I want to start a playing card podcast!

[fireshaper]

I know what you are thinking. A podcast about playing cards? Why would anyone listen to that? Playing cards are so visual that a podcast wouldn't do them justice!

I think a podcast could give our hobby great exposure. There are already a lot of board game podcasts out there and they sometimes talk about card games, but rarely talk about just decks of cards. Collecting custom decks as a hobby has grown tremendously with the help of crowd funding sites like Kickstarter, and this is bringing a lot of people into our hobby and getting them interested in more than just these custom decks.

So my question is, what would you want to hear someone talk about on a podcast about playing cards?

[Don Boyer]

I know what you are thinking. A podcast about playing cards? Why would anyone listen to that? Playing cards are so visual that a podcast wouldn't do them justice!

I think a podcast could give our hobby great exposure. There are already a lot of board game podcasts out there and they sometimes talk about card games, but rarely talk about just decks of cards. Collecting custom decks as a hobby has grown tremendously with the help of crowd funding sites like Kickstarter, and this is bringing a lot of people into our hobby and getting them interested in more than just these custom decks.

So my question is, what would you want to hear someone talk about on a podcast about playing cards?

I'd suggest making a video podcast instead of audio.  You can record audio separately, then fill in the video with whatever's appropriate to the story.  For example, when you talk about a card back's gorgeous details, put either a still of the detail work or a video slowly panning over the card.  It will look reminiscent of some of the slick ads for cars - all voice-over, with impressive shots of the car's details, the card in action, etc., and no one speaking on screen.  Non-synch audio can be very effective that way - you worry less about appearance, more about what's being said.

Get a real recorder and a real camera for the work.  You want quality audio and quality images.  Otherwise, there's little point.

As far as topics - experiment.  Try different things.  You might discover something your audience never realized they'd like, but they like it a lot.  You'll never learn that by taking a poll.  Design by committee is usually a recipe for disaster, so I don't recommend using it for determining your podcast's content.

[PurpleIce]

I feel that you still require some form of visual to do a podcast for cards.

At the end of the day, collecting playing cards is slightly different from card games or board games and the like. For the latter, you can talk about the gameplay, the accesories and the rules, maybe even some strategies and such, and it is easier to be formed up in someone's mind.

It is harder to talk about the design of a card and expect it to form up in someone's mind the way it is meant to be. You can talk about a intricately designed dragon back, and while some may visualize it, others may visualize a cartoon dragon from Disney or something their 3 year old drew. You can say the deck fans better or shuffles better, but how much better or what is the difference? I say it is harder to transmit this information over audio.

As far as topics - experiment.  Try different things.  You might discover something your audience never realized they'd like, but they like it a lot.  You'll never learn that by taking a poll.  Design by committee is usually a recipe for disaster, so I don't recommend using it for determining your podcast's content.

I totally agree with this. Talk about everything card related. History, present, fun facts, design, handling, manufacturer, manufacturing process, pricing, current market trend, card games, card accessories, books, artist, designer, finishes, auctions, magicians, magic tricks....the list is endless. Slowly filter out what your audiences like and do not like, and from there you could have a very entertaining podcast.