One of the things you always want to do when creating content is to make it look professional. Or, in the case of a podcast, make it sound professional. After all, a professional podcast is the measuring stick your audience is going to use when they grade you. And they will.

But how do you make your podcasts sound professional?

In this article I'm going to share seven tips to making a professional podcast. Now let's get something clear from the beginning. Hiring a sound studio is not in the budget. In fact, none of these tips require much money. Sounding professional can now be done with the barest of budgets.

1. Always start with a plan!

Podcasts are usually a simple form of learning content. Like any learning content they don't just appear. At least not if they're good. Always plan your podcast for what content and format you'll use. Organization needs to be built. It doesn't just appear. In other words, write an outline before you script the show!

2. Don't make it up as you go!

It may sound like professionals make it up as they go. But that's what makes them professionals. Practice! Specifically practice at making it sound like the script being read is really an off the cuff speech. Even if you only work from an outline, always have a script. And then practice it.

3. Get a head start!

How many times have you heard people on a voice chat where you hear their kids playing in the next room? Usually better than you hear them! That's the result of using the wrong microphone. Don't use a desktop microphone. Desktop microphone bad! Headset microphone cheap. Headset microphone good. Yes, there is a technical explanation. But bottom line use a headset -- even a five dollar one is better than a twenty dollar desktop!

4. Take it on the chin!

Want that deep rumbly voice that all good radio broadcasters have? The voice of doom... even if you aren't planning a career on a ranch! Move the microphone to just below your jaw line. Say half an inch below your closed jaw or at the bottom of a stretched open jaw. Well out of the way of your mouth and the pops and sputters.

5. A different view of the bar stool!

How many bar stools have you seen the underside of? Too many? Okay this one's easy. When you record you should always stand up. If it's going to be a long recording session, use a bar stool. Just perch on the edge of it. That'll take the weight off your feet. But you'll still get the lung expansion that standing gives you.

6. Smile -- the audience will wonder what you're up to!

Sorry, this one is a little obvious. Smile when you are recording. It sounds silly but your audience can hear if you like them. So smile! You do like having an audience don't you? Tell them with your smile.

7. Spit shine and boot black.

What makes a professional sound like a professional? A good editor. Don't worry about mistakes. Just record enough material to give the editor something to work with. Record all your practice sessions. Then edit your podcast. Clean up the mistakes. Add music. Add audio packaging. You'll be surprised how good a little editing will make you sound.

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Podcasts are a great (and free!) way to stay up to date on current issues that many of today's businessmen and entrepreneurs face. You can download these to your iPod and listen to them throughout the day whether at work, in the car, or on the treadmill. There are a number of podcasts to choose from, below is a list of favorites that are relevant to both aspiring and proven entrepreneurs. Most importantly, these podcasts are updated frequently.

Startup Nation - These podcasts include information and insights that every beginner entrepreneur will appreciate and enjoy. Updated very frequently, a great resource.

Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders - Sponsored by Stanford University, this podcast is updated every Wednesday and includes talks and conversations with some of today's most innovative and successful entrepreneurs and business people. Like the University itself, many of the podcasts are technology based.

Wall Street Journal on Small Business - Excellent podcast updated every Monday and usually less than ten minutes long. Topics usually address management and financial issues small businesses face.

Knowledge @ Wharton - Online research and business analysis by the Wharton School of the University of Penn. Although not updated as frequently as other podcasts (new podcasts added a couple times each month) the topics are always intriguing and include some of today's brightest thinkers, authors, professors and business leaders.

Struggling Entrepreneur - Great resource for entrepreneurs who haven't quite made it yet or who may be knee deep in the startup process seeking insight and inspiration. Topics are somewhat similar to the Startup Nation podcasts.

Harvard Business IdeaCast - Weekly podcasts from one of the world's top Universities (with highest paid alumni). Featured guests include the leading global thinkers, professors, and business managers. Not all topics are directly related to entrepreneurship or even the business world but all are relevant/interesting to any innovator.

NPR: Business Story of the Day - Daily podcasts usually less than 5 minutes in length. Not necessarily a great knowledge resource but rather a quick and entertaining tidbit about a current business happening.

TEDTalks - Podcasts from the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) conferences from some of the world's most captivating, intellectual, and iconic people on a variety of topics. Again, these podcasts are not directly related to entrepreneurship but a great source for new ideas and innovative thinking.

The Economist - While in business school many professors advised each student to read two publications above all others: the Wall Street Journal and The Economist. Includes audio content on a wide variety of topics including world politics, business, finance, economics, science, technology, culture and the arts.

Social Innovation Conversations - Lectures and interviews regarding the latest ideas in social change. Topics include social entrepreneurship, environmental sustainability, philanthropy, corporate social responsibility, and responsible investing.

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Historically, making a podcast has been about marketing for services, and the vast majority of producers distribute free podcasts. Other media providers, online radio stations, news sites that offer media to subscribers, or the online music industry general have strong business models. Podcasting differs. Podcasting has not traditionally had a business model.

The free podcast problem is not difficult, and podcasting differs in several key ways from other media areas.

First, making a podcast involves the physical transfer of a file from the host to the user's computer vice providing a streaming sound file that cannot be saved without difficulty and work.

Second, individuals who make podcasts are, for the most part, individuals who are not in the media business per se and thus may not consider it a primary vehicle to their underlying business..

Finally third, and this is an advantage, the underlying cost of making podcasts is very small in comparison to media outlets.

If you think blogging is still the hottest innovation to think technology, then you are missing the impact of the new social media and 4G technology. Why would you settle for writing about something when you can talk and/or show people something. Blogging is a thing of the past, and everyone is now looking forward visual information at their fingertips.

Making a podcast can even be used to make money over the Internet. If you're wondering how some people are able to turn their podcasts into revenue-generating machines, you will be surprised that it isn't as complicated as it sounds.

There are two basic business models: 1) making a podcast to leverage your product/service/website or, more simply to help drive traffic to your website; and 2) as a service provider. Someone who can leverage the podcast technology to help others.

As stated above, 4G technology, the iPhone/Droid, iPad, etc are providing mechanisms to communicate beyond the simple blog into a dynamic interaction where purchases are immediate. Having the ability to provide that service, will put you in demand for companies (store front or e-commerce) who want to leverage the technology but don't have the knowledge or means.

Another advantage of the service model is that, since it can help the store front business, the potential for clients to your service may just be down the street. This is a market in which you may find little competition. After all, a local presence to a local store front is preferable to trying to find a service.

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Podcasting can be a very easy way to establish your personal brand on the Internet quickly. Setting up and recording a podcast can be done in less than 10 minutes. Although podcasting is not as popular as it was 3 years ago, it is still popular with many people who do not have time or patience to sit through lengthy videos but would rather download audios to their phones, iPods, or other devices.

If you are new to Internet or Home-Based business and need a way to get noticed, podcasting can be both easy and quick. Podcasting can be done for no cost at all. All you will need is an audio recorder and converter, both can be found free on the Internet. The best recommendation for free audio recorder is Audacity and the converter Lame. Google those terms and you will be directed to both download links.

Where do you place your podcasts so that others might find them?

There are many free podcasting directories where you can host your recordings. Since there are several podcast directories available, a good idea would be to Google the term "podcasting directories" and look for one or two that might be niche-specific for your business. Most directories offer free accounts, making this marketing avenue a great idea for new marketers.

