1. The first step in promoting your podcast actually comes down to the description of the podcast itself. Your podcast description should be clear and give an accurate representation of the contents of your podcast. Podcast episodes generally have a common theme, such as how to podcasts, podsafe music podcasts etc.

Your description should accurately describe this theme. Remember, not everybody is going to want to listen to your podcast. What you ultimately want is a core following from those that are particularly interested in your genre. This is known as a niche. An example of a niche is all people that want to train their cat to speak. Wacky I know, but my research indicates that this is indeed possible and I'm trying it on my cat.

Now this is a very specific podcast niche.

Another broader example would be unsigned heavy metal band music. This would attract listeners who are perhaps looking for the latest music that has not hit the mainstream and maybe even music agents looking to sign up the next big act. Another good idea is to have an attractive image included in your podcast. This can give a pictorial description of your theme and attract your niche podcast audience.

2. The next step in promoting your podcast is to get it in front of the podcast world. Now there are a plethora of sites that list podcasts. There are podcast directories, there are forums that discuss podcasts and then there is the search engines themselves.

Firstly I would recommend submitting your podcast to as many podcast directories as possible. What this does is get you some traffic, but more importantly it will get you links back to your site, in the the search engines. These are powerful one way links. There are 50 or more podcast directories around ranging from general ones, categorized into many genres, to niche directories, focusing on one topic, such as educational podcasts. Simply find the ones that are appropriate to your podcast and submit.

Forums are also a good place to find listeners and get links. Simply join the forum and participate. Do not spam. You can usually place a link to your podcast in your signature line. If your podcast is interesting to the forum members you will attract listeners. Use a feedburner link to monitor the number of listeners you have.

3. The final step is what I call managing the growth. If you get to this step. This is where you will have an ever increasing number of listeners and may even attain cult status for your podcast. At this point you will be looking for more macro promotion. You may be needing to look for joint venture partners and may receive offers. Consider these wisely.

Now clearly not all podcasts will reach this level, but if you do you should not diverge too widely from your listener base, since this is what has brought you to this level. At this point you can consider getting professional advice, provided your monetization model permits.

If you are a band you may have already have received offers of work by this stage and the podcast should be maintained, in a normal operation, since this is what got you to this level. These are the basic steps to promoting your podcast.

To promote your podcast please visit Graeme's Podcast Directory. This directory already contains a number of resources on podcasting itself. But it is by no means limited to that and lists podcasts in many genres. Any one is welcome to submit their podcast for consideration to www.Podcastdir.net and listing is free.

As podcasts increase in popularity, listeners have more choices. So while you might be ahead of the competition, you should still be thinking about ways that you can make your podcast unique and stand out from similarly themed podcasts.

1. Plan Accordingly.

When making the decision and commitment to podcast, it is important to think beyond the moment. Before starting, think about the time the podcast production will take. How will podcasting fit into a current schedule? How frequently will you podcast? How will hosting of podcasting files be handled? If the podcast is excessively popular, how will fees be generated to pay for hosting? What is the common theme that threads all podcasts in a series together? Think not only of a broad theme, but also various episodic themes that fit into a broader theme. What will make you distinct or different from others podcasting about similar content? By approaching podcasting with a little forethought, you will set yourself up for success.

2. Original Content.

Just like any media company, in order to attract and maintain an audience, you will need to provide original content, or at the very least, present the content in an original way. Think about a long term strategy that will help your show distinguish itself from others.

3. Get to The Point.

Jibber Jabber is fun, but not to the point of excluding quality content. Listeners in today's society don't have time for incessant rambling. If you have a point to make, make it in a reasonable amount of time. Minimize the fluff and focus on quality content.

4. Do Your Homework.

Not only is faulty information a liability, but incorrect information will hurt a broadcasters long term reputation--just like a journalist's credibility is paramount to their success. It is important that the information that you provide is accurate. While being a shock jock might have short-term appeal to listeners, most will remain loyal to a source that has properly vetted all of their information.

5. Consistency.

The best content is consistent content. Podcasts should contain compelling content with episodic titles, that are united in common broad theme. The format of the podcast should be consistent, persistent and stable. Each show should be about the same length and contain a common format.

6. Timeless Content.

Content that is timeless has a long shelf life. Broadcasters will benefit more from content that is timeless and can be effectively archived. "How to" content that solves problems will often have long term appeal and listening life. When choosing topics, consider the long term effects of a specific piece and determine whether it will fit with the broad theme of the show.

7. Articulate Words.

The quality of the audio content does matter. Think of the last time you heard a good song, on a poorly tuned radio station; regardless of how much you like the song, most of us would move the dial along. Listeners will not want to strain to hear a podcast; pay particular attention to articulation. Another important item worth noting is that Podcasts have global reach and often global appeal. Minimizing an accent will often extend the podcast's listening audience.

8. Optimize Podcasts.

Podcast titles should be optimized to incorporate data that relates to the contents of the podcast. Think about the themes when selecting a podcast channel title and description. Use critical and related keywords and phrases that relate to a common theme. The text in the feed is important for both feed optimization and for attracting listeners. Many of the podcast directories index the contents of podcasts using the information contained in the channel and item's, titles and descriptions. Use these text fields to effectively capture the interest of listeners.

9. Listener Expectations.

Invariably listeners will come to expect certain things from broadcasters. In order to maintain a listening audience, it is important that broadcasts are consistent and satisfy the expectations of listeners. While it is okay to experiment, straying to far from what a listener expects will often disappoint.

10. Archive.

Many new listeners will want to review previous broadcasts. Consider ways to make older shows available through archives. Archives allow broadcasters another channel to benefit from the content. Maintaining archives of older podcasts might bring in new listeners and satisfy listeners who just can't get enough. Podcasts require effort, but by following basic guidelines and thinking things through, podcasts can be instrumental in increasing web traffic and communications within a community.

About the Author: Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for NotePage http://www.notepage.net a wireless text messaging software company.