Do you listen to Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion on National Public Radio? Back in the 1980s it was quite popular and it seemed like everyone was listening to it. I listened to a couple of episodes and there was something about the way that Keillor spoke that made it feel like he was sitting across the table from me having a cup of cocoa and a chat.

Later, when podcasts first started gaining in popularity, I became enamored with a podcast called SciFi Dig. It was basically some guy in his basement sharing his love of science fiction, mostly of Joss Whedon’s short-lived TV series Firefly. It was amateurish in production compared to Keillor’s show, but again I got the same “having a chat with a friend” feeling.

What I’m getting at here is, a podcast can help you create a relationship with your audience that no other communication method can … especially when the medium is used to tell stories. The audio seems to evoke in us the old days when folks would gather around the fire and listen to tales of all sorts. And you can use this effect to build a relationship with your audience.

The more regular your podcast, the stronger the bond. But, keep in mind your audience, you want the podcast to be just long enough to be engaging and provide the information that will support your expertise, but not so long that people start unsubscribing because they get behind.