Getting Your Customer Grabbing Small Business Podcast Produced & Published Quickly

Posted on 22. Mar, 2010 by admin in Podcasts

With anything, including a podcast, it truly benefits you to be prepared. Whether you are in podcasting for leisure or business you will need a plan.

Planning topics to discuss, possible guest interviews, and the duration of your show in advance will go a long way when producing a professional sounding podcast. Since you’ll be recording your podcast in an almost live fashion, you will have the flexibility of going back and re-editing sections before committing your show as “podcast-ready”.

Before you started, you’ll need:

A web publishing tool (Try Blogger, TypePad, WordPress or MoveableType)

A file hosting service (Try LibSyn for free, AudioBlogger is also a good choice)

Recording software (Try Audacity for Window-based PCs or Garageband on Mac – both are free)

Microphone (Try a good headset microphone or better yet the Marshall Electronics MXL 006 Condenser USB Microphone for only $129)

Identifying The Theme – The Nucleus of Your Podcast

Developing your podcast description is a necessary step in the branding process. When you are brainstorming your podcast description, make sure that it explains the purpose of your show and accentuates the theme of your podcast. This description should be no more than two to three sentences in length.

Selecting a Name – Personify Your Podcast

When selecting a name, be sure that the name of your podcast reflects the content that you are recording. For example, if your subject matter is about travel, your podcast name should be branded to complement your show.

To illustrate, a podcast about travel might be called Globetrotter, Passport Podcast, The Travel Guide, and so on. Make sure that the name you choose is also available as a domain name online. Try to make your name unique but easily understood and recognizable.

Acquiring a Domain Name and Blog Name

Once you have picked a name for your podcast, purchase the domain name for your podcast. This is extremely important because interested listeners and inquisitive searchers will be able to find your podcast in Search engines such as Google, Yahoo!, MSN and others.

As a reward for consistently branding your podcast, search results will display your website and podcast accordingly.

Get Your Podcast on the Internet

As you probably know, once your first podcast is recorded you’ll need to upload the MP3 to a web hosting service. By doing so, you’ll be making the audio available for download by anyone with Internet access.

Sounds great, doesn’t it?

Did you know you had options as to where to upload? Well, now you do and here they are:

Free Podcast Hosting Services

The easiest solution is to host your MP3 at a podcasting hosting service, such as LibSyn.com or HipCast.com. These are wonderful web services that will not only store the MP3 file of your podcast, but also provide you with some statistics including number of downloads.

Regular Web Hosting Services

If you currently have a web host, for example, the company that is already hosting your web site, you can just as easily work with this set-up. You may need your webmaster to assist you with configuring this part, however in short, you’ll need to create a new directory on the server called “podcasts” and upload the MP3 file to that directory using FTP, short for File Transfer Protocol, which is the standard means of adding new files to a website.

Once you have these two steps accomplished your small business podcast is up and running.

Business Idea: Podcasts

Posted on 20. Mar, 2010 by admin in Podcasts

One BIG tip that I can offer you as read my short synopsis today, learn how to become a successful PodCaster and watch your bottom-line fly skyward!

Each day starts and usually ends with the same BIG question. Our clients and prospects ask us, “How can I grow my business and capture my fair market share?” Our answer is quite simply, “Build yourself a base of prospects and work that pipeline relentlessly and efficiently.”

One BIG tip that I can offer you as read my short synopsis today, learn how to become a successful PodCaster and watch your bottom-line fly skyward!

Over the past decade, the Internet has created many new breakthrough marketing mediums. From successful ezine publishing and distribution straight through to more pronounced search engine optimization practices.

As a television and radio broadcaster/marketing consultant, I have had the sincere pleasure of understanding just how important both the radio and television marketing methods are to businesses and individuals in getting the word out to their prospective audience.

Our weekly online radio show, Net Talk Radio has been received very well amongst listeners and advertisers alike. I guess I always knew that in time, connectivity speeds and portable hand-held devices would ultimately allow for a more expansive target audience reach.

The day has finally arrived!

Although, we began using our online talk radio format years ago, we are now able to sweeten the pie by allowing our listeners to almost effortlessly download our show (information and entertainment) right into the iPod and iRiver devices. Now our audience can listen where ever and whenever “they” like. Plus, as an added-value benefit to us and our valuable advertisers, we can track every hit (listener) around the clock for about the cost of a cup of coffee! We make all this happen by deploying one of today’s best emerging audio/blogging technologies popularly referred to as, “PodCasting”.

PodCast Marketing: Anyone Can Do This!

First, What is Podcasting?

