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Reaping The Podcasting Rewards
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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copy of the issue or a link to any online posting would
be greatly appreciated send an email to sharon@notepage.net
.
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