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Podcast This
By Todd Brashear

Last month in the Technique article "The Death of the News. The Birth of the Podcast," one of my colleagues wrote about all the great reasons to develop your own podcast. Hopefully, after reading that, you decided that podcasting is more than worth your time. Particularly when you consider that podcasting can be one of the most affordable ways to stay in touch with your audience. In return for your efforts, you'll get a valuable, high-tech marketing resource. All that's left is knowing how to do it.

Start with a Plan

First off, you should specify the business objectives and audience of your podcast. Consulting with your ad agency or PR firm, you should be able to put the particulars on paper pretty easily. You also should work out the details of where you'll host the podcast and how you'll get it in front of your audience. Depending on the type and size of your audience, you may be able to take advantage of in-house IT resources by storing it on your own server. If you have an e-mail list of customers and prospects, send them a message with a link when a new podcast is available. You can even link through iTunes for broader distribution absolutely free. New, cost-effective options for podcasting are a dime a dozen. Just pick one. Or several.

Develop a Unique Experience

The best way to get a feel for podcasts is by listening to how others produce theirs. In particular, listen to your competitors, but don't limit your research to your industry alone. Style can be as important as substance, so download podcasts created for a variety of purposes and audiences. This way, you can learn, for example, whether music and sound effects will enhance your podcast. And if so, what kind of music or sound effects? Think about how to keep your audience listening — and learning. Consider the length, tone, format and frequency that will help you accomplish your objectives. Should they be interviews or narratives? Lectures or "news" style productions? As your goals, responses and capabilities change, you can always change direction, but you can never get where you're going without a plan.

A Few Words of Caution on Podcasting

If you use production elements like music or sound effects in your podcast, be sure they're fair game, legally speaking. Creative Commons is a good place to find these elements.

Before uploading your podcasts, test your production all the way through to make sure the sound quality is as you expect. Also, take note of sound levels (things like volume and pitch) to make sure that all future podcasts are of consistent quality.

If you feel overwhelmed by the process but like the idea of podcasting, contact your ad agency. Not only should your agency have the expertise to get the job done, but it can make sure the messaging, style and delivery of every podcast is on-brand.

Producing Your Podcast

Finally, the nitty-gritty. To produce your podcast, you'll need a computer, a microphone, software to record and edit (Audacity is free and easy to use), Web space to store the audio file and the corresponding RSS feed/XML file. Also, you'll want to find a place, such as iTunes, to drive traffic to your podcast.

Recording
You've got all kinds of options here, ranging from the production setup described above to a professional recording studio with custom music, sound effects and voice talents. As it is with the majority of business decisions, the most cost-effective choice usually lies somewhere in the middle. A computer/microphone setup like the one described above should be sufficient as long as you record in a relatively soundproof room.

Editing, Mixing and Converting
After the voice files are recorded, you'll inevitably have some cleanup to do. Remove any long pauses or "uhhhhhhhhs" and "uhhmmmms." If you've decided to include music or sound effects, now is the time to mix them in. Once you're happy with the sound, convert the finished audio file into a compressed MP3 file. Your podcast production software should have this capability. After that, you're ready to take it to the Web.

Uploading
Before uploading your audio file, create the RSS feed/XML file. Several user-friendly applications are available on the Web that will write the file for you, once you've completed the requested information. This document provides information like the podcast title, description, the URL for the audio file, subscription information, etc. Next, upload your MP3 to its URL. Finally, submit the URL to your RSS feed/XML file to iTunes and your work is done. Within a couple of days, your podcast will show up in the iTunes directory. You can get more information about podcast production and iTunes at http://www.apple.com/itunes/podcasts/faq.html and http://www.apple.com/itunes/podcasts/techspecs.html.

That's it
Podcasting 101 in 500 words or less. Now you're ready to tackle the hottest trend in Internet marketing. Go forth and podcast.

E-mail the author: Todd Brashear

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