The marketing landscape has really changed over the last couple of decades and without a doubt, digital marketing over the world wide web is the biggest change. In some cases, it has literally turned things on their head and now, more people acquire travel information from various sources on the Internet than through any other method. It makes sense then that to be successful in the new digital world you have to innovate and embrace the changes that are happening. With our new web-based podcasting network, that is exactly what we'll be trying to do. This exciting new initiative will see Sunset Country staff working with our members, outside guests and others to communicate why Sunset Country is the ultimate outdoors destination in Ontario.
What is a Podcast?
A podcast is similar to a talk radio show but is pre-recorded and streamed (broadcasted) over the Internet. The podcast is available through "streaming services" allowing people to listen to it on mobile devices or standard desktop computers. Once a podcast is uploaded, it is available to listeners anytime and in any place. There are many successful podcasts already streaming on the Internet so it's not like this hasn't been done before. Saying all that, it has never been done by a Travel Association in Ontario before and our podcast will be kind of a one-of-a-kind in terms of promoting the outdoors experience in Ontario's Sunset Country. We plan to be flexible in developing our podcast and while we will often cover fishing and hunting related topics, we also want to cast a wider net with stories, interviews and other features on nature and the outdoors - so we'll also talk about subjects like canoeing, hiking, and similar experiences.
What Format Will the Show Follow?
The nice thing about a podcast is it can be relatively speaking, flexible in its format and you can change things up a bit if you need to. Saying that it makes sense to develop a broad framework or format for each show that provides a sense of structure while at the same time allowing for new approaches within the show format. Plans are for Gerry Cariou, Executive Director of Ontario's Sunset Country to act as the show's host with other Sunset Country staff acting as guest hosts on occasion. While nothing is set in stone, a typical Sunset Country podcast will include the following features:
- What's New in Sunset Country - highlight any new things happening, events or other newsworthy items
- When available, a fishing report
- Special Guest Interview - this will be a Q&A type interview with a different special guest each podcast - an example might be a fishing professional or someone notable or interesting.
- Sunset Country Member profiles - for each podcast episode, we will be having a short 5 to 7-minute discussion with one or two of our members who agree to be interviewed about their facility.
- "You asked Us" - this will be a feature where we invite listeners to submit questions about visiting Sunset Country - the fishing, hunting or whatever. Hopefully, we'll receive enough questions to make this a feature in each episode.
- A fishing tips feature - this could include a short conversation with a guide or a professional angler or anyone who can provide useful fishing tips to listeners
- We'll also use the podcast to encourage people to do things like follow our social media pages, order our guide or visit our website to book their trip.
- A Community "spotlight" where we discuss the things to see and do in a Sunset Country community - usually by interviewing local tourism representatives.
Remember that we have flexibility and if some other feature comes up we find interesting we can add it into the podcast as needed. There is no set length to a podcast but it makes sense to keep each episode to around 30 minutes if possible - we'll see how this transpires once we get into doing the podcasts - it will be a learning experience for sure. We here at Sunset Country are very excited about this new initiative and we hope you, our members will work with us by agreeing to an interview on the show. A major objective of the podcast will be to develop a loyal following of listeners and grow the listener base (people can subscribe to a podcast). When people are talking about Sunset Country, that's a good thing, and we want to help stimulate those conversations through the Sunset Country Podcasting Network.
How Will People Listen to the Podcast?
The Sunset Country podcast will be broadcast using various "streaming services" and these will include SoundCloud (so they can listen to it directly without having to download anything) as well as on various apps people have on their mobile devices such as Itunes and Spotify. There are also other "Networks" such as Pandora where you can apply to have your podcast available on - we'll see how that goes.
Click here to listen to what a podcast sounds like - this example podcast was produced by Midwest Outdoors.
When Will the First Podcast Air?
We are targeting mid-February 2019 for our premiere episode. We'll be promoting the podcast shows on our social media channels as part of getting the word out. Our members can help by sharing the news once we are underway!
If you would like to appear as a guest on the podcast and feature your business in our "Member Highlight" portion, email Gerry Cariou, Executive Director