Earlier this month, we started the Cherryleaf podcast, and we’re currently publishing a new episode each week. I thought it might be useful to explain why we’ve done this, instead of publishing videos.
For the audience members, they are able to do something else at the same time as listening to a podcast. For example, you can listen to it in the car, while walking the dog, or lying in bed. I’ve found them to be a godsend when I’ve been waiting around at airports. Video demands more attention from the audience. This means podcasts generally make it easier for people to listen for longer periods of time.
As a result, podcasts are very popular. Although there are some very good podcasts on technical communication (such as Ryan Weber’s “10-Minute Tech Comm”), we felt there was room for at least one more.
For us, it opens up the opportunity to record outside the office. We don’t need to worry about lighting, framing, and the other issues that can come with recording video. It’s also easier to interview guests (something we hope to do in future episodes), when you all you need is a decent audio connection. This means it requires less time and effort to produce the content.
The frequency and the topics we cover will partly depend on you, the audience. We’ll stick with the weekly schedule for the next month or so, and then probably move to a monthly release cycle. We’ll be able to look at which episodes have been downloaded more than others, and gain an idea of the most popular topics. It will, of course, also depend on whether we run out of things to say.
We’d love to interview documentation managers and technical communicators, and include their opinions in future podcasts. So if you like to discuss taking part in a future podcast, do please contact us.
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