Overview
The technology of podcasting allows you to publish rich media (audio or video) that people can consume on the web and subscribe to in order to get automatic updates. Think of podcasting as a digital video recorder for the web. As a podcaster you make content available that people can get how they want, when they want. All anyone really needs to consume podcasts are a computer and an internet (preferably high speed) connection.
Getting Started
For those at the beginning of the podcasting journey there are two very important decisions to make.
What will be the theme of your podcast? I recommend that you pick something you are passionate and knowledgeable about.
In what format will you distribute your podcast? This choice depends on your theme and also the technology you are comfortable with. Some themes work best with video but if you are comfortable with audio tools then maybe you should start with audio. Either way, plan on investing time to learn the tools to help create podcasts in the format you settle on.
Cost may be a factor in getting started as well. I recommend that you get started with the most basic equipment possible. In the beginning, podcasting is about creating content and getting familiar with the process. If you have large debts for equipment hanging over your head you will be stressing about the wrong things.
I also recommend that you think of a unique name for your podcast and secure a domain (or domains) that reflect that name. Domains are very inexpensive these days, costing on average less than $10 per year, so there's no reason you shouldn't stake your claim on a domain name that can represent your podcast. Two very popular sites where you can search for and register domains are GoDaddy and Namesecure.
Audio Tools
If you choose an audio format then you'll want to know about some of the basic tools you can use to record and edit audio. We're going to focus on a totally computer based setup for the purposes of this tutorial.
Software
Audacity is a very popular and free recording and editing program that works well on both Windows machines and Macs.
Garage Band is very popular with Mac users. It is simple, powerful and is only available on the Mac as part of the iLife software suite.
Magix Podcast Maker e-Version is a very basic, two-track audio recording program designed for Windows computers. The software costs $19.99 but comes with a 30-day free trial.
Hardware
The Cyber Acoustics USB Headset provides a basic and reliable microphone interface to your computer at a very reasonable price of around $30.
The M-Audio Podcast Factory provides you with a more advanced interface that includes a microphone, desktop stand and software for under $200.
Portable Devices
The Samson Zoom H2 – Handy Recorder lets you record on the go in a very small package. This recorder can be had for around $200.
The Belkin TuneTalk Stereo turns the 2nd generation iPod Nano and 5th generation iPod video into a stereo audio recorder.
The iRiver E Series media players are ultra portable devices that also include audio recording capabilities.
Video Tools
There are many different types of tools available to record and edit video. These tools range from very basic to professional tools costing thousands of dollars. These are just a few choices that make sense for the beginning podcaster.
Software
Windows Movie Maker is a free video editing tool that works only on Windows based machines.
Apple iMovie software is made specifically for Macs and is bundled with Apple's iLife software suite which is priced at less than $100.
Magix Movie Edit Pro is a Windows based video editing suite that packs very good features at a very reasonable price around $60.
QuickTime Pro is a $30 program that allows Windows or Mac users to convert a variety of video formats into the iPod or iPhone video format.
Hardware
Flip digital video camcorders are extremely portable allow you to shoot basic video and are very cost effective at under $200.
The JVC GR-D250 Mini DV Camcorder costs less than $200. Videos are captured to mini-dv tapes which are sold separately and hold about 60 minutes of video each.
The Canon Powershot A560 digital still camera costs less than $200 and doubles as a movie camera. Movies are stored on a flash memory card.
Media Formats
Beginner's should know some important information about formats for media.
Audio podcasts are almost always encoded in MP3 format. MP3 format plays on all audio players and has the best balance between compression (meaning smaller file sizes) and quality.
Video podcasts are typically distributed in a QuickTime (usually with an M4V extension) format in order to achieve compatibility with iTunes, the Video iPod and Apple TV. Many video podcasts also offer a Flash option (think YouTube) for viewing videos in the browser. This is typically achieved by uploading to a service such as YouTube or Blip.tv that will encode files to flash on their servers and provide an embed code so you can place the video on other sites.
Recording and Editing Tips
Beginner's should exercise lots of patience when recording and editing media for the first time. Plan several dry runs. Make the episodes short. And make the goal to become comfortable with the recording process and familiar with the tools you are using.
You may not like the finished product the first time around. That's okay. Take it as a learning experience and commit yourself to doing better next time.
Publishing Your Media
At some point you will be ready to let loose with the very first episode of your podcast. When you are ready there are a couple of things you will need in place to get going.
You will need a host on the web that will store the media.
You will need a place to act as the home page for your show.
