Is Podcasting a Good Idea?

I was asked a few weeks ago if podcasting was a good idea. I think I surprised my friend with my answer. After all, he knows I'm involved in teaching people to write books and create large training courses. So he figured I wouldn't think very highly of short audio podcasts.

He was wrong.

Podcasts are a great way for internet marketers to create products including marketing products.

There are a number of reasons why podcasts are such a great product for information marketers to create. However, I've only got room for five in this article:

1. They are reasonably easy to create. At one time recordings -- of whatever length -- were difficult to create. But modern software makes creating podcasts or any other type of audio very easy to create. A headset, computer and the appropriate software make recording easy. And the software is available both as trialware and as open source.

2. They are inexpensive to distribute. MP3s are an extremely efficient way to store audio recordings. Unlike some other forms of audio they do not take up very much storage nor do they take up a great deal of bandwidth. And they are very inexpensive when compared to products like webinars or videos. Even eBooks take more bandwidth than an equivalent MP3.

3. They can be done in a number of formats. An audio blog is one form that can be produced quite easily and inexpensively. Interviews are another alternative. These have the advantage of letting someone else provide the content. In any case, the number of formats allows the podcaster to keep the format fresh and revise the content often enough to keep the audience interested.

4. They are fast to produce. Because they are a short product involving only a short amount of time there isn't as much editing involved as there can be with an extended product. In addition, it is an audio product which always involves less work to edit than other media. The result is a product which can be written, recorded and edited within a half day or less.

5. They are well received by their audience. Many people like having short information sessions playing while they drive home or drive to work. Rather than waste the driving time listening to music or the mindless fights common to talk radio, many people prefer to learn while they drive. Audio books typically require more concentration and more time than is available for a normal commute. A podcast is usually short enough that listeners can play several of them during their commute.

The Benefits of Starting a Podcast   Podcast Transcription: Converting the Spoken to the Written   How to Begin Podcasting the Right Way   The Art of Podcasting   

Is It Smart to Charge For a Podcast?

There's no debate about Podcasting itself. Podcasting is one of the best techniques to adopt for an information marketer or someone in the advice business. They're easy to create. Powerful in the ability to influence. And valued by the audience. That's a powerful combination for any technique.

But there is a debate about Podcasting.

Specifically the debate is around whether it is smart to charge for a podcast. People are lined up on both sides of the table. They're taking sides and as usual they're quite vociferous in their support for their opinion. The truth, of course, is somewhere in between.

Some people believe that there should be no doubt about charging for podcasts.

Podcasting can be the basis for a very useful and powerful membership product. Many membership programs are built around newsletters or video products. But podcasting can provide a higher value product for more people with less work than the alternatives.

Ongoing revenue products are extremely powerful and profitable. But there aren't many methods of generating this type of revenue. Membership programs, newsletters and coaching are the normal techniques used. However, a podcast is a recurring product and therefore makes an excellent base for a recurring revenue product.

Podcasts can also be repackaged in many ways. By charging for the base product (the podcast) you can ensure that the subsequent products retain their value. After all the information is proprietary and shouldn't be shared without recompense.

On the other hand there are a number of people who believe that charging for podcasts is foolish. They also have a strong argument.

Not all products will sell equally. Changing formats may cause a product to suddenly start to sell. Even though it is essentially the same product. Podcasts are such a powerful source of subsequent products that selling them may fool you into believing there is no market when there really is. If the podcast does not sell well you may decide not to release the subsequent products. The result would be a major loss in profits.

Podcasts are an extremely powerful technique to increase credibility and build a reputation. As such they are a marketer's dream. Selling them would seriously impact their distribution and therefore reduce their ability to deliver increased credibility. Bluntly they are worth more as a free product than they ever could be as a paid product.

Podcasting draws part of its history and techniques from the broadcast media such as radio. But unlike traditional broadcasting it is a content rich media. And it is judged by both its content and its production values. As a free product both the audience and the producer will concentrate on the content and tend to ignore the production values. However, as a paid product the producer will tend to focus on production values thus reducing the actual value of the product.

The Benefits of Starting a Podcast   Podcast Transcription: Converting the Spoken to the Written   How to Begin Podcasting the Right Way   The Art of Podcasting   

What Is a Podcast and How Does It Work?