Select one or two directories, open an account, and you are all set to upload your podcasts.

When you create your podcasts, be sure and title your recording using your selected keywords so that search engines can place them in search pages competition.

This is just how simple it is to create podcasts:

Download and install Audacity and the Lame converter.Copy and paste one or two of your blog posts or articles onto a notepad.Go through each article and separate 2-3 key paragraphs.Use these to create brief, 3-minute podcasts.Listen to them, if you are not happy with the recording, just erase it and do it again. A little practice in the beginning will make you an expert after just a couple of tries.

After you feel comfortable with creating brief podcasts, go through your other content and create ten or more podcasts and place them in your podcast directory accounts as you record them.

Later, when a potential customer or subscriber "Googles" your name, your podcasts will show up along with the written content or videos you have created. The perception they will have from this experience will prove your expertise in your niche.

As well, podcasting offers great training, selling, and recruitment avenues. You can add the links to your podcasts into your ezine issues, place the links in social networks, and any other locations where they can be located and downloaded.

Podcasting is easy, free, and will get your noticed. Give it a try and you will be pleased with the simplicity and value podcasts can offer in your business marketing.

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If you have a podcast, you know that you need to come up with content each time you make a show. Many times at first this is easy since you are new to the podcast and very interested in the topic. At some point in time, you might be a bit stumped as to what to talk about on your next show. Find out some tips that will help you figure out what you can talk about on your next podcast.

You need to stay in touch with the recent news for the subject of your podcast. This is most easily done with feeds. Subscribe to blogs and news feeds on your subject so that you can make notes on what is going on. When you see something interesting, talk about it in your next show. This alone will give you quite a bit of content.

Use Google alerts. This is a free service that you can use as long as you have a Google account. What happens is that whenever anything is mentioned about your subject, you will get an email. This will help you stay up on the latest trends and news items. You can talk about these on your next show.

One of the best ways of knowing what to talk about is to ask your listeners to give you feedback and questions. They are the ones listening and have more of an idea about what they want to hear than you do. Provide easy ways for people to leave feedback. Have an email they can contact, a comment form on a blog, a forum, social networking platforms, or even a telephone number to call. Full shows can be made just from questions from your listeners.

Find forums about the subject of your show. Each week active forums will have topics that become a huge source of conversation. Include this on your next show when you are making your show notes to have some extra content.

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Podcasts are an excellent tool for building your credibility. Podcasts are easy to create and flexible to use. If you're not using them in your information business you are missing out on a powerful, traffic generating tool.

But there are probably a few things you don't know about podcasts.

Here are five things you may not know. Some of them are very old and anyone who is new to podcasts may not know them. Some of them are related to using podcasts and unless you use podcasts you may not know them. And of course, despite the title, some of them you may know. Sorry, but since I don't know what you do know I can't guarantee that you won't know them.

1. The term podcast comes from a contraction of the words iPod and broadcast. An iPod is a type of MP3 player from Apple. Early iPods only played audio. Now of course, video is also available. Podcasting originated with radio broadcasts which were recorded and then posted to a website for downloading. Originally they included information and music broadcasts but with the rise of internet radio, the term podcast has shifted to imply an information broadcast. They also predated the term.

2. Podcasts don't have to be perfect. There are two reasons for this. First, it's a live broadcast. Even the professionals don't get through a full radio broadcast without making mistakes. You will be forgiven. Second, it isn't live. That means you can edit it and make corrections on the editing room floor. Well actually on the computer but the tape ends up on the floor and... No, I am not going to explain what tape is. It's an old way of recording. I'm old. It's old. Don't worry about it! Editing room floor means you can fix it on the computer during the editing process.

3. You can create a podcast by recording a teleseminar and then posting the recording on your website in an MP3 format. What makes it a podcast rather than a recorded teleseminar? A new podcast recording is available on a regular basis a teleseminar can appear whenever you wish to do it. So if you run a regular teleseminar and put it up as a recording -- you're actually podcasting!

4. You can also create a podcast by using the audio track from a video recording. The editor has the ability in most editing programs to pull out the audio track into a separate track. This can then be saved separately. With a small amount of re-editing -- actually repackaging -- you can use this audio track as a podcast.

5. Podcasts make a great product. If you transcribe them they can become the basis for articles for your marketing. If you add audio packaging around them -- and sometimes combine them -- you can sell them as CDs or online products. If you add PowerPoint slides you can use the podcast as the audio track for a video or DVD product.

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Podcasts can be a very powerful tool for improving your credibility. For improving your traffic. For improving your reputation as an expert. For your information marketing business as a whole.

Everyone who is relying on the sale of books, courses, coaching and other courseware should be at least considering podcasting.

But they aren't perfect. And there are things that you can do that will make them even less perfect. Here are six things for you to avoid during a podcast release.

1. Probably the most common root issue is trying too hard to be perfect. Many new podcasters hear more experienced podcasters and believe that they need to be perfect in their delivery and their recording of their material. Nothing could be further from the truth. That's what the editing or polishing process is for. Turning a set of imperfect recordings into one almost perfect recording. Besides, you want people to know you not the perfect you!

2. Podcasts are only useful if they have listeners. I remember a Sunday School song that went "Hide it under a bushel? No! I'm gonna let it shine". Like this little light you need to bring your podcast out from the bushel and let it shine. No one is going to listen to it unless you market it. You need to have a plan in place to get traffic to it. You need to get listeners. Unless you do, the work you've put into your podcast will have been wasted.

3. The other side of the coin is over-marketing. Not everyone is going to be interested in your podcasts. That's fine. Some people don't like podcasts. Some people don't like free information. And if you're selling your podcasts that just means there are more people who don't want to listen. You need to be careful that you don't over market your podcast and drive your customers away. In short, don't bug your email list about the podcast.

4. We all tend to focus on our own lists when marketing. That's natural. These are people that have already said they are interested in our products. But with a podcast, that's a big oops! After all, one of the benefits from podcasts is an increase in traffic. And if you only market to your own customers you're kind of missing the point! So be sure to identify in your marketing plan how you are going to get the word out to people who haven't heard of you before. Don't forget affiliates, search engines and podcast hosts. They are all good sources of potential traffic.

5. Don't overpromise in your podcast. Let's face it we all tend to get a little passionate about our products. We all tend to get into the sales terminology game. The best! The newest! The whatever superlative term you can think of! Be careful of this. Don't overpromise and underdeliver. Be sure your listeners return next week!

6. Don't forget that your podcast isn't a one time thing. For most types of product we create one and then go off on other duties. With a podcast you are releasing an ongoing product. Sort of like a subscription monthly membership program. You need an ongoing marketing program. Don't get so caught up in the release that you forget that you need to continuously market your podcast.

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There is a lot of talk about video marketing and viral videos today. While I have no problem with video, there is far too much emphasis on viral videos. At least as far as marketing your information and training products goes.

You'd be better off with a podcast than a viral video!

Okay, that's a lot more controversial than I usually get. It's almost as bad as my statement that self-help gurus really need to learn how to create products first before they teach it! So I guess I better explain. The first one, not the second... I'll leave the latter to other articles.

So why is a podcast just as good as a viral video?

First off, what's so great about a viral video? And more importantly what is a viral video? To answer the last question first -- a viral video is a video that has gone viral, Duh! Okay, let's explain a little further. To go viral means that the product (video, audio, blog, eBook, whatever) has so touched the audience that they start forwarding it to their friends. Who, in turn, forward it to their friends. Like a virus it spreads out exponentially.

