Podcasts Articles

Preparing For A Successful Podcast

(category: Podcasts, Word count: 574)
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For those of you who have already launched your initial podcast, it may take a while before you begin to see an increase in traffic to your site. But it may be a good idea to start considering how you'll respond when you do. Before you figure out how to spend your new revenue, it's necessary to train your staff to cope with the increased amount of interest and additional consumer inquiries, so that they can become satisfied and loyal customers.

First of all, it is important to remember that your podcast is only one part of the marketing mix. So anything that you mention or highlight in your podcast should be reflected elsewhere. There's no point in directing people to check out a new range of products online if they aren't featured on your site. And even if the product is listed on the site, you need to make sure that it has prominent placement and is not hidden in some dusty corner of your site that's harder to access than Fort Knox. It seems obvious, but it's usually the seemingly simple things that get overlooked. It's also important to note that your sales force or customer representatives will require training so that they too are equally knowledgeable about new developments and ready to answer any questions that may arise. This is critical because members of the sales force are the ambassadors of your company: if they don't know about the product, no one else will either. To make things easier, it may be worthwhile to prepare a list of Frequently Asked Questions and their appropriate answers, so that everyone is informed and consistent in their replies to inquiries.

More importantly, when those inquiries prompt sales (your ultimate goal), you certainly want to be equipped to satisfy increased customer demand. Be sure that your product or service is readily available and that distribution channels are in place for customers to quickly receive what you have to offer. After all, it doesn't matter how many customers you attract if the infrastructure to serve and retain customers isn't in place.

More frequent visits to your website and increased purchases help develop and solidify the relationship with your customers and enables you to build a closer relationship with them. An effective podcast also helps to build brand loyalty by encouraging listeners to subscribe to the podcast news feed and creating a relationship between your brand and the customer. By encouraging customers to download the most recent shows or having them automatically delivered to the client's pc, the likelihood of regular contact and interaction with your target audience is significantly increased.

So, what exactly do you need to do to prepare for the influx of customers?

1.) Keep track of all the news and highlights featured in your podcasts.

2.) Create an FAQ sheet for all Customer Service and Sales personnel so that they can answer questions about the changes or new services.

3.) Remember to update your website, print ads or other marketing materials so that they also reflect the changes and present a cohesive brand image.

4.) Make sure that you have the products/services readily available and that the distribution channels are able to effectively bring them to the marketplace.

By following these steps you can ensure that when that additional traffic does hit, you'll be able to convert visitors to customers.

Podcasting Let The Experiments Begin

(category: Podcasts, Word count: 400)
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As you know podcasting is simply an audio file that is placed on a website. If it is combined with an RSS file - people can subscribe to your feed, and listen to your words of wisdom at their leisure. This is a good thing, it is getting your words - your voice - your identity to the masses.

Podcasting - Getting Started

Publishing your podcast is simple as well - look to Blogger, TypePad, and then use Feedburner to convert your podcast into a feed.

Simple Way to Make A Podcast

The simpliest way to get setup and to start experimenting with your own podcasting- is to simply get a microphone and of course, free software from Audacity.

Okay, as we all know, not many are comfortable with hearing their own voice - but hey, it's your voice - and the voice allows your listeners to know that, yes, I am a real human, and not a machine.

Once done, you will need to upload your podcast onto your server. The only limitations I see would be how much, or little space, you have on your server- as well as the bandwidth usage.

Submitting your Podcast to Feeds

To get your podcast out to the masses, you will need to hit the directories that cater to podcasting. Well, one of the quickest way to get this done, is through Feedburner. Just check the "Podcasting button" and you will be directed to a page with all the information you need. In fact, they have a site called "PingShot" that will automatically notify the directories and web-based aggregators when you publish new content - I mention this one, because it is free. No sense, paying for something if you are in the experimental mode, right? But . . .

There is still a learning curve here, and you will need to take a little time to devour some of the info on the different sites to get the information you want, as well as, how to use it. But it looks like podcasting is now the in thing. Will it last? I think it may. But it looks like the next, new and great thing coming to the Internet is the Video Casts. The only thing I see that may keep some from partaking in this media is the bandwidth and storage. But we will see.

