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7 Steps to Creating Your Own Podcast
By Donna Gunter (c) 2007

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, in much 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
(http://www.podcastalley.com/), one of the most popular
podcasting sites, has a large podcast directory, and Yahoo
Podcasts (http://podcasts.yahoo.com/) 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
(http://audacity.sourceforge.net/). It has an easy learning
curve and advanced features for more experienced podcasters.
Mac users might want to check out Garage Band
(http://www.apple.com/ilife/garageband/). 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, 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 (http://www.audioacrobat.com/), which
offers me generous storage and bandwidth capacity for a
semi-annual fee. Another popular podcast hosting company is
Hipcast.com (http://www.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
(http://www.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
(http://www.fruitcast.com/) or PodcasterAds.com
(http://www.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.
================================================================
Online Business Resource Queen (TM) and Online Business Coach
Donna Gunter helps self-employed service professionals learn how
to automate their businesses, leverage their expertise on the
Internet, and 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
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