Podcasts can be an effective method of developing traffic, attracting customers and building your credibility. It can turn you from a want to-be to a true expert in the eyes of your customers and prospects.

But what is a podcast?

The term itself is a contraction of two words - iPod and broadcast. The Apple iPod of course, is an MP3 player. An electronic version of the old tape recorder if you will.

So the term itself would indicate that a podcast is some form of a regular broadcast using MP3 audio format and portable players -- the Apple name being optional. But a podcast is really both more and less than this.

For the purposes of this article I'm going to deal with what a podcast is on four levels.

1. A podcast is an audio file. In theory it is provided in MP3 format. MP3 format is a very capable, yet very compact format used for audio recording. It is also manufacturer independent. However, podcasts can also be provided using either the Windows native format (WMA) or Apple's Quicktime audio. In fact, there are a large number of audio formats available and podcasts can be found in any of them. However, MP3 is the most popular format.

2. It is intended to be retrieved from a website (e.g. iTunes or the creator's website) and downloaded to an MP3 player such as the iPod or one of many other manufacturers products. This recording can then be played back at any time while the audience is busy doing something else. Cars are a frequent location for the playback of these files. Busy commuters can listen to something useful while traveling to and from the office.

3. Content is whatever the podcast creator wishes. Like any radio broadcast. However, typically they tend to be focused on spoken content rather than music. This content can be provided in a number of different forms including teleseminars, interviews and readings.

4. In theory podcasts do not have to be regular. However, in practice they fit into two types. One time podcasts are usually not referred to as podcasts. The repeating podcast is repeated either once per week or once per month or daily. In short, they are meant to be a regularly re-occurring broadcast of opinion, information or news. In practice, audio files which are one-time only are referred to as MP3s. The term podcast is usually restricted to broadcasts which repeat on a regular basis.

The Benefits of Starting a Podcast   Podcast Transcription: Converting the Spoken to the Written   How to Begin Podcasting the Right Way   The Art of Podcasting   

Can You Make Money Podcasting?

Podcasting has become a popular way for websites and blog owners to spread their information and opinions online. Podcasting can be done in either an audio only format or in a video format with audio, which can also sometimes be referred to as a webcast. As more people jump on the podcasting bandwagon, some people are even trying to make money from their podcasts. For those who are thinking about podcasting or even for those who already have one up and running, the question is: Can money really be made online by podcasting? 

Yes, money can be made online through podcasting and here are a few of the most popular ways to go about doing this:

Whether in audio or video format, a podcast needs to be set up on a website. Blogs are a very popular option for hosting an audio file or webcast and due to this, many of the same money making techniques that blog owners currently use, can also be used with podcasting. This means that podcasters can set up advertising on their websites or blogs in order to make money. Another method of making money with podcasting is by promoting a company or brand during the actual podcast itself. To do this, a company must contact the podcaster and ask them to promote their website, company or services for a fee or the podcaster may contact some companies that he or she feels might be interested in having their company mentioned during the podcast. Many podcasts ask for donations to keep their podcasts going. Putting up a video or audio file does take time and money and podcasters need to pay for equipment and web space or in order to keep going. Keep in mind however, that while you can make money podcasting through donations, this method should not be used in order to get rich quick or to pay for personal expenses. If accepting donations for the podcast, the person should do the right thing and use those funds to pay for what it costs to keep the podcast going.

There are a few other ways to make money podcasting, but the above three are some of the more popular methods to go about doing this. 

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How to Use Podcasts As An Educational Tool

Podcasts are a wonderful marketing tool. They help to establish you as an expert. They repeat on a regular basis so they are always reinforcing their message. They are well received and looked forward to by many busy people.

But can you use them as an educational tool?

The answer is a resounding yes!

In fact, it's hard not to use podcasts as an educational tool. In this article I'm going to show you how to use podcasts as an educational tool. There are a number of formats that you can use to deliver learning content. I'm going to cover each of them but I'm also going to discuss some overall formats that you can use.

So what formats can you use to deliver learning content?

Of the four major formats for podcasts, only the audio blog will not deliver learning content. And even that can deliver education. However, it typically includes learning content, commentary and even humor. Because of this flexibility -- and its personal nature -- the audio blog is typically not consistently an educational tool.

