How to Create a Podcast

A podcast is simply a series of audio files that you make available for others to hear. It is called a podcast because it is usually broadcast on a daily or weekly basis. Creating a podcast is easy once you have the proper tools.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Web site or blog
• Internet Access
• Audio editing and recording software
• MP3 files
• Microphone

1. Choose a topic for your podcast.

2. Decide on the frequency you would like to publish your podcast. A news-based podcast is more effective when published daily, while a story-based podcast could be published weekly.

3. Write a script for your podcast. Sometimes it is valuable to write out what you want to say in your podcast. This helps make your podcast sound more professional and eliminate “umms,” “uhhs” and uncomfortable pauses.

4. Record your audio file. Work with audio recording software that is easy for you to understand and use. Complicated software will do nothing more than waste time as you try to figure out the features. Audacity is an easy and free tool to use.

5. Convert your audio file to MP3 format. More than likely, your audio recording software will save your audio recording in its own format. You will need to “Save As” or “Export” to MP3 format so your listeners can open and hear the file.

6. Upload your MP3 file to your Web server.

7. Create an article or blog post introducing your podcast and describing what you are discussing in the podcast.
   

8. Link your MP3 file to your new article or blog post. Your link will look similar to this: < a href="http://yourwebserver.com/mypodcast.mp3">Click Here to Listen.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember that listeners can only hear your voice, not see you, in an audio podcast. Your topic or theme should be something about which you are truly passionate, which listeners will sense in your voice.
• If you have a short podcast (5 or 10 minutes), you might be able to complete more than one recording at a time. Spend an hour or two creating all of your podcasts for the week. This will save a lot of time.
• Some audio editing and recording software will require that you install an MP3 Encoder to convert or export your audio file to MP3 format. Check the user manual to see which converters your audio software requires or recommends.
• When uploading your podcast to your Web server, be sure to upload it in binary format. In any other format, you will risk corrupting your file.
• Always test your MP3 file link to make sure it is pointing to the correct file and that the MP3 opens.

[au79scorpion]

on 8/26/2008 who would you recommend to host your creation?