Check out the full book - Podcast Growth: How to Grow Your Podcast Audience

Nope, it’s not a new breakfast cereal. It’s a journalism and/or marketing strategy. The name comes from vox populi, or voice of the people. It’s a way of sketching out public opinion at a particular place and time. By asking a lot of different people the same question, you can get a lot of perspective on a bit of truth. This is also often used for comic effect by Jimmy Kimmel, and parodied by A Bit of Fry and Laurie. If you watch television, you have seen vox pops.

Type: Short Task

Time Required: A hour to record, an hour to edit

Podcast Level: 5-10 episodes

How to Do It

Come up with a good episode topic, and one or maybe two related questions. Put together a remote recording rig which you can carry easily, such as a hand-held digital recorder and a pair of headphones. Go to a place with good foot traffic, but not so crowded that you’ll have to shout to be heard. Think about places where your podcast topic would be relevant. If your podcast is about fly fishing, try the parking lot of a fishing spot, or partner with a bait and tackle shop. If your podcast is about quilting, check out a fabric shop.

Bring some of your podcast business cards with you so you can easily share details of where to find the show.

Participants do have to give you permission to record them. But you don’t have to fill out a contract, just keep a recording of them saying “yes, you have my permission to record me.”

If you see people who look like they might be interested, ask if they’d be up for participating in an interview for a podcast. Be aware that people might not be, and that has nothing to do with you: they might be on their way to work, headed home, or simply wanting privacy. Some people will want to participate. Keep it light, keep it quick, and give them a card so they can listen later.

Task List:

Come up with a good episode topic, and one or maybe two related questions.
Practice working with your remote recording rig, and saving the sound files.
Get some business cards with your show information on them.
Take your recording rig to a local spot with a reasonable amount of foot traffic. Bring a friend.
Ask people if they’d be interested in participating in an interview for a podcast.
Tell them about your podcast and offer them a card right away. That way, even if they say no, they’ve heard of your podcast.
After you record them, thank them. Remind them that they’ll be able to hear themselves on your podcast, and they should tell their friends.

Also Mentioned

Check out the full book - Podcast Growth: How to Grow Your Podcast Audience

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231: Kathleen Stock’s fight for free speech