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PodCasting 101:
Everything You Need to Know to Get Started
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:
1) 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.
2) 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/
3) Once your audio and RSS files are completed you'll
need to upload both of them to your server/website.
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.
