Last week, we took you inside the studio as we planned, outlined, and recorded the Reach Group podcast series, "The Connected Generation."

Starting with detailed topic schedules and feedback throughout the recording process, our professional audio team—Pushplay Productions (www.pushplaypro.com)—guided us from beginning to end.

Once she hit her stride, Lisa moved from topic to topic and finished recording 10-minute segments covering each of the 10 "cravings" outlined in our book, Mind Your X's and Y's.

It was a long day, but we were thrilled to capture so much great information in one shot.

Step 6: Editing

After Lisa wrapped up her studio day, Pushplay Productions began editing the podcast, dropping in the composed intro music, registering the podcast on iTunes, and coordinating with our team to have it available on our Web site home page and through our blog.

Pushplay tip: Even the best speakers need a little cleaning up in the editing room. It's important to eliminate awkward or confusing sentences, but it's a mistake to cut all the breaths and the "ums," "ands," or "buts." The challenge is to remove the hiccups, smooth out the delivery, but keep the personality intact. It's okay to leave some flaws or add a longer pause to emphasize the speaker's point. Just take your time and have others listen before you launch.

Step 7: iTunes Registration, Web Site Prep, and Marketing

We launched the podcast series and began to market it. We put a sticker on our "Learn From Breakaway Brands" booklet, changed the PDF to announce our series, wrote this newsletter with the behind-the scenes-tips, and began giving away a CD of the first four episodes as a door prize whenever Lisa spoke.

Pushplay tip: While we originally decided to name the series "The Reach Group Podcast," we decided to change it to "The Connected Generation" in order to fit a wide range of topics under its umbrella. We wanted to make the search clear for people who are seeking information on this group. It's also a catchier name. Our original artwork was clean and well designed but lacked a human touch, so we added "The Connected Generation" to the title and a photo of Lisa.

Selecting which category to put the podcast in is also key. We initially placed the podcast under the broad category of business. Later, to attract a more specific audience, we narrowed the focus to business with the sub-category of management and marketing.

Step 8: Ongoing Marketing Ideas

After the initial round of marketing, we outlined key success markers and formed a set of strategies to pursue in the second phase. Our goals were to…

• Create multi-platform content solutions.
• Cross-market with partners and advocates.
• Encourage a dialogue with our audience.

Moving forward, we're...

• Packaging our podcasts with other content (such as printed books, video, online scavenger hunts, etc.) to create dynamic, multi-media offerings
  
  
• Reaching out to larger networks both by inviting great thinkers to participate in our interview series and by providing content/interviews for other blogs and podcasts
  
  
• Asking people to join the conversation by giving comments, feedback, and reviews and by telling their friends and colleagues about the podcast

Pushplay tip: To measure the success of your marketing efforts, you need a program that provides podcast metrics. Unfortunately, iTunes does not provide metrics on listeners who subscribe to your podcast, so we use PodTractor Enterprise—an easy-to-use podcast tracking service that provides comprehensive audience data.

Using a service like PodTractor, you can see...

• Which domains are subscribing to and downloading your podcasts
• What your audience is downloading and when
• Which podcast episodes and series are most popular
• How many subscribers you have for the series and for each episode
• Subscriber loyalty: how frequently/consistently they download
• How many iTunes subscribers you have and their unique behavior

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To hear the Reach Group podcast, click on the link from our homepage at www.reachgroupconsulting.com, or visit iTunes.com and enter the keyword "Connected Generation."

Why Women Love Podcasts

Women are high-functioning multitaskers, so content that can be enjoyed while doing other activities is a perfect fit with their active lifestyles and busy schedules.

Both genders are equally likely to tune in, but women are especially drawn to podcasts for the following reasons:

• Storytelling. Women connect through stories, so take advantage of the opportunity to have a one-on-one conversation with her. Give her juicy information and entertaining extras. Use a story to place your brand in the context of her life, and she'll quickly "get it." Stories become memorable shorthand for the top benefits of your products and services, and they're easy to pass on.
  
  
• Information brought to life. Podcasts allow you to communicate with your consumers in a fun and fresh way. Information that would be time-consuming or less exciting to read can be freshened up in podcast form by a charismatic personality. Just look at how "Grammar Girl" has taken a typically yawn-worthy topic and become the hip, new English teacher of the podcast world.
  
  
• Human element. Voice adds a personal connection to your messaging. Talk to your listeners as if you're chatting over vanilla lattes, not reading from your notes. Use a brief outline and inflect your voice so you don't sound scripted or monotone. If you're podcasting solo, try bringing someone else into the room and speak as if you're answering that person's questions.
  
  
• Convenience. Chances are, she has an iPod or another digital media player, so podcasts can go virtually anywhere your customers go. From catching up on the latest news to getting etiquette tips, she's tuning into her personal selection of music and podcasts while on her morning run, driving to work, or cleaning the house before a dinner party.