Podcasting is the new thing in broadcasting nowadays. Practically anyone can create his own podcast and make himself known to the world. Perhaps the best thing about podcasting is that it is meant to be free. In addition to that, podcasts transcend the boundaries of traditional broadcasting. You may be from the US but anyone with access to the internet can listen to your podcast. A person may be in Timbuktu and yet have access to your podcast.

Music is inherent to the success of any podcast. It adds spice and flavor to an otherwise bland broadcast. That is why a large pool of resources has been developed by people in the podcasting community. Beginners and veterans a like search for the perfect background music or filler sounds for every podcast they make. So how do you go about looking for that spice?

Despite the freedom provided by podcasting, there are some issues you must address before jumping into the bandwagon and creating your own podcast. Copyright and intellectual property rights have been a main concern in all aspects of broadcasting for some time now and podcasting is not exempt from that. As a result, the term podsafe has come into existence. What exactly is podsafe? This term encompasses any material that may be used for podcasts without violating any copyright or license. A special thing about podsafe material is that the very same material might require some sort of license in other media but totally safe for podcasting. Due to the open community nature of podcasting, many songs, music, and other type of materials are allowed to be used for free exclusively for podcasts. While you might have to acquire the permission of the copyright holder for other broadcasting media, with podsafe material, you can use it freely in podcasts.

Some specific kinds of work are inherently podsafe. Works that fall under the public domain or some works with Creative Commons licenses can be used in podcasts without any issues. They are meant to be used, and used freely.

There are some entities on the web that license music especially for podcasts. Their podcast safe music is generally available to anyone for downloading and for use in free broadcasts over the internet. The only restriction they have is for the user to duly acknowledge the source. Anyone may also post music on their sites as long as the piece of work is totally original.

Some sites make their music available for no fee at all. On the other hand there are sites which promote artists – particularly independent ones – and charge a small fee for downloading their songs. Notably, these sites also offer labeled artists and are supposed to split the downloading fees with them.

The important thing to bear in mind when looking for podcast safe music is that most of the groups offering materials make them available to the general public for free. The caveat is that your podcast must not be used for commercial purposes. If that is the case, then you will have no problems finding the right track for your podcast.

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!

Imagine a mobile classroom that’s accessible to the student wherever he or she may be, and that holds lectures whenever he or she is in the mood for it. This is the kind of learning scenario that those with the knowledge to share are able to provide through Podcasts. With these downloadable files from different learning sources, portable digital audio and video players now offer the anytime, anywhere option to learning.

Before the iPod and other portable media players became popular not so long ago, on-demand learning was possible through audiotapes and compact discs primarily featuring audio versions of books. Now that more advanced technology has made it possible for more people to make podcasts at a smaller cost, more and more of these audio lectures are turning up, thus more information in this format has become available to just about anyone.

Aside from being able to choose the time and venue for your learning experience, as a podcast user, you are also able to dictate the pace, as well as be able to better retain the information by replaying, or learning by repetition. This method of learning, however, will not provide you with clarifications in case something in the content of the podcast is unclear to you. Yet it provides students a convenient means of preparing for class discussions and quizzes, even while on the commute to school.

Visiting podcast directories aimed to answer the user’s learning needs, one will find podcasts on science, language, philosophy, management, history, and arts, to name a few subject groups that may be included in the student’s curriculum at school. There are also podcasts on the topics of spirituality, self-development, and professional advice. Of course, podcast versions of many major literary works that may be discussed in class are also accessible through the Internet.

Meanwhile, you can also check on the biographical background of an important figure you’re studying, from scientists to philosophers, from artists to political figures. For the more practical learners, podcasts of language courses are becoming more and more popular, as the portable media players make it easier for learners to check back on different parts of the lecture without much delay. There are also pieces on hobbies, sports, travel, and even teaching for professional teachers.

Sooner or later, teachers and professors will catch on and even look around on the Internet for “recommended listening” to prescribe to their students. They may even rise up to the challenge of providing their lectures in podcast format and making them available to students online even for the purpose of reviewing or helping students who missed the actual lecture. Whatever development arises from this technological advancement, it just goes to show how much technology has affected how people learn.

Podcasts, which allow viewers to download video material into their iPods to watch at their own convenience, has always been a secret weapon for harassed parents looking for a way to entertain bored and listless children. Think long road trips, or the typical meltdowns at restaurants, doctor’s clinics, or grocery lines. Bring out the iPod, and suddenly, the kids have something to do leaving Mommy and Daddy to go about their task without fear of the Tantrum from Hell.

The cartoon industry has caught on. Today, there are podcast videos specifically for children, which are either delivered for free with advertising, or can be downloaded for a minimal subscription rate. For example, Radio Disney has been sending cartoons-on-the-go, taking this billion-dollar family entertainment company from the widescreen to the wee screen.

Tinkerbell would’ve been proud.

Other cartoon characters to jump on the pod: Kedou the Bear, and his adventures (or misadventures) of growing up, Buck Howdy, and 123 Listen to Me. Many smaller, independent cartoon companies that otherwise may have had difficulty breaking into nationwide television are also bringing their shows to the web, for easy download.