Podcasting is a term that manifested as a fresh way to describe the technology used to push (share) audio content from web sites down to consumers (clients) of that content, who usually listen to it on an iPod (hence the term “pod”) or any other type of .mp3 player (iRiver) at their command, convenience and control.

PodCasting is somewhat similar to the concept of time-shifted video software and devices like TiVo, which let you watch what you want exactly when you want it by simply recording and storing video, except that PodCasting is primarily used for audio to date. (Universal video deployment is most likely just around the corner.) With that stated I should explain, however, that this easy to use emerging technology can be used to push (deploy) any kind of file such as photos (images), software updates, videos and/or text.

PodCasting uses an XML-based technology called RSS (Real Simple Syndication). Content publishers (PodCasters) describe new content in an XML RSS file which includes dates, titles, descriptions, and specifics links to the .mp3 files. This “automatically” generated file is referred to as an RSS feed. Dave Winer is considered by many to be the creator of RSS and a pioneer in the environment of applied XML. The component to making PodCasting work with RSS is “enclosures” (remember that term), an element supported by RSS 2.0.

As a consumer or end-user, you simply run an “aggregator” (remember this term, too) program like MTV’s Adam Curry’s iPodder software on your local computer, which lets you easily subscribe to RSS feeds. Programs like Adam’s will either by schedule or by random design, download the RSS files, and check to see if any fresh content is available. If new content exists, the audio files are automatically downloaded and put into a folder (of your choice) on your hard disk or directly routed to your mp3 player.

I used an asterisk as noted above to make this very honest and often painful-to-some disclaimer. When I stated that “Anyone Can Do This”, I should more accurately state, “Anyone that properly learns (from a real professional) and activates their own PodCast process can reap the significant harvest of BIGGER numbers by creating and nurturing their own emerging community. As an online business owner this is HUGE and required! This marketing solution can not only make you financially solvent, it can even make you a “STAR”!

Fitting The PodCast Magic Into Your Arsenal

Here now is a list of things to do to prepare yourself for your first PodCast presentation.

1. Research The PodCast Element

Learn precisely what PodCasting is all about and how it works. I recommend visiting http://www.google.com and typing, “PodCast Radio” into the search field.

2. Physically Search Out Only The True Professionals

Create a list of those PodCasters that undeniably know exactly what they are doing. Align your yourself with only the best. From this list, call them on the phone and pick their brain(s). If you cannot locate an actual telephonic point of contact, I strongly urge you to wipe them from your list. You want to do business with those that believe in “touching” their market with more intimacy and one-to-one personalization rather than just an email. Remember, you are looking for a friend. A mentor. Not necessarily someone to take your money and be off. A solid partnership (friendship) is your objective here.

3. Discover Your Passion

What passion do you share with others? What true value will your audience glean from you? Who is your target audience? Understand your “WHY”!

4. Develop Your Plan & Work Your Process

What do you need to learn? What do you need to do? What specific date will you be ready? Who will provide you with the support you will need to fulfill your plan. What equipment is required?

5. Make Your Podcast Happen!

As you roll out your “new-to-you” adventure, don’t expect total perfection on day one. Be kind to yourself and know that you will evolve. We all started from square one. You should have heard my first radio air check from my first radio gig in Bakersfield, California. I sounded just like a bumbling knucklehead. Enough practice and desire can make you near perfect, but do be fair with you and give yourself time to grow.

Listen to other Pro-PodCasters. Listen to your local radio stations. Read books and articles like this one on a daily basis. (I do it everyday!

6. Finally… No Excuses!

If you “really” want to crank up the heat on your marketing efforts, than PodCasting will give you the significant marketing advantage.

Know this…

Others will talk about it, but never make their move.

You, on the other hand, will except no feeble excuses and get working on your very first PodCast right away! (At the very least, be sure to move PodCasting up near the top of “TO-DO” list!

In closing today…

I have illustrated only a fraction of what you must know before you go piling into your PodCast endeavor full steam ahead. Be sure to identify and experiment with all angles of marketing when it comes to producing an on-going, money-generating PodCast production for all the world to hear and take notice!

Happy PodCast Marketing!

What is Podcasting and RSS Files?

Posted on 19. Mar, 2010 by admin in Podcasts

In its simplest terms, podcasting is a method of publishing audio files to the Internet, which can then be automatically downloaded to a computer, iPod, MP3 player or other portable media device.

Odds are you’ve heard the term “podcasting.” It was even selected by the editors of the New Oxford American Dictionary as the Word of the Year for 2005. But what exactly is it?