So what's so great about them? The answer is simple. It's seen by a lot of people. Some of whom might click through and check out your site, where you can collect their emails and engage them in a conversation. Hey, you might even be able to sell to them someday!

However, that's also why a viral video isn't as good as a podcast. A viral video is seen by a lot of people -- once! And only once! It's a fad that will in time burn down. Think of the last viral video that you viewed. Who was it by? Unless you just watched it just before you started reading this article, chances are you've already forgotten. Viral videos have no staying power. Without repetition, little is gained by each viewing.

Viral videos focus on quantity over quality. Be seen by a large number of people and at least a few will click through to your site. You hope.

Podcasts on the other hand are repeating products. Not only do they show up but they repeatedly put your name and voice in front of your customer. This repetition improves retention and makes a click through far more likely.

Podcasts also provide repeated exposures to your customer. Bluntly the customer learns to like you long before they bother to click through. As a result your sales percentage and opt-in percentages will both exceed that of a viral video. Podcasts are more than just a traffic tool. They are a sales tool.

Of course, nothing is preventing your podcasts from going viral. Although in reality, it is a lot less likely it will. In which case, you'll see some of the same issues arising. Although because a podcast is repeating by nature, you will see less of a loss in your sales and opt-in percentages.

Finally, there is one big advantage to a podcast. Most videos are limited in length. YouTube only allows a maximum ten minutes of video. But podcasts can be as long (or as short) as you wish! So you can say more, inform more and sell more.

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Podcasting can be a powerful tool for building your reputation as a guru and expert in a self-help niche. They allow your audience to get to know you and your skills in a way that is hard to duplicate. They can help you to generate traffic. And they can be used as a product or to generate products.

And they are as easy to do as 123.

In this article I'm going to show you how to create a podcast in 3 easy steps. Now of course, I'm keeping this simple. So you may want to add some tasks to make sure you are always creating quality products. But these are the basic steps.

Step 1. Write your podcast.

Some people believe that experienced podcasters just sit down and crank out a quarter hour podcast based on the thoughts they had at breakfast a half-hour ago. Just sit down with the barest idea of a topic and talk away.

Nothing could be further from the truth!

Podcasting, like a teleseminar or a webinar needs to be planned out. A detailed script isn't necessary unless you are just starting but certainly a detailed outline is. So start from your basic idea and then identify three things you want to discuss about that subject. Now for each of those major points, identify three sub points you want to discuss. Two is acceptable but will leave you short. Four is too many. Trim it down to three. Now add an introduction and a conclusion.

Step 2. Record your podcast

You'll need a headset, a computer and sound editing software. Windows comes with sound recorder but I prefer a tool called Wavepad. Grab your script outline. Stand up. Smile.

Now start talking. Start with your introduction. Make it strong and interesting. Controversial is good. Make it roughly thirty seconds in length. But don't stress yourself over the time. Next you need to welcome everyone. Introduce yourself and the topic you're going to cover in this podcast.

Now go through the points you've listed. Begin with the relationship between the three major points. Talk for about one minute. Then take the first of the major points and expand on it. Discuss the relationship between the three sub-points. Explain the major point. Don't worry. You only have one minute. Your may have a problem in knowing when to stop. Then discuss each of the sub-points for one minute.

Continue until you've talked about all of the points for just one minute. Guess what? You've got a fifteen minute podcast recorded. All you need to do is save the recording in MP3 format.

Step 3. Put it up on the web.

Now all that's left is to post the podcast to your website or your podcasting host. Sign onto your host and use their web based uploading facility to upload the MP3 recording.

If you're using a blog such as WordPress, sign on, create a post and then upload the media file.

If you're using a web page, it's slightly more difficult. Use whatever tool you normally use to create web pages. Then upload it using FTP.

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Many times you find yourself wanting to learn a new subject or hobby but are unsure where to start. There is a ton of information on the subject online which can make it rather confusing and you are not completely sure you want to spend money yet buying books or information.

There is a solution to this problem that actually is free and helps you learn quickly. The solution is podcasts.

Podcasts are kind of like amateur radio shows that can be downloaded online. Many are actually very professionally done and give you more content than what you could find on the radio. Many of these are on topics that will help you learn things.

The good thing about podcasts is that you can find them on just about any subject imaginable. Search the internet for "your subject podcast" or go to iTunes and look under the podcast section to find thousands of ones to listen to. You will in a very short period of time find so many to listen to that you can never really get to them all.

The advantage this technique gives you is that you can learn the subject or hobby from someone who is passionate about it. They will know where the best websites are, what the best books are, and where the best information is for people new to the subject. You will also be able to pick up a working knowledge of the subject in a very short period of time.

Find one or two that you find entertaining and put them onto your mp3 player or listen to them at the computer. Gradually you will start to understand the subject well enough that you can hold a conversation on it. You may not remember everything, but you will gain enough information through listening to figure out whether you want to pursue the hobby further or not.

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First, Internet users realized that they could make money online by blogging and now podcasting is quickly gaining popularity as a way to make money online. Podcasting can be a little more technical than blogging, so it is helpful to know exactly what podcasting is and how to do it before a person dives into making money with podcasting.?

Podcasting has two different versions; audio podcasting and video podcasting. Audio podcasting entails recording one or more people speaking and discussing various subject matters and then saving the recording typically in an MP3 format. MP3 formatting is used because that's the type of audio file that most Internet users can easily open without having to install extra programs on their computer. Video formatting is normally done with either a video camera or webcam and is saved in a flash or MP4 video format. While neither audio or video podcasting is complicated to set up, good equipment should be used in order to achieve the best quality.?

Those who podcast can talk about whatever they want to. Some podcasts are funny, while others are tech based and then there is everything in between. The key to successful podcasting is coming up with a theme or subject matter that other Internet users are interested in. Now that podcasting has been explained, here are a few different ways to make money with podcasting:

As with many other Internet opportunities, one of the easiest ways to make money with podcasting is advertising. Podcasters can either sell advertising space on their website that hosts the podcast or the podcaster can vocally mention their advertisers and their advertiser's products during the podcast episode.Another way to make money with podcasting is to charge for all or some of the podcasts that you make. For example, you might not charge for shorter podcasts, but may want to charge for longer ones that provide the listeners or watchers with more information. You could also allow users to watch part of the podcast for free but then require them to pay if they want to watch the rest of the video or listen to the remainder of the audio.The third way to make money with podcasting is to ask for donations. Some people might not feel comfortable doing this, but remember that it does take a lot of time and money to put a podcast out there for others to view or listen to. Internet users do understand that and if they enjoy the podcast, they might be willing to donate in order to keep the podcast going.

The three ways above to make money with podcasting are only a few of the different methods that can be used. The method that will work the best will depend a lot on the podcast itself and what type of audience the podcast has.?

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There are many ways you can use podcasting to increase your income. The main method used by most is by including advertisements in the created podcasts. The advertisements are usually for a product that the podcaster is selling, or from a company that has paid for ad space in the podcast.

You can create an ad-free podcast and still earn additional income in many ways. One would be to provide an option where listeners can purchase your podcast on CD. A lot of internet users do not have high-speed access and may have problems when trying to download lengthy podcasts. By providing a CD option, they will be able to get your podcast with no download troubles at all.

