Retired

Well, my days of being obsessed with podcasts and guerilla marketing are long over. I figured I should make a final post putting this blog to rest. I would have deleted it altogether, but I thought maybe it should stick around for posterity... That, and I don't want to do the 2 minutes of research that would be necessary to figure out how to delete it!

Maybe someday I'll jump back in to the world of podcasts, but until then, I'll keep on keeping busy with my art (www.lukeandmolly.com), fixing up the house, and playing with my kittens.

Cheers!

Tips #7 and 8

Hello, faithful readers! I am still busy and still not making much time for the internet lately. It might be a while before I update again, so I'm going to put a couple of tips in this post...

Tip #7 - Make a big sign.
Put a giant sign in your window featuring a url. This will work especially well if you live in a dorm, or in an apartment that faces a lot of traffic. Obviously, it would work best with a short url such as bitjobs.net. No need to explain what it is - the idea is to make people curious enough to check it out on their own.

Tip #8 - Flyers with tear-offs
You know those flyers with the little tabs at the bottom that you tear off? They have a phone number or url or whatever on the tab. Pretty obvious, but this is a good way to promote. I've been thinking about ways to make those flyers especially attention-grabbing. You could use "Hello, my name is..." stickers on small flyers. Perhaps they could say things like...

"Hello, my name is EXCELLENT PODCAST"
"Hello, my name is BEST BAND EVER"
"Hello, my name is CHECK ME OUT"

Then maybe put a little cryptic phrase underneath the sticker, such as "you know you want to." Then put the url on the tabs. Again, I'm thinking that leaving some mystery is best. Personally I'd be much more likely to actually look something up if it didn't make sense, but I'm kind of a researcher at heart...

Okay, that is all for today. Thanks to all of my podcast friends who have emailed me recently, and sorry I have been so absent lately! I will get caught up on my podcast listening one of these days...

Tip #6

I have returned! Sorry for the hiatus - just been busy with life outside the internet lately. And now, without further ado...

Tip #6 - Give the gift of suggestion. Along with birthday or Christmas gifts (or Valentines!), include a personalized list of band/podcast recommendation especially for that person. Ideally, the suggestions and the present should go together. For example, you could give an iTunes gift card and recommend some independent bands whose music is available through iTunes. Or if you get the person, say, a coffee table book featuring scenic views of Scotland, the note in the card could read as follows: "And, to go with your scenic views, check out the podcasts available at www.scottishpodcasts.com. Some of them feature fascinating little tastes of Scottish culture, and they ALL have dreamy accents!"

Tip #5

Tip #5: Leave handwritten notes. People pay much more attention to a personally handwritten note than they ever would to an advertisement or mass produced flyer. Buy a little notepad and write a note on each page that's sort of a plug for a band or podcast. Take the notepad with you everywhere you go, and leave notes places. You could tuck them under windshield wipers, sneak them into pockets of clothes at a thrift store, use them as "bookmarks" in books at the library, or "accidentally" leave them behind at a public place. Be creative with what you write on the note - think of what might grab someone's attention or make them curious.

I'm really excited about this tip, and I'm planning on putting examples of notes I leave up on the blog. So stay tuned! I'd love to hear about examples of notes you leave (or any other promotions ideas, as well). Just leave a comment here, or email me (mollyfromomaha at gmail dot com) by clicking the link at the top of the sidebar.

In other news, an audio comment I sent was featured at the very beginning of the electrical language podcast, show number 5! It's a great new music podcast, and you should all give it a listen. I heard a rumor that an audio comment I sent to Grant might be played on Three From Leith this week, too!

Tip #4

Tip #4: Tell Tivo you'd like them to include your favorite podcast on their podcast directory.

I found out today that you can get podcasts through Tivo! Apparently their directory of available shows is lacking, especially in quality independent shows. Top of the Pods would like your help in changing that situation. So, click on the following link, and let Tivo know you'd like Top of the Pods (mention the feed url: http://feeds.feedburner.com/topofthepods) in their podcast directory. Check with your other favorite podcasters and see if they'd like to be mentioned to Tivo as well.

http://research.tivo.com/suggestions/2web519.htm

(Don't worry if you don't have Tivo - I didn't, and I still submitted my suggestion. They don't need an email address or proof that you have Tivo or anything. Try checking some of the other feature boxes so that you look like you actually care about Tivo, rather than just TOTP!)

Tip #3

Tip #3: Get on a podcast!

What better reason can you give your friends to listen to a podcast than to let them know that they'll hear YOU on it? Send in an audio comment or a sweeper. Or, just email the podcaster(s) and say something really interesting that they might be inclined to mention on the show. Some of my friends and relatives started listening to Top of the Pods, Like a Podcast, and Three from Leith once I got them to listen to my mentions on those shows.

The lastest exciting news? I'm a guest on episode #54 of bitjobs for the masses!, a podcast by the phenomenal Phil Coyne of Birmingham in England. Bitjobs is one of my favorite podcasts, and Phil is one of my favorite people in the podcasting industry, so it was a real honor to be featured on the show. And the best part? All of my friends and family are going to listen to it! Once they listen to that one episode, I'm sure most of them will be hooked and will become regular subscribers, and posters on the bitjobs forum. (Hint: You should, too!)

For anyone stopping by because you heard that latest episode of bitjobs, please leave a comment to say hi! Subscribe to my blog if you'd like, or stop back often for new ideas of ways to spread the word about Phil's wonderful show, as well as other podcasts and bands.

(p.s. I'm almost done with the boring, obvious tips - more creative/sneaky/off-the-wall ones to come shortly!)

Tip #2

Tip #2: Tell a stranger! I've been on Skype a lot lately, and random people keep messaging me. I'm too nice to brush them off, so I end up talking to them for awhile, and I figured, I might as well use that as a vehicle to tell the world about podcasting! I talked to a guy named Shawn yesterday who was at first very anti-podcasting. After explaining why I like podcasts, and why I prefer them to other forms of entertainment (tv, commercial radio, internet radio), I got him to listen to one, which he didn't really like... But! He said he'd listen to another of my recommendations another time. This tip is not very efficient, time-wise, but if you're going to be wasting time messaging with strangers anyway, there's really no time lost, right?

If you have any success with any of these tips, please post a comment and tell me about it!

a work in progress

I did a little work on the site today - added links and got a feedburner feed. On the off chance that you actually subscribed from the link I posted the other day, please unsubscribe and use the feedburner one instead, if it's not too much trouble! If you don't currently have an RSS aggregator, I recommend RSSOwl. Thanks to Rob of Top of the Pods for recommending it to me. It's SUPER convenient (and free)!

Editing this page is way more complicated than I thought it was going to be! I really should've gone to the junior high where my dad taught computers so that I would have actually learned some little part of his vast knowledge of all-things-computer-related!

Welcome and Tip #1

Hello everyone! I've started this blog as a resource for viral marketing and guerilla promotions ideas. Each week, I'll post a tip about a way that you can help spread the word about podcasts, bands, or whatever else you'd like to promote. This blog should be useful to podcasters and musicians, as well as the people who listen to podcasts and music. If you like something you hear, you want to tell other people about it! Subscribe to my feed or check back often for some creative ways of doing so.

Tip #1 is the obvious one. Tell your friends! I think we're reluctant to mention podcasts in casual conversation, because the person we're talking to might not know what we're talking about. Take the time to educate all of your friends, relatives, and coworkers about what podcasting is, and the wealth of great entertainment that's available.

Thank you for stopping by. Please leave a comment if you have any ideas or suggestions, or simply to say hi!

-Molly from Omaha