Interviews on the other hand, do work well as an educational tool. Most podcast interviews do focus on providing information in the form of a question and answer. In theory they could provide non-educational information (for example interviews with celebrities) but in practice that isn't common.

The audio article, like any article marketing, is focused around providing information. One could probably create a pure humor article with no redeeming value but it's hard and would be most unusual.

The hybrid or column format of course mixes all three formats. Often at least one of the columns is humorous or at least commentary. However the rest of the podcast is usually educational in nature. This will flavor the whole of the podcast.

Now that we've examined how you can use each type of podcast to deliver education, let's consider the format of the podcasts overall. So how can you use podcasting as a tool to deliver education?

Podcasting is by definition a repeating information product. Otherwise it's not a podcast it's a one off audio product. Because it's repeating it can easily be the centerpiece for a monthly membership product. When combined with a newsletter or other product it can be the core for a very valuable monthly recurring income product.

Podcasting can also be used as a free service especially if it is made available to existing customers as a relationship builder. In this case it functions as a newsletter equivalent.

Podcasting can also be used as the ethical bribe for an opt-in page. The weekly or monthly education provided can help to create a strong relationship with your potential customers.

Finally, it can be used as a free educational product for the purposes of traffic generation and reputation building.

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How a Podcast Can Make You an Instant Success

Are you looking to be an internet guru? Are you looking to sell lots of information in the form of eBooks, webinars and other courseware? Then podcasting is one way you can become an instant success.

Not let's get serious here for a second. No one is ever an instant success. It doesn't happen. Not in the real world and not in the internet world. Instant success actors have been working for starvation wages for years. Instant success writers have been writing for decades. And instant success businesspeople have been building businesses over and over and over.

But if anything could make you an instant success podcasting could be one of them. And podcasting can make you a success very quickly with very little work.

But why?

Here are four reasons that podcasting is so successful.

1. Podcasting is a high touch medium. Not as high as coaching perhaps but high touch nonetheless. Your audience will hear your passion. They'll hear your emotions as you diss an idea. And listen as you blow off steam at something you hate. They'll pay attention to you as you try to convince them of the importance of something you are passionate about. And all this emotion helps them to feel closer to you. They'll believe that they know the real you. And just as in real life, they'll come to like you. (Or hate you!)

2. Podcasting is a recurring media. Unlike an eBook which only is read once (if at all) or a teleseminar which is watched only once, a podcast is repeated on a regular schedule. Every week or every month there'll be a new subject and a new chance to learn more about you as a person.

3. Podcasts are also a chance for you to show off what you know. Like a blog for the ears the format isn't set in stone. One week you can teach. The next you can complain. The week after you can critique. The week after you can compliment. All formats are available to you. And that means that you can use them as a teaching platform. And whenever you do that you will be building your reputation as an expert in your field.

4. Podcasts are popular and a great way to keep one's mind busy. As we become a world of commuters we need to fill up our wasted time. Sitting on a train for an hour and half is frankly boring. Consumers want to have some form of learning or entertainment during that wasted time. Podcasts are both well suited and popular for that purpose.

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Why Your Audience Hates Your Podcasts And What You Can Do About It

So you've noticed your podcasts are falling in the ratings. You're getting less and less traffic from them. Or worse, people are listening once and then never returning! Continue this pattern and you may as well stop creating podcasts. In fact, you might be better off not having them at all!

What are you doing wrong and how are you going to fix it?

Well, the good news is that you can fix most of the problems. The bad news is that some of them are unfixable.

So how do you fix your podcasts so your audience starts listening to them again?

In this article I'm going to identify seven reasons that your audience might hate your podcasts and give you ways of fixing the problem.

1. You aren't listening to your audience.

This is probably the biggest mistake you can make. Your audience is different from every other audience out there. To keep them you need to give them what they want. Not what you want. What they want. And that means you need to listen to them. Better still ask them what they want.

2. People can't find your podcasts.

One of the common problems for new people to podcasting is that they don't know where to look for podcasts. You need to help them find your podcasts. That means using a host and your own site. That means using SEO and other traffic techniques.