You can also sell your podcasts from your website, but of course since many people expect podcasts to be free then this may not be a very profitable method unless your podcasts provide information worth paying for. Some podcasts provide useful information, but not useful enough to warrant a fee before the listener knows if your podcast is right for them or not. You could instead provide many free podcasts, while creating a few podcasts that are paid for podcasts only. If your listeners recognize your free podcasts as being high in quality, then they will be more likely to purchase the podcasts offered for sale.

Another method of making money with an ad free podcast would be to not provide ads, but provide information about a topic and recommend a product that will help the listener more. For example, if you do a podcast about painting landscapes, then while you are sharing tips you could toss in a sentence stating something like "the landscaping paint book provides more tips about painting landscapes, visit www. yoursite. com for more information". You would provide your sites URL where listeners can obtain more information about the book. The site would have either your order link or affiliate link if you're promoting the product as an affiliate. This is a good method for generating extra income from your podcasts, without it being an advertisement at all. You're just recommending something that you think listeners will find useful.

Once you have created 10, or more, free podcasts, you can compile them and sell the complete set on CD. The perceived value of your podcasts will be increased if you provide the option of purchasing a set on a CD or set of CD's. If you distribute your podcasts from your website, where you have full control of them, then you can even sell CD sets of previous podcasts that have been removed. If you create a set every 3 months, then within a year you will have several sets for site visitors to purchase. This will increase your podcasting income even more. The more options that you have for listeners to choose from, the better your chance of making a sale.

These are just a few money-making ideas for podcasters. You can mix and match these ideas to increase your income even more.

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For mystery fans, there are some intriguing ways to use podcasting to make an investigation seem real for all involved including your listeners. Podcasting mystery messages can be very fun and exciting.

Before you record your first podcast, you will need to first plot a good mystery story. You do not have to record or write the full story in one sitting, but you will need to create the plot to ensure the success of your podcasts. Your plot should consist of mainly two things. The characters names, and the storyline that you plan to follow with your podcasts.

You can create as many characters as you like, but you will surely want at least 3 main characters that will be the highlights of your podcasts. You will need the sleuth, the victim and the criminal. The sleuth will of course be the main character of your podcasts, where as the victim will probably be eliminated within the first podcast or maybe the second. The criminal of course will only appear once in the final podcast once he is captured, or the criminal can be a friend of the sleuth to make the ending more surprising.

Once you have your characters decided upon, write down their names and general personalities that you would like them to portray in your podcasts. You will then want to locate a few friends or family members that would like to help you in recording the story with their voices, where each friend or family member plays a character.

Now create the plot of your story, but make sure that during this creation process that you plot it in segments, where each segment is your daily, weekly or monthly podcast.

Once a general guideline of your plot is created, you can then start working on the script for the first podcast. Create your script where it ends on a note where the next podcast will pick up. Provide a few clues in the podcast, and to make things fun you could even provide clues on your website. Just put a concluding message in your podcast-letting listeners know that more clues can be found at your site, and provide them with the URL.

Try to conclude your first mystery within the first 15 or so podcasts. If the story continues for too long, then listeners may lose interest. You can always create new stories to podcast about, but you cannot always win back a listener that you lost because your story went o for too long.

During your next to the last podcast, right before you reveal who the criminal is, you can host a contest to see how many listeners were able to figure out who the criminal is before the criminal is revealed. Just place a form on your website for listeners to fill in with their guesses. Make sure that your form prevents multiple submissions from the same person. Mention the URL to the form to your listeners in the podcast, and let them know that all correct guesses will win a prize. A good prize would be having the next sleuth named after the winners, or another of your podcasts characters.

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Internet radio is growing everyday in it's scope and influence. I tried it for the first time about a year ago and have seen a huge growth over that time compared to the teleseminars I used to do. That's because teleseminars deliver great information, but only to the people on your list or the people that know you already. Every show you do on a service such as BlogTalkRadio will come up high in search results if you have proper used your keywords in the titles and descriptions.

Shows are archived so that people can find and listen to your show at anytime, not just live. They can also download the MP3 recording and put it on their websites or blogs to get even more listeners. In fact, it's good to encourage that kind of marketing. You can link to the shows from your Facebook pages and the show is even playable right in your profile automatically. That has raised my listenership greatly, so much so, that I am booked up with guests for months in the future. The guests continually bring their fans to the show to increase listenership even more.

You can have guests on your show that are promoting their books, but I promote mine as well... every week. Or you can be a guest on the hundreds of talk shows online to promote your book. Talking about your book for 30 minutes or more a week can increase your name recognition, search engine positioning and prospects to your website. I always follow up with guests to see how much of an increase in their web traffic resulted from them being on my show. If you want to really market a book on the Internet, you have to spread the news like wildfire! Internet radio is just one very powerful way to bring your important message to the masses for free.

There are thousands of authors, teachers, healers, psychics, empaths, coaches and trainers that have a message to give to the world but have no clue where to start. That's where I can help! From just a spark of an idea, discover the book marketing techniques that can build your celebrity status. I have helped hundreds of people take their businesses to the next step and find their voice.

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I want to share with you a podcast guide that you can use to have success with your podcasts. Podcasting is fairly a new marketing medium that people are using to market their business effectively. Podcasting is a tool that not a lot of people are taking advantage of to market their business, but it can really be a helpful tool for getting the word out about your products and services.

I will give you step by step instructions in this podcast guide so that you can go out and start implementing these strategies today. The first thing that you should know about podcasting is that it's just another marketing medium. The same basic rules of internet marketing still apply.

You need to pick a niche and find a topic to talk about. You want to find a niche because it's the easiest way to go into a market and have success. Once you find a niche, it's time to start promoting. After you have selected a niche to operate in, start by going and getting an RSS feed for your podcast.

You can use a free service such as Feedburner.com to get an RSS feed for your podcast. This is a very important step in this podcast guide that I want to show you. The easiest way to host your podcast content is with a blog from Blogger.com. Blogger is owned by Google and is a free service that you can use to get up and running with your blog today.

Once you have a blog and follow Feedburner's simple step by step instructions for creating your RSS feed, it's now time to start getting the word out about your podcast. I know of one lady named Suze Orman, she invites all of her followers to download her podcasts for free at iTunes.com. If you didn't already know, Suze Orman is a financial guru and has her own show on CNBC. I'm a loyal follower of her and I love her information, and I can't wait until a newer podcast of hers becomes available.

Eventually you will reach this point also where you have people waiting for you to release new content and being able to download it from iTunes. You want to submit your content to iTunes because it's the largest podcast directory on the net. This is a very important step in this podcast guide.

I believe iTunes is owned by Apple and it's a great way to get your podcasts off on the right foot. A lot of people visit iTunes on a daily basis for free content that they can download, so you will want to get your hands on the valuable resource also. Make sure you operate in a niche and aren't a generalist. It will be hard to find a loyal following if you're writing on a wide range of topics.

This podcast guide that I have shown you in this article is very helpful for marketing your products and services via podcasts. You will want to make sure that you include your podcast into the iTunes directory as this is the best one on the web. Also, be sure to submit your content to the other top directories also to get as much exposure as possible for your podcast.

Hopefully you will use this information to have the kind of podcasting success that you desire.

Good luck with using podcasts in your marketing strategy.