You will need an RSS feed that is compatible with podcasting and iTunes.
Until a few years ago most web hosting providers offered general storage for media and web pages. In recent years many specialty providers have popped up specifically for media (and some just for podcasting) at free or reasonable prices. Here are a few that might meet your needs:
Audio Only
TalkShoe provides a free service that allows you to record audio podcasts over the phone or upload pre-recorded audio. Media hosting is supported by ads inserted into media files. Accounts support podcast RSS feeds.
BlogTalkRadio is very similar to TalkShoe, offering free audio hosting for shows that you can record over the phone. People can listen live and shows are archived as podcasts for later consumption.
Podcaster News allows producers of short form audio shows to enjoy free media hosting and publishing of full featured podcast feeds.
Video Only
Blip.tv provides a free service that allows you to upload videos up to 100MB in size. Their service will also transcode your video to Flash and provide a player to embed the video in other sites. Accounts also support iTunes compliant podcast RSS feeds. Blip.tv also offer pro accounts that add features for a small monthly fee.
Audio or Video
LibSyn is a paid service that provides media hosting, a web presence and an iTunes compliant podcast feed at low prices. You can upload audio or video from the browser or via their web based interface.
Podcast Spot is a media hosting service that is similar to Libsyn but they will encode audio and video to multiple formats.
Mevio offers free audio and video hosting as well as a web presence and podcast RSS feed. Hosting costs are covered by the insertion of ads before and after the media.
PodOmatic offers free hosting of audio and video hosting with presence and podcast RSS feeds. Free hosting is supported by advertising.
The Internet Archive is a free hosting service that supports audio or video uploads from the browser. They do not support podcast RSS feeds or a web presence so you would use another presence and simply link to the files.
Utterz is a free service that allows you to record and publish audio, video, text or images from your cell phone. Podcasting is supported for all audio posts and you have the option of cross publishing posts to other blogs or social networks.
Blubrry is a podcasting community that also offers media hosting, a web presence and RSS publishing with iTunes compliant feeds.
Presence Providers
These are services that specialize in letting you publish a website or blog very quickly and easily. They don't host media and may not support creation of a podcast RSS feed.
WordPress.com and Blogger are very popular services. Both offer a free hosted website/blog service. WordPress.com offers more advanced comment features and spam protection than Blogger.
TypePad is a paid service with many features that offers a web presence starting at $4.95 per month.
RSS Feed Providers
A few service providers exist in order to help you create or enhance RSS feeds that support podcasting.
Feed For All is a desktop based program for Windows and Mac computers. Priced at $39.95 this tool allows you to create, manage and upload iTunes compliant podcast feeds to a web server.
FeedBurner is a free service that will enhance an existing feed to support podcasting and inclusion in the iTunes directory. FeedBurner requires that you start with an existing RSS feed as they do not create feeds. In addition to podcast enhancements FeedBurner also offers statistics on the number of people subscribed to your feed.
IceRocket RSS Builder is a free tool that allows you to create RSS feeds on the web. While not podcast compliant, you can use IceRocket in conjuction with FeedBurner to create a full featured podcast feed.
DirCaster is a free script that allows one to very easily start Podcasting MP3 files from their web host. This allows original content creators to easily create a feed that is also fully iTunes compliant!
Publishing Tips
Some media hosts allow you to upload your files directly from the web browser. Other require you to upload media to your account via File Transfer Protocol (FTP). FileZilla is a free software tool for Windows based computers that will allow you to upload files to your media host from the desktop.
Branding Your Podcast
I recommend that you take a few moments to consider the branding for your podcast. You may not think of your podcast as a professional endeavor now, but if your show gets popular you just might want to have strong branding that can support a unique presence and advertising.
The basic components for your brand are:
The name of your show. Think of a name for your podcast prior to launch. Do searches on Google for the exact proposed name of your show to see if anyone has the same or a very similar name. Its usually best to avoid very similar show names.
The domain for your show. Even if you have a service providing you a domain (like mypodcast.wordpress.com for example) you should always have a unique domain for your show. At the very least you can forward the unique domain to the service you are using.
Your show image or cover art. Every podcast should have a 300x300 image that represents the show. Many directories, especially iTunes, will use this image to link to your show. A good image can help your show to stand out from others. If you are in need of a good image editing program, Windows users should consider a free program called Paint.net. Paint.net can assist you with creating and editing images for your podcast.
Promoting Your Podcast
A lot of work goes into your podcast prior to publishing your first episode. Once you have published your first episode we have no doubt that you will want to tell people about it. After all, podcasting is about making connections with people.
