Things You'll Need:
- Computer
- Webcam
- Microphone
- Movie Recording and Editing Software
- Web Server Space
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Step 1
Plan out your video podcast. The key to having a successful and entertaining video podcast is to have good content. Write out ideas and do some research on your subject matter. This step should be done before ever turning on a camera or running any software.
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Step 2
Install your webcam and movie editing software. If you need software, QuickTime Pro is a great program for video podcasts. It will cost you a little bit, but it has all the features that you need for your video podcast.
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Step 3
Set up your software. You will need to go into the preferences for the software and make sure it can find and recognize your webcam. You will also need to set up a microphone to capture audio. Test out your equipment before you start recording.
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Step 4
Record your video podcast. There is a good chance your video podcast will be played back on a video iPod that has a small screen so there are a few things to keep in mind when recording. Keep your shots zoomed in tight. Use 4:3 instead of 16:9. Keep it concise because someone watching might not have a lot of time so you want to get your point across quickly.
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Step 5
Edit your video podcast. Take out any mistakes unless you want them in the final version. If you use transitions between shots try to keep it to straight cuts instead of dissolves or something similar because they may not look right after you compress the file. If you are adding text to your video make sure it is large enough that it could be read easily on an iPod screen.
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Step 6
Compress your video file. An uncompressed file is too large to try to distribute and it may not play correctly on different formats. This is where it is nice to have QuickTime Pro because it has an "Export to iPod" function. The resulting file will be an MPEG 4 file. You can find other software online that will compress your video file.
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Step 7
Upload your video podcast to your web server. You can find free web space sometime with blog utilities or you can pay a little bit to get your own web space from a web hosting company. Your files must be online somewhere for others to view them.
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Step 8
Create an RSS feed that iTunes and other podcatchers can use to access your video podcast from your server. RSS feeds are done in XML code that can be complex, but you can find templates or XML creators online that will make creating your XML file easier. You will point iTunes and other podcatchers at your RSS feed instead of at your actual video podcast, and your RSS feed will point the podcatcher to your podcast.
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Step 9
Distribute your video podcast by submitting your RSS feed to podcast directories such as the iTunes podcast directory or Podcast Alley. You only have to do this once and it will stay up-to-date with your RSS feed.
