As I stated last week, Podcasting has been compared to the likes of TiVO in that “You can automatically receive the programming you want and listen to it whenever and wherever you want (Ennico, 2006).
In fact, Cliff Ennico article provides four basic steps involved in creating a podcast as outlined by Oren Shachal, podcast producer for software maker Intuit Corp. First, Shachal informs readers that they will need special podcast studio software and a USB microphone to get started. For Mac users, this will most likely cost you a few bucks. For those using Windows computers, the software (Audacity) is the most popular podcast studio software and best of all; it’s available as a free download from the company’s website (Audacity® - The Free, Cross-Platform Sound Editor).
The second step in creating a podcast is the actual recording session. Shachal recommends a podcast remain somewhere in the neighborhood of twelve minutes. In addition, Shachal strongly suggests prepare the script ahead of time and when it comes time to record, speak clearly and soften your consonants. Shachal reminds readers that listeners are most likely using headphones and it can be very irritating if you “pop your Ps”.
After you have recorded your podcast, the third step is to post it to a website. Since podcasts typically use up a lot of bandwidth (depending on how many people are downloading your podcast feeds), Shachal warns readers to first call your web hosting service to see just how much it’s going to cost you. In fact, Shachal advises his readers to consider websites that specialize in hosting podcasts like Liberated Syndication.com
Finally, once your podcast is posted on the web, you'll need to list it in one of the popular podcast directories, such as www.apple.com/itunes/podcasts or http://podcasts.yahoo.com. Right now, these directories will list your podcasts for free, because your podcasts aren't taking up space on their sites. As Shachal explains, "Listeners download or subscribe to your podcasts through iTunes, and iTunes grabs the podcast from your site. Listeners think they're getting the podcast from Apple, but they're really not” (Ennico, 2006).
The last thing to keep in mind about podcasting is that in many ways, they are similar to blogs in that if you are thinking of making money from your podcasts, you won’t. That's because, at least today, podcasters don't typically charge for subscriptions. "Most podcasters today are enthusiasts about one subject or another and are just looking for the exposure" (Ennico, 2006).
For those of you who might be considering creating your first-ever podcast using the free software provided by Audacity®, you might enjoy watching this training video aimed at the real estate industry titled “Recording an Audio Podcast mp3 with Audacity”.
Once again, thanks for joining this week for more exiting talk on emerging media and how marketers can include these tools in conjunction with traditional media to enhance the IMC process. If you should have any questions, concerns or suggestions, please feel free to respond! (http://segment-specific-media.blogspot.com/).
~ Dan
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