Podcasting: How to Get Started
The most-asked question I get about podcasting is ‘what is podcasting?’ Podcasting is a delivery system for audio programs. Use a podcast as part of your social media strategy and get noticed online.
Listen to a podcast on your computer, iPod or iPad. Grab a podcast from somebody’s website or from the iTunes Music Store. Lots of subscriptions to podcasts are free. If you sign up, iTunes will update you when there is a new podcast. And the world of podcasts gets even better.
The best thing about a podcast is that it’s a great combination of a radio and a time machine. Think about it. Radio is just terrific as a story delivery system. It’s personal and portable. Compared to video or movies it is cheap to produce. Then there’s that time machine. Podcasts allow your listeners to shift time – they listen when they want and on whatever device they want to use. This choice empowers them, making them more likely to be receptive to what you have to say. The bar to entry into podcasting is not high. You don’t need much equipment. If you can talk and interview, you can do a podcast.
Why do a podcast?
If you have a message about what your business stands for, or an employee, business partner or client you want more people to know about, or a case study to tell the world about – a podcast is just the thing.
Podcast Tips
Keep your podcast conversational. People are looking for a dialogue.
Keep your podcast short. There are only a few podcasts that hold my attention for a whole hour – WNYC’s Radiolab is one of them. Twenty or thirty minutes sounds good to me.
Keep your podcast real. If it becomes too much of an infomercial people feel betrayed. Remember the 80-20 rule – 80% information, 20% selling.
More tips can be found on my friend David Doucette’s show Podcast Coach, available on iTunes as a free download.
Looking for ideas for your first podcast? Talk to me or email me. Or give a listen to my podcast, which is called be global. It’s about visionaries who are using the Internet to explore new ways of global collaboration. It’s a free download on iTunes and also at the DocuCinema website.
Podcast FAQ
Do I need a lot of equipment?
If you have a computer you have enough for a basic podcast. Moving up from there, you can do a lot with a decent USB microphone. Or you can hire someone who has equipment to do the podcast for you.
Do I need to be a professional interviewer or radio announcer?
If you can carry on an engaging conversation you’ll be fine.
How do I get my podcast listed on iTunes?
It’s easy to submit a podcast to iTunes. The Apple site gives all the details.
How do I come up with ideas for a podcast?
I can help with that.
Lee Schneider is the lead consultant with Red Cup Online Strategy + Media, a social media strategy company that helps socially responsible businesses and entrepreneurs get noticed online.
Graphic: Courtesy of The Noun Project via Creative Commons License.
Comments (1)
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