So you've decided to create a podcast. You're all set to star in your own show. There's only one problem. You've heard about regular broadcasts and you're wondering what is involved in producing a podcast. After all, regular broadcasts have producers so shouldn't podcasts?

Don't worry. Producing a podcast isn't as difficult as it seems at first glance.

First off let's answer the question of what is producing. And then we'll get into the tasks involved.

So what is producing a podcast? Simply put anything that isn't on air is considered producing. All the technical and management functions are part of the production aspects. Even the selection of talent would be considered production. Although with a podcast of course the talent is sort of a given!

So what are the tasks involved?

There are six basic tasks involved in producing a podcast.

1. You need to start with a target audience in mind. Everything you do has to be done to attract and retain your target audience. In order to do that you need to develop a profile of the audience you want to attract.

2. You need to determine the format of the podcast. There are several possible formats of podcast from interview to columns to a single class. Each of the formats has its advantages and its disadvantages. You need to pick the one that suits your customer best and requires the least amount of effort on your part.

3. You need to write the podcast script. Depending on the format this may in fact involve many different scripts. However, on the other hand it may also involve a level of scripting that is essentially the same as the script design.

4. You need to record the audio. There's two parts to this. The physical recording of the audio is definitely a production task. The actual audio being recorded is typically considered part of the performance rather than the production. The separation is arbitrary really. Both pieces need to come together to produce a podcast.

5. You need to edit and package the audio. This is really two different tasks that are performed at the same time. Editing the audio involves removing errors and dead air in order to give a polished podcast. During that process music and bridge audio is typically added to give the podcast a professional sound.

6. You need to distribute and market the podcast. The final task in the production of a podcast is getting it into the hands of your audience. This consists of two different but related tasks. The second is marketing which is simply making the audience aware of the podcast. The first is distribution which can take many forms. Some of which are indistinguishable from marketing efforts.

Do you want to learn how to create information products (learning content)? Check out my new free eBook "7 Myths and Seven Tricks in Nine Steps": http://www.learningcreators.com/myths.htm

Do you want to read more free information like this? Go to my blog: http://www.learningcreators.com/blog/

Glen Ford is an accomplished consultant, trainer and writer. He has far too many years experience as a trainer and facilitator to willingly admit.

View the original article here

So you've decided to produce your own podcast. Good for you Podcasts are a tool that every information or learning content product marketer should be aware of. And probably should be involved with.

Podcasts can help you build your reputation. They can help you build traffic. They can help you connect with your audience. They can help you get your message out.

And podcasts come in many flavors.

Which is where the problem comes in. How do you decide which format you want to use?

Of course, choosing your format is complicated. Here are five basic questions you need to ask when determining the format for your podcast.

1. What is your audience's favored format?
Everyone has a format that they prefer to have information presented in. Especially when we are discussing the format of an entertainment alternative... which is the way podcasts are used. Determining the preference can be difficult but it can be done. And once you've determined the preference, it is always smart to follow your audience's preferences.

2. What is your favored format?
The reverse of course is also true. Each of us has a format which we are most comfortable working within. Maybe you prefer to teach. Or maybe you prefer to just comment. Or maybe you prefer to have a conversation with someone. Or maybe you prefer to answer questions. Maybe you're most comfortable doing a little of each. Your own preferences will affect the choice of a format. After all, you need to be comfortable with producing the podcast.

3. What formats are available to you?
There are times when you can choose from all the formats. But what happens if you can't find someone to interview? What if there isn't anyone else in your niche? What if no one in your niche is willing to be interviewed? What if you have a very limited niche and free teaching would eliminate too much of the material you are hoping to sell? Sometimes some formats just can't be used.

4. What is the best format to accomplish your objectives?
Podcasting is a tool. And like any other tool it needs to be used with purpose. What are your objectives in producing a podcast? Are you looking to build your reputation as an expert? Teaching might work best for that. Are you looking to build traffic? A column format might do the best job for that. And so on.

5. How long can you maintain that format?
Like any other product, podcasts have a life span. You run out of material. You run out of ideas. You run out of audience interest. The life span of your format needs to be taken into account. After all, you don't want your podcast to exceed the life span of your audience's interest.

Do you want to learn how to create information products (learning content)? Check out my new free eBook "7 Myths and Seven Tricks in Nine Steps": http://www.learningcreators.com/myths.htm

Do you want to read more free information like this? Go to my blog: http://www.learningcreators.com/blog/

Glen Ford is an accomplished consultant, trainer and writer. He has far too many years experience as a trainer and facilitator to willingly admit.

View the original article here

Every once in a while someone will come up to me and say something along the lines of "I want to have a podcast but I don't know where to start."

My response is usually "Great. Who's your audience and what are you going to say?"

And usually the response is something like a blank look and "Well, I figured I'd talk about... since that's what I'm selling." At which point I have to stop them and explain that they are ahead of themselves.

You've got to start with your audience.

You see that's one of the biggest mistakes that new internet marketers (especially information marketers) make -- they start with their product. But information marketing needs to be a niche marketing endeavor. And the word niche refers not to your product but to your customer.

