Podcasting – Basic How To Create a Podcast

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Podcasting is a new media that is growing in popularity. According to Wikipedia Podcasting is: A podcast is a series of audio or video digital media files which is distributed over the Internet by syndicated download, through Web feeds, to portable media players and personal computers. Though the same content may also be made available by direct download or streaming, a podcast is distinguished from most other digital media formats by its ability to be syndicated, subscribed to, and downloaded automatically when new content is added. Like the term broadcast, podcast can refer either to the series of content itself or to the method by which it is syndicated; the latter is also called podcasting. The host or author of a podcast is often called a podcaster.

To produce a podcast is something anyone can do. It can be created on a small budget. Good sound quality can be produced on a small budget, but you will wound like a professional. If you have a Mac, you can get a USB headset and record directly into GarageBand. GarageBand is an audio program that you can create music, learn to play instruments and edit podcasts. If you’re on a Windows based computer you can use a program called Audacity. Audacity is a free program that you can download and edit simple podcasts. To make a solo podcast you just record in either Audacity or GarageBand and then save the file as an MP3.

If you want to have a podcast with more then one person, you can easily do this and still maintain your budget. The best way to do it is through Skype. Skype is a free voice over IP program that lets you use the phone over the Internet. Skype calls to other Skype are free, so everyone on the podcast will have to be Skype member. But, if you have a person that doesn’t have Skype or can’t use it on their network, you can get access to call all US numbers for around $10 a month. Once you have all the people on Skype you will need a voice recording program, such as Audio Hijack Pro. Once the podcast is recorded it’s a good idea to put the file through Levelator, which will smooth out the audio levels. Levelator makes sure all the audio levels of the members of the podcast are the same. This prevents one person’s sound from being louder then the rest. This will be done automatically and would be very time intensive if you had to do it by yourself. Then you will save the file as an MP3.

The next step is distributing the podcast. The most popular way is distributing it through iTunes. This will give you great access to many listeners across the world. Once in the iTunes podcast directory anyone can subscribe. But say you want to keep the podcast to a select few or protect it for internal use. iTunes has the ability to subscribe to podcasts through RSS Feeds. You would just need to furnish the feed address either by posting on a web page or emailing it to listeners. That way only people you want to have access will have access to the podcast. Lastly, if you want a podcast for just internal use, you can password protect the files so only the people you grant access, can download the files.

Podcasting is a great new medium that has potential for marketing. I will go into more details about podcasting the advantages, great uses, and more technical details. If you have any questions please contact me.

Tim is the founder of Element33. A social media agency specializing in education, management and strategy for small businesses. He comes from a traditional marketing agency but has embraced all things digital. He considers himself a marketing nerd and believes that all marketing is tied together. This means no matter what silo you are in, social, email, seach, etc, changes in one will affect the other!

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