Those of a certain age familiar with the pre-internet 80s will remember fanzines. For those who don’t they were DIY magazines that focused on a specific area, maybe a certain type of music or a particular football team. As we now live online with a growing aversion to long reads, could podcasts be the new fanzines?
But why could podcasts be seen as the new fanzines?
In the same way as fanzines allowed you to write about what was most important to you, you can do a podcast about anything.
In the same way as fanzines gave you full editorial control (not only in terms of what you want to cover but also how you want to cover it), you can choose exactly how you want to structure your podcast.
And in the same way as you would write, set and photocopy your fanzine when it suited you, with a smartphone in your pocket and umpteen free to use internet applications at your fingertips, you can choose where and when your podcast goes live.
Why should lawyers and accountants launch a podcast?
If you are a lawyer or an accountant, the idea of doing a podcast could well be a bit scary. It shouldn’t be. Don’t think of it as a mass broadcast radio show that requires a highly polished host. Think about it as an aural blog.
Instead of writing the answers to the questions your clients ask you, talk them through. Better still, talk them through with a colleague, client or contact. Conversations are always more interesting to listen to than a monologue.
In fact, as a starting point yo could even trawl back through your most popular blogs and use them as your outline. If people were willing to engage with these topics inwriting, imagine how many more will listen to your advice and suggestions.
For me this is the reason lawyers and accountants should launch a podcast.
With more demands on our time and more and more content clamouring for our attention during the working day, we need to come up with new and different ways to convey what we want to say. Podcasts are a hugely popular option. Instead of having to spend more time reading on a screen, you can download them and listen to them where and when suits you best.
And the fact you’re listening rather than reading makes the whole process even easier for your audience.
How do I launch a podcast?
The first thing is to choose the topics you want to cover, define the audience you want to reach and agree what you want them to get from listening to you (and what you want them to do next).
Once you’ve made these decisions, we’d suggest you download our 10½ tips to help you improve your podcast. They cover pretty much everything you’ll need to know and do irrespective of your specialism or practice area and irrespective of whether you’re a solicitor, an accountant, a patent or trademark attorney or a barrister.
If you would like any help with launching any new marketing or business development initiative, please contact us today and we can find a time to talk.