Here are some basic tips for helping you to promote your podcast and start gaining an audience:
Tell family and friends. These are people most likely to share your interests or at least have an interest in what you're doing. So let them know and encourage them to spread the word.
Go to places on the web where your topics are important. Let's say you create a travel podcast. Head over to a popular travel forum and announce your show there. Remember, this isn't about the fact that its a podcast. This is about the type of content you are creating and that content should appeal to anyone who is looking for information on the topics you are covering.
Submit your podcast to iTunes. iTunes is the largest directory for podcasts and it has an audience of 60 million people who go their to search out digital content. Being listed there will increase the chances of someone finding your show.
Join a community of podcasters. Many podcast producers are fans of the medium and may just be possible audience members. They can also help you spread the word. The Blubrry podcast community is a place where you can make connections. You can also find communities at Podcast Pickle and Podcast Alley and Podcast.com among others. If you produce a video podcast also consider submitting to the Miro Guide, which specializes in video podcasts.
Create a show promo and share it. Podcast Promos provides podcast producers a place to list and share their promos for their podcasts. Take some time to record a short (30 second to a minute) promo for your show and ask other podcasts to play it.
Explore a content community. Content sharing sites like Digg, Delicious and FriendFeed have large audiences and are good places to find people with similar interests and share your content.
Monetizing Your Podcast
The day may arrive when you decide that you want to make some money from your podcast. There are several ways that you can accomplish the goal of earning a few dollars from your passion.
Pay per click ads on your website. If the primary presence for your podcast has a good amount of traffic you may be able to make money through pay-per-click ad programs. These types of programs require you to insert a snippet of html code on your website. That code will deliver linked text ads (and in some cases images) based on the content in your page. Find out more about this type of monetization via Google AdSense or AdBrite.
Podcast sponsorship arrangements. These types of agreements involve a sponsor paying a fee to be mentioned in the media and sometimes represented via links or banner ads on the podcast website. Sponsors will either pay a fee per thousand downloads (known as CPM) or will pay for certain actions (known as CPA) by your podcast audience. As an independent media producer you are free to search for sponsors for your podcast. If you would like some help, a number of service providers including Blubrry, PodTrac and PodShow connect podcasters with sponsors.
Affiliate programs. These types of programs allow you to choose from a wide array of advertisers who are seeking to promote their products and services via the internet. Affiliate deals will require your audience to take action before you can be paid. Payments vary based on the affiliate. You can seek out some affiliate opportunities by checking out Commission Junction and Apple's iTunes Affiliate program among others. The Dreamhost Rewards program allows you to earn up to $97 for each new hosting customer you refer to their service.
Audience donations. You can ask for donations during your podcast episodes and have links on your website that take people to the appropriate payment service. Services like PayPal and Google Checkout make it easy for anyone to accept payments from their audience.
Premium content sales. If the content you are producing is valuable enough to your audience you may be able to convince them to pay for it. The mechanics of protecting and selling digital content can be technologically difficult for the average publisher. Services like Lulu.com and the Dreamhost Files Forever program make it easier for publishers to protect and sell their digital content.
Podcast Advertising Tips
The process of obtaining and managing podcast advertising deals can sometimes be a complex one. Here is a list of some basic tips to help you make your podcast one that is advertising and sponsorship ready.
Know your audience. Do the best you can to know your audience size along with some general demographic information.
Publish on a consistent schedule. Shows that have a track record of keeping a regular schedule are more attractive to advertisers than those published whenever. A consistent schedule tells the potential sponsor that you are very likely to deliver your audience.
Maintain a current media kit. This kit provides lots of information about your show to people who might want to sponsor you. Include in your media kit:
Unique show branding like a header image or show photos.
Description of your show and the kinds of content you feature.
Information about the podcast producers and hosts.
Vital statistics such as number of episodes, publishing schedule and estimated audience size.
Basic demographic information on the audience including ages and geographic locations.
Links to and quotes from reviews or press related to the podcast.
Information about the types of advertising you are seeking for the podcast.
Contact information including the name and phone number of the appropriate individual.
Prepare your audience for advertising. Feel free to let your audience know that you are seeking sponsorship. Someone in the audience may want to sponsor you! Get feedback on the types of advertising they might like to have in your podcast.
Podcast Statistics
Even if you don't have an interest in advertising it is likely that you will want to know how many people are consuming the content that you are publishing. Unlike most web based publishing, the key statistic for podcasting is the number of downloads per episode.