A Brief History Of Podcasting

(category: Podcasts, Word count: 750)
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Ever wonder about the evolution of the podcast? While podcasting is a comparatively young technology it still has a rather fascinating albeit brief history. The background of the word, "podcast" is quite fascinating and is reflective of the dynamic nature of the Internet community.

Podcasting is a term that was only coined in 2004, combining two words: iPod and broadcasting. Ironically, this definition is somewhat of a misnomer since neither component is completely accurate. Neither podcasting nor listening to podcasts requires an iPod or other portable player. In fact, podcasts can be listened to on any mp3 enabled device including a desktop computer. The name association came about simply because Apple Computer's iPod was the best-selling portable digital audio player when podcasting began. What's more, no over-the-air broadcasting is required either.

Even the editors of the New Oxford American Dictionary jumped on the podcasting bandwagon by declaring "podcasting" word of the year for 2005. The term was defined as "a digital recording of a radio broadcast or similar program, made available on the Internet for downloading to a personal audio player." The word will be added to the online version of the dictionary during their next update.

The term, podcasting was coined by journalist, Ben Hammersley, and then popularized by former MTV VJ and media entrepreneur, Adam Curry. Mr. Curry created an Applescript application that automated the process of downloading and syncing audio files to iPods.

Other names or alternative interpretations of the letters, "P-O-D" were proposed, the most popular of which was "Personal On Demand". Technology writer, Doc Searls came up with this phrase back in September, 2004. Terms such as "audio-blogging", audio magazines" and "web-casting" have also been offered to describe this unique form of media distribution.

Other "pod"-derived phrases include "podcasters" (those who create podcasts) and "podcatchers" - the special RSS aggregators which periodically check for and download new content automatically. Podcatching software enables the user to copy podcasts to portable music & video players.

The popularity of podcasting is spreading like wildfire because of the rapid adoption of MP3 players and the desire of consumers to have fresh content. Podcasting has flourished because it gives people more control over what they listen to, and the freedom to take their programs with them with them.

Not since blogging has a technology seemed so unexpected and been so quickly and widely adopted as podcasting. Growth in this nascent industry is expected to accelerate quickly due to the rapid acceptance of the technology by the radio broadcast industry in 2005 and Apple's iTunes distribution. The rising popularity of podcasts is challenging conventional radio's broadcasting model.

While iTunes is less than two years old, roughly 4.8 million people downloaded a podcast in 2005, as compared with just over 800,000 in 2004. And 11.4 million listeners are expected this year, according to research from The Diffusion Group. Already the Apple iTunes service offers 15,000 podcasts and listeners have signed up for more than 7 million subscriptions.

A study by Bridge Ratings in November 2005 with radio listeners in ten national markets showed that approximately 20% of users who have ever downloaded and listened to a podcast do soon a weekly basis. This group downloads an average of six podcasts per week and spends approximately four hours a month listening to the podcasts they download.

This study projected even more dramatic growth in the industry in the future. According to Bridge Ratings, by 2010, podcast audience growth is expected to reach a conservative 45 million users who will have ever listened to a podcast. Aggressive estimates place this number closer to 75 million by this date.

How does this affect you?

With podcast listening rising exponentially, podcasts offer you a very powerful tool for promoting your products or services. The great thing about podcasts is that they are relatively easy and inexpensive to create. Podcasting can help ensure a closer relationship with your target audiences by providing them with engaging, informative and frequent updates about the goings on in your industry. If you have a website then there's no reason you shouldn't have a podcast available as it's not difficult to set up and can bring a significant increase in traffic to your site. So in short podcasting should be a vital component of any online marketing campaign.

Podcasting For Profit

(category: Podcasts, Word count: 620)
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So you have a podcast. That's great, but don't quit your day job just yet. Unfortunately, unless you're Ricky Gervais it might be more than just a little difficult to make money off podcasting. If you are Ricky Gervais: A.) Can I borrow some money? B.) Can I guest star on the new video podcast?

