Casey Helmick, Chief Strategist at D+C knows a thing or two about podcasting. I recently interviewed him on the subject and here is the final segment of our conversation:
Trent: A ministry we work with was wrestling through what to do with a podcast as it relates to their radio program on a five-day-a-week schedule. They asked, “Do we launch a separate podcast?”
The advice you gave was, “No, air the five-day-a-week podcast version of what’s on the radio. But then on Sunday, just launch the sermon that was preached Saturday night.”
Tell us about that.
Casey: We over-complicate things! People don’t have time to look for your pastor, teacher or ministry leader in 72 places. They want you to make it simple for them.
Why would we do anything different in podcasting? Let’s set up one channel. Let’s project all of the content we think is most valuable there. Let’s organize it well, communicate it clearly, and that’s how people will find us. They don’t want to hunt down something that’s hidden in the back room of some building. They just want to be told, “Here’s what we find valuable, and we think you’ll find this valuable too.”
Trent: I think the radio networks that are going to win the day are the ones that are investing in things outside of what’s happening on air. What’s your perspective on that?
Casey: Personality wins. As a fundraising organization, we’re always struggling to fight through the clutter. And for a while, social media was a place that you could really dive into development, and there’s still some value there. But we’re constantly trying to squeeze the sponge and get everything we can out of our mediums for the people we work with. Podcasting feels like a sponge that’s just so full of future potential.
I like the idea of organizations thinking creatively and saying, “Who do we have on our team? Who do we trust in our ecosystem to produce something that’s valuable to our purpose and mission?”
There are traditional radio/TV stations that could look into creating custom-owned programming that connects with all sorts of new audiences, and ultimately feeds back into listening to the station.
Trent: Here at D+C, you really encouraged us to start a podcast. Why were you compelled to say this is something we need to be doing at Dunham?
Casey: We have a lot of knowledge that sits inside of this building. It is often shared in individual meetings, emails, phone calls, and speaking engagements. The idea that we could capture that, record it, and give people easy access to it was really compelling.
My favorite thing about podcasting is how it forces organizations to have really hard discussions. “Who are the people we feel comfortable putting in front of a microphone? Who has the knowledge base to sit in front of a microphone and create something compelling? What direction, as a company, would we want to go in producing media?”
We have all these interesting discussions internally around what we want to be known for and what people think of when they see our logo.
This podcast is helping us figure that out. I’ve seen dozens of organizations end up with great content and really interesting discussions from a podcast. It gives you a very clear picture of who you are and what you believe in. And that’s more valuable than anything.
I will end by saying this: At the end the day, podcasting is not for everyone. If it’s not a natural fit, don’t do it. But it’s certainly something to consider if you haven’t already. Ask your team, “When is the last time we thought about it? When is the last time we turned it off of auto play, and actually put some effort behind it?”
The answer may surprise you.
For more insight into developing an effective podcast, don’t miss our Dunham Podcast episode, Ultimate Podcasting Podcast with Trent and Casey.
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