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Special note:
Home > Articles > Podcasting Basics
This article originally
appeared in Business Lexington.
Making Podcasts - The Basics.
“More
than 70% of 2007 model US automobiles will offer iPod integration with GM
alone making it available on all 56 of its models” – Greg Joswiak, Apple’s
VP of Worldwide iPod Marketing.
Digital entertainment research company Diffusion Group states that the
worldwide us podcast audience will grow to 56 million by 2010, and that
three-quarters of those owning portable music devices will use them to
listen to podcasts up from just 15% today. This growth of Podcast audiences
suggests its increasing viability of as a tool for marketing communications
in our busy, multitasking world. I’ve had the pleasure of working on some
very popular podcasts, and get asked about starting them very often. As with
most content production, it is in the creativity and vision of the artist
that matters most. With that in mind, wrap your arms around three
rudimentary phases of podcast creation – planning, production, and
publishing.
Planning
The most important part of producing a podcast is to get into the mindset of
your listener and out of the ego of a broadcaster. Why in the world would
they want to listen to you? You will need to list a compelling collection of
topics, written down as thematic notes, flow reminders, and outlines. You
should remain consistent from one episode to the next, as 25% of listeners
will hear programs back-to-back!
Your points should be concise and meaningful. Try to remain on their
“subscribed” list with compelling ideas and thoughtful references to
previous and forthcoming episodes. . The continuity you’ll establish shows
organization and has a ‘cliffhanger’ effect on listeners.
Podcasts do not need to be long. I recommend that you vary length according
your best content. There is never a good reason to use filler in a podcast
with no program schedule to adhere to. If you have seven and a half minutes
great stuff, then stop at seven and a half minutes. You want to be an
authority figure, but a time-sensitive one, respectful of a listener’s
limited patience. I heard a podcast of around six minutes in length
recently. It gave a great anecdote with a thoughtful ending summed with
“That’s today’s idea in a box – I know you’re busy, so good bye for now.” –
It was true… I was busy, and as corny as it sounds, it made a connection.
Producing
At a minimum, producing requires a computer, a high-end headset microphone,
and some recording software. If you plan to do interviews, a desktop
microphone is needed. I’ve conducted very good quality direct-to-computer
phone interviews using Skype or you can purchase a couple of little boxes to
record regular phone calls over old-fashioned lines. Those wanting higher
fidelity can go “all out” and purchase studio-grade equipment to give their
podcasts a real sonic edge (Listen to podcasts from Business Lexington and
you’ll see what I mean.) Professional investment also pays off in
voice-overs for introduction and exit audio. You will use it in every
episode so it’s worth every dime.
The podcast content itself is recorded using the computer’s sound card
directly into the hard disk in most cases, so the microphone and sound card
are critically important. The finished product is then encoded into MP3, the
standard for podcast audio, and saved ready to be published. You’ll want to
learn a little about “bit rates” to decide on the quality level you need –
then write it on a post-it and use it every time.
Publishing
Before publishing, you will need web hosting space to publish the files. I
have seen podcasts run happily from “bare-bones” hosting packages costing as
little as $5.00 per month (providing you don’t need any support, ‘cause
you’re not going to get any at this price.)
In order to publish the Podcast onto the Internet so it can be subscribed to
a “pointer to the audio” is inserted into a package. This takes the form of
a special text file called a “feed” which describes the podcast to with
elements such as its name, length, description, file type, category, MP3
file location, and more.
To assemble a podcast, many use a simple program to aid in formatting the
XML/Feed file. I use Listgarden and
Feedforall, both are less than $30. With
these, you define parameters, enter Feed names, and so on, and then they
will upload the results to your web hosting space. For a totally hands-off
approach to publishing, check out PodBlaze.com, this takes a “do-it-for-you”
approach to publishing.
As to the reasons for doing a podcast, it’s very hard to predict what will
come from these – they’re so new that looking for a specific ROI is almost
impossible. Step one is to become a listener yourself – subscribe to a
variety of topics – heck use the excuse to start a walking regimen!
©Scott Clark - Originally Appeared on Business
Lexington Magazine