David L. Yas, BridgeTower Media Newswires
“I don’t know why they are targeting him as a suspect. But I have an educated guess. Next week. On Serial. ...”
The narrator’s voice trailed off as the familiar pitter-patter theme song ended the third episode of “Serial,” Sarah Koenig’s 2014 watershed podcast.
I hurriedly punched at my iPhone while (sort of) keeping my eye on the pea green Toyota Tercel a car’s length in front of me.
Where is episode four? ...Wait ... IT HASN’T POSTED YET?
Podcasts have been around for at least a decade, but “Serial” busted the mold, blurring the line between story and storyteller as Koenig delved deeper and deeper into the saga of a young man (maybe) wrongfully convicted of murder.
The show was instantly addictive, like a delicious drug administered intravenously through earbuds.
And just as “L.A. Law” popped the piñata of legal TV dramas, now the thirst for legal storytelling has been slaked anew.
But this is different.
This time, there’s a seat for you on the shuttle as the popularity of law-themed podcasts skyrocket.
What am I saying? Four words: Get your own podcast.
For the uninitiated, a podcast is simply an audio-only presentation available for downloading. Think of it as on-demand radio.
Podcasts range from Koenig’s slickly produced masterpiece to others that sound more like glorified voicemail messages.
So the construct is simple, but the potential is vast.
In creating one elegantly simple sound file, you create digital content that lives forever, an easy opportunity to build relationships, and a forward-thinking marketing device that can run circles and dance the merengue around more staid, sleepy devices such as client newsletters or blogs.
Podcasts are meaty pieces of content that can spice up an otherwise superficial tweet, Facebook status update, or LinkedIn post.
Within three years there will be over 100 million U.S. podcast listeners. Nearly a quarter of people over the age of 12 listen to podcasts.
And lawyers of all sorts are taking advantage.
Think about it: How do most of your clients get information? Hint: It’s that rectangular computer on your desk that keeps chiming.
Podcasting is a medium built for the smartphone, a device that has almost literally become an appendage of our very bodies.
Podcasts deliver instant information in your hand, providing a palatable antidote for hours spent in the car. In Boston, the worst traffic city in the country, people are listening up.
If you are tired of hearing about building your personal or your firm’s “brand,” well, I’m with you. But a good podcast can indeed elevate your profile in a different way than traditional advertising.
Consider: When we watch “Shark Tank,” why do we root for the latest hopeful being grilled by “Mr. Wonderful”? Because we heard not just their slogan, but their story.
Podcast fans share a similar intimacy with the speaker, digesting the information but also the speaker’s journey. That’s a rare brand of connectivity that can’t be developed by an article, an advertisement, a blog or a newsletter.
If a prospective client has already heard your podcast, you have a leg up over your competitors. You’re already in their head. Literally.
The return on investment for podcasting has a staying power that is unlike any other. Each episode lives forever and can be repurposed as a blog post, spun out on social media, transcribed and published, and be part of a growing library of content.
A staggering 80 percent of listeners will hear most or all of an episode of a podcast, and they will even take the time to visit episodes that were posted months ago.
And podcasting does more than deliver a message. It builds relationships. Clients and centers-of-influence will delight in being a guest on your show.
As a lawyer, you have stories. Why let them drift into the ether when there are countless consumers ready to press “download”?
Podcasting is exciting, innovative and — perish the thought — fun. Listeners connect and appreciate the confidence in the podcaster’s voice, breadth of knowledge, and the layers of personality.
I won’t share with you all the technical aspects of podcasting, but suffice it to say that though quality matters, a podcast can be launched through relatively simple means and with very reasonable budgets.
So consult an expert and/or visit the litany of information online to get started. Before you know it, you’ll be behind the mic, becoming part of the pod revolution.
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David L. Yas is founder and CEO of The Boston Podcast Network, a company that produces and hosts podcasts for lawyers and other professionals.