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It has been known that people are turning out to be attracted towards pod-casting for the different benefits it delivers. Even publishers and marketers from all over the planet are enthusiastic to know how to earn capital with the help of this content channel. Podcast Marketing is a less known sales technique that people today have been making use of to market their services and products on the web. In order to learn how pod-cast can help with advertising and marketing, you need to understand its significance and effectiveness.

In order to fully grasp the possibilities pod-casting presents, we will need to understand what it can give as a internet marketing result. Some of the parameters of pod-casting comprise of power of voice that has been delivered straight to the consumers, employees, partners and prospects. It can be said that the content material that has been presented in the form of voice has far more impact on individuals as compared to the matter in text formats. This is because of the reason that we can demonstrate our emotions and express our feelings a good deal more through vocal inflection. This is a tactic that can be used in advertising and marketing, for sure. Especially if you include experienced vocal talent, speakers or salesmen involved in generating the podcast.

If you are a business owner, you need to be aware of the fact that making money from pod-casting is not doable from sales ads and/or content sales; you will have to really understand how pod-cast can help with advertising and marketing. It comes with the opportunity to increase and enhance the marketing communications through the help of emotions having been directly communicated to the potential paying customers.

Here are just a couple of possibilities that can be discovered with Podcast Marketing:

? Press Releases: This is considered to be one of the most effective ways to talk to your potential customers.
? Educational Podcast through which you sell your services or products to the listener

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Do you know what kind of podcast material you will need to make your podcast? Believe it or not, you really don't need a lot of podcast material. All you need is a recording device and something to transfer your audio file onto the computer, and you are good to go. In this article, we will take a look at some podcast material options that you have to make a podcast.

When I make my podcasts now, I don't use a microphone or anything. I don't even use my own voice. I use something called Natural Reader to record my podcast. Natural Reader offers very real and life like voices that sound just like a real person. This isn't like a lot of the "autobot" programs that you see on the market today. Natural Reader is a cool piece of software and I think you should include it alongside in your podcast material suite.

But if you don't want to use a program like Natural Reader and you want to use your own voice, you should know that you're making a good decision. Even though I use robots to speak my content for me, nothing beats a real live person that people can interact with. When I first started off with podcasting, I used to take my YouTube videos and extract the audio from them to make podcasts. This was a technique that I used to knock out 2 birds with 1 stone.

The podcast material you need to make your podcast includes a microphone and a computer. Some computers come pre-made with a built in microphone so all you need is a computer and you're good to go. There are software programs out there that allows you to turn your podcast into MP3 format for easy distribution on the internet.

More than likely when you make your podcast on your computer, your computer will turn it into a large.WAV file. This is a high quality file type that takes up a lot of space on your hard drive. When you convert it into an MP3 file, the MP3 is a compressed format that doesn't sound as good as the WAV file. Nevertheless, the result of the MP3 will still be good enough to distribute on the internet.

You can purchase a microphone from your local Walmart. I can remember when I first got started out, my microphone was my web cam. I used a web cam to record my YouTube videos. The quality of the video wasn't so good, but the audio was outstanding. I had a program that could extract the audio from the video file and turn it into WAV format. I had a separate program on my hard drive that would take my WAV file and convert it into MP3 format.

I hope I'm not sounding too technical here because making a podcast is extremely easy to do. If you have the podcast material in hand, then you're in business. All that's left to do is to start recording your podcast and to get it up into the podcast directories. Be sure to get it included into iTunes.

Use these tips to make your podcast and getting it distributed online.

Good luck with getting podcast material and making your podcast.

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If you aren't podcasting yet, or if you think it's not a viable marketing option anymore, then you are missing out on a lot of potential. Podcasting is easy and a very important tool to market your products or information. There are still many sites that offer podcasts to their viewers. Podcasts are still popular because they can be listened to away from a computer. Here are a few tips to help you in creating your first podcast.

1. Preparation - Gather ideas and write up a script. A script will help you immensely. If you don't want to write up a script, an outline can be a great way to keep organized too.

2. Microphone - You can go all out and spend hundreds of dollars or you can use your webcam microphone (if your computer will allow it). If you get a really nice microphone it will show in the quality, however, the webcam microphone will sound really close, close enough that most people won't even care about the difference.

3. Editing Software - You really should get some sort of sound editing software such as Sony Soundforge, or if you're lucky enough to have a Mac you can use Garageband. You only have to do a few easy steps and your podcast is finished.

4. Phone Lines - If you want to be able to record your phone line into your podcast, you will need a machine called an innkeeper. An innkeeper takes an analog phone line and makes it available to be recorded clearly and easily.

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Thanks to the mp3 technology and the expansion of the news media on the internet, many people are turning to podcasts to download onto their mp3 players to enjoy. Many radio shows offer their previous day's shows on podcast format, and have taken it to another level of pre-recorded entertainment. As with most forms of entertainment, there is money to be made in advertising, both buying and selling.

There are many ways to make money in podcasting. You can charge for each podcast you distribute, for as little as $.99/download, or you can sell advertising space on the podcast itself. Sometimes podcasts have a quick advertising message before the podcast begins, in the middle, or at the end. You can also sell advertising space within your podcast in old radio show style, by announcing the advertising yourself. Advertising can also be placed on the webpage that offers the portal to download the podcasts.

If your podcasts gain a following, you can also offer a paid subscription service so people can pay one flat rate and download all of the podcasts without any additional fees out of their pocket. You can also place a virtual "tip jar" on your webpage, encouraging those who like the content to make a small donation to you.

There are plenty of ways to earn money from podcasting, as long as the material is something that people want to hear or talk about. If not, you may lose sponsors and advertisers quicker than you think, and very few people may listen to what you have to offer. A knack for broadcasting and marketing will certainly help you on your way to having success in the field of podcasting.

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No matter the type of business you are in, you should consider podcasting. You can set up a professional podcast for only a couple of hundred dollars, and even get a good return on your investment.

First off, podcasts are previously-recorded audio that is made available to the public. They vary in length, ranging from only a few minutes to an hour long. Podcasts also vary in how often they are broadcasted, from every day to once a week or longer.

A podcast can contain content about any subject. They can use a similar form to radio shows and feature guests, music, news, etc., or just feature information about a specific topic.

Podcasts For Businesses

There are many reasons why you should look at podcasting for your business:

Your business may have social networking accounts, but there may be an audience that can be targeted more suitably with a podcast. There are also many customers who would love to hear about your business more often.

Podcasts are a great chance to talk about your business, your customers, or anything you have in mind. It gives you a way to connect to your customers in a way you have not previously been able to.

Setting up a podcast only has an initial investment of a few hundred dollars, if you already have a computer. The equipment required includes a microphone and audio editing software, and the only cost involved is the time spent to make it.

Because many podcasts have sponsors, podcasting also becomes a great revenue opportunity. Contacting advertisers and inquiring whether they would be interested in sponsoring your podcast is one way. Another way to monetize a podcast is by charging people to download it.

Tips For Successful Podcasts

If you have decided that podcasting is right for your business, here are a few tips:

Do not charge people to download them. Although this option is available, people will be much more likely to listen to it if it is free. There are many other opportunities to monetize your podcasts.

Updating regularly will keep listeners listening. You should not go any longer than one week without recording a new episode.

Have consistent lengths. While it is tolerable to occasionally have one that is longer or shorter, choose a length (somewhere between 15 minutes and one hour) so your listeners won't become surprised by the change.

