[ARTICLE] Podcasting As An “Investor Relations Tool”

Podcasting is a fine way to communicate your personal thoughts and feelings on any subject. It can also be useful in the business world as an "investor relations tool." A session at the Podcast and Portable Media Expo focused on this application.

WebProNews staff writer Jason Lee Miller sat in on the session. Speakers included Wing Yu, the CEO of StreetIQ, Brent Clepper, Channel Sales Director, and Scott Whitney, President and CEO, PodWorx.

A description of the session stated the benefits of using podcasts to maintain investor relations. "Podcasting enables publicly-traded companies to stay in touch with current shareholders and analysts while reaching out to new investors with corporate presentations delivered conveniently to trading desks, portable media players and desktop computers. Podcasting is also a cost-effective way to push information to those who need it in a timely manner."

Once the decision is made to get involved, it’s best not to jump right in, though – planning is key. A musical analogy followed: "Your first record takes a lifetime . . . and then suddenly you’re a star and everybody’s yelling, ‘Gotta have another record, gotta have another record.’"

The panelists recommended that people create an "episode map." With that done, "the scariness of what you’re going to say goes away." If the podcast is going to include an interview, provide your subjects with the interview questions ahead of time, and conduct a pre-interview as a practice run. "Amateur-sounding podcasts are not an option," they agreed.

"The opportunities for podcast producers and consultants are enormous in light of the fact that every publicly-traded company is required by Regulation Full Disclosure (RegFD) to disclose information in a timely manner," Yu added. "Many private companies with early investors also want more exposure on their way to their IPOs."

One other thing about podcasts is that they remove barriers between the corporation and the investor. By podcasting, said Whitney, you’re "humanizing your company."