When creating learning content (aka an information product) -- and a podcast is a form of learning content -- you always need to start with the audience.

Why?

Because your audience is going to be buying your podcast. They may not be paying for it with dollars (although that would be nice). But they will be paying with their most valuable asset -- their time. And you need to provide them with value for their time. Or they aren't going to be interested in downloading or listening. And they shouldn't be.

You also need to be able to motivate your audience. You need to convince them not only to download your podcast but also to listen to it. You need to convince them that this is a must have, must listen podcast. You need to convince them that not only is it valuable to them but it's absolutely necessary for them.

The way to motivate your audience to listen is by picking topics based on what motivates them. It sounds simple. And it is. You need to identify what their biggest and most immediate problem is. You need to identify what they are afraid may happen. And you need to identify what they are hoping will happen. And you need to identify what is at the front of their minds at the moment. What has their immediate interest.

But of course, that's not all you need to do.

You also need to solve, avoid or achieve. That's right you need to solve their problem with your topic. Or you need to show them how to avoid the pain that they are afraid of. Or you need to show them how to achieve their dreams.

But to do that means you need to know them.

Do you want to learn how to create information products (learning content)? Check out my new free eBook "7 Myths and Seven Tricks in Nine Steps": http://www.learningcreators.com/myths.htm

Do you want to read more free information like this? Go to my blog: http://www.learningcreators.com/blog/

Glen Ford is an accomplished consultant, trainer and writer. He has far too many years experience as a trainer and facilitator to willingly admit.

View the original article here

Podcasts are a repeating learning content product. They can be very effective for that very reason. After all, the more times a message is heard the more likely it is to be believed.

But that can cause problems for the unwary information product marketer.

The biggest problem from podcasts is that they need to be created at least once a week. Which can become an unwieldy task.

In order to prevent podcasts from overwhelming the learning content product marketer with work, you need to produce a podcast quickly. Fortunately, it can be done without too much effort or specialized knowledge.

Here are seven tips for producing a podcast quickly.

1. Practice, practice, practice.

It might seem counter-intuitive but practice will actually speed up your process. Everyone makes mistakes. Recording your practices helps your editor to replace those mistakes, saving you the need to re-record portions. Practice also helps you to do something that professionals avoid -- winging it.

2. Lose the script.

Professionals use scripts and effectively become readers. However, because you are so involved it really isn't efficient or effective to use a formal script -- unless you make a lot of errors. It is however, a good way to make it easier when you start -- because you'll make a lot of errors. So start off using a formal script but as quickly as you can move to using an outline as your script.

3. Steal a trick from the assembly line.

The theory behind the assembly line is that of the batch. By creating a batch of the same product you become more efficient. With podcasts there are two parts to applying this. First off, you should do all your podcasts together. Doing a month's worth of podcasts at one sitting makes life much easier. Secondly, do all your writing together. Then do all your recording. Then do all your editing. This allows you to create a rhythm to your work.

4. Create series not singles.

When writing scripts it's always easier to create a series of podcast columns rather than one whole podcast. For example, you might have a series of seven tips on how to create a podcast quickly (sound familiar). A summary of the seven (or maybe the introduction) might form one column, and then each tip would be a separate column. If you have four columns in your podcast stagger the solution. Effectively you'll have half the writing to do each month.

5. Keep it short and sweet.

One of the tendencies you'll find is to keep expanding the size of your podcast. Why? Because you have too much to say for each. You need to fight that tendency. Pick a time and keep to it. If a column has too much information then cut it back until it has just the right number of points.

6. Do a column format.

It's always faster and easier to write and record short pieces than it is to do long pieces. A column format allows you to keep each piece below two or three minutes. Let's say that you want to do a 15 minute podcast. To do a single column you'll need about fourteen and half minutes of content. That's roughly fourteen points! But let's say you split that into four columns. Each of the columns needs to be only 3 minutes long. That's roughly two points. Much faster and easier to write.

7. Keep an ideas log.

One of the problems with any repeating product such as a podcast or article marketing is coming up with ideas. One of the techniques to use to help with this is to keep an ideas log. This will prevent you wasting time trying to come up with something to talk about.

Do you want to learn how to create information products (learning content)? Check out my new free eBook "7 Myths and Seven Tricks in Nine Steps": http://www.learningcreators.com/myths.htm

Do you want to read more free information like this? Go to my blog: http://www.learningcreators.com/blog/

Glen Ford is an accomplished consultant, trainer and writer. He has far too many years experience as a trainer and facilitator to willingly admit.

View the original article here

Every once in a while, I'll be asked what needs makes a professional podcast professional. Creating a professional sounding podcast is important when trying to build credibility. Amateurish podcasts tend to make you come across as amateurish. However, a strongly professional podcast will make people automatically presume that you are worthy of respect. In essence, a professional podcast will borrow credibility from radio which like television provides an automatic level of credibility.

So how do you make your podcast sound professional?

Here are five characteristics of a professional podcast and what you need to do to produce the same result.