Feature unique content by giving out coupon codes, special offers, and business promotions. This also gives listeners an incentive to tell their friends about your podcast.

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If you travel a lot and have a laptop, then you may want to consider starting your own travel podcast show. There are some who cannot travel, but who still enjoy hearing about places they have never been. You can create a series of podcasts that tell about your travels, where you ate, how you liked the food and all sorts of topics. You can even mention the way people act in the areas that you travel too, and make comments in your podcast that could help future tourists.

If you spend a lot of time on the beach, then why not record your podcast on the beach one day. The background noise would be a lovely addition to your travel podcast, and could prove to be very relaxing for some of your listeners. If you're traveling to the mountains, then record one of your podcasts beside a waterfall. What about if you're visiting a large city? Why not stop by a restaurant that has tables outside, and record your podcast with it picking up the city noises like car horns and sirens. Normally you would not want this sort of noise in your podcasts, but if they are about traveling then it would be ok to include noises from the city that you are in.

When you visit upscale restaurants, see if the owner would like to be interviewed for your podcast for that week. You could talk about how well you liked the food, how you felt about the pricing and provide the interview so that your listeners can get to know a bit about the owner. This type of podcast would be helpful in assisting others who may wish to visit the same town in the future. They will then know of a good place to enjoy their dinner.

You could also conduct interviews of local business owners, people who live in the area and maybe even an officer from the local police department. An interview with an officer as a podcast can provide helpful information about the cities crime rate that would be helpful to those that are considering a move there.

If you do not want to create podcasts like these, then you can simply record at night once you return to your hotel. Create podcasts about general feelings that you have about the town while they are still fresh in your memory. If you notice something appealing to you, then include it in your podcast no matter how trivial it may seem. The Mime on the sidewalk may have touched a sweet memory for you, and if so, share this with your listeners.

Above all, enjoy your vacation or business trip while making podcasting a second task. If you're too busy having fun then there is no need to interrupt your fun to work on your podcast. The podcast can be recorded later, or you can jot down notes later that will help refresh your memory if you can't record the podcast for a week or so. Enjoy yourself, and have fun podcasting as you can.

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Podcasting is a great way to get your marketing message out to the world. If you didn't already know, podcasting is all about creating an audio file and uploading it to the major podcast directories. By far iTunes is the number directory to submit to, so you will want to focus the majority of your energies here.

Setting up your podcast RSS feed for people to subscribe to is easy. What you will want to do is set up a free blog at Blogger.com and setup a free account at Feedburner.com. Feedburner is a free service that you can use to host the RSS feed in your account. When you sign up with Blogger, you are automatically assigned an RSS feed, but this RSS feed is in Atom format. I believe that Feedburner hosts their RSS feed in XML format - and it manages it better than the Atom format.

If you're new to podcasting, then you will be pleased to know that podcasting can be done in a snap. I used to easily create my podcasts when I used to make my YouTube videos with a web cam. I couldn't afford a camcorder at the time so I used a web cam to do my YouTube videos. Then I would take the video and extract the audio from it and create a podcast.

I did what I suggested above and setup a blog at Blogger and an RSS feed at Feedburner and started distributing my content online. I would submit my podcasts to iTunes and to the other major podcast directories on the net. Luckily, iTunes is free to submit to and doesn't require a fee to get listed in.

Although I initially used my YouTube videos to create my podcast, I eventually went and created some content from scratch. By this I mean that I recorded some podcasts from scratch. I had a computer that didn't have a built-in microphone in there, so I had to use my web cam as a recording device. A lot of the newer computers these days have microphones however, so purchasing a separate microphone may not be needed.

Podcasting is all about speaking your ideas. If you're stuck on ideas to talk about, think about your niche and what it is that you do for a living. To start, you may want to consider writing out on a sheet of paper what it is that you want to speak out and express. This will give you a great starting point of things to talk about.

I know for me, speaking off the top of my head is bad for business. I always have to write things out so that it's easier for me to know what I'm talking about. When I just start talking, my ideas aren't cohesive and I always seem to stumble over my words. If you're the same way, consider writing out what you want to talk about first, and then proceed with recording your podcast.

As I mentioned before, podcasting is a great way to get the word out about your business and to increase your sales and profits. Be sure to start using it today to further enhance your sales and profitability.

Good luck with using podcasting in your business.

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Podcastingis a novel and potentially powerful mode of advertisement. It is basically an audio broadcast that subscribers can download from websites and listen to at their convenience through desktops, laptops, iPods, and MP3 players. It provides information on products and services, presenting content on a regular basis to help keep customers abreast of the latest in the market. The length of a podcast could range from a few minutes to an hour.

Benefits Of Podcasting

Creates a Positive Recall Value:

The quality of the speaker in the podcast can influence the listener significantly. Staying alive in the customer's mind is a very challenging task. A podcast has the advantages of audio effects and manages to hold customers' attention more effectively than the published text. The spoken word appeals to the subscriber's senses in a way the written word may fail to do.

Podcasts act as important sources through which subscribers gain information on new products, technologies and services. The manner in which information is presented can also influence the customer positively enough to drive sales. Additionally, registering in a podcast directory will help customers find you when required.

Direct Access to the Customer's Mind:

There are many people who dislike reading texts and messages. A podcast can successfully sidestep this issue by reading the information out loud to the subscriber, keeping them informed and interested.

With a very low initial investment (it could be as low as a few hundred dollars to own a podcast), you can reach a wide market base. Once you have garnered a sizeable subscriber base, you may even consider selling advertising space for revenue. So, it also presents another avenue to earn revenues.

Advertising Supplementary Products:

Regularly updating your podcasts keeps customers interested in all that you have to offer. This will ensure that the subscribers regularly tune in to your site and give you an opportunity to introduce a new line or add to your existing line.

Increases Traffic to Your Site Through Networking Sites:

A high-quality podcast is bound to be forwarded, especially with the abundance of social networking sites; the speed with which information can be spread is remarkable. This will generate interest in the company's products and services, increase subscriptions, and in time, sales as well.

One of the best features of a podcast is that it can be accessed anytime, anywhere. Customers have access through their computers and laptops as well as through iPods and cell phones. So, while traveling on the train to work or jogging in the park, subscribers can listen to the podcasts and gain information on your services.

How To Run A Successful Podcast

Ensure that you keep the podcasts free for subscribers to download, especially at the beginning. Over time, if you manage to attract a regular audience and prove the usefulness of your content, then you may start charging a fee. But, till you make a name for yourself, it would be wise to keep it free.

In today's electronic world, podcasting is a very essential marketing strategy that will help you enter new markets. New technologies always fascinate customers. Businesses in all fields, from music to manufacturing industries, would do well to exploit this means of reaching out to the public.

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A Podcast is a series of audio (or video) files containing episodes on a specific topic. Think about your favorite "how-to" TV show. One of my favorites is Myth Busters. Myth Busters is the name of the series and would be the Podcast name. Each week there is a new episode of the series where they cover a specific topic under the general topic of myth busting. However, this is where the similarity stops.

A Podcast and episodes of Podcasts differ greatly from a typical TV series because you must sit down at the designated time each week to watch a TV series. If you miss an episode you have to wait for reruns during the off-season. A Podcast is perfect for our on-demand society. A Podcast is essentially a radio show on demand, time-shifted to fit your listeners schedule. Your listeners can hear a Podcast anywhere and anytime they want; in the gym, out running, driving a car, or sitting on an airplane.