3. You aren't sending traffic to them.

Traffic doesn't just happen. That includes traffic that listens to podcasts. You need to drive traffic to the podcast. Yes, your host will account for some of the traffic but you need to be active about it as well.

4. You're boring them.

Now this is a personal problem. Which really is good when you think about it. That means you can fix it easily. Want to switch from boring to exciting. Let a little passion into your speech. You know how your topic excites you. Well let a little of that excitement into your voice. Stand up. Gesture when talk. Pace. Jump up and down when you're angry. Move your audience.

5. They need more information than you're giving them.

One of the problems with podcasts are that they're so short. You don't have a lot of room to squeeze information in. So you need to be very focused when you record your podcast. Be real. Be yourself. But don't waste time. However, even if you aren't at fault your audience is going to want more information. That's good. So give them a place where they can get more information.

6. You forgot why you're creating podcasts.

I have a friend who creates learning content in all forms of media. But he never manages to make it succeed. Why? Because he keeps trying to sell during the presentation. He's lost sight of the real reason for creating the media -- to establish a reputation that makes people want to listen to you. Selling is for later... when your audience actively wants to buy.

7. They believe that podcasts are obsolete.

Okay, you know how I mentioned that some things you can't fix? This is one of those problems. Many people believe that podcasts have become obsolete. You're not going to change their minds. The only choice you have is to create other types of content that they don't believe is obsolete. That will attract them. Not everyone is going to be your customer. Keep your podcasts for those people who realize that they are still valuable.

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How to Record a Quality Podcast

After editing, mixing and mastering hundreds of podcasts, and seeing the same quality issues pop up again and again, I wrote this short guide to help new podcast producers produce better sounding podcasts and not make the same mistakes, which, once recorded, are difficult to fix. these tips are basic yet the most essential tips for recording any good podcast.

Format:

Format is one of the most important yet most overlooked aspects of Podcast recording. I am amazed to receive Podcasts recorded in wav 8 bit, 8000khz, or worse on 32 KBps mp3! To give you an idea, this is like packing a chocolate pastry in a matchbox! Nothing much of the original will survive!

I always advice recording in wav format at 44,100, 16 bit. This format renders the best quality for size. But the file size can be huge (1 min recording =10 mb approx). But once it is recorded, a sound engineer can mix, master, eq and polish it up and reduce it a small 15 mb file, ready to upload. This way the saturation and quality of the source is maintained the most and all other process like noise reduction and Eq yield beautiful results. If you are recording in mp3, I would suggest a bit rate of 320 kbps, 44,100 at the least.

Placing the microphone

Placing the microphone or Miking is an elaborate science in itself. If the mic is too close to the mouth, it will cause pops, and bass boost, making the sound muddy or harsh. If it's too far, the voice presence will suffer. It is always a good idea to record a couple of samples with different placements and see what gives the best results. Some basic do's and don't-

1. Keep the microphone as far away as possible from unwanted sound sources like CPU fans, A/c ducts etc.

2. Don't place the microphone directly behind a wall. This will result is reflections and will make the voice echo.

3. Place the microphone directly in front of your mouth, around 4-8 inches away. You can also place the microphone a little higher then your mouth and point it downwards.

4. Always use a pop screen/filter to reduce the explosive breath sounds.

Levels:

As a rule, the recording levels should never cross 0 db. A level higher then 0db causes nasty distortion in your recordings. The best way to avoid it is to do a sample recording and hear it back. Always monitor the levels on your recording software. Low levels can always be fixed, but distortion is nearly impossible to fix. My advice; don't record at the maximum levels. Reduce them a little and always check that your recording has no distortion. Or better, if you can apply a compressor in the signal chain, it will take care of the peak levels.

Location:

An acoustically treated room is the best place for recording. Though ideal, it might not be available to all podcasters. Never record in rooms which have lot of metallic furniture/items or a completely empty room. These will reflect the sound waves and will result in bad recordings. A room with carpet and wooden furniture is a better choice.

Make sure the location you choose has minimum ambient noises. Fans, exhausts, noisy CPU all contribute to broadband noise. Make sure that there are no phone ringing, the neighbor's dog or the doorbell!

Happy recording!!

The Benefits of Starting a Podcast   Podcast Transcription: Converting the Spoken to the Written   How to Begin Podcasting the Right Way   The Art of Podcasting   

Producing A Podcast - Start With The Audience

Every once in a while someone will come up to me and say something along the lines of "I want to have a podcast but I don't know where to start."