So why aren't there more podcast millionaires? Most podcasts don't have the audience necessary to generate any significant ad revenue. The other problem being that as podcasting grows, so do the number of shows targeting the same audience. The larger and more successful podcasts can generate revenue by charging subscription fees for their shows, or even by charging for the back catalogue of shows. Even amongst the larger corporations, excepting The Wall Street Journal, and Consumer Reports, most haven't been able to sell enough subscriptions to their web-based content to be anywhere close to profitable. Apparently just having a recognizable brand isn't enough to sell subscriptions alone.

The key is finding ways to make podcasts engaging, and effective. Right now businesses are using podcasting as a marketing tool to attract clients in much the same way that blogs lead to exposure for other businesses. There is no reason that podcasts can't generate revenue. For example if you host a show on llama herding, it's possible (although not probable) that 2,000 llama herding enthusiasts might subscribe. If you have a large niche marketing then advertising might work for you. Who's to say that if an enterprising podcaster rounded up an audience of 7,000 listeners interested in basket weaving, then why wouldn't a basket weaving company want to advertise to that audience? The key is finding a podcast with quality content and advertisers who need to reach that specific audience. What is needed essentially is a matchmaker of sorts to help the shows and advertisers find one another.

The other problem is getting web users to find and subscribe to podcasts. While it may seem like just about everyone knows about podcasting the truth is that there is a good majority of people who still haven't. In an interview last year Yahoo Chief Products Officer Geoff Ralston pointed this particular problem out. "...the fact is that what we really want to do at Yahoo is to bring podcasting to the mainstream, and for that to happen people have to learn about it. So we've created a site where it's really easy to learn about it, and like I said, you'll be able to find podcasts eventually everywhere on Yahoo. So as you're reading your news, which of course many millions of people do every day week, and month on Yahoo, you will start to be introduced to podcasts and start to be introduced to the podcast experience of the site and that will actually start to bring you into the community of podcasters. And it is a community! One of the key aspects of Yahoo Podcasts is that the community is what gives it strength and gives the feeling of the site. The site also allows people to rate podcasts to create the ability for people to find the podcasts that matter."

Podcasting is still a new medium and so there's plenty of room for growth and change. The real key to making money with podcasting is finding a way to use traditional methods of generating revenue along side newer methods. The key in a young industry, like podcasting, is experimenting with different methods, not being afraid to adapt new business models, or even inventing your own. So Ricky Gervais may have an easier time making money at it, but that's not to say that it's impossible for anyone else.

How To Podcast Using WordPress

(category: Podcasts, Word count: 443)
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Podcasting is the next step up from blogging. While blogging is done by armies of pajama-clad ordinary people, podcasting is done by many of these same people, though less often in pajamas, in front of a digital or audio recorder. Short pieces are recorded, then distributed via RSS 2.0 or Atom to their website, typically a blog site. Listeners and viewers can then download podcasts using podcast clients. A good podcast client (for example, Juice, CastPodder, or iTunes) will allow you to subscribe to the RSS/Atom feed of your favorite podcasters and automatically download the content to a computer or to a portable audio player when new items are available.

Most podcasters create their content in MP3 or MP4 audio or video files and upload them, linking to the file in a blog post. Users can then click the link to download the content if they're not automatically subscribed to the RSS/Atom feed. The problem has never been in getting the content to the web page, but in getting the content to work through the feed systems. WordPress, in most cases, will automatically include new podcasting data in your RSS/Atom feed system. This makes it easy for you to deliver content and for your users to subscribe to that content.