Each episode is stored on a personal computer, smartphone, or iPod, ready to listen to when your listener wants to listen. Yes, just like your TiVo or DVR works with your TV shows. This is the very concept of a Podcast. Capture a previous series or capture each episode as it becomes available. Then listen to it at your convenience.

Just like creating a TV series, you can create each episode just prior to publishing it or you can create multiple episodes and schedule their release. A Podcast accommodates both your schedule and your listeners schedule.

Your listeners will appreciate the convenience and will anticipate the next episode. One word of advice-although cliff hanger's work great for a TV series, they may not be as effective in a business Podcast. But, then, you never know!

For this and other blogs by Dano Ybarra please visit http://www.mymark.com/blog/danoybarra. Dano Ybarra is General Manager at MyMark, http://www.mymark.com, providers of an integrated personal profile, blog, eStore, and home base for all your social media, personal branding, article marketing, blog marketing, professional networking, and ecommerce activities.

Global Executive, Serial entrepreneur, father, husband, and Internet pioneer; Dano Ybarra is a Global Senior Executive who took a DSL router startup to $120MM annual sales with $28MM EBITDA in less than three years.

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Wander across any college campus these days and you'll see iPods, MP3 players and different varieties of transportable news devices all over the place you look. These fashionable gadgets became a method of life for nowadays's students and a rising variety of educators are starting to maximize it through podcasting.

Pioneering a powerful new type of on-line communications, podcasting for educators has develop into a good means of interacting with students beyond of the ancient classroom. It enables the distribution of radio-quality substance that can be listened to whenever, everyplace - even when pupils aren't connected to a computer. However before incorporating it into the syllabus, its necessary to exam some of the advantages of podcasting for educators and how others are previously utilizing the knowledge to enhance and enlarge the schooling of their students.

Unis were the first to take up the technology, handing out iPods to freshman and making podcasts of lectures. At the K-12 level, academics are simply starting to investigate the opportunities. However podcasting is not just concerning turning classroom tutorials into on-line audio content. Several educators are turning PowerPoint presentations into podcasts, while others are using it to supply in depth audio explanations of frequently asked queries or as a tool for college students to observe their language at home. Students can additionally produce their own podcasts to interact with instructors or different students. Briefly, podcasting for educators adds a new dimension to teaching by making it a "cool" interactive communication between academics and pupils

Parents also benefit from podcasting because it permits them to take a a lot of active role in the children's education. By simply programming their computers to automatically capture faculty broadcasts, they will keep trace of how their kids are doing in school and acquire the newest faculty announcements.

The first benefit of podcasting for educators is quite simple. It allows lecturers to reach students through a channel that's each "cool" and a half of their every day lives. For a technology that solely requires a PC, microphone and web affiliation, podcasting has the capacity of advancing a student's education outside the classroom. Educators would like to understand devices like iPods and alternative transportable media devices not as distractions to learning; rather, exploit it and flip them into effective tools for wisdom.

Staying in front involving the entire competition when it comes to website advertising will probably support you to advance and as a consequence utilising Adam Horwitz not to mention their cell phone internet marketing ideas is designed to guide you. Have a look at my own Mobile Monopoly Review available for even more important information.

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Podcasting is a powerful way of giving your network a more personal connection. Why should you be using podcasts in your business? Well there are a number of reasons; I'm going to give you six.

1. Relationship marketing

The most important reason for doing podcasting is because it's about relationship marketing. Business is still about creating strong, long-term relationships with your prospects, your customers and your clients. And podcasting is a very effective way of doing that.

Like an e-mail newsletter, because you're publishing it regularly, it's a great way to keep in touch while delivering value to the people in your network, the people who are important to you. You deliver value and you get to promote yourself as well. My rule is always 80/20: That is, at least 80% value in every message that you send out and at most 20% self promotion.

2. Prospecting

That leads to the second point, which is about prospecting.

If somebody visits your Web site and they are not in a position to buy yet, you would like to stay in relationship with them. You can do that with an e-mail newsletter, and you can also do that with a podcast. Invite them to subscribe to your podcast and then you get to stay in touch with them. You keep delivering value to them so that when they're ready to buy, yours is the first name that come to mind.

3. Personal connection

The third reason is that it is audio rather than text, which creates a more personal connection. Your listeners hear your voice - your real voice, not the imaginary voice they hear when they read what you've written. Some writers are good at projecting their voice in their writing, but many aren't. A podcast solves that problem, because people really do hear you.

The personal connection really does make a difference. You engage more with your audience and with your subscribers. Don't under-estimate its power.

4. Leading edge technology

The fourth reason for publishing a podcast is because it is (relatively) new technology.

If you're seen as an expert, it's important to be using the latest technology. So if you're a speaker, a trainer, a consultant, a coach, or an author, this is another way of delivering your message. And because it is leading edge, it helps position you in the marketplace as well.

5. Portable devices

The next reason is the iPod - and, more recently, iPhones and other smart phones.

You don't require an iPod to be able to do podcasting, and your listeners don't need an iPod to be able to listen to podcasts. However, the people who do have iPods are able to take their material that they download off their computer and listen to it elsewhere. Podcasting allows you to deliver your message to people not just in their normal work environment, but at the gym, when they're driving, when they're riding a bike, and in other non-work environments.

6. An uncluttered space

The final benefit of podcasting is that although it's very popular, it's still relatively new. So there's an uncluttered space.

In the early days of the Web, there were very few e-mail newsletters. You could go to any Web site that asked for any e-mail address and anybody would give their e-mail address to that Web site. Now, of course, it's the other way around. You have to really work hard to get subscribers to your e-mail newsletter because there is so much spam.

But podcasting is at the stage that e-mail newsletters were a decade ago. You could go to Web sites with podcasts and people will subscribe to podcasts. There are thousands of podcasts on the Internet, so there are certainly far more then any one person would ever subscribe to. However, it's nowhere near as competitive as other things are like e-mail newsletters. So it's still a fairly uncluttered space. You can get a clear competitive advantage by being in that space because you'll still be one of the few.

Gihan Perera is an Internet coach for speakers, trainers, consultants and other experts. He's the author of "Get Active: Web Sites for Speakers, Trainers, Coaches and Consultants" and "Fast, Flat and Free: What You Need to Know to Stay Ahead in a Connected World". Visit http://gihanperera.com/ and get your complimentary copies now.

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Podcasting is basically information presented in an audio format that can be downloaded and listened to at one's convenience. There are a number of reasons why you could become a podcaster: You might want to share your passion, for example music or movies, with a larger audience; you might want to advertise your business; or you could take up podcasting as a business.

The Work

Creating a podcast is a relatively simple task. You need a microphone plugged into your computer and audio recording software. You just have to record an audio file and save it on your computer in an.mp3 format. The last step is to upload the file on a podcasting site. You will also need to know how to create RSS files and upload them.

Before you start recording your podcast, make notes on the topic you want to talk about. Content is still king and listeners get bored easily if they feel you have nothing interesting to say. Play around with ideas for settings. You don't necessarily have to record podcasts in the same place every time. The length of a podcast is important. If used to market a product, it should be about 5 minutes long. Once you start podcasting, be regular. For example, recording a podcast twice a month is reasonable and practical.

