I’m uncertain about you SoundCloud. Promoting books via podcasting on your platform might not be an author’s best option.
I agree. You were first on the scene but late in supporting podcasters. Yes, I see you’ve done a lot of work for musicians. The effort you provided them is commendable. But let’s face it: podcasting isn’t your specialty. No one thinks about you for podcasts. While the other audio platforms grew up with podcasters in mind, you stood still and ignored us.
My history with SoundCloud started soon after it launched. At the time, phone browsing was starting to take off. SoundCloud was promoted through WordPress, Facebook, and word of mouth. It touted itself as a leader in the audio field.
I recorded my first few podcast tracks for SoundCloud, uploaded them, and waited to see how they would do. The tracks mostly discussed the content of my book. I embedded the episodes into my online blog and waited for the metrics to filter through.
I’ll give SoundCloud credit for its embeds. They look absolutely great in any browser, and they function well. Listeners have no problems accessing episodes through it.
Why Use Soundcloud?
As mentioned, before this point, most Internet browsing was still done via computers, and no one had what we later came to call podcasts. This was unchartered territory on many levels.
Margo first gave me the podcasting idea. She said I had a lovely voice and should record something. Soundcloud was new, but it focused its efforts on developing a mobile phone app. I wanted to take advantage of this new technology and get ahead of the pack. It sounded like a great opportunity.
I recorded the first chapter of SEETHINGS, uploaded the audio to SoundCloud, and then set up a blog page with the appropriate embed for testing. I didn’t want to record the whole book unless it was demanded. (The editing process on one chapter is absolutely phenomenal!)
It gleamed nicely in the laptop’s dull light, begging for its first listener to come by. I posted some social media links and waited for the hoards of visitors to arrive and rejoice at what they heard.
Hoards? I only heard crickets.
Alas, this audiotrack didn’t attract hoards. At best, it attracted one or two people. I let the page stay for nine more months to allow search engines to grab and index all those beautiful little keywords that swirled around in the background (Yes, nine!). In the meantime, I watched and listened.
Crickets remained.
If I had many people downloading the files but saying nothing about them, I’d understand what was happening, but they were not using the SoundCloud platform.
Don’t get me wrong; I think what Margo suggested was right. There is a market for author audio, but it just wasn’t found on SoundCloud.
SoundCloud’s towering membership should’ve expanded my reach, but it counted for nothing. I got more listeners from my own site. Virtually nothing came from SoundCloud. No one used the app, not for podcasting anyway (listening or publishing).
Should Authors Use Soundcloud?
In my experience, I’d go with saying no. In the months and years that followed, I got more listeners through Spotify and Apple and my own site. What SoundCloud offers are pretty widgets (see below) through its embeds. Just press play on any of the tracks:
What About Those Original Recordings?
I took down the test files/pages some time ago. That first recording was done on an old headset mike that was designed for Skype. The track sounded like it’d been made inside a tin can and muffled with a sock. When time permits (and I can find the file), I’ll re-record it and post it again.
Things are a bit different in the blogging scene now. We’re armed with new things we didn’t have back then.
We’ve also got more followers!
Anyhow, that’s my day of talk.
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