Now I’m not going to say I cracked the code of viral video by any means. There are far more accomplished online video people here than I. That said, this video I made hours after I got my iPhone has received +12,000 views with no promotion on my part.

Here’s what I learned:

1) Make it timely.
Because of the fact that I got my iPhone the day it was release (in the suburbs … so no lines) and did a video of it that night propelled it to a #35 raking on YouTube that weekend in their technology section. Yes, I was surprised, too :)

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The delivery of audio or video content via a Podcast or other channel of downloadable media, is one of the most intimate forms of communication possible, allowing you to make a unique and special connection with your audience.

This important, but largely overlooked, factor has a significant impact on how the potential value of using downloadable media (as a delivery mechanism for advertising) needs to be assessed.

As an example, let’s consider for a moment some of the special attributes inherent using the Podcast channel model:

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Congratulations to Angelo Mandato of RawVoice who was elected to the position of Measurement Committee Chair.

Yes, I was nominated for the position and am disappointed that I wasn’t elected, but I joined ADM to make a difference and I don’t need to be in an elected position to do that. (BTW, neither do you. If you haven’t joined ADM yet, I urge you strongly to consider it. Our joint participation is the only way we can affect positive change.)

Angelo, I’m ready to help tackle the measurement challenge whenever you are…

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Building a loyal audience is the goal of any online media creator. To do this requires a steady stream of new listeners to your content. Search engine traffic is powerful since the visitors are targeted and you incur no cost to bring each one to your site. Search engine optimization (SEO) is a set of practices for raising the rank of your site and web pages in the search engines for relevant keywords.

Podcasting requires some specific “best practices” to increase the search exposure of your audio, video and RSS content. Here are five tips that are sure to increase your traffic.

1. Accompany Audio and Video Content with Text

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I first want to congratulate the winners of the elections! I think we have great board members and look forward many great things they will accomplish. I myself did not win the position I wanted on the advisory board. Am I disappointed? Yes a little. Do I plan on letting that be the end of my relationship with the ADM?
Hell No!!

I am in for the long haul.

I want to be part of the Association for Downloadable Media as it moves forward to do great things!

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First of all, congratulations to the new Executive, Advisory Board and Committee Chair members of the ADM. I know they will do a great job stewarding our young association. I ran for a position on the Advisory Board, and although I was disappointed I did not win a seat, I am eager to continue and even ramp-up my involvement with the ADM. Why? I believe that downloadable media is the future (and the now) of communications, and that the ADM needs to lead the way.

I would like to be one of the first to sign up and assist with two of the newly formed Committees: Advertising Standards and Membership — two areas where I feel I can contribute to our organization. I hope others will contribute time to the Committees. We have a lot of work to do.

Executive and Advisory Board and Committee Chairs Selected by Members

NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO, December 3, 2007 – The Association for Downloadable Media (ADM) announced today the election results for the 20 inaugural office seat positions including the Executive Board (Chair, Vice Chair,
Secretary, Treasurer); eleven (11) Advisory Board seats, Chairs for: Advertising Standards Committee, Education & Outreach Committee, Measurement Committee, Membership Committee and the Terminology Standardization
Committee.

Set to provide leadership in measurement standards, research, education and advocacy to all those involved in portable media, the ADM is committed to advancing its charter of creating a landscape that facilitates the
commercialization of this growing audience. The ADM’s focus includes revenue generation from advertising and sponsorships of podcasts, vodcasts (aka vidcasts, video podcasts, or vlogs), and other audio/video digital content
distributed via RSS, ATOM, peer-to-peer, mobile devices, downloads from Web sites and other platforms to come. The organization has been formed to focus specifically on any content downloaded by consumers, and will work in
collaboration with related industry associations.

Chris MacDonald, EVP Business Development and Operations Libsyn PRO Enterprise Platform, founder of Indiefeed and newly elected Chairman of the ADM says, “The initial set of ADM founders and current members have
accomplished considerable groundwork. Now that we’re formalized, we will aggressively drive the agenda for monetization and advertising effectiveness of downloadable media and accelerate our membership drive. We will reach out to existing organizations to provide leadership, support, and assistance to this new
emerging area. Additionally, we will strive to become the preeminent information resource for efficacy and measurable results in the downloadable media space.”

