Learn About Podcasting

Guess who is a Guest Sweetie Saturday Report Writer? It’s me!

I have written the Profiting from Podcasting guide for Alice Seba’s Sweetie Saturday Report Club and you can grab it right now for a measely two bucks when you use this coupon code: 28CC4

Now is a great time to launch a new podcast.  Do you know how many people in your target market just got a new iPod or some other mp3 player for Christmas?  Tons!!  They’ll be hunting for great audio content to fill it with :)

Submit Your Audio Articles to LadyPens

I partnered with Nicole Dean this year on revamping the LadyPens Women’s Article Directory and I want to draw your attention to a new feature there that you should be tapping into one way or another.

It’s a category for Audio Articles.

The same great article content that publishers can grab for a newsletter or website, publishers can now grab for a podcast or internet radio show.  That is IF the author has taken the time to provide an audio version of their article.

These are not computer voice read articles - these are articles read by the author in her own voice - ready for insertion into your audio project.  You use them and give credit for them the same way that you would use the text version.

If you have written articles to promote your business, I want to encourage you to create an audio version of your best articles for LadyPens.  I for one am hungry for some great audio content to supplement my podcasts ;)

Podcasters Take Care with Wordpress Upgrade

The latest version Wordpress (2.6) created a bit of a crumple for us Podpress using podcasters.

If you upgraded to 2.6, then tried to publish a new podcast or edit an old one - you noticed that your podcast Mp3 info was not being saved on the post.

This happened to a couple of my friends this past week and sent them into a panic.

The good news is that the fix isn’t too hard - and I’m sure that the Podpress plugin makers will issue an update soon that will correct the issue.

You can find the fix that I used successfully right here.  Look at Otto’s comment ;)

Lesson: You should always upgrade to the current build of Wordpress BUT if you’re dependent on plugins, it pays to wait at least a couple of weeks to see if there are any known issues before putting your website on the line.

I Want Guests!

We podcasters receive a healthy number of requests from people who want to be a guest on our shows.  To help potential guest make a good pitch, I provide some information and tips right on my website.

Because I have taken the time to tell someone exactly how to approach me with a show topic idea and I have given clear information on just what sort of topics I am open to, I get annoyed when someone makes contact to pitch something that is completely outside of the scope of my show.

Annoyed may equal me hitting the delete key.

I don’t get delete happy with everything.  If the person writing me is a work at home mom, I’ll always take a moment to reply and let them know the topic isn’t a good fit.  If I know of a podcaster who would be interested in their topic I will forward their email to them.

It’s sad that most of the guest requests I get aren’t appropriate because I WANT guests.  I want interesting people with good topics to contact me.  I want to interview moms who are doing well with a home business.

Should you send me a shop topic idea?

Is it ok to take a Hiatus from your Podcast?

It is not only OK to take a hiatus from your podcast now and then, I think it’s a great idea!

I’ll admit that this is a relatively new opinion for me and that I’ve never taken a hiatus from Work at Home Moms Talk Radio in the four and a half years I’ve been hosting it.  But still - I see great value in occasionally taking a breather.

You don’t have to let your podcast feed go silent.  My friend Tara of Army Wife Talk Radio re-broadcasts popular episodes when she needs to take some time off.

If need a break - take it :)  Just let your listeners know in advance when the hiatus will begin and how long it will last.  They’ll be waiting for your return to action with smiles on their faces :)

Build A Community Around Your Podcast

If you’re podcasting (or if you’re a pre-podcaster at this point) you want to have an active, responsive listening audience, right?

Of course you do! No one wants their podcast to be a one way conversation. We want interaction!

Jason Van Ordon (Author of Promoting Your Podcast: The Ultimate Guide to Building an Audience of Raving Fans) is creating a series of videos/audios that talk about building a community around your podcast. I’ve watched the first segment and I’m listening to the second segment right now.

It’s good stuff.  He’s sharing what he calls the ‘Laws of Magnetism’ in this audio.

They’re available to you free, just click here to start :)

Podcasting Alphabet: P, Q & R

Continuing my Podcasting ABC’s from here.

P is for Profit

You know I have to get the issue of making a profit in here.  All podcasters are not in it for a profit but most that I know are.  Have you thought about what your profit goals are?  Think it through and write it down.  Break your numbers down until you have a per episode profit goal - then start building income avenues to get you to that number.

Q is for Quality

You don’t have to use expensive equipment or spend a fortune on high end audio production work to give your audience a quality listening experience.  However, be careful that you don’t go too ’shoestring’.  Little audio annoyances like humm or static from the phone line can wear down a listener and keep them from concentrating on your message.

R is for Repurpose

The interviews and content shared on your podcast could easily be repurposed.  Start by having someone transcribe your program and then see about sorting the text into articles, blog posts, special reports or ebooks.

Podcasting Alphabet Soup: M, N & O

Continuing my Podcasting ABC’s from here.

M is for Motivation

A podcast is a powerful motivational tool.  You can and should use some of the time you have in each show to motivate your listeners to take action.

N is for New

Every episode is an opportunity to do something new.  It’s good to have a routine or pattern to follow but it is also sometimes very good to throw your routine out the window and just let your hair down.

O is for Objective

Do you have an objective for your podcast as a whole?  You should.  If you don’t know what you want to achieve by podcasting you will soon falter for a reason to continue.

Do you have an objective for the episode that you are planning right now?  You should!  If you don’t have a purpose for the show - why would anyone want to listen to it?

Podcasting Alphabet Soup: J, K & L

Continuing my Podcast ABC’s from here.

J is for Joint Venture

A Podcast is a great Joint Venture project for people who reach a similar target market.  By bringing on Co-Hosts you can share the work load as far as developing content for the show.  Having multiple venues to promote the show helps too.

K is for Knowledge

Hosting a podcast is a fantastic way to demonstrate knowledge and confidence about your area of expertise.

L is for Link Love

A good podcast attracts inbound links and a smart podcaster shares a lot of link love through their show notes.   Be sure to provide a permanent link for your guests to use to link to their archived appearance.

Podcasting Alphabet Soup: G, H & I

Continuing my Podcasting ABC’s…

G is for Guests

Your podcast format doesn’t have to include guest interviews but having guests on your show does more than provide interesting content for your listeners.  It opens doors for promoting your program to your guest’s mailing list or blog.  Don’t be shy about asking guests to promote their appearance on your show to their circle of influence.  Give them a permanent link to the archive of their appearance for their media page and offer them open ended permission to use their interview audio (with credit to your podcast) on their site.  Have a graphic made that they can display that says ‘Listen to me on _____ Podcast’.

H is for Hosting Habits

Before I started to host my own podcast there were very few things I had to do for my business on a strict weekly basis. I soon learned though that one of the worst things a new podcaster can do is be unreliable.  Nothing aggravates a listener more than having to wait for your show to publish.  You have to develop a good weekly schedule and adopt a habit of posting your shows on time.  Of course, if you’re good at planning, you can prepare several shows in advance and have to think about your production schedule less often.

I is for Ideas

Before you launch a podcast you should sit down and brainstorm a big list of show topic ideas.  If you want to publish a weekly show, shoot for a full 52 episode topics.  The farther out you plan the better you can spot opportunities for series and seasonal promotions.  I find ideas for shows through article directories, forums, ezines, magazines, books, television, movies, blogs, internet surveys, etc.

Add your own G, H or I in the comment section below :) 

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