Contents
What is Podcasting?
How to Listen to Podcasts
How to Build a Podcasting Studio
How to Plan a Podcast
How to Record a Podcast
How to Edit Your Podcast
How to Publish Your Podcast
How to Promote Your Podcast
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- Find, subscribe, and listen to podcasts
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- Plan, record, edit, and distribute your podcast
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What is Podcasting?
Podcasting is a method of distributing content over the internet. The term “podcasting,” which is a combination of the words “iPod” and “broadcasting,” refers primarily to the distribution of audio content, though video podcasting is becoming more and more popular. This guide focuses on how to create and listen to audio podcasts.
An audio podcast is similar to a radio broadcast, except that listeners don’t have to tune in at a particular time to hear each show. Instead, they subscribe to a podcast and automatically receive a downloaded copy of each new episode after it’s published by the podcaster (the person who created the podcast). Subscribers can listen to a podcast through their computer or through an mp3 player, such as an iPod, whenever they choose. Podcasts have become popular in recent years due to their convenience and their price—nearly all podcasts are free.
A Brief History of Podcasting
The technology behind podcasting was developed in 2001. Over the next few years, software developers created programs that made it easy for people to create and listen to them, and in 2004 podcasts began to surge in popularity. Today, tens of thousands of podcasts have been created by individuals, by companies looking to market their brands or products, and even by traditional media companies.
The Three Main Types of Podcasts
The variety of podcasts is endless, but all podcasts can be broken down into three basic types:
- Host-driven: A podcast that’s similar to a radio talk show—its main attraction is the personality of its host. Adam Curry’s “Daily Source Code” is one example.
- Topic-driven: A podcast dedicated to a particular subject. “Learn Spanish with Coffee Break Spanish” is a topic-driven podcast.
- Actual radio shows: Many radio broadcasters also publish their shows as podcasts, such as Ira Glass with “This American Life.”
Why Create a Podcast?
Podcasting was initially used by individuals who wanted to host their own internet-based radio shows. Now individuals and businesses are turning to podcasting for all sorts of reasons, including:
- Fun: Amateur podcasters create podcasts because they enjoy talking about subjects they love and interacting with a community of listeners. There are podcasts on every subject imaginable.
- Exposure: Podcasts provide a great way for businesses, bands, and individuals to get exposure. For instance, a band might create a podcast of their demo songs, or a local bike store might start a podcast on bike gear and maintenance to attract customers to its website and retail store.
- Alternative distribution: Podcasts are a great way to distribute audio material that otherwise might languish in obscurity. Lectures, religious services, conference proceedings, and keynote speeches are posted as podcasts, allowing people who could not attend the event in person to listen and look at their convenience.
- Advertising revenue: Some podcasters have managed to make podcasting a career, or at least make a bit of money at it. If your podcast gains an audience, you may be able to sell time on your show to advertisers or join a podcast network that will sell ad space for you.
How Podcasting Works
Here’s a general overview of how podcasting works:
- Podcaster creates the podcast: A podcaster plans, records, and edits a show. Nearly all podcasts are recorded and published as mp3 files, which use up less memory than other audio files and are therefore easier to upload and download.
- Podcaster publishes the podcast to the internet: The podcaster uploads the episode to a website on the internet and makes it available for subscription by using software technology called an RSS feed. RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication.”
- Subscribers get the podcast: People subscribe to the podcast using specialized RSS reader software programs known as podcatchers or podcast aggregators. Whenever a new episode of a podcast to which you are subscribed is published, your aggregator will download that episode to your computer.
- Subscribers listen to the podcast: Once the episode is downloaded, subscribers can listen to it whenever they want on their computers or on a digital music player, such as an iPod.
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