favourite five:

• Get-It-Done Guy’s Quick and Dirty Tips to Work Less and Do More – simple ways to make things happen. As far as podcasts go this sets a benchmark: it’s usable, personable and definitely a brand builder. Steven Robbins is a clever guy with a great voice. Five stars.
• Marketing Over Coffee – commentary on current trends in marketing and communications, mostly focused on tech. But inspired nonetheless, for any listener. Four stars.
• Peter Day’s World of Business – a catch-all for commercial stories that might not necessarily get airtime elsewhere. Peter is lucid and enlightening. Four stars.
• Six Pixels Of Separation – this is a true work of genius. Your host Mitch Joel gets some great guests on board to discuss marcomms: an essential strategy if you’re going to keep your podcast fresh and lively to capture your listeners’ attention. Four-and-a-half stars.
• Freelance Radio – one of my all-time favourite podcasts. The team covers a smorgasbord of topics relating to today’s contractor in a fun and no-holds-barred style. Five stars.

Every time you open your mouth, you’re selling a service.

You live, you sell.

Someone with sense on his or her side said to me a while ago that it doesn’t matter whether you’re the interviewer or the interviewee, you’re on a sales pitch.

Makes sense really. You’re either selling your company or selling yourself.

And so it applies to every moment you’re doing business.

To make the most of every second you have to be able to read your audience or opposite number. It’s mission critical. Because if you don’t empathise and identify, you’re missing an opportunity to sell or cross-market.

On my top 10 books of all time is a fantastic read called How To Win Friends and Influence People. It’s an absolute bestseller, as it deserves to be. And has been, for 90 years. The fundamentals are the same today as they were when Dale Carnegie was inspired to write it in 1912.

Aware there was no training for folk to develop their relationship-building abilities, he established his own. And from short lectures grew this affable behemoth that is in my mind the definitive guide to treating people right. Tales abound of the angry proprietor whose staff despise him; after reading the book and applying its sound principles, he can call them his friends. The demonstrable change in how you perceive people when they understand their personal impact and how to benefit others with it, is acute.

So if you can combine the pursuits of smart discourse with empathy, you have a winning hand.

Imagine if you could maximise your personal impact and sell convincingly to hundreds if not thousands of prospects at a time?

That’s the power of podcasting.

A professional writer and broadcaster can:

1. Get up close and personal. A podcast delivers a sales message wrapped up in an intriguing and fun show. There’s a reason why radio endures to this day: it’s entertaining. Time’s right for you to have your own company DJ to enrich and excite your customers with sales and marketing in mind.

2. Make your messages multi-functional. Podcasts can tie all manner of different marketing and communications pieces together. They’ll amplify your brand. They’ll emphasise your successes, your progress. You can shout about your clients successes. Use interviews to add gravitas. The only limit, as they say, is your imagination (and how far your microphone can stretch).

3. Excite your customers. How hard is it to delight a customer on a Monday morning? You can only offer to wash so many dishes, walk so many dogs, cook so many breakfasts. But if you can be there on their MP3 player they take on the train or in the car every week, you’ll score ahead of the competition. Research shows that those messages that are received at the start of the working week, last beyond the end and carry monumental benefits to the broadcasting source as a result.

4. Overdeliver. There’s still a nationful of people who don’t expect you to go the extra mile and give them added value through a radio show. Yet in reality you’re lightening their lives with some fairly direct sales messages. If you can’t see the win-win in this situation, you’re in the wrong business.

5. Surprise. Sanctify the relationship with some elegant and community-focused discourse. Making the conversation personal is the way to winning business. Podcasts are your personal podium. With them you can reach out and tend to the needs of your customers with feedback based on their enquiries. Chances are many of your clients will have the same issues. And once your customers realise you’re going out of your way to help and abet, you’ve got a loyal brand advocate who will go out of their way for you.

Once your podcast is out inspiring and delighting your clients, with sophisticated tools available, ridiculously, free – you can…

6. Track and measure the outcome. Simple-to-integrate plugins can help you analyse the impact of your company’s voice on the netwaves. Whatever your goal, wherever you are.

So why waste the opportunity?

Put your thoughts down on paper. Buy a voice recorder. Hire a servant to deliver the gospel in an entertaining and direct fashion, with clarity, conviction and care.

Whatever your method or raison d’etre, you can be sure that by following this strategy, you can achieve results beyond your wildest expectations.