Are you following me on Cinchcast? For the last few weeks I've been publishing short audio tips on Cinchcast, about boosting your online visibility and business blogging. I also wrote about how to repurpose your content using Cinch.
Audio is a great way to connect with your audience. You can also share audio on more sites outside of your blog which raises your visibility and naturally exposes you to more prospective visitors to your sites.
It may not be quite as intimate as video, but gets you a lot closer than text. Think about reading this post, for example. You have to make up what you think my voice sounds like or how I'm emphasizing words and phrases. You miss a lot of the nuance. Now, if you could listen to the content, you may have a lot deeper connection and perhaps a better retention of the content.
That got me to wondering about different ways people are using Cinch for their business. I did a pretty quick scan of some users who are fairly active and came up with a list 7 types of cinchcasts I noticed…
1. Daily tips (or at least pretty regular) related to niche (Kathleen Gage, Stephanie Calahan)
2. Live reports from events & conferences (Scoblizer)
3. Commentary to augment blog posts (MarshallK)
4. Podcasts (Create a show about your business topic. This has got to be the easiest way to produce a podcast – don't forget to submit it to iTunes for even wider distribution)
5. Interviews (here's a video tutorial on how to record to cinch with skype by John Piercy)
6. Book reviews (great for authors, publishers, business professionals)
7. Movie reviews (Podcastdoors)
8. fill in the blank
9. fill in the blank
10. fill in the blank
I left 8, 9 and 10 for you to fill in. I know you've got ideas about how to use audio to get in front of your target audience and I'd love to hear – or see – your suggestions in the comments! I thought of a few more while writing this post.
By the way, when you start using Cinch (free!) or if you use other similar recording applications like Audioboo, make sure you're syndicating your audio posts to twitter and Facebook and anywhere else you can. And post them on your blog if it's appropriate for your audience.
One final tip. Save your cinchcasts! Not only can you embed your cinchcasts into your blog or website, you can download the mp3 that's created when you record. Each week I download my cinchcasts to my computer hard drive so I don't lose the content. I add the cinches to my Online Visibility Tips Podcast on iTunes and if I ever want to create a product with them, I have all the audio at my finger tips…and I'm covered, just in case something happens to the Cinchcast site.
Related Posts:
Repurpose Your Blog Posts into Bite-Size Audio Tips
Update: Cinchcast is now called Cinch and is located at http://cinch.fm
Denise,
I’m not sure if I’m the first to do this, but I hope so!
As you know, I’m writing a book on becoming a franchise owner. (Fall 2011, John Wiley & Sons, Publisher)
I decided that I would share the book’s progress with those who are interested-by using #Cinchcast.
I’m enjoying the 2-3 minute weekly updates that I’m doing; it brings me back to my days in which I was an on-air radio broadcaster.)
Well, I thought that it was a great idea.
All 10 of my followers really think so too.
🙁
The Franchise King
Hey Joel, I think giving book updates is an excellent way to use @Cinch. How are you promoting your cinchcasts? I find get more listeners when I post on my Facebook page and retweet the link a couple of times over a couple of days. If I have a related blog post, I post the audio on the blog as well. Good luck with your book!
Thanks, and great idea. I do Tweet it , of course. Maybe I can add it to a post. Thanks, Denise! JL
@cinchcast is something I played with a little bit. I have used it to record some ads that I have kept private for the moment. I am looking at pulling tips from my writing blog and using them here. Also I will be at BookExpoAmerica this May, and if my phone cooperates, may use it for on the spot interviews. I like video but find that audio can be a bit more flexible. Thanks Denise for posting this, very helpful tips as always. I am adding my only live Cinch is about using Cinchcast – http://www.cinchcast.com/sandra-lee-schubert/short-tips/92789
Sandra, I think doing on the spot interviews is a great use of Cinchcast. Have fun at BookExpo!
Denise, I love cinchcasts, and I’m not quite at a place to start podcasting, though I am looking into podcasting. You mentioned submitting a cinchcast to iTunes: how do I do that, or can you direct me to a place on the cinchcast site that will walk me through it?