If you use a media hosting service then it is likely that the service provides some measure of downloads for each media file that you post. Paid services are likely to provide more detailed statistics than free services. LibSyn and Blip.tv provide very good statistics for each file that you post. Archive.org is free and only provides a raw number of downloads for each file. Blubrry and Podtrac each offer detailed metrics that you can access regardless of your media host.
Here is a list of a few different types of statistics beyond total downloads that might be of interest to you.
Unique Downloads – Some services will keep track of the number of downloads from a particular computer (using the IP addresss) and filter out multiple requests. These numbers are not exact but can help to provide a more realistic number of downloads.
Referring Sites – If your media is embedded or linked from other sites then this statistic will help you to know how much traffic is being directed to your media by those sites.
Geographic Location – This statistic shows you the locations (like countries or cities) where your episode downloads are originating from.
Listen to audio of a discussion on podcast statistics that took place at PodCamp Philadelphia in September 2007.
The Legalities Of Podcasting
I recommend that you take some time to review the Podcasting Legal Guide. The guide provides general information on the legal issues related to publishing new media to the web.
The details of your situation are fact dependent. So if you have a specific issue that you need answers on it is best to have a one-on-one consult with an attorney.
The Podcasting Community
At some point during your adventure into the world of podcasting you will probably want to connect with people who share your passion for the medium. Whether your connection is purely social, purely business oriented or a mixture of both you can connect with many people who share your interest in podcasting.
Online Community
The quickest way to get started in the podcast community is to do it online.
There are several podcasting groups here. The Podcasting Group has 275 members and is open to new members. The Podcast Group has 487 members and is open as well. There is also a Blogger & Podcaster Magazine group with over 300 members.
Well known as a photo sharing site, many podcasters choose to upload photos related to their shows or podcasting events around the globe. The quickest way to get into the mix is to search for a podcasting group. Or you can look for photos tagged with the word 'podcasting'.
Twitter has become a very popular spot for podcasters to connect and provide frequent updates on their shows. Search for podcasting on Twitter to find users who are interested in the topic.
Perhaps the first community of podcasters to gather online, Podcast Alley still has a very vibrant forum section with many new discussions occuring about podcasting each day.
In-Person Community
Many people are surprised by the breadth of in-person community events that occur in the world of podcasting. This is an online medium after all. It is also a medium of communication. Sometimes face-to-face communication is the best communication of all.
Meetup.com is a place where people connect online with the intention of getting together in person. This was one of the first places on the web where podcasters arranged in-person connections via local meetups. There are currently podcasting meetups in over thirty U.S. cities and three countries around the globe. If you don't see a meetup group in your area then you can organize one yourself.
PodCamp events are un-conferences that are all about podcasting. Un-conferences differ from traditional conferences because participants are the ones who set the agenda. Learning sessions at Podcamp events are about group discussion rather than a few voices talking at you. These events usually occur on weekends and at little or no cost to participants. There always seem to be PodCamp events in the planning stages, so check the website for an upcoming event near you.
The New Media Expo is a yearly event that brings together new media makers from around the globe. The event is a traditional conference event with hourly sessions and an exhibit hall floor. While the exhibit hall is free, a pass to the sessions will cost you at least $299.
Additional Resources
Print Books On Podcasting
Podcasting: The Do It Yourself Guide by Todd Cochrane.
Podcasting Solutions: The Complete Guide to Podcasting by Michael W. Goeghegan and Dan Klass.
How To Do Everything With Podcasting by Neville Hobson and Shel Holtz.
Expert Podcasting Practices For Dummies by Evo Terra, Tee Morris and Ryam Williams.
Hardware Retailers
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Web Resources
| The Podcaster's Checklist by Donna Papacosta | Explanation of Podcasting by Grunt Media |
| Podcasting on Wikipedia | PodcastFAQ by RawVoice |
| Podcast Statistics Discussion from Podcamp Philly 2007 | |
| The Podcast Academy by Gigavox Media | |
Video Tutorials
The Awakened Voice Learning Center offers video tutorials on the following topics related to podcasting:
Technical Information
Official iTunes Podcast Specification
About Awakened Voice
Awakened Voice founder Robert Safuto is an expert on new media and Web2.0. He has been blogging since 1999 and podcasting since February 2005. Robert is a very strong resource on how to get the most out of tools (especially WordPress and Drupal) and services that allow people to publish rich media content and build communities on the web.
You can find out much more about Robert and explore his online media portfolio at www.awakenedvoice.com.
Rizwan Qamar
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