In its simplest terms, podcasting is a method of publishing audio files to the Internet, which can then be automatically downloaded to a computer, iPod, MP3 player or other portable media device. For anyone who loves listening to the wide variety of internet audio programming, but can’t always find the time to listen to their favorite shows when they’re scheduled or take the time to download them manually, podcasting is the solution. It allows you to listen to your favorite content, at your convenience. 

According to research from The Diffusion Group, 11.4 million listeners are expected to download a podcast this year, climbing to almost 75 million by 2010.  Apple’s iTunes already offers 15,000 podcasts and listeners have signed up for more than 7 million subscriptions.  So what’s the reason for this rapid adoption?  Because podcasting gives people more control over what they listen to, when they want to and the freedom to take their programs out and about with them.

But podcasting is more than just TiVo for Internet Radio.  Individuals are taking an increasingly active role in creating their online lives and, as a result, generate the majority of content found on the Internet.   Combined with human nature to form groups, share information and advance personal agendas through interaction with others, podcasting represents a significant shift in the way we communicate, receive and discover information.

Anyone can create a podcast and, regardless of the topic, find an online audience that shares the same interest and will subscribe to the feed, or “show,” to automatically receive new episodes.  But podcasting is more than having this 15 minutes of fame.  Educators are using podcasts to interact with their students.  Terrestrial radio is using it to regain listeners.  It’s even changing the way media covers and distributes news and entertainment, advertisers target pitches at consumers and companies design and sell their products and services. 

For a technology that’s been around less than two years, the future certainly looks bright for podcasting.  It has already evolved beyond simple time-shifting of Internet audio into the new medium for creating, finding and sharing content created by individuals for individuals sharing similar interests.  In other words, podcasting is connecting people to people, in the growing content-on-demand World.

Odds are you’ve heard the term “podcasting.” It was even selected by the editors of the New Oxford American Dictionary as the Word of the Year for 2005. But what exactly is it?

Podcasting works because of small files called RSS files, which are located somewhere on a web page. This RSS file is regularly updated, usually through an automatic updat…One of the best ways to share files that you’ve found online is to download a podcast. A podcast is a way that the creators and/or distributors of content can send their online materials directly to the computer of a subscriber. The subscriber can then view or listen to the content whenever they want to.

Podcasting works because of small files called RSS files, which are located somewhere on a web page. This RSS file is regularly updated, usually through an automatic update, with text and links to new media files that are available to be downloaded.

A podcast client accesses the RSS file from the subscriber’s computer. Podcast clients are programs that go online to find RSS files for data that the subscriber has chosen to view. Most podcast clients are available for free, and many different ones are available to suit any unique need.

A download happens when the client downloads and views the file that is being offered at the feed’s web site. The client finds links to media files that are included in the RSS file, and then it downloads those files, storing them on a subscriber’s computer until the user wants to see them. Podcast files can be comedy shows, music mixes, or radio shows. Subscribers are often able to download parts of regular shows and play them on a home computer.

Downloads can be applied to any kind of file. The RSS file that allows generally audio and video files to be downloaded can also be tailored to apply to any data file. Some experts believe that podcasting may be used to distribute software updates, as well as demonstration programs, and go beyond simply sharing media files. Users would just have to subscribe to a feed with a podcast client. This could be a way to update users about anything.

Many possibilities for file distribution are provided with podcast downloads. This represents a different way of using the Internet by allowing information to come to users, instead of having users actively go out and visit each site.

Podcasting could ultimately change how the Internet works. With broadband access becoming faster and more available, content will have a good chance of being delivered directly to a consumer more easily and more quickly than ever before. This approach could mean major changes for the Internet and make the Web even more integrated with the personal lives of its users.

5 Reasons Why You Are Losing Money If You Don’t Podcast

Posted on 18. Mar, 2010 by admin in Podcasts

Why should any business podcast? Probably not, unless of course they realize how much they are losing if they do not podcast. After all, there are so many benefits that businesses stand to gain from podcasts.

1. The 1st reason and most important reason why any business should podcast is of course to increase traffic to their website. And we all know that traffic is the lifeblood of any online business.

The reason podcast can increase traffic and bring more visitors to your web site is because podcast uses RSS, a technology for content syndication on the Internet.

You don’t need to go into technical complexities to understand RSS or to enjoy the benefits of podcast. The reason is because most of the time, the process of syndication is done in the background and in a way is ‘transparent’ to the user.

Furthermore, there are many free services that automates the creation of Podcast such as AudioBlogger.com or AudioBlog.com. The difference is that the first is free, whereas AudioBlog.com is a paid service and has more features useful for podcasting.

