Whirlpool Corp. is running a podcast series that shows off a lot of good ideas. The American Family series features interviews with interesting people about health, family and nutrition topics. This is a soft-sell approach as there is no direct correlation to Whirlpool’s products and no effort to promote products beyond a corporate branding statement.

There are a few things I like about these podcasts. For one thing, they’re a good length. Most podcasts range from 10 to 30 minutes, which is a great commute-time length. For another, the moderator knows how to engage with a speaker. Audrey Reed-Granger is an upbeat and engaging moderator who makes the interaction with her subjects a conversation rather than an interview. This is absolutely critical to successful podcasting. A moderator who’s awkward, tongue-tied or who reads from a script can actually make a listener uncomfortable.

Whirlpool is one of the first corporations to dip its toes into podcasting and it’s set a nice standard.