Early creation of the PAA Podcast
Having been a PAA committee member since 2019, I have been intimately aware of the ongoing agenda item addressing promotion of the Pilates Method, in particular the role of the PAA in broadcasting the standards of Pilates as a professional and valued healthcare and fitness discipline.
Borne out of the need to continue exploring communication channels to reach the Pilates community, I put it to the committee in late 2020 that creating the PAA podcast could aid in expanding the conversation around maintaining standards across the many facets and layers of the Pilates industry.
We discussed all this as a committee and then I got to work in producing some early episodes. Fortunately I had some guidance from a previous client who had been an executive producer for a number of national podcast channels. With this initial guidance I was able to tackle the task of what podcast production requires, and to understand the steps to bring to it all to life! There were plenty of episodes that have never seen the light of day, but after a few false-starts, there are now over 35 episodes in the library.
PAA Podcast used for promotion of the 2021 PAA Virtual Conference
The timing worked well to leverage this early work of formulating the podcast, in the lead up to the 2021 PAA Conference. Each of the 18 conference presenters were interviewed to introduce their presentation topic at the Conference. This served very well for prospective conference delegates to choose their attendance preferences. This was also particularly important given the restrictions of COVID-19 – forcing the conference into a virtual format to be delivered via online video links.
Broadcasting: how the Podcast is put together
The creation of valuable content should always be a priority for these sorts of projects. Fortunately I am able to lean on my 20-plus years of international Pilates experience to create engaging conversations with guests. We also collaborate on the PAA committee to brainstorm ongoing content ideas. It also been wonderful to have other committee members conduct a number of the episode interviews.
The process of understanding production of a podcast was a very steep learning curve. The first step was understanding hardware requirements – from microphones and pop shields, to audio mixers and recording devices. Next came software options for the editing process. This step is renowned to be time-consuming, and I’ve learnt it certainly takes time and practice to improve the end result.
Once an episode has been created, the final audio file is uploaded to a podcasting platform. This hosting platform plays a pivotal role in the syndication of each podcast episode, in publishing them to over 15 different podcast networks. Some of the more common examples are Buzzsprout, Captivate, RSS.com and Transistor.
How to tune into the PAA Podcast
There are many different options in accessing the PAA Podcast. Apps on mobile devices are the most common method of listening. You can load the podcast through apps on your phone including Apple Podcasts (comes standard as an app on any iPhone), Spotify, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio and many others. The PAA website also has a page dedicated to the podcast. Use the embedded player to listen to each episode – which are indexed into the various categories the podcast has created thus far:
Series 1: An introduction to the PAA
Series 2: Meet our Presenters (2021 Conference)
Series 3: PAA Pilates Business Assets
Series 4: PAA Professional Training Providers
Series 5: PAA Students and Graduates
Series 6: Pilates Industry Content
Insights so far from producing the PAA Podcast
First and foremost, the podcast is serving as an invaluable resource to direct a wide range of Pilates enthusiasts to. From teachers of every level of experience, to prospective students wanting to make informed choices with their training direction.
There are many more angles the podcast can be used to continue communicating the core issues in the Pilates industry. We are very open to ideas being brought forward by members – of content you’d like to see added to the podcast. The PAA has an important role in helping expand the recognition of Pilates in Australia, and upholding the standards of quality delivery of training and Pilates services.
Please help to increase the exposure of the PAA Podcast by sharing on your social media channels at any opportunity you have. The more listeners we can reach goes a long way to expanding the profile of the PAA. The podcast serves as an easily distributed medium to reach a broad audience, so your support is very much appreciated.
A common example of when to refer to this resource is when prospective students are enquiring about training options, often on social media. The extensive work the PAA education committee has gone to in creating the Course Competency Criteria for PAA Professional Training Providers and Affiliated Courses has been expanded on by the PAA Podcast by interviewing each of the Training Providers. By accessing these episodes, it will helps prospective students make the most informed decision on their pathway of proceeding through PAA approved training programs, and ultimately become more employable Pilates professionals.
Thank you for your support of the podcast. Broadcasting the PAA Podcast has introduced a new way for the PAA to reach Pilates enthusiasts and we look forward to continuing to support the Pilates industry grow and evolve for the better.
Bruce Hildebrand
PAA Committee Member, PAA Professional Principal Trainer member, Founder & CEO of TRIMIO and host of The Pilates Diaries Podcast
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