2. Increase Market Share, Gain New Subscribers and New Buyers.

The second reason why any business should podcast is because they can increase their market share and gain new subscribers and buyers.

This is related to the reason number 1. With more traffic to your site, naturally you’ll be able
to reach out to people you normally would not have access to.

Many podcsters have reported an increase in web site traffic once they started podcasting.

Personally I myself have experienced increased subscribers and sales through the simple use of my voice with podcasts.

3. Thirdly, you can brand yourself quickly and easily. Ever watch the TV show hosted by Donald Trump “The Apprentice”? Behind all that glitz, suspense, glamour is an ingenious way of branding the “Trump” name.

It’s the same with Podcasting. Through podcasts, you can easily build a brand name around your services or products. This will help you gain brand recognition and build market share.

4. Advertise To Millions For Free With Podcasts

You can submit your Podcast to iTunes. If you didn’t know, iTunes is used by millions of iPod and other mp3 device owners for managing their mp3 or music sound files.

By submitting your Podcast to iTunes, you stand to gain from this huge and hungry market. There are millions of people with mp3 players who would happily download podcasts to listen. Even if you only capture 0.1% of this amount, we’re talking about potentially thousands of new visitors and customers for your products or services. Imagine the huge market you have at your fingertips.

Besides, iTunes, did you also know that Yahoo has came
up with their own Audio search?

Probably not many people know about this yet, but you can also submit your Podcast to Yahoo. With Yahoo in the picture, will Google follow suit? After all, they already have a Blog search. You can see the trend here.

5. Money Making Opportunities.

Podcasts open up a whole new world and new ways of making money.

As the technology and concept is relatively new, there is little competition in this area, which means you stand to gain a lot if you embrace this technology early.

When the Internet was first used as a marketing tool, ebooks were most popular with these groups of internet marketers. As time and technology evolved, the marketing effort soon focused on ‘niche marketing’ or select groups of people searching for solutions to their problems in niche areas such as ‘athritis cure’, ‘grow tropical fish’, ‘dieting tips’ and so on.

With Podcasts, you can offer more than just the usual ‘boring’ ebooks to the people in your chosen niche markets. You can create what I term ‘niche podcasts’.

There are many ways that you can monetize your niche podcasts. For example, you can charge a fee for listeners who want to subscribe and download your podcast, especially if you have some specialized skill or knowledge that others don’t. If you’re an expert at options trading, you can create your own ‘options podcast’ giving tips on what to buy
when to buy, what to sell, and charge your listeners a fee for subscribing.

They will be willing to pay you if you can prove you have a track record of winning and making money at options trading. This is only one example of how you can make money from your niche podcasts.

These are just some of the many examples how podcast and podcasting can help your online business.

With such a big potential and the technology being in it’s early unsaturated stage, this is truly the best time to leverage on podcasting technology to grow and multiply your online business.

Now, are you convinced how much money you are leaving on the table if you DON’T start your own podcast?

Finding Hip Hop Mix Podcasts

Posted on 18. Mar, 2010 by admin in Podcasts

Many music podcasts are available online for downloading; if one wanted to find, for instance, a hip hop mix podcast, there are a few sites available to help. The first possibility would be to go directly to a site which creates one and subscribe to it using a podcast client which automatically checks the feed for new episodes and downloads them for the user. If, however, one did not know of any hip hop mix podcast sites, or simply wanted to find new podcast sites, the best possibility would be to check a podcast directory, a list of podcasts that can be browsed.

Hip hop mix podcasts could easily be found at one of these podcast directories. A podcast directory stores lists of podcasts which have been submitted to the site, and categorizes them by genre, type of podcast, region, and other meta data. To find a hip hop mix podcast, visiting a podcast directory and checking under music podcasts, and then under hip hop music would find many podcasts which play that type of music.

The hip hop mix podcast could then be subscribed to by inputting the feed address listed into one of the many podcast clients. The music will come in episodes, the name for each downloadable portion of a podcast. Some of these podcasts may feature independent artists, musicians trying to break into the music industry who have chosen podcasting as a way of sharing their music and gaining a following. Others may be remixes of popular songs that have been changed in some way to give a different feel to the music. Often, the artists may already be established, though, and they still see podcasting as a way to introduce themselves to a larger audience. They may grant rights to pay certain hip hip songs to a podcaster, letting them play the music as part of their mix distribution while requesting a link to a site where more information can be learned about the artists and music can be purchased. Artists that have done this include alias, edan, outerspace, RA the rugged man, roots manuva, and outer space.