The advantage of podcasts for kids go beyond acting as a babysitter. The educational content of many of these videos can be replayed again and again, wherever the child may be allowing for the repetition and reinforcement that young learners need. It doesn’t even have to be about the ABCs or the 123s: there are nursery rhymes, vocabulary builders, even simple documentaries on the trip to the zoo.

Podcasting has also unleashed a whole new (and very young) generation of directors: kids are starting to make podcasts as well, and sharing their files on podcast forums and parenting sites.

It’s not surprising, then, for a nine-year-old to say that he’s just aired his first mini documentary. This tech-savvy generation, as at home with the PC as with their paper and crayons, can easily use the software used for making podcast videos. It’s an excellent way of encouraging them to use their imagination, and if several kids are involved in a video, it also teaches social skills and important values like discipline, concentration, and problem-solving.

One podcast made by a group of twelve year olds was part of a history project they did for school, and centered on the historical buildings in their area. While it’s not going to win any Oscar awards (yet), it did inject a little excitement and fun into an activity that most kids would not have found particularly interesting.

Sometimes, the podcasts consist of the school plays and performances of the kids, allowing relatives from around the country to watch their child sing, dance, and possibly walk around the stage in a funny vegetable costume. So far, the feedback on this feature has been overwhelmingly positive. Children love being able to say that they’ve been on TV, while relatives are thankful to have access to the videos compiled by the schools or parent-teacher associations (some of them even include behind-the-scene footage!).

The podcasts have become a new way for children to explore, and enjoy, the world.

Everyone seems to be making and listening to podcasts nowadays. At the beginning, podcasting seemed to be associated with the so called computer geeks. These days however, it is not uncommon to see podcasts from businesses and corporations trying to widen their horizons and get a hold of a larger market. As podcasts inherently surpasses the limits of traditional broadcasting and advertising, they present a feasible alternative to businesses as a means of making their presence felt all over the world.

Could podcasts possibly be what your business needs? In order to help you answer that question, it may be helpful to first understand what a podcast can do for your business. The most obvious thing would be promotion. A podcast can serve to promote your business just like advertisements do. This application in itself covers a wide range of possibilities. You can do virtually anything on a podcast to promote your business. Diverting from the usual advertisements, you can use most any content and format to promote your business. One such example would be to offer in-depth information to your customers. They need not be overtly self-promoting but the whole effect would be to make the consumers aware of your business. If you are an educational institution for example, you may give weekly tips to students or to parents. For medical-related business, podcasts may focus on different health issues. In this way, you not only promote your business but you also provide a service to your customers. What better way to advertise your services?

An internal application of podcasting is for training. Podcasts are fast becoming a viable alternative for companies to provide training and information to their employees. Business executives often have a huge amount of work to be done at such a short period of time. With podcasts, they have a more portable way of perusing information. All you need to provide is an MP3 player (a laptop would work just as well) and anyone in your company can have access to training materials and other documents anywhere, anytime.

Of course, as with most any other commercial endeavour, using podcasts for your business will cost you some money. You need people to create podcasts on a regular basis. These people would have to know some of the technical aspects of recording and podcasting. Then you need your talents – people who would actually be recorded for the podcasts. You will have to analyze the cost benefit relationship before deciding to start a podcast for your business.

There are some ways to offset the cost of creating a podcast. If you are making podcasts for your customers, you may opt to charge a small fee for each download. You can also choose to provide a subscription service wherein the listener will receive the podcasts in their emails regularly for a fee. Of course, this might be not be the best option as people prefer not having to pay for podcasts.

Whatever you decide to do, the bottom line is to create podcasts that will serve their purpose. Be it for consumer awareness, added customer service, or employee training, your podcasts should have relevant content packaged in an appropriate manner. Even if you shell out money for this project, the returns may be more than what you expect!

People love to hear an interesting conversation because dialogue makes things fun. But when you are podcasting solo you miss out on that element. However, interviewing guests can add that exciting element to your podcast.

Interviewing is not as simple as ask a question and get an answer. There are a few things that you should consider.

1. Prepare for the interview. Make sure to do background research on your subject. Background research includes the 5 W’s and H (Who, What, Where, When, Why, How), previous media coverage that your subject has received, and obtaining bio sheets if applicable.

2. Prepare your questions. Write down your questions in advanced and make sure to organize them in a way that flows.

3. Prepare to listen. When newbie interviewers have the questions written down they tend to not listen to the answer that the person gives. They just ask a question and move on to the next question. But when you truly listen to the answers, you’ll come up with more questions that will add depth and excitement to your interview.

4. Prepare your guest. You’ll get a much better interview if your guest is prepared as well. Before you start, be sure to inform your guest of the types of things that will be discussed. Don’t give them each question word-for-word because that will give your interview a “scripted tone”. However, given them a basic overview so that they can prepare.

More Tips:

• One thing to remember is to always maintain control of the interview. Don’t allow your guest to ramble.

