One more week…IPR 2.67 available September 7

What can we say? We’re having so much fun on our Inside PR holiday that we’re extending it by one week – till after Labour Day.  We’ll be back with episode 2.67 on Wednesday, September 7, 2011.  Looking forward to reconnecting then!

In the meantime, if you have an idea for a topic or question you’d like us to discuss, please send us an email or an audio comment to [email protected], join the Inside PR Facebook group, leave us a comment here, message us @inside_pr on Twitter, or connect with Gini DietrichJoe Thornley, and Martin Waxman on Twitter.

Our theme music was created by Damon de SzegheoRoger Dey is our announcer.

Produced by Kristine Simpson.

Inside PR: Gone fishing…

Well, not literally. But Gini, Joe and I are taking a short summer hiatus on August 17 and 24. We’re planning to enjoy the weather we talk about so much at the beginning of each show.

We’re back on August 31 – fresh from our podcast vacation and ready for the fall.

So…enjoy your time away to catch up on reading, socializing, movie watching, writing, gardening, tennis, swimming, lying on the beach, dining…or maybe even on an old podcast or two.

See you in a couple of weeks!

Do you have an idea for a topic you would like us to discuss? Send us an email or an audio comment to [email protected], join the Inside PR Facebook group, leave us a comment here, message us @inside_pr on Twitter, or connect with Gini DietrichJoe Thornley, and Martin Waxman on Twitter.

Our theme music was created by Damon de SzegheoRoger Dey is our announcer.

Produced by Kristine Simpson.

Inside PR 2.66: The real podcaster

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For those of you who don’t know, Inside PR is not just the voices you hear every week, but there is a hard working producer behind the scenes.

Every week, Gini Dietrich, Martin Waxman and Joe Thornley drop their files off in Dropbox and patiently wait as an episode magically appears before them. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, the Inside PR producer, Kristine Simpson, works her own magic and produces the show.

This week, Gini, Martin, Joe and Kristine “hung-out” on Goggle+ to talk about the behind the scenes of the Inside PR podcast and Kristine gives tips on how to produce your own podcast.

Here is Kristine’s 5 step guide to creating your own podcast:

1. Upload and edit

First you need your voice files – the file that includes your recording. If you are multiple people, use separate microphones to create separate files. This makes it easier to edit out background noise. Upload all files in to an audio editing software, I use Audacity.
Then edit the content. Take out bloopers, add in intro and outro music, take out background noise, and remove barking sounds from Gini’s dog.

2. Export and level

Now time to export the file. Export it as a WAV. file so you can drop the file in Levelator. Levalator automatically makes all voices the same volume. When you record with two or more microphones, someone is always louder than the other. And some people just naturally have a louder voice. Levalator ensures everyone speaks at the same volume.

3. Export the MP3

Although a WAV. file is a popular audio file, convert your file to a MP3. It is very easy to do with Audacity and it shrinks the file to be more manageable and it makes it easier to download. MP3 files are also more popular and can play in various audio and video players.

4. Upload to Libsyn.com

If you make your podcast available through iTunes, your podcast can easily be made available to your followers. Followers can also subscribe and receive new podcasts instantly to their iTunes library.

Once you have created an iTunes account for your podcast, you simply need to upload your finished MP3 on to Liberated Syndication (or Libsyn). Libsyn then makes the podcast available on iTunes. Libsyn also provides you with links (embedded and direct), which you can use to share through social media (i.e. a blog post).

5. Share

There are many ways to share your podcast. Inside PR writes a blog post every week to accompany the podcast. Each week a different host writes the show notes and I push it live on the blog.

The Inside PR blog is a WordPress blog, which makes it easy to add plugins that allow followers to listen to the podcast directly on the blog post.

Follow those five steps and with a flick of the wrist, magic! The podcast is created.

Listen to this week’s episode of Inside PR to hear more about producing a podcast. Kristine also talks about the intricacies of being a producer – i.e. She can tell Gini, Martin and Joe apart, just by looking at their vocal waves.

If you want to connect with Kristine or ask her more questions about producing a podcast, you can find her on Twitter, or catch her blogging at Running a PR life.

Do you have an idea for a topic you would like us to discuss? Send us an email or an audio comment to [email protected], join the Inside PR Facebook group, leave us a comment here, message us @inside_pr on Twitter, or connect with Gini DietrichJoe Thornley, and Martin Waxman on Twitter.

Our theme music was created by Damon de SzegheoRoger Dey is our announcer.

This week’s episode was produced by Kristine Simpson.

Inside PR 2.65: To leave or not to leave…that is the question

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We start this week with a question from a listener, LaBrandon Dates: How do you know when it’s time to search for a new job and can a person stay positive in a company with a negative or non team-oriented culture?

Thanks LaBrandon – great question! We’re going to answer from the perspective of employers and employees.

Joe Thornley left a company after 11 years when he realized the people he’d come to work with – the ones who shared his values – had all gone. The company had been acquired, the culture changed and he was no longer happy.  If you’re not happy, he says, you shouldn’t spend 20 seconds at a place because life is too short.

Gini Dietrich left Fleishman because she wanted a change from the city where she was based, though she liked the people and the firm.  At another agency, she had philosophical differences with colleagues and left because she realized there was no common ground.

Martin Waxman was at a Canadian firm that was acquired by a multinational. And because some of the senior leadership couldn’t accept the change, it felt like individuals were working for different entities rather than a single company and that hurt morale. He stayed about a year longer than he should have and says it’s important to ask yourself the tough questions early and then decide whether or not to leave.

Joe comments that talented people who are miserable make others miserable but they can always get a position at a place where they’d be happy.  But before you start looking, be honest with your supervisor and share what you feel and why.

We don’t know anyone who was fired for admitting they weren’t happy in a job.

Gini introduces our second topic. She recently noticed that large companies are looking to smaller, more nimble, boutique firms when they’re conducting an agency search and wonders if this is a trend or possibly an economic shift.

Joe remarks that it’s the slowest recovery he can remember.  People are being careful where they spend money and need to show results.  On the other hand, he’s seen more businesses coming into Canada with consolidated budgets that are going with multinational AORs rather than a Canadian firm.

Martin says he’s been working more closely with U.S. agencies and adapting their initiatives. He feels PR budgets haven’t grown – a good client is one that comes back flat.  Which leads to the question, how can we accomplish more with less?

Gini believes PR people should acquire more marketing skills. And unless we do that, our industry may become extinct…

What do you think?  Can PR successfully adapt?  We’d love to hear your thoughts.

Do you have an idea for a topic you would like us to discuss? Send us an email or an audio comment to [email protected], join the Inside PR Facebook group, leave us a comment here, message us @inside_pr on Twitter, or connect with Gini DietrichJoe Thornley, and Martin Waxman on Twitter.

Our theme music was created by Damon de SzegheoRoger Dey is our announcer.

This week’s episode was produced by Kristine Simpson.