A large number of podcasts featuring hip hop mix podcasts are actually radio stations, however. These broadcasters have found that podcasting their shows and selections is an easy way to reach more listeners and gain a greater audience. These podcasters can reach more people easier and cheaper than they can by playing hip hop mix music over the airwaves in their local areas. Playing hip hop music over the internet is probably the way many future artists will do their work, and there are many ways available even now that they can do so and make a profit. For instance, some podcasts are designed to work on a payment basis. A hip hop artist who wished to share his music could charge for addition to the feed list, then issue a unique feed address to the user, allowing them to hear new pieces of hip hop music released. The hip hop music file could even be designed so it could not be copied and used by another user at a different computer, to ensure that the artist could maintain control over his work.

[how to Earn Extra Money With Podcasting] Discover the Definition of Podcasting & Reasons Why you Have to Consider Podcasting!

Posted on 17. Mar, 2010 by admin in Podcasts

The podcasting is one of the fastest growing technologies on the internet right now. As my investigations reveal that there are a several ways to earn extra money with podcasting. Also, I believe that earning extra money with podcasting is a new generation of making money with blogging. If you are familiar with earning extra money with blogging, I am sure that you should start earning extra money online with podcasting now.

However, before jumping into how to earn extra money with podcasting, I would like to give you the definition of podcasting. You’ll discover the definition of podcasting in this article.

READ THIS: If you are interested in podcasting and looking for how to earn extra money with podcasting.

Even when blogging was still relatively new, audio blogging – and then video blogging -developed as alternative ways to post and deliver blog content.

However, audio and video blogs have never really hit the big time until late 2004, when RSS (stand for “Really Simple Syndication”) technology started to be used to deliver audio content directly to people’s iPods or other portable digital music players through a new technology called “podcasting.”

Actually, podcasting became so popular that the New Oxford American Dictionary selected “podcast” as the Word of the Year for 2005. The word was chosen based upon the phenomenally rapid growth of podcasting, which rose from relative obscurity to become one of the hottest trends in media.

At its most basic level, the definition of podcasting is the delivery of audio files – typically MP3 audio files – to the Internet. Listeners can access the files using “reader” software, which lets them easily and automatically transfer the files to a digital MP3 player.

The process has become known as “podcasting” because the most popular MP3 player on the market is Apple’s iPod. These MP3 players are so popular that, according to a recent Pew Internet survey, more than 22 million American adults now own an iPod or similar player!

But you know what! The podcasts do NOT have been played on a portable MP3 player such as an iPod – listeners can simply play the podcast on their home computer. Actually, the majority of podcasts are currently listened to directly on subscribers’ computers and don’t ever make it to a portable MP3 player. So don’t think that people need to own an iPod to listen to podcasts – nothing could be further from the truth!

In my opinion, this can be a great way for internet entrepreneurs to earn extra money with podcasting. Some of them use podcasting technology to advertise their home based internet marketing business. Some of them use for be an outstanding among their competitors. Personally, if you are truly home based business owner, I highly encourage you to use podcasting technology to earn extra money and be outstanding among your competitors. It is NOT too soon to get started with earning extra money through podcasting technology!

However, what makes podcasting a unique marketing and communications tool is that it allows individuals or businesses to publish audio content that interested listeners can subscribe to via RSS “feeds.” Before podcasting you could, of course, record an audio show and put it on your web site or blog. Now your listeners can automatically receive your audio broadcasts without having to go to your web site – the podcast is automatically delivered to their computer through RSS technology.

Listeners who subscribe to your podcast are essentially saying, “I want to hear your content on a regular basis.” This gives you a direct line of communication or even marketing channel to your target market – making podcasting a very powerful marketing tool.

Finally, you will learn the definition of podcasting and reasons why you have to consider podcasting. My investigations reveal that earning extra money on podcasting technology is an alternative way for online business owners from now on. If you are familiar with earning extra money on your blogs, I strongly believe that earning extra money with podcasting is your next step. Podcasting is a next generation of blogging!

Read more articles about how to earn extra money online at home and discover a lot of golden homeworker business opportunities at: http://www.zMakeMoney.com/blog and http://www.zMillionDollars.com/blog.

Marketing Your Podcast

Posted on 15. Mar, 2010 by admin in Podcasts

Now you have to get your podcast out into the world to be heard. Many broadcasters to simply podcast for personal interest or to get their opinions out into the world, don’t bother to market their podcast. And perhaps, if you have a small and faithful following that might be all you’re interested in.

For example, maybe you are pastor at a church and it doesn’t matter to you other people outside of your congregation hear your podcasts, as long as they are available for your parishioners. That’s fine.

