12 PM – We’re about to get started!
12:02 – Intros. Glad to see some familiar faces and some new folks here today.
12:05 – We’re starting. If you couldn’t make it today, take a look at the slides on his website.
12:10 – thesocialmediamonster.com – Take a look at some different podcasts he’s done on his site.
12:15 – Podcasts are basically free to produce, and you can make them available for free to cheap.
- Topics? Decisions to make – hardware to use – recording & editing basics – software options – web publishing – itunes – Podcasting is a great fit for nonprofits, cause it doesn’t cost a lot of money.
Things to Consider
- Before you get started, decide on format & type of topics you’ll cover on your subject. Will guests be in person, or on phone/in Skype. (Skype is easiest to capture the audio for the computer.)
- Frequency: be realistic! Don’t promise what you can’t deliver. What’s the optimum podcast length? 22-25 minutes, which is the average commute time in the US. (Keep in mind people are listening to podcasts while driving or working out.)
- Live, or edited?
- Podcast artwork – helps distinguish you as a pro.
12:20 – Where to submit the podcast? iTunes, Podcast Alley, etc. Put it on your site & make it easy to listen to & to subscribe to on your site.
-Are you going to be free, ad-supported? You’ll want to do it differently depending on whether you want to attract advertisers.
The Flow : Plan the Episode
-plan the episode & write it down, outlines are best
-brief idea of times per topic
-write down your name, website name, phone numbers – the pressure of being recorded will make you forget
- this is all the basics of the show notes.
Arrange your Environment
-minimize echoes & external sounds (squeaks, pets, people, phone ringers, keyboard clicks, chair squeaks, etc.)
Recording
-Talk normally. Be real. Start before you start, so you can get into the talking mode before beginning – Think about what it’s like to be on TV. If you’ve ever done a spot on a show, they will talk to you during the commercials & while they’re putting the mic on you to help you get comfortable & be yourself.
- Multiple takes are fine.
-Consider both looking at a Google Doc or a chat window when you’re on Skype to help you both communicate silently.
12:30 – BACK. IT. UP……then begin to edit.
Adjust the Audio
- After editing, back it up again. (Yes, Michael says, he is fanatical about backups.)
-Now add the bumper music, a little music between the segments
-Levelator – adjusts the audio to make it all the same volume. Find a podcast you like & use it as a “model” – did you have to turn yours up after listening to theirs? Is everyone talking at the same volume in your podcast?
-Export to an MP3 file, the defacto podcast standard because it’s easily playable on many many devices.
-Tag it (author, title, artwork, year, etc. attached to the file via tags)
Post it!
-upload to your host
-add your blog post that will trigger the RSS feed to make it show up in people’s subscriptions
-Test the feed as a subscriber yourself, to make sure it works.
Questions:
RSS feed? RSS syndicates the podcast so that it appears automatically on subscribers’ devices or feedreaders.
Hardware:
-Microphone: dynamic versus condenser. Condensers are more expensive & cut down on ambient noise.
- Can use a digital recorder or digital recording software on a phone or iPod if you can’t record onto a PC
-Skype: Make everyone wear headphones. If they don’t it will create a feedback loop because their mic will pick up their speaker sounds.
Software:
12:40 -Free options: Audacity – GarageBand (Mac standard) – Levelator
-Paid software: ID3 editor (adds your tags), ProTools, LogicExpress, Adobe Audition = the big boys that studios use. Not cheap.
Publishing:
-Make sure your webhost supports podcasts. (Check your Terms of Agreement – if you have unlimited and you have a big bump in traffic, you may still get a bill. Know this ahead of time.)
-WordPress! Free software that will let you put blog online. PowerPress by Blubrry an add-in to make your file a podcast.
Books:
-Podcasting for Dummies – Tee Morris
-Expert Podcasting Practices for Dummies
-Podcast Solutions: The Complete Guide to Audio & Video Podcasting
-These are good! CCPL carries them! Test them out before you buy them.
Website Resources:
Cliff Ravenscraft’s The Podcast Answer Man
Audacity to Podcast
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