Book Review: The Business Podcasting Bible: Wherever My Market Is… I Am

Always on the lookout for information that will help me fulfill my interests, I picked up The Business Podcasting Bible: Wherever My Market Is… I Am. While I was able to glean a couple of useful ideas from the book, I was rather underwhelmed by the book. I found it difficult to read and repetitive. It did not satisfy my idea of a “bible” on a topic.

Alex Mandossian and Paul Colligan wrote The Business Podcasting Bible in 2007. It is 286 pages long spread over six chapters. Seventy-five of the pages are appendices.

I mentioned that I found the book challenging to read. It had nothing to do with the language, it had more to do with the formatting. Throughout the book, the authors included side stories in a one and a half inch column that spanned multiple pages. This extra gray column was distracting to the eye. If you wanted to read this content, you had to keep backtracking in the book. The content was interesting but could have been included in another manner.

Chapter one focused on understanding why one would want to launch a business podcast. The authors wrote at length about the benefits of starting a business podcast. They also addressed the differences between a business podcast and a normal podcast.

Chapter two stressed the podcast consumption process. The authors highlighted that listeners could readily consume podcasts throughout their day and pursue other activities such as working, commuting, exercising, traveling, etc. Depending upon the message, podcasting could be superior to video because, with podcasting, one could do other things.

In chapter three, the authors shared ideas for what a business podcast could do. They differentiated between internal and external audiences. They also noted that content could be repurposed to satisfy different media.

The audience was the focus of chapter four. The authors emphasized that your audience had a lot of power when it came to your podcast. They could elect to listen to it or not. They could play it at a different speed. They could skip parts. They could also listen to the podcast at a time different than when it was produced. A key point that the authors wanted to emphasize is that the audience must be taught how to consume a podcast.

Chapter five addressed the idea of monetizing the podcast.

Finally, chapter six focused on when to launch a podcast. The authors discussed readying an audience so they are eager for the podcast to begin. They also briefly highlighted the time that goes into creating a podcast.

One of the concepts discussed that really resonated with me is that of time-shifting. Time-shifting means that you move the action from one period of time to another. They used the example of a Tivo quite a bit. With a Tivo, you can record a TV show for later viewing. Because of a Tivo, you no longer have to watch the program when scheduled. Podcasting leverages the idea of time-shifting. If I create a podcast to support faculty, they can listen when it is convenient for them. They do not have to adjust their schedule to meet my workshop schedule.

The authors support the book with a website. Unfortunately, not all of the web pages are still working.

While I did glean a number of ideas from The Business Podcasting Bible, I believe it fell short of being a bible on the topic. This book would not be my first choice if I were looking for a book to help get started on podcasting. I felt it was long winded and could have given more practical advice. It is now showing its age.

Additional Reading

• #ATD2018: The Power of Podcasting: Using Podcasting in Your Learning Strategy
• Book Review: Podcast Launch: A complete guide to launching your Podcast with 15 Video Tutorials!
• Podcasts: Where Have You Been All My Life?

Photo by Tommy Lopez from Pexels

In the spirit of full disclosure, this is an affiliate link, which means that if you purchase this item through my link I will earn a commission. You will not pay more when buying a product through my link. I only recommend products & systems that I use and love myself, so I know you’ll be in good hands.
Plus, when you order through my link, it helps me to continue to offer you lots of free stuff. 🙂 Thank you, in advance for your support!