For most people, WordPress 1.5 and above will podcast easily and automatically. When you link to the audio file in a WordPress post using the full URL address, it automatically adds it to the RSS/Atom feed and makes it usable as a podcast. Make sure you use a full address:

Wrong: My podcast

Right: My podcast

Your last step is to put a link to your RSS/Atom feed on your page. By default, the feeds are located at the bottom of your WordPress page. The link should look something like this if you're using RSS:http://example.com/wordpress/?feed=rss2If you're using Atom, the link will look like this:http://example.com/wordpress/?feed=atomIn earlier versions of WordPress, automated links work for posts only, not for static pages. Because WordPress needs to maintain accurate file size information, if you change a linked file you should be certain to republish the post containing the link. If you've linked to a file that for any reason is not fully accessible from your blog, your podcast won't work properly when it is up because WordPress won't have the correct file size information.

For Apache servers and others that use the .htaccess file, you'll need to add a directive to the config file or .htaccess file to get the server to recognize podcast files (m4a and m4b) properly. You can simply add this line to the file you use:

AddType audio/x-m4a .m4a>

What Is Podcasting And Rss Files

(category: Podcasts, Word count: 409)
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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.

Podcasting How To Make A Video Podcast

(category: Podcasts, Word count: 365)
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Although Apple had nothing to do with the podcasting technology, the iPod and podcasting quickly became linked. With the advent of the iPod Video, podcasting entered a whole new level. Now, more than the usual audio broadcasts, aspiring film makers can also share their work with the world.

So how do you go about making your own video podcast? To make it easier on you, use a digital video camera. If you have an analog video camera, it is still possible to convert the footage to digital format but it adds another step to the process. So assuming you have a digital video camera, what do you do?

First, take great footage. Of course, making a film is not simply shooting. Create a concept and make it good. When you have finalized your ideas, it is time to shoot. When taking your shots, bear in mind your target media - the iPod. The small screen will not be able to display too many details so it is a good idea to get close when shooting. Do not use the wide-screen mode but use the standard mode instead. Optimize bandwidth and battery power by shooting several short segments instead of one full-length film. Edit! Small screen viewing will not show text clearly unless they are large enough. Also bear in mind that fast motion and high contrast might not show very clearly on the small screen.

Now that you have your video, it's time to compress it. This needs to be done so that the video will be optimized for web and iPod viewing. There are different ways you can do this. If you have a MAC, it's no big deal. You can compress and export your video using iMovie HD6 simply by clicking the following: FILE&gtExport&gtiPod&gtShare. It's as easy as that - the software automatically converts the file and shares it on iTunes. For PC users, you can also use QuickTime Pro, version 7.0.3 or higher. Again, simply click Export &gt Using Quick Time Conversion. The resulting *.m4v file is the one you will upload to your web server. Other options are Sorenson Squeeze and Spasm Software's Podner.

What Is Podcasting

(category: Podcasts, Word count: 411)
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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.

Home Business Exposure On Yahoo

(category: Podcasts, Word count: 344)
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Everyone who has ever been on the internet has heard of Yahoo! If you haven't, then quit reading and go visit now. Yahoo is such a popular site that my website ranking toolbar from Alexa shows a number "1" under website ranking...that's popular. So it would probably be a good idea to get some exposure on Yahoo! for your home business.

Here is a great way to get in at the beginning of a trend. If you've never heard of a podcast, then you should definitely get up to speed on what they are. In brief, they are archived audio files usually in mp3 format that you can download into your player such as an iPod. Hosting those files is called podcasting. People can listen to you whenever it is convenient for them.

Podcasting is in its infancy as of late 2005. Yes, there are a lot of podcasts, but users are very few compared to the total number of internet and iPod users. So how does Yahoo! fit in? Well, one of the things about podcasts is that they have usually been hard to find or search for. None of the major search engines had done much with them as of this writing.

Enter Yahoo! You can now go to http://podcasts.yahoo.com and search for whatever you want. Many of the podcasts are vocal in nature such as instruction or the old teaching tapes. Here is your opportunity - home business is a very frequently searched topic on any search engine, so it is only a matter of time until it is frequently searched on the Yahoo! podcast site as well. You can get traffic to your site by making your own podcasts and submitting them to a site that Yahoo! searches such as iPodder.

This time in podcasting is like the times in the mid 90's when you could easily get great search engine ranking with just a little effort. Your home business can get some great exposure - Don't miss the ride!

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