• Make sure you ask open ended questions. Avoid questions that begin with do you, have you, would you, could you.

• Avoid asking leading questions. Take your opinion out of the question before you ask. For example, if you ask “Were you excited about the tour” you’ll either get a yes I was excited or no I was not excited. The guest will be focused on the word “excited”. But if you ask “How did you feel during the tour?” you’ll get a much better answer.

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.

There probably won’t be an incredible amount of competition for your home business for some time. Meanwhile, you have the opportunity to be a step ahead and be seen as an expert. You will be an expert by the time everyone else figures out that they should get into podcasting too. There is a great article on how to get started in podcasting at the website http://www.MCPromotionsPress.com

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!

Podcasts are enjoying a growing popularity all over the world. Its unique delivery system (podcast files in MP3 format being downloaded into computers automatically upon subscription) and the fact that you can bring it and listen to it anywhere through portable music players is contributing to its continually increasing subscriber base. Of course, the fact that it is all free is a big attraction for anyone, and add to that the relatively easy way of availing this great new application. All one needs is an internet connection and a computer – the portable player itself is an optional accessory and not needed to really enjoy listening podcasts.

There are so many available podcasts on the internet catering to so many genres. In fact, the available genres offered by podcasts are so much diverse than what is offered in regular radio programming. One of the most popular podcast genres though are so-called comedy podcasts. These types of podcasts consistently rate at the very top of any podcast countdown on the internet. This attests to its massive popularity.

There could be many reasons why comedy podcasts seem to have captured the attention and following of so many computer users and podcast fans all over the world. The light hearted nature of the podcasts as well as the silly subjects that are discussed are just perfect for the medium. There are also comedy podcasts that take the usual interview format with celebrities and gives it’s a hilarious spin. Imagine having a very stressful day at work, or you are stuck in rush hour traffic and the wait is driving you crazy. Nothing could alleviate those negative feelings more than hearing hilarious banter or commentaries on your portable music player. The comedy could distract you from the stress or from the boredom. Comedy podcasts are also a good genre to mix with the music in your portable player. After listening to your favorite albums you can kick back and just let your hair down with those zany comedy podcasts.

There are so many different comedy podcasts to choose from that one would be hard pressed to just pick one. Below are some of the most popular comedy podcasts available on the internet:

The Ricky Gervais podcast – The funny star of the British sitcom The Office has began making podcasts. Gervais is as funny as ever. This is British comedy at its best.

The President’s Weekly Radio Address – This is the official parody of the US president’s weekly radio address. Pres. Bush’s weekly address is lampooned every week by these witty writers

Gay Fun Show – called the “Love Boat” of podcasts, hear political comedy given an unmistakable gay twist by its two hosts. These guys also interview different celebrities with their gay aplomb.

Comedy 365 – another outstanding British-based comedy podcast. This is one of the most popular Brit-comedy podcasts on the net and is worth checking out.

Infected by Martin Sargent – TechTV host Martin Sargent brings his zany and hilarious wit in his tour of the most cutting edge, most humourous, and weirdest content on the internet.

If you’re new to podcasting, do not let the word intimidate you.  Creating a podcast is actually quite simple.  The only tools you will need to create your podcast are a computer, a microphone, and a recorder that lets you record in MP3 format.  You will also need some means of distributing your podcast. If you already have a website then this is suitable.

If you do not have a website, then you may want to consider starting one otherwise the only method you will be able to use to distribute your podcasts would be to burn them on CD.  If you use this method, you will also need a CD burner and applicable CDs.  There are also podcast hosting services that you can use to upload your podcast for users to listen to, but these services are usually more expensive then hosting for your own website.  Using your own website also offers you more control over your podcasts.

To record your podcast, you will need an audio recorder and microphone so that it can be recorded from your computer.  You can perform a search using your favorite search engine for Mixcraft or Audacity; both of these programs are suitable for recording podcasts.  Once you have selected a recorder and purchased a microphone then all you will need to do is record your podcast, save the file and get it ready to distribute using your chosen distribution method.

When recording your podcast, you will need to include a few elements.  First, your podcast will need a nice introduction message.  Your introduction message should not be too long, but yet provide enough information about yourself or your company and what your podcast is about.  Once you’ve completed your introduction, then you can record your podcast’s actual message.

If you plan to include advertisements in your podcast, then you will also need to make sure that you inform your listeners of a break in the podcast before each advertisement.  This is so they will know that an ad is about to be played, and will not think that your podcast is completed.  A simple message like “We’ll be right back after a word from our sponsors” will let your listeners know that the podcast has not ended.

Finally, you will want to add a closing statement at the end of your podcast.  Your closing statement can inform listeners of what your next podcast is about, or you can just say a simple goodbye and thank them for listening.  When you complete your podcast, make sure that you end on a note where your listeners will feel satisfied about your information.  If you end your podcast with a subject not completely covered, then your listeners may feel a sense of missing something.

You can also add nice background music to the introduction and closing statement of your podcast.  If you decide to do this, make sure that you use music that you have obtained permission to use.  It is not legal to use copyright protected music in podcasts without permission.