My response is usually "Great. Who's your audience and what are you going to say?"

And usually the response is something like a blank look and "Well, I figured I'd talk about... since that's what I'm selling." At which point I have to stop them and explain that they are ahead of themselves.

You've got to start with your audience.

You see that's one of the biggest mistakes that new internet marketers (especially information marketers) make -- they start with their product. But information marketing needs to be a niche marketing endeavor. And the word niche refers not to your product but to your customer.

When creating learning content (aka an information product) -- and a podcast is a form of learning content -- you always need to start with the audience.

Why?

Because your audience is going to be buying your podcast. They may not be paying for it with dollars (although that would be nice). But they will be paying with their most valuable asset -- their time. And you need to provide them with value for their time. Or they aren't going to be interested in downloading or listening. And they shouldn't be.

You also need to be able to motivate your audience. You need to convince them not only to download your podcast but also to listen to it. You need to convince them that this is a must have, must listen podcast. You need to convince them that not only is it valuable to them but it's absolutely necessary for them.

The way to motivate your audience to listen is by picking topics based on what motivates them. It sounds simple. And it is. You need to identify what their biggest and most immediate problem is. You need to identify what they are afraid may happen. And you need to identify what they are hoping will happen. And you need to identify what is at the front of their minds at the moment. What has their immediate interest.

But of course, that's not all you need to do.

You also need to solve, avoid or achieve. That's right you need to solve their problem with your topic. Or you need to show them how to avoid the pain that they are afraid of. Or you need to show them how to achieve their dreams.

But to do that means you need to know them.

The Benefits of Starting a Podcast   Podcast Transcription: Converting the Spoken to the Written   How to Begin Podcasting the Right Way   The Art of Podcasting   

6 Things to Consider Before Starting Your Podcast

Podcasting can be a lot of fun. Through it you can get your message out to a large number of people, who will enjoy listening to you and what you have to say on your "internet radio show".

Podcasting, can also be a lot of work. Before you get started with your show, and possibly end up over your head, here are six simple things that you should consider.

Passion. You want to make sure that you're talking about your passion, or something that you're passionate about. The reason for this, is to help you stay motivated and continue producing episodes on those days that you have the "I don't wannas." An easy test for your passion is this: Can you come up with 50 different things related to the topic you want to talk about? Schedule. With what frequency will you be podcasting? Once you pick a schedule, stick to it. Once a day requires a huge commitment, once a month is not frequent enough, once a week is ideal. If you could come up with 50 different things to talk about (see #1 above) then you essentially have 1 year's worth of topics for your show. Blogging. Many of the same principles that apply to blogging, apply to producing your show. Like with blogging, your goal, should be to increase your subscribers. To accomplish that, make sure that you are providing good content and getting feedback on your content to make sure that you're on topic. Hosting. Ideally, you should host your files yourself on your own server, instead of hosting the files on someone else's. By hosting the files yourself, you avoid being inconvenienced should that third party go out of business. The biggest con to hosting the files yourself, is that it takes some time and a little technical expertise to setup your own hosting. Syndication. This refers to how will you distribute your podcast. People need to be able to subscribe to your show, so you need to pick a syndication platform that will make this easy for your listeners. The iTunes music store, Podcast Pickle etc. are examples of places where you can syndicate your content. Money. Are you planning on monetizing, or in other words, are you planning to make money from your podcast? I posit that you should not worry about making money from the get go, but rather grow into making money as your audience grows. Whether you plan to sell ads or sell affiliate products, make sure that you have a plan for how you are going to make money from your podcast when that time comes.

At the very least, you should address these issues before you start podcasting. There are many other tasks, such as growing your audience, growing your subscribers, finding guests, etc. that you may need to consider as well.

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How To Get Started Making A Podcast

If you're looking to make a podcast, then good for you. A podcast is something that you can use to market your products and services very effectively. I can remember when I use to make a podcast from extracting the audio from my YouTube videos that I used to create. That was a long while ago, but I still remember how to do it.

