Editor’s Note: If you’re interested in reading an in-depth guide on podcasting, be sure to check out this post on the DJ City website. It’s packed with great tips and techniques.

Podcasting has been the most lucrative and effective online marketing strategy I have employed in my business thus far. I say this wholeheartedly as I have been audio podcasting since 2010 and that was long before podcasting for business became a trend.

Podcasting — and I’m talking about audio podcasting for this post — is one of the most accessible, free and easiest ways to get your content to your consumer anywhere in the world, day or night. As long as they have a mobile device (and who doesn’t these days) they can subscribe and listen to your content when they’re cooking dinner, walking the dog or on the treadmill at the gym. Heck, you can even be their companion on their long drives in between clients.

iTunes has now made the distribution of audio podcasts even easier. With an RSS feed you can now create a broadcast channel, via iTunes, and distribute your audio podcast to any iTunes user worldwide. But let’s not limit the audience base to iTunes. There’s a plethora of online distribution sites, both free and paid, where you can get your content heard.

How to Get Started in Podcasting Today

I’m a professional podcaster and if you were to ask me how I produce my shows it would require much more than a blog post. However, I am a strong believer in the concept of ‘just do it.’ If you wait until something is perfect before you release it, it will never get out. So with that as my premise, I am going to give you 7 steps to get you podcasting right now with room for improvement as you move along.

1)     Good sound
When all you have to rely on is sound, make damn sure that the sound quality is the best it can be. You don’t have to have a full sound mixing desk to achieve this, but you can get it right with these two tips. Firstly, get yourself a good podcast microphone which shouldn’t cost you more than $100. Then make sure that the room you’re recording in has carpet, low ceilings and away from noise and people.

2)     Good quality content
Think about your target market and what their needs are. You are not your market. You need to remember that when you’re recording. Make a list of the top ten issues they face and then create your content around that. It may be just you recording your own voice and providing solutions or you can interview a guest who is an expert in that field; either way, content is king in every aspect of online and podcasting is no different.

3)     Audio Resources to get you started
If it’s just your voice you’re recording, you can use a free program called Audacity to record the file. If you are interviewing a guest, hook up on Skype and use a third party recording program to record the audio.

There are a number free options you can find online for both PC and Mac. I’m a PC user and the program I use is Callburner. It’s not free but only costs around $49.95 for a license. I highly recommend it.  You’ll need somewhere to store your audio files like Amazon S3 or Audio Acrobat which stores both audio and video files.  I’ve been using it for years and it’s easy to navigate your way around it. It will also provide you with the RSS feed for your podcast (similarly as with your blog). This is what iTunes requires for your show to be uploaded.

4)     Audio and visual branding for your show

Get a good intro, outro and bumpers written, recorded and produced to give your show a strong audio brand. But don’t be dismayed; you can get these produced for a very low cost via one of the myriad of outsourcing sites or you can try my favorite one Fivver.com.  Here you’ll find a massive amount of resources you can not only use for podcasting but for your business in general. Essentially, it’s a listing of people who are willing to do almost anything for $5! You can get your visual branding such as your iTunes graphic designed, your sound elements written and produced. You could even find an editor to edit your show.

 

5)     Show notes
You’ll always want to have a page on your website or blog that highlights each episode. In your show notes you should include the following:

  1. Key points that were brought up in the content
  2. The audio player should be at the very top of the page
  3. A link to your iTunes channel
  4. Links to your guests websites
  5. Appropriate affiliate links to monetize your show
  6. Sponsors links (when you get them)
  7. Requests to leave a rating and review on iTunes
  8. Sharable links to all major social media sites
  9. Blog and/or Facebook comments

6)     Market every episode to the max
Once your episode is live, it’s listed on iTunes and your show notes are completed, it’s time to market your show. Here are some great ideas to get you started:

  1. If you have a guest on your episode, shoot them an email with the links to iTunes and your show notes
  2. Have pre-written Tweets and Facebook posts for your guests
  3. Create a graphic (badge) for your guests that shows they’ve been a guest on your show with a link to the episode
  4. Add a number of ‘Click to Tweets’ on your show notes to make it easy for people to share a pre–written tweet
  5. Promote on all social media sites and ask people to share it around
  6. Send out an email newsletter to your database
  7. Write a blog post about your episode
  8. Make a short promo video and add it to YouTube

7)     Strive for excellence never perfection
Perfection is an unattainable goal. It’s an excuse to never get started. Never, ever aim for perfection; only excellence. In other words, do the best you can with the resources and skill you have right now and as you know better you’ll do better. That’s how you’ll grow. When I go back to my first episodes I cringe at the poor quality but at the time that’s all I knew. My gumption and enthusiasm was enough to get me through. Now, it’s a different story. My experience and skill level has increased exponentially therefore I require more from each show. Please take this advice on-board; it will be your best gift.

Podcasting is really about being heard and about being listened to. People who podcast have something to say. If you’ve got something to say and it’s worth listening to, start recording. Get it out there. Start a podcast show now and make sure you let me know when it’s live!

 

About the Author: Ludwina Dautovic is a global broadcaster, publisher and digital content creator and has often been referred to as Australia’s premiere broadcasting voice for business. In 2013 she was named one of Australia’s top 100 coolest companies. You can listen to her on iTunes, Podcast Like a Pro, or visit her resource site: www.HowToPodcastLikeaPro.com.