But there are many people, especially business podcasters, who need to be heard. Perhaps you need to be heard because of the importance of your sell your product and put food on the table, whatever the reason is, you need to do your podcast out there.

The first in you want to do is submit your podcast to the podcast hosting sites mentioned in a previous chapter. If you haven’t done that already, take time to be that right away. Don’t just submit to one, submit to all of them.

The next thing you need to do is to make sure that your marketing material (if you are a business) contains the web site on which your podcast is hosted. For example, if your company has a web site, make sure it’s on your marketing material.

Then go on to your company’s web site and make sure that the podcast is easy to see. Lots of companies have very busy web sites which makes it difficult to notice if there are new items on the page. You might also want to put on your marketing material something along the lines that of “subscribe to our podcast.”

Just plunking down your podcast on your web site and a web address on your marketing material will not get you very many subscribers. It could get some calm and that’s great, but just like any other product that you sell you need to give people a reason to subscribe to your podcast.

If you haven’t noticed, this article talks about content and niche marketing but the underlying secret of both of those is value. When you offer a value, people will come to you. If your product solves a problem, they will buy it from you.

If your service benefits someone, they will buy it from you. If your podcast helps them in some way, they will subscribe to it or even buy it from you.

So how do you make your podcast provide value? This article, and previous article, give lots of ideas to help provide value: people are looking for interesting and engaging entertainment, information, and instruction to listen to at their convenience. That’s what podcasting is all about. Those three things:

1. Interest and engagement. (Is the format varied and easy to listen to?)

2. Entertainment, information, instruction. (Is the content of high quality?)

3. Convenience. (Is it an appropriate length and updated with appropriate frequency?)

That is the best test to ensure that your podcast provides value. If it does not to fulfill all three things than you’ll find your subscribership will diminish over time.

Here is another exercise that will help you determine your value to your subscribers. If you have spent any time in sales or as an entrepreneur you’ll probably already familiar with this, but it is a good exercise to do nonetheless, since it is often overlooked in the podcasting industry.

Features and Benefits of your podcast

1. One one side of a piece of paper, list the features of your podcast. Leave plenty of lines under each feature. What are features? The topic is a feature, the length is a feature, the frequency you update it is a feature, it’s a feature if two people host the show, the format can be a feature, and your variety and quality of content is a feature.

2. On the other side of the paper, list the benefits: what it is about those features that subscribers will find helpful. For example, CNN provides very short podcasts of excellence depth. Those are features. The benefits are that the listener will save time and become well informed.

3. Determine if there is one or two of those benefits that set you apart from other podcasts in a similar category. For example, perhaps you can provide the same depth of coverage on a sports team as another podcast, but you can do it with greater frequency or with more expert analysis. (Of course those of the features, but the benefits are that your subscriber can save time and increased knowledge by become better informed more frequently).

4. Now promote those benefits!

This is a classic feature/benefits exercise from sales training 101. It is often overlooked in podcasting because podcasting is such a personal medium and its brand-new so people are pushing the boundaries in spite of the lack of benefits to their listeners.

Pushing the boundaries is okay if that’s what you want to do, but if your interest is in gaining subscribers or in making money from podcasting, then you’ll want to discover the benefits of your podcast and promote them.

If you can drive people to your web site, you might be able to you post a couple benefits beside your podcast link. Or, if your marketing material has enough room, you can put those benefits right under your heading “subscribe to our podcast”.

You might also find that, although they may appreciate the benefits and value that you provide, they may be scared off by how “technologically advanced” it seems to them.

Rather than calling it a podcast, you may want to call it an online audio program or an Internet radio show. It may not be exactly accurate, but it’s a lot easier then telling people that it’s a podcast and spending half an hour explaining it to them and telling them why they don’t need an iPod to hear you.

You may also want to you pay other people to host affiliate advertising to send an end to your site if you are creating a podcast for people to pay to listen to.

These concepts are covered in a little greater detail in another article, but it is appropriate to mention them here at something else to think about in marketing your podcast.

The best form of advertising for any kind of business is word of mouth advertising. It he can get your search drivers to be your biggest supporters and talk about you all the time to their friends, you won’t have any problem getting subscribers. How do you do that? (You should be able to answer this in your sleep by now: content, niche markets, benefits).

It is still very early in the industry, but it won’t be long before you see referral marketing programs that give subscribers some kind of discount or freebie for getting other people to subscribe to a podcast. With a little creativity, you may be able to start doing this right now.