Start Up Cost

You can start a podcasting business with less than $100. The start up cost depends on the type of equipment you purchase. Here is the basic equipment you'll need to start podcasting:

Microphone: You will need to get a durable and flexible microphone. There are many varieties available and the price differs according to type.Mixer: Small mixers with four units will suit almost every podcast recording. Again, there are many varieties of mixers, and you have to pick one that is best for you.Soundcard: It is important for high quality sound.Audio software: It is one of the most basic elements of podcasting. With the right software, you will be able to record the podcast, save, and edit it. Sound can also be manipulated for greater effect.

How to Market It

Market your podcast to a target audience. Participate in forums and add a link to your podcast under your signature. Think about investing in banner ads. Some of the smaller community sites sell these ads for a very reasonable price. You can also charge people to listen to your podcast. But with all the free podcasts available, this could be a difficult proposition. You could make submissions of your podcast to podcast directories. Send your podcast URL to different search engines. To do this successfully, keywords play an important role. You could also contact webmasters of sites that deal with topics similar to yours and exchange links. Apart from marketing your podcast online, you could also send a press release to your local newspaper, television, and radio stations informing them about your podcast.

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Are you trying to find ways to reach a bigger audience with your podcast? Maybe you've already got a great listening audience and you're looking for ways to repurpose your podcast into other forms of content? Podcast transcripts are the easy solution and a logical next step.

There are so many benefits to having your podcast transcribed after the episode has aired. These are just a few of the ways transcripts will help you....

Search engine optimization love - You can take your transcript and add it to your website or blog, feeding the search engines loads of good content to crawl and bring new traffic, new readers, and new listeners to your site.

Free stuff to give away - Offer your podcast transcripts to your newsletter subscribers as an extra bonus for subscribing.

Easily create new products to offer for sale (or give away for free) - If you've done a series of podcasts on a particular topic you can take the transcripts and with a bit of editing you'll have a brand new ebook or ecourse ready to sell in no time at all.

Reach people you might not have before - Not everyone is able to listen in, so offering transcripts of your podcast episodes allows those folks to get the information your sharing in a way that is right for them.

Instant articles and blog posts - A podcast transcript can easily be broken down into bite sized pieces and used as articles for article marketing or blog posts to schedule for your blog. Additionally, all of this content can point people to your podcast for more information, there's that search engine love again.

Make a brandable report fast - If you use a PDF brander with affiliate links your podcast transcripts can be used by your listeners and guests to make extra commissions on their favorite products.

Something extra for your guests - Speaking of podcast guests, offering them a transcript of the episode they were on is a great perk to include when asking them to join you on the air.

Make a video - Your podcast and transcript can be combined into a Power Point presentation or slide show style video quickly and easily.

Those are just a few of the things you can do to benefit from a podcast transcription. It's a great way to repurpose content you've already created and use it to reach a wider audience and even improve your search engine rankings.

Teleseminars Transcribed offers accurate and reasonably priced transcription services including podcast transcripts. We currently serve Internet marketers, work at home folks, bloggers, podcasters and others who need transcription services. Additionally we offer e-cover design services and other customized services to your transcript for a complete ready to go product package. We can create a custom package to meet your needs today.

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There isn't much literature on the history of podcasting but you should know that this new technology hasn't been around for a long time. Podcasting is a relatively new concept and this form of marketing is still relatively new to marketers. I first got my introduction to podcasts when I was making a blog for my website.

When I made my blog, I had no idea about podcasts. I didn't even bother trying to figure out the history of podcasting because I was convinced that it was a passing internet marketing fad that would soon dissipate away - but I was wrong. Podcasting is still strong and is still an excellent way to get your message across to people.

In fact, podcasting is so huge, that even financial expert Suze Orman uses it to promote her business. For every episode that she has, she extracts the audio and places it on iTunes for people to download for free. This is what I love about podcasts. I can load them into my MP3 player and get awesome content for free.

There are all kinds of podcasts out there on the market today, but most of them share the same premise. Podcasts are all about giving out good information to people in a niche, and having them subscribe to your podcast's RSS feed to receive updates when new podcasts are created.

You can get a podcast RSS feed from a free service such as Feedburner.com. When you first sign up to Feedburner, it will ask you if you're using your feed as part of a podcast. You will want to check the box for this field to indicate that you are. This is the easiest way to get started with a podcast RSS feed. After you got your feed, it's time to start promoting it to the world.

One thing that you will want to do is to submit your feed and content to iTunes. iTunes is the largest podcast directory on the net today. This is how I know about Suze Orman's podcast - it's listed in iTunes and it's listed there for free. I highly recommend that you start listing your podcast here for free now.

Another way to promote your podcasts is to include a short blurb about it on every page of your website. This will be a new technique to do since not a lot of people know about the history of podcasting, but for those that do, they will have instant access to your materials all for free.

Another way to get the word out about your podcast is via referrals. Start within your own email list and let them know that they can download your content for free from iTunes. Offer them a gift or incentive of some kind for referring others to your podcast. The free gift could be a complimentary MP3 that isn't available on iTunes.

I can remember when I first got started out online, I offered ebooks for sale and my bonus product was 36 more ebooks. This isn't exactly an awesome bonus, but it worked effectively for getting me sales.

The history of podcasting is a history that doesn't have much past, but you should know that you can take advantage of this growing trend. A lot of people listen to podcasts on a daily basis, and you can capitalize on this growing opportunity by offering podcasts of your own.

Be sure to start incorporating podcasting into your daily marketing routine today.

Good luck with using podcasts to market your internet business.

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What is a Podcast and how can it help me get people to my website?

A podcast is basically a recording of you talking to yourself or another person about your specific topic that your website is centered on. I think of a podcast like a shorter version on an audio book. It is informative, it tells me what I want it too but it is much shorter.

How can this help you and your website? Well, first you have to make a podcast. To do this you need a microphone and some recording software. There is some good free recording software if you go to Google and type in "free recording software" you will find several really good ones to pick from.

Once you have your microphone and your free recording software you are ready to go. You can record anything you like about the subject that your site is focused on. So, just start recording and start talking about your subject. Take things off the top of your head about the subject and talk like you would talk to your best friend.

When you are starting to make podcasts make sure that you speak on a subject that you know well if you choose a subject that you are unsure of you are very likely to have pauses and say "err" or "aaggghhhh" of other very embarrassing situations. Practice makes this easier but speaking about a topic you understand will make the process more fluid.

You do not need to be stiff and boring with the information. Play with it, make it fun and crack some jokes if appropriate as well. Granted, if it does not fit the subject then keep the humour to yourself. But you can still be interesting to listen too without being boring.

Have you ever seen on TV infomercials Anthony Robbins the self-help guru? He's been doing them for at least the last 20 or 30 years. Well, he talks the way you want to sound on your recordings. He is just dripping with sincerity, passion and conviction for his subject.

He sounds totally believable and you should as well. This guy makes other people want to listen to him. Do you think if he was boring and monotone people would listen to him? This guy is exciting and his voice is all over the place.

So, go ahead and give it a try. After all, people can't see you so be as wild and crazy as you like and sound like you actually have something to say to the people.

This is going to get more and more people to listen to you and get them to your website because they like what you have to say. So, get out there and spread your message because no one is going to do it for you.

Just make sure you have a good microphone and some free recording software and you will be good to go. Do not underestimate the power of a good microphone, make sure you use digital and not analogue, the difference has to be heard to be believed!

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