Short-Form Audio and Flash Briefings with Chris Brogan #41

In this episode, Teri welcomes Chris Brogan, president of Chris Brogan Media. Teri and Chris talk about marketing, short-form audio, and flash briefings.Welcome Chris Brogan!With 9 books and the coveted title of New York Times’ Best Selling Author under his belt, there’s no denying Chris really knows his stuff. He has used his marketing prowess to help massive companies like Disney, Coca-Cola, GM, Google, Microsoft and many more. He is a keynote speaker, and has appeared on the Dr. Phil Show. Chris started blogging in 1998, and podcasting in 2005, and has always been on the leading edge of marketing, looking for ways to use technology to drive better human interactions.What’s your take on audio or voice as a form of content?Chris believes there are many times when audio can be a really useful form of content, like when commuting or going to the gym. According to Chris, all these are opportunities to capture peoples’ attention. Chris cites the US Bureau of Labour Statistics’ report, a report that states humans tend to consume only 19 minutes of reading a day, including email, blog posts, etc. By contrast, Chris reminds us that people on YouTube consume over 1 billion hours of content per day. When it comes to audio, Chris says that just like video, there is a massive amount of audio being consumed.Can you tell us more about your podcast?Chris says that even though he has been podcasting since 2005, he has been doing it differently than other people. He starts and stops podcasts all the time. He thinks of them more like a series, like episodic content. His current podcast is called “Making the Brand,” a podcast all about consumer experience. Chris decided to start a podcast as a way to get into people’s ears. In his podcast, he does interviews to illustrate where technology is going.What’s your take on long form audio vs short form audio?Chris is a giant fan of brevity. He states that when people decide to launch a podcast, they usually decide to do an hour-long episode just because that’s what they’ve seen others do. Chris believes they usually don’t have enough content for an hour. According to Chris, there’s an opportunity that if you make a brief enough show, you can give someone some variety in their commute. With flash briefings, he says, there’s such an opportunity as there is currently a really wide open market. If you can give someone something really useful in a minute, they are going to love that experience.How do you decide what to put into a short form audio piece of content?If Chris has certain information he wants to cover, he builds a format that would fit in one minute. Chris structures the briefing so that there’s an intro, then the meat, which is about 35-40 seconds, and then he guides people where he wants them to go. He gives people something that’s interesting, something that raises an eyebrow, and peaks curiosity.What’s your take on smart assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant?When it comes to smart assistants, Chris is really excited. He thinks Alexa is really great for shopping and product stuff. He also believes that Google Assistant has some really cool things. Chris highlights a caveat: these devices need us to create content, skills, and services to become smarter and do more complex tasks than simply being able to tell us the time.What’s your advice for people starting in voice?If you’re just dipping your toe, Chris recommends starting with a podcast, but he reminds us that flash briefings are ridiculously easy: you set it up and almost all of the mechanics are the same as for podcasts. The only difference, he acknowledges, is that flash briefings are expected daily, whereas podcasts are expected weekly. Chris also shares something he’s noticed: there’s an inclination for people who haven’t started a process like this to say that everything is already out there. Chris concedes that while yes, that is true for podcasts to a certain degree, flash briefings are brand new and a tremendous opportunity right now.And remember:I have created the most thorough course on flash briefings available. As you know, flash briefings are the prime real state of voice technology. The course covers everything that Chris and I talk about in this podcast episode and much more: how flash briefings work, the equipment you need, what you should talk about, how to plan, organize and upload your flash briefing, among many other components! This will be your one-stop shop for all flash briefings questions and needs. You can find it right now at FlashBriefingFormula.com.List of resources mentioned in this episode:Chris Brogan’s websiteMaking the Brand Flash Briefing by Chris BroganFlash Briefing Formula – Your Step-By-Step Course to Launch a Successful Flash Briefing that Gets Found and Grows Your BrandVoice in Canada: The Flash BriefingTeri Fisher on TwitterAlexa in Canada on TwitterAlexa in Canada Community Group on FacebookAlexa in Canada on InstagramPlease leave a review on iTunesShopping on Amazon.caThe Alexa Conference, presented by VoiceFirst.FMuse promo code ALEXAINCANADA for 20% off Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.