Beginner's Guide to Podcasting
To my peril, I ignored podcasting as a valuable medium for a long period of time.
My initial impression of various podcasts was that they were amateurish and irrelevant to the conversation.
Although I craved good content, the number of good podcasts to bad was much to little for my liking.
A year later, after I spent some time in the podcasting track at Blogworld Expo and had a great conversation with Morning Coach JB Glossinger, I’ve come to see the error in my ways.
When I heard that Leo Laporte of Twit.TV was making 1.5 million dollars annually with his podcasts, I was floored. Then I talked with JB about some numbers and once again…was floored.
I had no idea that it was possible to make that kind of bank with a simple podcast.
Of course, these guys are pro’s…they have a unique talent with a microphone. However, that doesn’t mean that you or I can’t hold a candle to them, it just means we might have to work a bit harder to make it happen.
So, what I’ve been doing over the past several months has bee to learn how to bootstrap a podcast without adding too much work to an already busy day.
After quite a bit of practice, I’ve been able t0 create a professional sounding 15 minute podcast in around 20 minutes. That includes the time I spend mastering the audio and exporting it to MP3. From there, I let my plugins and hosting do the hard work of submitting to iTunes, and bam…I’m in business.
Although the competitive side in me wants to shoot for that #1 slot, which can give you the juice you need to move to a premium membership model, I’d be happy with a few hundred downloads per week.
My model is to do this weekly, which helps me avoid the hassle of blogging and podcasting every single day. I can bang out a month’s worth of podcasts on a Saturday morning and still have the rest of the day to be productive.
So, are you ready to learn how to do this? Let’s go.
1. Get a decent microphone or headset:
I use a Logitech USB headset (affiliate link), which cost about $35, and it works pretty good for what I need it to do. I have had some issues with mic popping, but by working with the input levels and wrapping the mic in foam, I’ve been able to get rid of it.
It’s very important that you have a high quality microphone so that your podcast sounds crisp and clear. The difference between a good mic and a bad one is like comparing Blu Ray to Low Def TV…not good.
2. Grab Your Software:
For PC, I use Audacity, which is free and amazingly easy to use. It can record multiple tracks, is easy to work with, and exports to a variety of formats. For MAC, I’ve heard that GarageBand works wonders, but I haven’t had a chance to test it out for myself. However, it does come pre-installed, so that’s one more free tool at your disposal.
I love using multiple tracks because it allows me to keep recording if I screw up (simply splice the tracks and mute the bad part), add intro/exit music, and create effects to polish up the sound. For instance, if I’m recording and my kids enter the room and scream “Hey Daddy,” then I can just hit stop, hang out with the kids, and move on. In fact, it’s so easy a kid could do it.
3. Get some royalty free music for your intro/outro:
I used the free tunes at RoyaltyFreeMusic.com, but you can also pay for something better. You’ll be amazed by the vast array of choices, both large and small, so be prepared to spend an afternoon finding something that works for you. If you are looking for intro or exit music, make sure to grab a 15 or 30 second loop so that you don’t have to spend a lot of time editing it.
From there, you can import the loop into Audacity or GarageBand and trim it to the length you desire. From there, you can simply export it to MP3 to use when your recording session is finished. Just import it, pop it in the front, copy it to the end of the podcast, and you’re done. If you really want to get fancy, you can mess with a voice intro or use pitch controls to create a deep voice over effect.
4. Create an account at Blubrry:
Once you’ve recorded your podcasts and added the necessary intro and outro, export them to MP3 and then upload them to your server. Of course, you can pay for a hosting package at Blubrry, but I recommend hosting your own show until the server load becomes an issue.
You can install the Blubrry PowerPress plugin for Wordpress, which automatically creates an iTunes ready RSS feed for entry into Blubrry’s system. From there, you simply add the new podcasts as you upload them, and the software does the rest. The great thing about Blubrry is that you can buy their analytics package for only $5/month, so you’ll know how many people are listening.
The plugin also makes it easy to add and promote your Podcast and includes a free media player.
5. Create an iTunes account and upload your feed:
Once you’ve got your podcast set up in Blubrry, you are ready to send it to iTunes for syndication. You’ll need an iTunes account, but signing up is free and easy. Once you are ready, just launch iTunes, visit the submission page, and add your RSS feed. It’s as easy as that!
Once you’ve completed all 5 steps, you should have a professional sounding podcast that is searchable on iTunes, which means people can grab it at home or on their iPhones. Although you might get some traffic initially, you’ll then want to spend time promoting your podcast so that it’s ranking increases, which will help you get more exposure on iTunes. If you can get to the #1 slot, like my pal JB did, then the rest for you is history.
I hope you enjoyed this guide. Let me know if I missed anything by submitting a comment below.
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