PodCasting 101: "Everything you Need to Know to Get
Started"
by Merle
Published on this site: August 11th, 2005 - See
more articles from this month
Everywhere you turn online these days you hear the word "podcast"
or "podcasting." No, it's not some broadcasting
method used by Martians, even though it might sound like it.
A Podcast is just an audio file that is syndicated via an
RSS feed, that you download and listen to with your computer
or a portable device such as an iPod.
What makes it different from an ordinary RSS feed is the
audio component included in the "enclosure field."
Think of it as a feed that talks to you.
Podcasting is increasing in popularity. According to Forrester
Research, by 2010 podcasting should have about 12.3 million
listeners. That's a pretty big audience. For more info see
http://tinyurl.com/84tyo
Similar to a talk radio show, podcasts can also take the
format of an interview. Topics range from business to hobbies;
even rants and obsessions. Lengths vary, but a typical podcast
will run anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, but I have seen
some longer. So far, there are not many music podcasts due
to the red tape and cost of music licensing - although musicians
and/or small record labels bypass that issue by utilizing
their own recordings.
Before you think you need some special device to listen to
a podcast, let me assure you that you don't. Most RSS readers
have the capability built in to play podcasts. Any software
that can play a sound file can play a podcast. If you want
to take them with you to listen to while on the road you'll
want to invest in a portable MP3 device like an iPod.
Like other RSS feeds, you decide which ones you want to subscribe
to and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Online business owners should think of podcasting as yet
another avenue for promoting your products and services. Like
an ezine or the RSS feeds you already use, it's a simple inexpensive
method of syndicating your audio files online. It would appear
that a podcast is a bit more personal. Instead of
just reading, like an ezine, people can listen to the sound
of your voice and make a more personal connection.
Now that I have your attention you may be wondering "How
do I create a podcast?" Well, it's really pretty simple
if you follow the easy steps below:
- First you'll need to use software to record your own
audio file. A good free
one is Audacity which you can download at http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
While there, you'll also need to download the Lame MP3 Encoder
which allows MP3 exportation.
- Once your audio is recorded you'll need to create an
RSS feed file which is simply a special text file with an
RSS extension that also includes a particular enclosure
tag. For step by step directions on making a feed file see
this site:
http://make-rss-feeds.com/making-an-rss-feed.htm
There's also a great tutorial on RSS here: http://www.mnot.net/rss/tutorial/
- Once your audio and RSS files are completed you'll need
to upload both of them to your server/website.
If you'd like to read more here are some more online sites
to help guide you.
Make Your First Podcast http://tinyurl.com/757fx
Create Podcasts Using Your PC http://tinyurl.com/9jfcb
If you don't want to do all this work manually there are
software tools specific to podcast creation.
ePodCast Creator http://tinyurl.com/do7sq
Pod Producer http://tinyurl.com/9dwrh
That's it. Wasn't that simple? Remember, you can't get subscribers
if people don't know about your feed, so make sure you add
it in a prominent place of your site. You want to make it
easy for them to subscribe and add your feed to their news
reader.
Audio files are rather large and can take up a lot of space
on your server, so make sure you won't run out of bandwidth.
If you're tight on space you can always farm it out to a third
party service such as http://www.PodLot.com
. For only $5.00 they'll give you 150 MB of storage space
with no bandwidth limitations. Your domain will look like
this: nameofyourshow.podlot.com
If you think you're going to have a hit on your hands and
want to try to generate
cash from your podcast, check out http://www.PremiumPodcasting.com.
They provide a system that allows you to charge for your shows
and also include private access to them, track who is listening
and more. You can try them out for a four day trial for only
one dollar.
Once your podcast is live you'll want to make sure you list
it with the various directories that exist for just this purpose.
You'll find a nice list here:
http://tinyurl.com/create.php
Podcast Bunker http://tinyurl.com/9qayk
Open Media Network http://omn.org/submitfeeds.htm
Podcasting Station http://tinyurl.com/7qlzq
Robin Good has a huge list at http://tinyurl.com/9rusq
So now that you see how easy it is to create a podcast, what's
stopping you? Remember, this is a great tool to add to your
marketing mix and if you're a bit on the creative side this
might be just the ticket. Have fun with it, experiment and
you'll become an expert podcaster in no time.
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