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Reaping The Podcasting Rewards
Getting started with podcasting is a relatively
inexpensive venture. The equipment and software
required for podcasting is inexpensive for a business
contemplating podcasting as a new marketing and
communication adventure.
Required Equipment
1. A Computer Capable of Recording
Audio
2. Recording and Editing Software (RecordForAll
Suggested - US$39.00)
3. Podcast Creation Software (FeedForAll Suggested
- US$39.00)
4. A Microphone
5. A Recording Location (quiet, without any echo)
Start With A Plan Or Concept
First things first -- you will
need to decide on the podcast's content and format.
What types of content will the podcast show contain?
How long will each broadcast be? How frequently
will new podcasts be available? The general format
of the show will shape future podcasts, so a fair
amount of thought should be given to the show's
format. You must also determine what the approximate
length of each show and show segment will be.
Listeners will come to expect a certain format
and time commitment. Create an outline that will
dictate the format and segment lengths. If you
are going to use audio advertisements in the podcasts,
be sure to include them in your format outline.
The Actual Recording
The first show will be part of
the educational process, and likely won't be perfect.
But there are a couple of the obvious things that
you should plan on doing from the beginning, such
as: The recording should be done in a quiet place.
And record the show segments in "chunks" rather
than trying to stream everything all together
-- this will make the editing process much easier.
Edit And Add Transitions
Edit each audio file to remove extraneous
words, noise, long gaps or silence. Add transitional
effects between podcast segments. To make the
show sound more professional, introduce the show
with a podsafe music clip, which can also be overlaid
easily into each section. Audio recording and
editing software will make building your show
easy.
Create A Feed And Upload
Once you have completed the editing
of the podcast audio file, save it as an MP3 file,
upload it to the web, and then use podcast creation
software to create an RSS feed. The link to the
audio file will be included in the enclosure field
of the RSS feed's first item. Use the RSS feed's
Item Title and Description fields to describe
the show. Use keywords related to the audio content
in the description of the RSS feed. You may also
want to include a text transcript of the show
to give listeners a better sense of what the show
will cover.
Promote The Podcast
Promote your new show to the masses.
Submit the podcast to the various online podcast
directories and podcast search engines. Include
a page on your website that includes information
about the show, and how to subscribe to it. Make
it easy for interested parties to find information
about the podcast.
Analyze
Analyze the podcast's popularity
by viewing web logs or other podcast tracking
data. Continually monitor the podcast's popularity,
and determine whether subscriptions are increasing
or decreasing. Pay attention to which topics attracted
the most attention, and consider doing follow-up
and related segments that pertain to the more
popular shows.
Communicate With Listeners
Setup a forum, blog, or email feedback
form to communicate with listeners. Allow your
subscribers to comment on your show and provide
feedback about what they liked and didn't like.
Build and improve your show based on the feedback
you receive.
Podcasting is a viable and interesting
new method of communication. Use podcasting to
boost your company to the forefront of your industry.
Leveraging this powerful communication tool will
give you a leg up on the competition.
About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll
http://www.feedforall.com
software for creating, editing, publishing RSS
feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages
marketing for RecordForAll http://www.recordforall.com
audio recording and editing software.
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