The Podcast Asylum

I’ve come late to this weekly podcast by Christopher S. Penn and John Wall, of whom I’d heard long before I started listening. (Christopher does the Financial Aid Podcast and is one of the founders of PodCamp; John hosts The M Show every Monday.) The show has been picked up by MarketingProfs, an endorsement it well deserves.

If you want to know about e-mail marketing, SEO, the importance of your house list, and other tricks of the trade from people who make their living doing this kind of thing, you should definitely have a listen.

And the miracle of podcasting is such that you don’t have to get up at 6 AM to meet them in Dunkin Donuts.

Listen or subscribe at www.marketingovercoffee.com.

David Maister’s podcast is not the kind of listener-driven show I favor. If anyone comments on the podcasts, there’s no mention of it in the show. The style is polished and entirely suited to a presentation to a large group. Indeed, Maister’s ‘voice’ is the same in purpose-recorded podcasts as in clips from public appearances: genuine, but somehow more formal and less personal than most independent podcasters.

And none of that matters. This is a great podcast. For those who haven’t heard of him and his many books, David Maister is a Famous Consultant who has always believed in the value of giving things away. Right now the podcast is a special series of combined audio and PDF files containing excerpts from his latest book, Strategy and the Fat Smoker.

The premise of the book is that most of us (and our consulting clients) already need to know what we do for our businesses, the same way we already know what to do for our health. But we persist in our old habits anyway. I’m convinced this is the business book of the year. (Yes, even as much as I like Seth Godin.)

Run-don’t-walk on over to http://davidmaister.com/podcasts/ and subscribe.

This first of the QDNow podcasts has achieved astonishing success in a short period of time. It’s no surprise that so many people need help with their grammar, but it’s heartening to discover that they want it, too. The shows are short, charming, and very clear. Host Mignon Fogarty has expanded the QDNow franchise with other shows like ‘Mr Manners’ and ‘Money Girl.’

www.qdnow.com

I first heard about this show from Heidi Miller when she was interviewed back around episode 16. I’ve become an active fan of Anna Farmery and her quest to find the best way to keep employees engaged, even though I plan never to have employees. Listening to her early interviews was giving me a bad case of Podcast Stereosis, but once I explained how to mix tracks, she took care of the problem.

theengagingbrand.typepad.com

Where For Immediate Release focuses on the intersection of communication and new media, Terry Fallis and David Jones discuss traditional and timeless themes in public relations “from an agency perspective” (and also a Canadian perspective). I don’t come from a PR background, so it’s really helpful to hear about things like pitching, press conferences, publicity stunts, and client appreciation. There’s also a segment called “Inside Proper English” that corrects common mistakes in usage and warms my pedant’s heart.

www.insidepr.ca

Mitch Joel started out as a ubiquitous guest host and interviewee on other podcasts, then started his own marketing podcast, which has gone from good to great. The “Six Points of Separation” segment tells listeners how to make the most of tools like Flickr, Technorati, and del.icio.us, and his “coming to you from beautiful Montreal, Canada” has inspired other podcasters and commenters to find appropriate adjectives for their own locations. (Two examples are “the glorious Adelaide hills” and “the spectacular San Francisco Bay Area.”)

www.twistimage.com

I’m almost embarrassed to admit how much I like this show, because I’m not really comfortable with the Alex Mandossian / Paul Colligan style, but despite their relentless (and apparently successful) focus on money, and their use of aggressive online marketing techniques for their various products, they bring up some of the most interesting ideas about business podcasting that I’ve ever heard. Their show has inspired at least one person to start a podcast-related business.

www.marketingonlinelive.com

Wiggly Wigglers is a podcast about country life, gardening, and farming in England, produced by ‘a small mail order company based on Lower Blakemere Farm, providing products and ideas to encourage gardening for wildlife.’ Since I don’t even have houseplants, I would never have expected it to be a favorite show, but it’s just so much fun! The Wiggly Team (Heather, Farmer Phil, ‘Ricardo’, Monty, Allison, Rachel, and the rest) argues, laughs, and educates all at the same time.

www.wigglywigglers.co.uk

C.C. Chapman’s energy, insight, and modest show length make this marketing and management podcast a can’t-miss show. And I love the design of the show blog.

www.managingthegray.com

I was initially hesitant about the military theme of this book marketing podcast, but I’ve come to love Tee Morris’ sense of humor and to value the experience he shares about everything from cold-calling bookstores to moderating panels at conferences. It helps that he’s got an acting background, and it doesn’t hurt that he’s co-author of Podcasting for Dummies.

www.teemorris.com/blog

Okay, I’m biased in favor of this show because Heidi Miller gave my two-second statement such a good review that people I’d never heard of started calling me about work after she aired the show. Her personality (she podcasts in a tiara) is part of what makes me a fan, but I also love the great tips and interviews and the insight into the trade show industry.

www.heidimillerpresents.com/weblog

Twice a week Neville Hobson and Shel Holtz provide 60 minutes (trimmed down from 75) of discussion about the intersection of PR, communications, and technology. This is definitely a listener-driven show, and that’s one of the reasons I’m a fan: Shel and Neville listen to their listeners. Plus they’re just really fun guys with great voices.

www.forimmediaterelease.biz