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Congratulations to all ADM members who have volunteered their valuable time and resources to making us a vibrant emerging industry association. Your individual work makes the measurable difference. Your collective insight, blogs, recommendations, criticisms, and solutions, all of it marks the start of a great, functional organization.

Those who ran for positions during the recent election, you are catalytic. Regardless of the results, you kick-started this process and encouraged us with your platforms and ideas. Now we proceed having voted. To the elected, thank you for your commitment to lead and over-deliver on your charge. I hope each member seeks out their own unique and valuable ways to contribute to facilitating the growth of downloadable media.

A lot is riding on our ability to make a difference to publishers, advertisers and all the companies and individuals that operate in between.  This means attention to structural detail, cooperation, a good dose of patience, and learning how best to harness our energies so that our work yields real results, quickly. Our initial focus will include the following initiatives: Read more »

Over the past couple of years, I’ve had a fair amount of experience with trying to get Porter Novelli’s clients to advertise with, sponsor, partner with, or do media relations with a number of podcasts. And I’ve learned a lot from this process. I come from the traditional world of television syndication and advertising, and that has provided an interesting perspective through all this. Here’s a list of some of the things I’ve discovered along the way:

• Look professional. When I use Podcast Alley or contacts I’ve made at P&NME/PodCamp to check out a show’s site, I often make a snap decision as to the level of professionalism of the show, based on the quality of the Web site. Here and here are two great examples of very professional-looking sites.
• Respond quickly. After researching a show and (hopefully) finding an e-mail contact on the site, I’ll put the word out to the producer to contact me. Be sure to respond to those inquiries quickly. Business happens fast, and sometimes a decision whether to go with one show over another can come down to who got back to me quickly.
• Media kit. One of the must-have tools you should have on your site, if you intend to monetize, is a media kit. This is in most cases a link to a nice one- or two-page PDF detailing your show, its content, its audience, contact information, and advertising details. I like to have this to e-mail to my colleagues or clients as a quick “slick sheet” on a show.
• Rate Card. Another item you should have on-hand and up-to-date is a rate card. That’s the “suggested retail price” for advertising on or sponsoring your podcast. Again, this should be in PDF form to easily share with others. Don’t put it right on your site, unless you’re comfortable with that. It should also include a few different package deals (10 shows, 6 months, etc.).
• Know your numbers. When contacted, be sure to know your audience numbers. The ADM will be formulating guidelines for metrics in the coming months, but some good top-line numbers would be: downloads per episode, subscribers per episode, episodes produced per month. From those basics, I can extrapolate more detail. Another good metric is growth over time. If your show gets small numbers, it will grow. Keep with it. I can estimate a show’s future growth for a campaign starting 6 months from now based on historical data.
• Act like it’s the 6th advertising call you’ve gotten that day. This is a tricky one. While you don’t want to seem cocky when dealing with potential sponsors, you do want to seem buttoned-up. I once had a podcaster say to me, “I’m not sure … what do you think I should charge for this sponsorship?” Someone will rake you over the coals in that case (I didn’t.). Your content has value, so act like it does.
• Audience Research. Here’s the golden egg, and it’s something the ADM will be concentrating on. Ultimately, I’d love to know the demographic, geographic, and psychographic make-up of your audience. Without regimented research data, that will be a tall order. But it is something ad agencies get from their other media outlets. Even if you have any anecdotal information about your audience (based on e-mails, listener feedback, etc.), that would help.
• And finally, this is a tough pill to swallow, but one I must relay. Advertisers don’t value you or your show. They value your audience. They want ears, eyeballs, and clicking fingers. That’s the simple truth. That said, when speaking with potential sponsors, talk up the value of your audience over your show. It’s your audience that they care to reach.

Thanks for reading this far. If you have any comments or questions, feel free to post, and I’ll do my very best to respond.