Podcasting How To - How to Edit Your Podcast

So you have the ideas, you have the software, now all you need is to make your podcast into a bite size package ready for delivery to the adoring masses.

How long should a podcast be? A good question to ask when you want to create your own podcast.

That's a common question and a good one too- too long and people will lose interest, and too short and there is not enough content... I would say from experience that about 20 minutes is the average length you want to be shooting for. Once you have recorded it, (which you can do with just a simple computer headset), then you will be wanting to make it bite size and easily deliverable- in other words, you need to edit it.

Now, don't worry, it is nowhere as bad or as difficult as you think, I promise!

Here are some tips and tricks on editing it.

OK, well lets assume you have the ideas, that has been covered in other articles by me on how to create a podcast.

Now you need some editing software. As a radio man, I personally like to use Cool Edit, or Adobe Audition- and that might be a long term investment and worthwhile one, but I am guessing you are wanting free right now?

Well, the good news is, there is good free editing software, called Audacity, and it is rather easy to master.

First, you need to grab it. If you go to Google and type in "Audacity", you will see as the first search result- "Audacity Free Download"- just hop over there and download it, and install it on your computer.

With a little configuring, you can record audio into your computer, edit it, and mix music into it. Then with another small bit of configuration, you can export that track and, hey presto, you can have your podcast ready! Hurray!

There are lots of tricks you can use once you understand Audacity, like making audio louder or softer, and moving it around in the places you want it.

It is a relatively short learning curve, but it is worth learning I have to say, a Brian Tracy, the well known author is known for saying- "All skills are learnable".

Now I guess you would like some training, so if you go to Google and type in "the podcasters bible", you can grab a load of free training videos, which I made for you. Enjoy!

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Producing a Podcast

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.

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Business Owners Can Use the Power of a Podcast

There are so many opportunities for business owners to meet people today. Whether you want to reach out to prospective customers, current customers, business associates or any other person for whatever reason, there is an avenue that fits your need.

Many of these are virtual avenues. Just a few minutes on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and all the other social media sites will show you exactly what I mean. Business owners often use these sites to promote their business and also to interact with friends, other business owners, customers and even prospective customers.

You can also offer information about your company on the various business pages and introduce yourself through your website's About page. Then there are also email campaigns, newsletters, blogs, etc. But all of these options are only the written word. What is missing is the tone of your voice. Your inflection. Your speech pattern. Your personality. Sure, you can add a smiley face or LOL on your written posts. But sometimes it's nice to hear what people are saying.

My husband and I were invited to participate with Shani Leccima of Married Millions for a Power Couple's Podcast. These segments are discussions with married couples who are in business together. What a great marketing piece! The various podcasts allow the listeners to get to know the business owners, learn how and why the business was started and how it has affected the marriage. The personalities really come out in these conversations.

But interviews are just one way to utilize the power of a podcast. The opportunities are endless. They can be extremely casual as these Power Couple's Podcasts are. But you can create them to be whatever you want them to be. Educational presentations, lectures, how-to opportunities and, of course, interviews.

There is a high level of flexibility, which serves marketing yourself and your company well. You can set the tone through the format, your voice, soft music in the background and the degree of interaction you create with your guests (if you have guests).

Delivery of the podcast itself is also flexible. Your listeners will have a choice of listening to it on their desktop or laptop, downloading it to a CD or mp3. With today's technology, there is no limit to the methods of marketing yourself and your company. Podcasts are just one additional option to get up close and personal so those you are reaching out to have the opportunity to know you just a little better.

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How to Record a Phone Interview For a Podcast

One of the easiest podcast formats to produce is the phone interview. After all, all you need to do is co-ordinate the call, co-ordinate the questions you want to ask, do the call and record it. The person you are interviewing does most of the writing of the content. In many cases you don't even need to come up with the questions -- just your own slant on them.

But there's one problem that seems to stump most new podcasters.

How do you record a phone interview for a podcast?

It seems like it should be difficult because there are two people being recorded. But it really isn't. In this article I'm going to show you how to record a phone interview under four different methods.

One of the easiest methods is to steal a page from teleseminars. Rather than simply call the other person directly, use a teleconferencing system to make the call. In this case both of you will call the bridge line. Once there you, as the host, start the recording facility which most teleconference service (even the free ones) have. After that all you need to do is carry out the interview. At the end you end the call in the normal way and download the recording.

