Today on the School of Podcasting we talk content marketing, why podcasting is a perfect tool for this strategy, and how to overcome one of the biggest hurdles for those needing interaction on their website. Podcast Rewind 2:15 I appeared on the Maximize Excellence show with Joe Hicks. Joe walks you through an Ideology of the four pillars of excellence. I really liked the show, and Joe (a graduate of the School of Podcasting) is doing a great job. Check it out at www.maximizeexcellence.com  or subscribe in iTunes. Because of Podcasting 5:20 I have read the book, Epic Content Marketing: How to Tell a Different Story, Break through the Clutter, and Win More Customers by Marketing Less: How to Tell a Different Story, ... and Win More Customers by Marketing Less and it had some great stories of content marketing. There was a blacksmith that worked with farmers. He would listen to them complain about how mud would get stuck on their plow. He later invented a plow made of steel that the mud didn't stick to. He listened to his audience and gave them what they needed. In 1885, he started a magazine called The Furrow. The purpose of the magazine was to  educate farmers on new technology and how they could be more successful business owners and farmers (thus, content marketing). The Furrow was not filled with promotional messages and self-serving content. It was developed by thoughtful journalists, storytellers, and designers, and covered topics that farmers cared about deeply. The goal of the content was to help farmers become more prosperous and, of course, profitable. Now, 120 years later, The Furrow is still going strong. It is the largest circulated farming magazine in the world, delivered monthly to over 1.5 million farmers, in 12 languages to 40 different countries. Who was this blacksmith? John Deere, he was quite an inventor. You may have heard of his tractors. 1900: Michelin develops The Michelin Guide. This 400-page guide, now with its iconic red cover, helps drivers maintain their cars and find decent lodging. In its first edition, 35,000 copies were distributed for free. 1904: Jell-O recipe book pays off. Jell-O distributes free copies of a recipe book that contributes to sales of over $ 1 million by 1906. 1913: Burns & McDonnell Engineering launch BenchMark. This Kansas City engineering and consulting firm still produces its award-winning BenchMark magazine to this day. 1930's Proctor and Gamble started making radio dramas. This was an extremely successful strategy. It often would feature ads for Duz and Oxydol detergents. Later these would move to Television. Many people refer to them as Soap Operas. Your podcast could be the next Furrow. You use your podcast to build your brand. You use it to gain the trust of your audience. You build a relationship with your audience. Then later you can capitalize on that relationship. So content marketing is not new, but it can be tricky   Podcasting Boosts Grades 12: 52 Craig from Ingleaspodcast.com shared a story on the Ask the Podcast Coach on how he had students do extra homework by listening to podcasts. The other in the class did not. Those who reinforced their learning with podcasting had better grades.  He did have one student who originally did not listen to the podcasts (but his grades had improved). Later, he confessed he had been listening to the podcasts. Using Content Upgrades In Your Podcast 19:08 A content upgrade offers extra value on the initial article or content. It typically is a downloadable, email-gated piece that strikes while the proverbial iron is hot. For podcasters maybe the price of admission is not an email address, but simply a click to get back to your site, where you can then get them to subscribe, click, etc. Great Example Scott Johnson does the Computer Tutor Podcast. It is one of my favorites. It's around 5 minutes, and Scott brings cool tips that even as someone who was teaching software for a living for 20+ years, I learned things. Well