Getting subscribers is all about providing value. If people see the value, they will subscribe. Tell them about your program, tell them what the value is to them, and tell them how to subscribe, and tell them to get their friends to subscribe, and you should not have any problem building up a big list of subscribers.

And with this audience, you’ll be able to get your views heard and maybe even make some money!

How to Download Free Podcasts

Posted on 14. Mar, 2010 by admin in Podcasts

To find and download a free podcasts is really easy. Podcast directories are probably the best way to find free podcasts.

Podcast directories have thousands of different podcasts listed. The podcast directory will usually organize the podcasts by topic and genre, making it easy to find the type of podcasts that is sought.

Podcast directories often allow the web surfers to comment on the podcasts listed, and provide a list of the favorite podcasts on the website, making it easy for users to find the best podcasts available. These podcast directories can be used to browse through, introducing users to many different podcasts they otherwise would not have found.

When a user finds a podcast of interest, and it is necessary to download the free podcast. The vast majority of podcasts will be free, but there will be a few that may cost a small amount of money. The process to subscribe to and download the podcasts is the same in either case.

One of the first things that has to be done is a podcast client needs to be found and installed. There are many free podast clients available, all providing a slightly different user interface and range of options. They come with many different names, such as Podscape, or Nimiq, and searching for ‘free podcast client’ or something like it will turn up many possibilities.

Once the podcast client is installed inputting the feed address will allow the podcast to be downloaded. The podcast client will

check the address given for a small, machine readable file called an RSS file. This file will contain information about the podcasts, perhaps some text about the individual episodes, as well as the location of the episode file.

Once the podcast client has been located the file referred to in the RSS feed, it will be downloaded and stored on the users computer until the want to view it.

If access to a personal computer is not available, but it is still necessary to check a certain podcast, many podcast directories offer built in podcast readers in the website. Not only do they often show each recent episode that is available, they may also offer a way to view or listen to those podcast episodes from within the website. By using the viewer contained within the website, it is no longer necessary to even download the podcast episodes.

The desire of consumers to have control over technology cannot be over estimated. The ability to share the episodes after downloading the files is one of the great things about podcasting. The files can be placed on almost and media player, ranging from iPods to the new Play Station Portable. This flexibility is one of the reasons podcasts have succeeded, despite other technologies like streaming music and video.

How To Download A Free Podcast

Posted on 13. Mar, 2010 by admin in Podcasts

Its easy to find and download a free podcast. The best way to find free podcasts is probably to check a podcast directory.

A podcast directory is a listing of many, sometimes thousands of different podcasts. The podcast directory will usually organize the podcasts by topic and genre, making it easy to find the type of podcast that is sought.

In addition, podcast directories often allow the visitors to comment on the podcasts listed, and provide a list of the favorite podcasts on the site, making it easy for users to find the best podcasts available. These podcast directories can be used to browse through, introducing users to many different podcasts they otherwise would not have found.

Once a podcast has been found that interests the user, it is necessary to download the free podcast. The vast majority of podcasts will be free, but there will be a few that may cost a small amount of money. The process to subscribe to and download the podcasts is the same in either case.

First, a podcast client needs to be found and installed. There are many free podast clients available, all providing a slightly different user interface and range of options. They come with many different names, such as Podscape, or Nimiq, and searching for ‘free podcast client’ or something like it will turn up many possibilities.

When the podcast client has been installed, inputting the feed address will allow the podcast to be downloaded. The podcast client will check the address given for a small, machine readable file called an RSS file. This file will contain information about the podcasts, perhaps some text about the individual episodes, as well as the location of the episode file. Once the podcast client has been located the file referred to in the RSS feed, it will be downloaded and stored on the users computer until the want to view it.

Sometimes, of course, access to a personal computer is not available, but it is still necessary to check a certain podcast.

Fortunately, many podcast directories offer built in podcast readers in the site. Not only do they often show each recent episode that is available, they may also offer a way to view or listen to those podcast episodes from within the site.

By using the viewer contained within the site, it is no longer necessary to even download the podcast episodes. However, the ability to move and share the episodes after downloading is one of the wonderful things about podcasting.

The files can be placed on almost and media player, ranging from iPods to the new Play Station Portable. This flexibility is one of the reasons podcasts have succeeded, despite other technologies like streaming music and video. The desire of consumers to have control over technology cannot be over estimated.

10 Reasons Why Self-help Practitioners Must Ride the Podcasting Wave!

Posted on 12. Mar, 2010 by admin in Podcasts

The word podcast came about by combining Apple’s “iPod” and the word “broadcasting” to create the birth of a new type of downloadable media that is fast becoming the latest craze!

