This week I want to go over some first steps for developing a podcast for your business, but before I do, I’d like to call your attention to a new podcasting software suite that releases today.
Audello is the latest creation from the makers of Easy Video Suite. As I mentioned last week, it’s an exciting new all-in-one tool for podcasters. (This is an affiliate link which I rarely do, but this tool is powerful.)
Audello is a podcast marketing platform to help you engage an audience with audio. Audello gives you an automated system for creating and uploading your podcast to the existing distribution networks to attract leads more quickly and easily. Check it out.
PLAN YOUR PODCAST
The first steps are to decide what you want to do and create an action plan.
Questions like these may help you craft your action plan:
- How will a podcast help my business?
- Will my customers respond to audio information? (Are they auditory learners?)
- Will the podcast be my main product or only one method of marketing communication?
- Will it be the primary way my business attracts new customers?
- Do I want to use it to brand myself?
- Do I want a podcast to become a niche expert or Internet Business Celebrity?
There is no one surefire way to use podcasting. It really depends on how well you know your niche, how your content serves your target audience’s interests and the passion and comfort level you bring to podcasting.
Once you have a good idea of what you want to do, it’s time to figure out the equipment and services you’ll need to get started.
There are a lot of ways to record, edit, store and distribute a podcast. Again, let your comfort level and technical skills be your guide.
PODCASTING GEAR
Start with a good microphone and recording software. Good audio is paramount to the success of your podcast. I recommend buying the best quality you can afford without going overboard or breaking the bank.
It’s okay to choose “good enough,” or what I’d call the “minimally effective dose,” to produce your first podcasts. You can always upgrade later once you’re a profitable podcaster.
Microphones come in all shapes, sizes and prices so do some research to explore the possibilities. Be sure you choose a “mic” that produces good quality sound and has built-in noise reduction. You can buy a microphone at your local electronics store or order one online.
Audio editing software also varies in features, learning curve and price and includes some free options:
Audacity – this is a free, open source software for recording and editing audio. There are versions for Mac OS X, Windows, GNU/Linux and other operating systems. It’s a great choice for beginners.
Find out more here: http://audacity.sourceforge.net
Adobe Audition – This is a more advanced software for editing audio from Adobe. It works with Windows and Mac. You can download a free trial and see if you like it, before you purchase the full license.
Find out more here: https://creative.adobe.com/products/audition
Hipcast – This service makes it easy to record high-quality audio from your web browser or your phone with no software to download or install. This is a good option for people who aren’t tech savvy or comfortable learning new tech.
Find out more here: http://www.hipcast.com
Podomatic – This is another service that allows you to record audio and even video directly from your browser. You can even receive in-line calls from listeners who want to leave voice comments.
Find out more here: https://www.podomatic.com
HOSTING
You will also need a place to host your podcast files. You can host them on you own domain, but as you create more and more episodes, they will take up a lot of room and require a lot of bandwidth, which can become expensive, if you don’t monitor it closely.
There are website completely dedicated to hosting podcasts.
Amazon S3 – This hosting is nice because it offers quality hosting at a lower price in comparison to other paid services and it grows with you. Meaning you only pay for what you use. It also has a free plan with a limit of 5 GB of storage and a limit of 20,000 get requests.
Find out more here: http://aws.amazon.com/s3
Soundcloud – They offer free and paid plans, which are reasonably priced. The free version has some limitations but is good for newcomers. The pro version has extras like tracking so you can see who is listening, where they are from and other statistics that will help you improve your podcast.
Find out more here: https://soundcloud.com
PodBean – This is an easy-to-use podcast host for casual podcasts that don’t exceed 30 MB. Another excellent choice for beginners, it offers a free account with a very friendly user-interface, mobile options and a RSS feed for your podcast. You can also get statistics and creative themes to spruce up your podcast page.
Find out more here: http://www.podbean.com
Other services to check out include Libsyn, Stitcher and Blubrry.
DISTRIBUTION
iTunes – This platform is the Big Kahuna for syndicating your content. To gain “fame” and exposure from your podcast, you’ll want to make it available in the iTunes Store asap.
iTunes doesn’t host podcasts. You must host your media files and RSS feeds on your own web servers or a third-party hosting provider like the ones listed above.
Publishing a podcast on iTunes is relatively easy.Once you get your show uploaded to your feed, you can submit it for their review. If it is approved, it will be added to the iTunes Store podcast directory and become searchable once it is indexed which may take up to 24-hours.
You can discover even more podcasting resources in this 2007 article on Mashable.com: http://mashable.com/2007/07/04/podcasting-toolbox
And remember if you’re serious about creating a podcast of your own in 2015, the new software Audello is a strong “all-in-one” solution.