7 Steps to Creating Your Own Podcast

Listening to podcasts isn't something I enjoy or take time
for, quite frankly. I'm a visual learner and prefer to
read something rather than listen to it, as I find reading
a much quicker way to gather the info that I need.
However, with the proliferation of audio listening devices,
like the whole iPod family and other mp3 players, I have to
acknowledge that I'm in the minority, I believe. The world
is listening to a wide variety of audio files, much more so
than ever before in history, and I need to get on the
bandwagon or be lost in the dust.

What is a podcast, anyway? A podcast is an audio file that
you create in .mp3 format that is uploaded with an RSS
(Really Simple Syndication) file to your server for your
target market to download on any number of programs created
to receive or subscribe to your audio file so that they can
listen to it at their leisure on their computer or a
personal mp3 device.

Why should you create a podcast? I think it serves as a
marketing tool for the solo service professional, who might
want to do one of the following:

--create an Internet radio show or talk show in which you
create content-rich broadcasts for your target market

--conduct a teleclass series in which you interview experts
who have solutions to problems faced by your target market

--promote a printed book, ebook, or CD/DVD series by
releasing promotional snippets to a wider audience

--provide short and valuable expert tips to your target
market (my Get More Clients Online podcast consists of the
weekly article I write for my newsletter)

Many podcasts are about an hour in length, especially when
they consist of recordings of radio shows or teleclasses.
However, I think that the listening threshold for most
people is about 10 minutes. So, that means that your
podcast needs to be 10 minutes or less in length. If it's
longer, you really have to grab their attention in the
first 10 minutes to keep them listening for the full amount
of time.

Good content and a good speaking voice are key to
maintaining interest. Don't make your podcast one long
advertisement for your services or products -- share some
useful information with your target market to help them
solve their problems. And, you need to have a good speaking
voice. Nothing is worse than listening to someone read a
speech with a monotone delivery. So, for maximum impact
when you record your podcast (especially if you're just
recording yourself), get up and walk around, smile,
gesture, or do whatever you normally do when you deliver a
speech. Modulate your voice, much in the same way that you
would when you have a 1:1 conversation with someone -- put
feeling and emotion into your words. I pretend like I'm
talking to my best friend, and that helps me with a lively
delivery.

What are the steps to creating a podcast?

1. Listen to a few podcasts to get a feel for what others
are doing. To listen, you'll need a podcatcher (podcast
reader), which permits you to subscribe to podcasts in the
same way you subscribe to blogs. I favor iTunes as my
podcatcher of choice, which is a free online download.
You'll also need to find podcasts, and the quickest way to
do that is via podcast directories, which include the
iTunes store. Podcast Alley, one of the most popular
podcasting sites, has a large podcast directory, and Yahoo
Podcasts has a podcast search. To find others, simply
search online for "podcast directory."

2. Plan your podcast. Who is your target market? What do
they want to listen to? How will your podcast be unique
from others in your industry? What's your format
(interview others, host a teleclass, or record yourself)?
How long will your podcast be? How frequently will you
deliver your podcasts?

3. Record your podcast. Many people choose to record
their podcast with a free piece of software called
Audacity. It has an easy learning curve and advanced
features for more experienced podcasters. Mac users might
want to check out Garage Band. For best recording sound,
don't use the microphone that came with your computer or
that is built into your laptop. You'll want to get a more
professional one, such as the ones offered at Plantronics
or Radio Shack.

4. Save and upload your podcast to your server. Once
you've created your podcast in an mp3 file, now you have to
save it and upload it to a server via an FTP program (like
CuteFTP) so that it's readily available. You can upload it
to your website, or use one of the many podcasting hosting
services available. The problem with uploading it to your
website is that audio files are space hogs, and you can
quickly exhaust all the storage capacity of your hosting
account, not to mention your monthly bandwidth capacity if
your podcast is popular and is downloaded frequently.
That's why I use a fee-based audio service hosting company,
Audio Acrobat, which offers me generous storage and
bandwidth capacity for a semi-annual fee. Another popular
podcast hosting company is Hipcast.com.

5. Create your podcast feed. You can create your podcast
feed from scratch, but I recommend you use a feed service
to do so. If you use a podcasting hosting service, this
feature is included in your service package. For everyone
else, the quickest way to create your podcast feed is
through Feedburner.com. This is the same service that
creates RSS feeds for blogs. The advantage of creating
your podcast feed from this site is that you can create a
browser-friendly feed, track your circulation, and enhance
your feed with its SmartCast technology.

6. Publish and promote your podcast. If you use a
podcasting hosting service, the service will publish your
podcast and notify various podcast directories about the
availability of your new podcast. Or, you can enter the
info directly into the major podcast directories. You'll
also want to promote the podcast on your website, blog, and
in your email newsletter. One of the easiest ways to do
this is to add feed subscription buttons (called chiclets)
to your sites. You'll have to cut and paste the HTML code
into your templates to create the chiclets. You can get
directions on how to publish subscription buttons from the
various podcasters you want to feature. Lastly, you'll
want to create "album art" for your podcast, or a graphic
representation that many podcatchers upload with the mp3
file. Album art may be from 170x170 to 300x300 pixels
square at 72 dpi. Any graphic designer can help you create
this graphics file.

7. Make money from your podcast. Advertising on podcasts
is still fairly new, but some companies like Fruitcast.com
or PodcasterAds.com are places to start. Another option is
to place Google Adsense listings on all of your sites
listing your podcast, or seek sponsors for your podcasts,
just like you would for a radio show.

Don't let the audio world pass you by! Podcasting is a
very inexpensive way of helping you get the word out about
what you do and what you offer to the world.

Copyright (c) 2006 Donna Gunter

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Online Business Resource Queen (TM) and Business Coach
Donna Gunter helps self-employed service professionals
learn how to get more clients online. To sign up for more
FREE tips like these and claim your FREE gift, TurboCharge
Your Online Marketing Toolkit, visit her site at
http://www.GetMoreClientsOnline.com . Read about running an
online biz at her blog,
http://www.getmoreclientsonlineblog.com or subscribe to her
Get More Clients Online Podcast at
http://dgunter.audioacrobat.com/rss/get_more_clients_online_
podcast.xml