1. The content is relevant and interesting to the audience. Professional broadcasts spend ridiculous amounts of money surveying their audience and working hard to ensure that the content they are providing is relevant and interesting to their audience. The reason they do this is simple. Your audience will judge the quality of your podcast based on the relevance of your material to themselves.

2. The announcer is confident and practiced. Even professional broadcasters make mistakes. They read a sentence out of order. Or their mouths have problems forming the words. Despite this, they persevere and finish the work. Your presentation needs to be just as polished and your ability to overcome issues will be judged.

3. The recording quality is excellent. Most broadcasters invest in high-end recording equipment. Far more expensive equipment than a normal podcaster is capable of ascending. However, the equipment you need is still able to produce high enough quality records that is suitable for impressing your audience.

4. The material is well organized and focused. When just winging it there will always be a tendency to go off into irrelevant discussions. And the argument you are trying make won't be as clear and precisely focused discussion on the topic at hand. A professional broadcast knows what the audience wants to hear and therefore they are specific, focused and clear in the organization of their material.

5. The podcast is finished or packaged. We've become used to packaging in a professional broadcast. What do I mean by packaging? Each podcast needs to begin with a set of introductory credits, and a list of what will be covered in the podcast. Similarly, the podcast needs to end with a set of closing credits. These credits need to include music to help the audience feel connected. Finally, transitions between elements should also include a musical transition.

Do you want to learn how to write a book in 24 hours? Take my brand new free course here: http://www.learningcreators.com/

Do you want to read more free information like this? Go to my blog: http://www.learningcreators.com/blog/

Glen Ford is an accomplished consultant, trainer and writer. He has far too many years experience as a trainer and facilitator to willingly admit.

View the original article here

So you've decided to create a podcast. You're all set to star in your own show. There's only one problem. You've heard about regular broadcasts and you're wondering what is involved in producing a podcast. After all, regular broadcasts have producers so shouldn't podcasts?

Don't worry. Producing a podcast isn't as difficult as it seems at first glance.

First off let's answer the question of what is producing. And then we'll get into the tasks involved.

So what is producing a podcast? Simply put anything that isn't on air is considered producing. All the technical and management functions are part of the production aspects. Even the selection of talent would be considered production. Although with a podcast of course the talent is sort of a given!

So what are the tasks involved?

There are six basic tasks involved in producing a podcast.

1. You need to start with a target audience in mind. Everything you do has to be done to attract and retain your target audience. In order to do that you need to develop a profile of the audience you want to attract.

2. You need to determine the format of the podcast. There are several possible formats of podcast from interview to columns to a single class. Each of the formats has its advantages and its disadvantages. You need to pick the one that suits your customer best and requires the least amount of effort on your part.

3. You need to write the podcast script. Depending on the format this may in fact involve many different scripts. However, on the other hand it may also involve a level of scripting that is essentially the same as the script design.

4. You need to record the audio. There's two parts to this. The physical recording of the audio is definitely a production task. The actual audio being recorded is typically considered part of the performance rather than the production. The separation is arbitrary really. Both pieces need to come together to produce a podcast.

5. You need to edit and package the audio. This is really two different tasks that are performed at the same time. Editing the audio involves removing errors and dead air in order to give a polished podcast. During that process music and bridge audio is typically added to give the podcast a professional sound.

6. You need to distribute and market the podcast. The final task in the production of a podcast is getting it into the hands of your audience. This consists of two different but related tasks. The second is marketing which is simply making the audience aware of the podcast. The first is distribution which can take many forms. Some of which are indistinguishable from marketing efforts.

View the original article here

Every once in a while someone will come up to me and say something along the lines of "I want to have a podcast but I don't know where to start."

My response is usually "Great. Who's your audience and what are you going to say?"

And usually the response is something like a blank look and "Well, I figured I'd talk about... since that's what I'm selling." At which point I have to stop them and explain that they are ahead of themselves.

You've got to start with your audience.

You see that's one of the biggest mistakes that new internet marketers (especially information marketers) make -- they start with their product. But information marketing needs to be a niche marketing endeavor. And the word niche refers not to your product but to your customer.

When creating learning content (aka an information product) -- and a podcast is a form of learning content -- you always need to start with the audience.

Why?

Because your audience is going to be buying your podcast. They may not be paying for it with dollars (although that would be nice). But they will be paying with their most valuable asset -- their time. And you need to provide them with value for their time. Or they aren't going to be interested in downloading or listening. And they shouldn't be.

You also need to be able to motivate your audience. You need to convince them not only to download your podcast but also to listen to it. You need to convince them that this is a must have, must listen podcast. You need to convince them that not only is it valuable to them but it's absolutely necessary for them.

The way to motivate your audience to listen is by picking topics based on what motivates them. It sounds simple. And it is. You need to identify what their biggest and most immediate problem is. You need to identify what they are afraid may happen. And you need to identify what they are hoping will happen. And you need to identify what is at the front of their minds at the moment. What has their immediate interest.

But of course, that's not all you need to do.

You also need to solve, avoid or achieve. That's right you need to solve their problem with your topic. Or you need to show them how to avoid the pain that they are afraid of. Or you need to show them how to achieve their dreams.

But to do that means you need to know them.

View the original article here