Podcasting with the MV PRO Podcast Platform
Podcasting is a great way to engage both with potential newcomers and with people with whom you have a long term relationship.
The MV PRO Podcast platform - which is part of your MV PRO 3 website - is a complete podcasting platform in that the platform hosts your podcast channels and recordings. The MV PRO Podcast platform also feeds your content to other popular podcasting platforms on which you might have accounts (such as Spotify, Apple Podcast, etc.). One advantage of doing so is that these platforms are ones that people use to discover content, thus extending your reach. Also, for people who subscribe to your podcast on those other platforms, they can receive push notifications when you create new content.
In addition to pushing your podcast content to other platforms, you can always embed a particular podcast recording anywhere on your MV PRO 3 website. Many churches feature their sermons on the front page fo their site. But sermon recordings can also be highlighted on interior pages. On a page about baptism, for example, if you’ve got a great sermon about baptism, it could be included on that page.
Furthermore, you can organize and present your podcast content, and users can search podcast channels on your MV PRO 3 website, by podcast channel, by speaker, or by a series that you’ve defined within a channel. For example, you could present all sermons - which would be a podcast channel. You could select only sermons by a particular speaker. Or you could see only sermons that were part of a seasonal series, but were given by a variety of different speakers.
Podcasts vs. Video
Often times, we are asked which is better: video or podcasts? The answer is, it depends!
Podcasting offers a great way to provide engaging content that can be consumed while doing something else - commuting, exercising, working. Video, on the other hand, requires the user’s full attention.
Our experience is that people really like listening to podcasts for content that is primarily spoken (or sung) and that video should be saved for content that is visually interesting.
Recordings of sermons are the most frequent podcast on MV PRO 3 websites, and a podcast of sermon recordings are a great way for newcomers to get a sense of your clergy and your church. In some instances, even people who have already heard a sermon in church might want to listen to it again or share it. But podcasts don’t have to only feature sermons! Some other interesting podcast ideas have included:
- In the Language of Our Hearts - a podcast featuring indigenous language hymns and prayers at St. Matthew’s Fairbanks
- Drive-thru Live Nativity narration from St. Paul’s Alexandria
- Original poetry, read by the poet, as part of an online art exhibit at St. Michael’s Arlington
- Meditations to use while walking an outdoor labyrinth
- Oral history to celebrate a congregation’s anniversary
- A lecture series, or other formation series
- Musical podcasts - thematic selections of hymns, commentary on choosing music for the liturgical season, composer highlights. Just make sure you have broadcasting rights to all music featured.
Wondering what makes a good podcast? Check out this blog post!
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