Another method is just as easy. Use Skype and call recording software like MP3 Skype Recorder. This is a particular tool can be downloaded for free. All you need to do is start the recorder then make a Skype phone call either to your interviewee's Skype account or to their land line. Once you hang up on Skype the call recorder will save the recording to your hard disk. Find the recording, edit it and you're all set to go.

However, sometimes life isn't so easy.

Every once in a while, you'll find that you need to use a regular telephone line to make the call. But don't worry you can still record the podcast.

The easiest way works only if you are able to call using your computer. Many of us have modems built into our computers. We've forgotten them because the internet now does many of those functions that a modem was used for. However, if you have a modem you can use them for a function you might not have thought of -- you can make a phone call with them. It might take a bit of work but you can still find software that allows you to make phone calls directly from your computer. Simply use that software and add a free tool such as Wavepad sound editor. Although these tools are intended for audio editing most of them are also able to record.

Of course, sometimes there's no choice but to use a real telephone to make a direct call. The easiest solution in that case, is to buy a suction cup telephone pickup microphone. These are inexpensive microphones which stick to your telephone. Plug the microphone jack either into a memo recorder -- an MP3 player with a microphone jack will do -- or attach it to the headphone microphone jack for your computer. If you are using your computer as a recorder use a free tool such as Wavepad to do the actual recording.

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Different Podcast File Formats

So you've written your podcast. You've recorded it. You've edited it and added music. You're all set. Everything has come together well.

And then along comes a problem. It's time to save the audio file. So you hit the save button and you get a long, long list of file formats.

What file format should you choose?

The choice can be overwhelming at first glance. After all audacity provides more than twelve different file formats. It seems like everyone who is producing a sound program produces their own format. And instead of becoming obsolete each of the formats seems to hold on for ever after.

Of course, in an article of this size discussing all the formats possible isn't possible. So in this article I'm going to discuss nine different podcast file formats available to you.

1. Moving Pictures Expert Group - Standard 1 or 2 Audio Layer III (MPG or MP3). This is the de-facto standard for audio files -- podcast or otherwise. Usable on most players it has only one problem. It is a lossy format meaning that it reduces file size by discarding frequencies outside of the given range. As a result, the quality of the recording can vary from tinny telephone up to near-CD quality.

2. Microsoft Waveform Audio File Format (WAV). This format is raw and uncompressed -- meaning it takes up a lot of space but gives a high quality, lossless sound. Occasionally, these are used for podcasting but frankly they are ill-suited to a talk show format where lost frequencies will improve the overall sound rather than reduce the quality.

3. Audio Interchange File Format (AIFF). This is Apple's version of the WAV file. While it is used for professional sound recording it is both specialized and massive meaning that it, like the WAV is ill-suited for podcasts.

4. Windows Media Audio (WMA). This is a proprietary format which can be either lossless or lossy. It was developed to overcome deficiencies in the MP3 format. However, because it is proprietary it varies in acceptance. Use of this format for your podcast may mean some potential customers cannot play your audio files.

5. Ogg Vobis. This is actually an Open Source media container. While the fact that it is open source encourages its adoption, it has not in fact caught on. The majority of your audience probably doesn't know what it is or how to use it.

6. Compact Disk Audio (CDA or PCM). This is the format used by Compact Discs. CDA format is actually a pointer to a Pulse-Code Modulation (PCM) file. These files are often used as the basis for WAV and other files. However, they aren't used very often for podcasts due to their size.

7. Advanced Audio Coding (AAC). This was originally designed to be the replacement for the MP3 format. Although it is loss (like the MP3) it is generally achieves lower files sizes than MP3 for the same quality. It is the default format for Sony, Apple and several smartphone manufacturers. Unfortunately, it doesn't have the same adoption rate as MP3.

8. Real Audio (RA or RAM). This was originally a streaming media format. While it is used in the PC world, it is frequently not supported in other industries.

9. Audio (AU). Developed by Sun Microsystems for the NexT computer, it is a lossy file format. In practice it is not used a great deal as most podcast players consider it as a proprietary format.