But a podcast is a very effective tool that you can use to further market your website. A podcast is simply and audio file that shares information about a particular topic. One of my favorite podcast is the Suze Orman podcast. If you don't know who Suze Orman is, then obviously you have been living under a rock.

Suze Orman is a financial and money guru who has her own television show. Her show comes on at 9pm on Saturdays on CNBC. On the nights where I can watch her show, I simply download her podcast from iTunes. Speaking of iTunes, you will need to know what some of the popular podcast directories are that you can use to submit your podcast to.

By far iTunes is the world's leading and largest podcast directory - but it isn't the only one. In truth, there are a ton of podcast directories out there but you will get the bulk of your results from the top 3 of them. Luckily iTunes is free to submit to, so you will reach a lot of users using it.

The only drawback of a podcast is that people can't "click" to your website. You will either have to spell out your website on your podcast or say it very slowly for your users to go to. When I used to do my YouTube videos, I had a graphical display of my web address at the bottom of the screen for users to go and type into their web browser. But with podcasts, you don't have this option to do so.

Nevertheless, podcasts are still an excellent way to market your products and services. To get started with one, one of the most basic things that you will need is a medium. The medium that I suggest that you use is a blog. You can use your blog to host your podcast content. You can get a ton of hits to your blog by having people subscribe to your blog's RSS feed.

You can get an RSS feed from something called Feedburner.com. There's a special section on Feedburner specifically for people who have a podcast blog, and this will make your podcast content easier to get access to. Luckily the instructions on Feedburner are simple and easy to use, so you don't have to encounter any complicated situations with getting your blog set up.

Podcasts are the way of the future. Almost everyone is using podcasts to market their business, and it's a good thing that you're researching it also because it can really help you to get new customers. Keep these tips in mind when making your own podcast.

Good luck with making a podcast for your business.

The Benefits of Starting a Podcast   Podcast Transcription: Converting the Spoken to the Written   How to Begin Podcasting the Right Way   The Art of Podcasting   How To Pick A Great Name For Your Podcast   

Podcasting: Broadcasting Benefits Of Your Business!

Podcastingis a novel and potentially powerful mode of advertisement. It is basically an audio broadcast that subscribers can download from websites and listen to at their convenience through desktops, laptops, iPods, and MP3 players. It provides information on products and services, presenting content on a regular basis to help keep customers abreast of the latest in the market. The length of a podcast could range from a few minutes to an hour.

Benefits Of Podcasting

Creates a Positive Recall Value:

The quality of the speaker in the podcast can influence the listener significantly. Staying alive in the customer's mind is a very challenging task. A podcast has the advantages of audio effects and manages to hold customers' attention more effectively than the published text. The spoken word appeals to the subscriber's senses in a way the written word may fail to do.

Source of Information:

Podcasts act as important sources through which subscribers gain information on new products, technologies and services. The manner in which information is presented can also influence the customer positively enough to drive sales. Additionally, registering in a podcast directory will help customers find you when required.

Direct Access to the Customer's Mind:

There are many people who dislike reading texts and messages. A podcast can successfully sidestep this issue by reading the information out loud to the subscriber, keeping them informed and interested.

Economical Mode of Publicity:

With a very low initial investment (it could be as low as a few hundred dollars to own a podcast), you can reach a wide market base. Once you have garnered a sizeable subscriber base, you may even consider selling advertising space for revenue. So, it also presents another avenue to earn revenues.

Advertising Supplementary Products:

Regularly updating your podcasts keeps customers interested in all that you have to offer. This will ensure that the subscribers regularly tune in to your site and give you an opportunity to introduce a new line or add to your existing line.

Increases Traffic to Your Site Through Networking Sites:

A high-quality podcast is bound to be forwarded, especially with the abundance of social networking sites; the speed with which information can be spread is remarkable. This will generate interest in the company's products and services, increase subscriptions, and in time, sales as well.

Universal Accessibility:

One of the best features of a podcast is that it can be accessed anytime, anywhere. Customers have access through their computers and laptops as well as through iPods and cell phones. So, while traveling on the train to work or jogging in the park, subscribers can listen to the podcasts and gain information on your services.

How To Run A Successful Podcast

Ensure that you keep the podcasts free for subscribers to download, especially at the beginning. Over time, if you manage to attract a regular audience and prove the usefulness of your content, then you may start charging a fee. But, till you make a name for yourself, it would be wise to keep it free.

