LeadershipCasting

Val Landi's Weblog, Thursday February 16

I’m enthralled with the potential of podcasting.

Most of the newly minted Web 2.0 companies are being run by visionary founders and their 1st generation teams.

Podcasting is a perfect vehicle for emerging brands to gain mindshare and aggregate and convert a community of marketplace evangelists.

The key to developing and launching a successful in-house podcasting center is to hire or identify a brilliant audio-skilled storyteller and interviewer and engage your team in weekly or daily riffs on your technology platforms, human interest bios, or cool new product releases.

It’s a perfect platform to hold conversations with partners and industry experts on trends and issues impacting your market segment.

Think of the fascinating programs that could be built around interviews with a Guy Kawasaki, Edgeio founders Keith Teare and Michael Arrington, search guru John Battelle, Technocrati’s  David Sifry, Jeff Clavier, Microsoft’s Robert Scobel, blogging pioneer Doc Searls or Dave Winer, NetIQ's Marc Andrews, VoIP pioneer Jeff Pulver, Pandora’s Joe Kennedy, Salesforce.com’s Marc Benioff, NetSuite’s Zach Nelson, Trip Hawkins,  Google’s Larry Page, or Skyp’s Nikolas Zennstrom.

Just about every company in our industry has a star of this quality that you can use to engage in conversation to gain mindshare.

But only if it’s done properly.

In May 2000, I launched Redband Broadcasting to create streamed audio programs integrated within then state-of-the-art GUIs that we created for major media and entertainment companies.

Redband, a Sony venture, folded after our world went south post 9-11.

The takeaway lesson I learned was the critical importance of hiring CNN or NPR-level talent to deliver both the content and production values needed to enthrall and hold an audience of professionals.

World-class production and delivery skills are precisely the DNA missing in 99% of today’s podcast programs. Many are downright embarrassing.

Great blogging talent does not translate into or guarantee great podcasts. The best example of how to do it right is John Furrier's InfoTalk Podcast: daily interviews with the leading voices of Silicon Valley.

One of my major tasks in the month ahead will be apply these lessons as we integrate best-of-class podcasting platforms into our soon to be released Realtime NexMedia suite.