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Podcast Hosting

The Best Companies for Podcast Hosting

A podcast is ether an audio or video file available on the Internet that can be downloaded to personal devices like the iPods, personal computers, mp3 players, etc. Podcast hosting is the making of podcasts to be downloaded by subscribers of the podcast. This type of hosting on the Internet can either be free or not. Free hosting has restrictions in the limit of bandwidth that is allowed per host. Hosting services that require fees are more convenient because you are not limited to the bandwidth that you can use. Here are some hosting companies that you can employ for your hosting.

Libsyn. Liberated Syndication's monthly prices ranges from $5 to $30 depending on the size of storage you want. Libsyn also has unlimited bandwidth, meaning you can post as many podcasts as you want and still enable your subscribers to download them efficiently.

HipCast. Formerly known as audioblog.com, this service has tools that allow users to make podcasts from scratch. It offers a 7-day trial and if you are satisfied, you have to pay the monthly fees.

GoDaddy. This service does not have unlimited bandwidth, so this is perfect for those who post with small sizes.

Odeo Studio. This company allows users to post for free, but with limited bandwidth. You can only upload a file up to 50 mb. Hosting a podcast free of charge has its limitations, so if you are for promoting a business, it is advisable to use the services of a host that requires monthly fees for your podcasts to be downloaded continuously.

It is an easy and convenient way to share your audio and video files to everyone all over the world. You can also use hosting for your business. Make sure to choose the best hosting service provider for your hosting requirements so your subscribers are satisfied.

Three Types of Podcast Hosting

There are three types of hosting that you can choose from. Knowing what type of podcasts you want to post allows you to choose which host to employ.

Casual Hobbyist Level. This one is just for fun. If you put audio and video files in your website that do not have much subscribers, employing a free server is the best choice. Since the traffic on your website is slow, you do not need a high limit or unlimited bandwidth that will cost you every month.

Hobbyist or Small Business Level. Service like Libsyn gives you unlimited bandwidth, which means you can download and transfer data from your website as much as you want. This is perfect if you are promoting a business that requires you to post audio and video files on your site.

Serious Hobbyist or Business Level. Powweb and Globat are the best servers for this type of hosting. If you have a business that you want to promote extensively on the Internet, you need a podcast hosting server that gives you unlimited bandwidth, RSS feeds for your audience, etc.

Sharing audio and video files has never been easier. Your subscribers can even have your latest podcasts downloaded automatically through the RSS feed. They no longer have to check your site for new posts and download them manually as the feed shares your newest posts directly to them.

How to Begin Podcasting the Right Way   The Art of Podcasting   How To Pick A Great Name For Your Podcast   

Podcast Transcription: Converting the Spoken to the Written

What is a podcast?

Pod casts, sometimes known as web casts or net casts, are a popular form of communication. Podcast are audio or video digital media files released on a periodic basis as episodes. With an extremely large range of topics and content, be it science, religion or comedy, it's no wonder that everyone has a podcast or two that they just love. So not only do you love them but you have to keep coming back for more.

Transcribing podcast

However, podcast are more than just a form of entertainment they are a new frontier in business, marketing and even education. Podcast are now used as tools to pass on important messages and spread the word on behalf of educators, businesses, and individuals. It then follows that we would want the message to reach and be understood by as many people as possible. This is where podcast transcription comes in. Converting podcast audio/video to text can help reach individuals that would otherwise be overlooked by conventional podcast such as the hearing impaired.

Podcast Translation

Going a step further and not only transcribing but also translating the podcast opens up a whole world of possibilities almost literally. The world seems to be getting smaller by the day but what is definitely increasing is the amount of inter-cultural relations that often necessitate the bridging of language differences. So if you are using podcast as a tool for getting your message across to an international audience then podcast transcription and translation is definitely something you must consider as part of your strategy. After all, that extra bit of effort might be the difference between epic failure and phenomenal success.

How to transcribe or translate a podcast

Unfortunately, it takes time and effort to get podcast audio/video transformed into written text. Luckily, there are a bunch of transcription and translation services available, some better than others but all offering the opportunity to get your message across to a wider audience. With lots of competitive pricing and guarantees of up to 100% accuracy your professionally transcribed podcast will be high quality and not break the bank. Not to mention it will also save you the time of having to do it yourself. So now it's up to you to make the decision to take your podcast to the next level so they can reach the audience you want them to. Whatever you decide it cannot be denied that getting your podcast transcribed or translated can offer you more advantages than not.

How to Begin Podcasting the Right Way   The Art of Podcasting   How To Pick A Great Name For Your Podcast