In today's electronic world, podcasting is a very essential marketing strategy that will help you enter new markets. New technologies always fascinate customers. Businesses in all fields, from music to manufacturing industries, would do well to exploit this means of reaching out to the public.

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Why Podcasting is As Easy As 123

Podcasting can be a powerful tool for building your reputation as a guru and expert in a self-help niche. They allow your audience to get to know you and your skills in a way that is hard to duplicate. They can help you to generate traffic. And they can be used as a product or to generate products.

And they are as easy to do as 123.

In this article I'm going to show you how to create a podcast in 3 easy steps. Now of course, I'm keeping this simple. So you may want to add some tasks to make sure you are always creating quality products. But these are the basic steps.

Step 1. Write your podcast.

Some people believe that experienced podcasters just sit down and crank out a quarter hour podcast based on the thoughts they had at breakfast a half-hour ago. Just sit down with the barest idea of a topic and talk away.

Nothing could be further from the truth!

Podcasting, like a teleseminar or a webinar needs to be planned out. A detailed script isn't necessary unless you are just starting but certainly a detailed outline is. So start from your basic idea and then identify three things you want to discuss about that subject. Now for each of those major points, identify three sub points you want to discuss. Two is acceptable but will leave you short. Four is too many. Trim it down to three. Now add an introduction and a conclusion.

Step 2. Record your podcast

You'll need a headset, a computer and sound editing software. Windows comes with sound recorder but I prefer a tool called Wavepad. Grab your script outline. Stand up. Smile.

Now start talking. Start with your introduction. Make it strong and interesting. Controversial is good. Make it roughly thirty seconds in length. But don't stress yourself over the time. Next you need to welcome everyone. Introduce yourself and the topic you're going to cover in this podcast.

Now go through the points you've listed. Begin with the relationship between the three major points. Talk for about one minute. Then take the first of the major points and expand on it. Discuss the relationship between the three sub-points. Explain the major point. Don't worry. You only have one minute. Your may have a problem in knowing when to stop. Then discuss each of the sub-points for one minute.

Continue until you've talked about all of the points for just one minute. Guess what? You've got a fifteen minute podcast recorded. All you need to do is save the recording in MP3 format.

Step 3. Put it up on the web.

Now all that's left is to post the podcast to your website or your podcasting host. Sign onto your host and use their web based uploading facility to upload the MP3 recording.

If you're using a blog such as WordPress, sign on, create a post and then upload the media file.

If you're using a web page, it's slightly more difficult. Use whatever tool you normally use to create web pages. Then upload it using FTP.

The Benefits of Starting a Podcast   Podcast Transcription: Converting the Spoken to the Written   How to Begin Podcasting the Right Way   The Art of Podcasting   How To Pick A Great Name For Your Podcast   

Editing Audio to Make a Polished Podcast

Have you ever wondered how some podcasters can be so perfect? They never make mistakes. They never stumble over their words. They never have problems looking for the right name. They never have dead air. They're absolutely perfect!

You could never be that good, could you?

Well relax. You too can be as good as they are. And it doesn't take years of practice. It doesn't even take a high priced course! In fact, I'm going to give you the answer for free.

It's called editing.

Yup, it's that good ol' polishing step known as editing. Of course, the best speakers all practice over and over and over. And if you want to be as good as they are you'll have to do the same thing. But the reason they are perfect is because they have someone going over the podcast and correcting their mistakes.

And you should too!

So how do you do this here editing thing? First off, you're going to need a piece of editing software sometimes referred to as an audio editor or a sound editor. There are numerous ones around ranging in price from free to very expensive. Nero has one built into its burning software. I like Wavepad for my purposes. You'll have to find the one that meets your needs best.

You're also going to need a recording of your podcast. There are a number of methods to get this recording. But I prefer to just use the sound editor and a headset. And of course an outline or script.

Now before we start editing there is one thing you need to remember. Perfection is a machine quality. People are imperfect. Imperfection helps us to connect with other imperfect beings. In other words, don't try to be too perfect with your edited podcast. You want your audience to connect with you. That means you need to show emotion and you need to slip up once in a while.