Podcasting is a method of producing a media file (either audio or video) and uploading it to the internet, providing an opportunity for people to subscribe to and receive them automatically as they are uploaded.

What’s great about podcasting is not only the fact that anyone who has something to say can now have a voice online, but also that listeners (and perhaps potential clients) can download and listen to your podcast at a time that suits them. No more being tied to having to tune in or watch at the same time each week.

Another advantage comes from listeners only having to subscribe once to your podcast and automatically receiving updates whenever you create them. This provides complete freedom and flexibility for the user.

According to research company The Diffusion Group 840,000 Americans listened to podcasts in 2004 and this number is forecast to increase to 56 million by 2010. Of course the biggest advantage of podcasts is the fact that it provides a convenient way to listen to unique content from a range of podcasters (people who create podcasts!).

No more having to tune into a radio/TV show, or listen to streaming media from a website, now you can download the show to your iPod, pda, mobile, Zune or other handheld device and listen to it on the train or in your car.

If you run your own business podcasting offers you a number of opportunities not only to stay in the hearts and minds of your current clients, but also to attract new clients and earn revenue from your products and/or service.

The opportunities for practitioners creating podcasts, the opportunity for potential revenue from creating podcasts, and the opportunity to appeal to a wider audience world wide will be ignored at your peril!

Here are 10 reasons why you should seriously consider riding the podcasting wave!

1.Establishing yourself as an expert in your industry – especially the personal development industry – is becoming a challenging prospect with more and more self-help and health related books, training and other services already on the market. A podcast provides the opportunity for people to get to know you and your work. Allowing you to quickly establishing yourself as an expert as your listeners increase.

2.Podcasts provide you with an opportunity to communicate with your audience on a world wide scale. Once your podcast has been created and submitted to podcast directories, the opportunity for people to download and listen to your information opens up fantastic possibilities.

3.Podcasts have an advantage over articles. You may have written hundreds of articles but the disadvantages are that the reader cannot feel the emotion behind the words. Also, the written word is subjective and open to interpretation from the reader. With podcasts you get to express emotions that can influence, entertain and inspire your listener.

4.There is an opportunity to create additional revenue from your podcast. Two reasons why podcasts may be popular (in my opinion) is the fact that they are free, and many of them contain little or no advertising. Just pure, hopefully informative, unique, entertaining content! You can use your podcast introductions and endings to let listeners know who you are, what you do, your website address/other content, and promote your products and services. Or create podcasts that focus on a particular product, or training method and promote that.

5.You have an opportunity to re-use your written work and create it into a media format. Whether you take that written word and create a video or audio the opportunity is there for you to dust off those old articles, thesis, half written book and use them.

6.If you enjoy using metaphors, stories, prose or poems as a way of inspiring people then here is an opportunity for you to really have them come to life through your voice.

7.Podcasts provide an opportunity for you to take your unpublished work and distribute it to subscribers in the hope of it becoming so popular that it leads to a book or show (there are several stories of artists who were signed up after releasing songs from their albums). Imagine ending up with your own TV show because your weekly video podcast became so popular that the networks picked up on it!

8.It’s a creative and fun process! Your podcast does not have to contain serious lecture style information. You can provide “fire side chats” where you inform and inspire. If you provide meditation services, this is an excellent way to allow subscribers to download your work and listen to it morning and night. You can interview an expert, or have someone interview you as the expert.

9.You can create “how to” videos for your subscribers, providing them with the ability to watch how to use your product, or how to get the most out of your service.

10.It provides an alternative method of communication for the visually impaired and in the future if “signing” is introduced to videos could also become a valuable source for the deaf and heard of hearing community.

The great thing about podcasting is the public will become your critic! If you know you are as talented and as great as a leading expert in your field but you just need the opportunity to get yourself known, then creating a podcast provides that opportunity.

The number of downloads to your show will be the measuring tool that will tell you if you are a hit or miss! And several podcast directories provide the opportunity for people to comment on and/or vote for their favourite podcasts.

Podcasting is a serious business and keeping up with new technology is important in any field if you are not going to be left behind. It will take a regular investment in time and creativity, and perhaps an initial investment in equipment (although you may already have more than you know!) but it is a fairly inexpensive form of marketing.

Creating a podcast is not an instant income generating marketing tool – but then who am I to place limits on what’s possible! I believe it is a medium-term marketing strategy with long term advantages and benefits. Of course if you already have a large list of newsletter/ezine subscribers, you have a strong advantage.

As with anything new a period of learning is recommended, but as with anything new learnt well, it won’t be long before you are motivating, inspiring and entertaining the world wide web with your media delights!