My regular readers know that I have a website called Social Thought Radio. I have put up over 300 public radio interviews I did with important thinkers and academics on the subject of Social Thought. Social Thought is concerned with how institutions work.
Most of the interviews are brilliant. All are interesting and important. So now that the website is up and running and I have done what I can do to market the site, what can I say?
Each of these interviews is 30 minutes long. A perfect podcast length. So?
There has been no response whatsoever. Very few users. A handful.
In trying to promote the site I went to the logical medium, the Chronicle of Higher Education. They said ‘tough luck’, we only do news. I can’t figure out a way to make news except when one of the interviewees dies.
The real problem is that people who are interested in broad knowledge across many disciplines are few and far between and are not organized in the United States into any coherent group or media focus.
The problem is both.
Aside from my readers, there are probably only a few people who have a broad intellectual curiosity and the ability to search for that knowledge. Maybe thousands or a few tens of thousands. A tiny community.
Am I wrong? Am I drawing the wrong conclusion from my experience?
Is there really a large group of people who are intellectually curious, intelligent enough to pursue academic level information and looking for an accessible source? If so, can they be reached by any marketing approach, new or old?