There are six things you need to do while editing:

1. You need to add an introduction to your podcast. This can be a prerecorded intro but there should be some information specific to this podcast. You might also consider using music.

2. You need to add closing credits to your podcast. This can be prerecorded and modified if necessary for the podcast. Again some form of closing theme music should be used.

3. You need to listen for and eliminate excess dead time. Remember the rule regarding perfection. Some dead time is allowed. Too much puts your audience to sleep.

4. You need to listen for and eliminate speakers' delays. That's those umms, and ahhs, and hmms that we use to show we're still speaking while we think up our next words. You know the tells that we're told to eliminate in public speaking class. Yup. You need to get rid of those in editing -- no matter how skilled your speaker!

5. You need to listen for and eliminate mistakes. When recording if you make a mistake just repeat the line. The editor should erase the mistake and reconnect the recording so that the mistake disappears.

6. You should consider adding theme music. Just as music helps to carry emotions in a movie, music in a podcast will help your passion to touch your audience.

The Benefits of Starting a Podcast   Podcast Transcription: Converting the Spoken to the Written   How to Begin Podcasting the Right Way   The Art of Podcasting   How To Pick A Great Name For Your Podcast   

Six Benefits of Podcasting

Podcasting is a powerful way of giving your network a more personal connection. Why should you be using podcasts in your business? Well there are a number of reasons; I'm going to give you six.

1. Relationship marketing

The most important reason for doing podcasting is because it's about relationship marketing. Business is still about creating strong, long-term relationships with your prospects, your customers and your clients. And podcasting is a very effective way of doing that.

Like an e-mail newsletter, because you're publishing it regularly, it's a great way to keep in touch while delivering value to the people in your network, the people who are important to you. You deliver value and you get to promote yourself as well. My rule is always 80/20: That is, at least 80% value in every message that you send out and at most 20% self promotion.

2. Prospecting

That leads to the second point, which is about prospecting.

If somebody visits your Web site and they are not in a position to buy yet, you would like to stay in relationship with them. You can do that with an e-mail newsletter, and you can also do that with a podcast. Invite them to subscribe to your podcast and then you get to stay in touch with them. You keep delivering value to them so that when they're ready to buy, yours is the first name that come to mind.

3. Personal connection

The third reason is that it is audio rather than text, which creates a more personal connection. Your listeners hear your voice - your real voice, not the imaginary voice they hear when they read what you've written. Some writers are good at projecting their voice in their writing, but many aren't. A podcast solves that problem, because people really do hear you.

The personal connection really does make a difference. You engage more with your audience and with your subscribers. Don't under-estimate its power.

4. Leading edge technology

The fourth reason for publishing a podcast is because it is (relatively) new technology.

If you're seen as an expert, it's important to be using the latest technology. So if you're a speaker, a trainer, a consultant, a coach, or an author, this is another way of delivering your message. And because it is leading edge, it helps position you in the marketplace as well.

5. Portable devices

The next reason is the iPod - and, more recently, iPhones and other smart phones.

You don't require an iPod to be able to do podcasting, and your listeners don't need an iPod to be able to listen to podcasts. However, the people who do have iPods are able to take their material that they download off their computer and listen to it elsewhere. Podcasting allows you to deliver your message to people not just in their normal work environment, but at the gym, when they're driving, when they're riding a bike, and in other non-work environments.

6. An uncluttered space

The final benefit of podcasting is that although it's very popular, it's still relatively new. So there's an uncluttered space.

In the early days of the Web, there were very few e-mail newsletters. You could go to any Web site that asked for any e-mail address and anybody would give their e-mail address to that Web site. Now, of course, it's the other way around. You have to really work hard to get subscribers to your e-mail newsletter because there is so much spam.

But podcasting is at the stage that e-mail newsletters were a decade ago. You could go to Web sites with podcasts and people will subscribe to podcasts. There are thousands of podcasts on the Internet, so there are certainly far more then any one person would ever subscribe to. However, it's nowhere near as competitive as other things are like e-mail newsletters. So it's still a fairly uncluttered space. You can get a clear competitive advantage by being in that space because you'll still be one of the few.

The Benefits of Starting a Podcast   Podcast Transcription: Converting the Spoken to the Written   How to Begin Podcasting the Right Way   The Art of Podcasting