Podcasts are enjoying a growing popularity all over the world. Its unique delivery system (podcast files in MP3 format being downloaded into computers automatically upon subscription) and the fact that you can bring it and listen to it anywhere through portable music players is contributing to its continually increasing subscriber base. Of course, the fact that it is all free is a big attraction for anyone, and add to that the relatively easy way of availing this great new application. All one needs is an internet connection and a computer – the portable player itself is an optional accessory and not needed to really enjoy listening podcasts.

There are so many available podcasts on the internet catering to so many genres. In fact, the available genres offered by podcasts are so much diverse than what is offered in regular radio programming. One of the most popular podcast genres though are so-called comedy podcasts. These types of podcasts consistently rate at the very top of any podcast countdown on the internet. This attests to its massive popularity.

There could be many reasons why comedy podcasts seem to have captured the attention and following of so many computer users and podcast fans all over the world. The light hearted nature of the podcasts as well as the silly subjects that are discussed are just perfect for the medium. There are also comedy podcasts that take the usual interview format with celebrities and gives it’s a hilarious spin. Imagine having a very stressful day at work, or you are stuck in rush hour traffic and the wait is driving you crazy. Nothing could alleviate those negative feelings more than hearing hilarious banter or commentaries on your portable music player. The comedy could distract you from the stress or from the boredom. Comedy podcasts are also a good genre to mix with the music in your portable player. After listening to your favorite albums you can kick back and just let your hair down with those zany comedy podcasts.

There are so many different comedy podcasts to choose from that one would be hard pressed to just pick one. Below are some of the most popular comedy podcasts available on the internet:

The Ricky Gervais podcast – The funny star of the British sitcom The Office has began making podcasts. Gervais is as funny as ever. This is British comedy at its best.

The President’s Weekly Radio Address – This is the official parody of the US president’s weekly radio address. Pres. Bush’s weekly address is lampooned every week by these witty writers

Gay Fun Show – called the “Love Boat” of podcasts, hear political comedy given an unmistakable gay twist by its two hosts. These guys also interview different celebrities with their gay aplomb.

Comedy 365 – another outstanding British-based comedy podcast. This is one of the most popular Brit-comedy podcasts on the net and is worth checking out.

Infected by Martin Sargent – TechTV host Martin Sargent brings his zany and hilarious wit in his tour of the most cutting edge, most humourous, and weirdest content on the internet.

How would you like to make money with your podcast? If you are podcasting, the potential to generate revenue from your podcast is an extra-added benefit to you as a podcaster.

As a podcaster, you don’t have to worry about large overhead and the revenue generated through your podcast will be mostly profit.

There are three main ways in which you can make money with your podcast.

1. Generate Revenue through Commerical Sponsors

One of the greatest ways to generate revenue for your podcast is through commercial sponsorship of your show. If you are able to obtain a major sponsor, you can bring in large revenue for your podcast. As time goes on, major companies are beginning to recognize the true importance of podcasting.

Two Moms, Paige and Gretchen, from Virginia understand the significance of commercial sponsors. They host a weekly show called MommyCast that focuses on mothers. Paige is a mother of 5 and Gretchen is a mother of 2.

They have obtained two major sponsors for their show, Earthlink and Dixie. As a result, they are making substantial revenue just from commercial sponsorship to their show. When they started podcasting, they probably had no idea how popular their show would become. However, Earthlink and Dixie recognized the impact of their show and decided to become sponsors. http://www.mommycast.com/

If two Moms from Virginia can do this, anyone can accomplish this same goal. It doesn’t matter where you live or what you are podcasting about. If you are able to generate a substantial listening audience, the chances of obtaining major sponsors for your podcast will increase.

Commercial sponsorship for your podcast is an excellent way to generate a great source of income. If you are able to obtain a big sponsor, this could bring in large revenue for you as a podcaster.

When two major corporations like Earthlink and Dixie recognize podcasting as a way to reach potential customers, this is great news for all podcasters. When a major sponsor advertises on traditional radio, the radio station’s signal is limited by wattage to a specific geographic region. However, with podcasting, there is no geographic limitation. Anyone in the world with a computer or mp3 player can potentially hear the show. Thus, this is an excellent selling point to potential sponsors.

2. Make Money with Donations

Another way to generate revenue with your podcast is with donations. For example, Adam Kempenaar and Sam Hallgren host a twice-weekly film podcast from Chicago called Cinecast. They review different movies and give their opinions. Their podcast is becoming very popular and continues to grow on a daily basis. http://www.cinecast.com/

If you visit iTunes, you will see that they are listed as a featured podcast in their podcast directory. This is a major plus for Cinecast. http://www.apple.com/itunes/podcasts/

Adam and Sam have decided to make money by requesting donations for their podcast. When you go to their website, you will see a button for PayPay in which listeners can make a donation to their podcast. PayPal has a positive reputation and offers an excellent way for accepting donations.

If you provide valuable information to your listener, they will appreciate your efforts and be more likely to make a donation. However, in time, Cinecast will probably be able to acquire national sponsors.

When you first start podcasting, donations are an excellent way to generate revenue as your audience grows.

3. Get Money from your Website or Blog

The third way that you can make money with your podcast is with advertisements on your website or blog. Google AdSense is one way that you can accomplish this goal. AdSense places ads on your website and when someone clicks on the ads, you get paid. https://www.google.com/adsense/

Another way to make money with your website or blog is by promoting different products through Clickbank. ClickBank offers over 10,000 products that you can promote as an affiliate. It is free to sign up as an affiliate at ClickBank and you make money every time someone purchases a product through the links that are displayed on your site. http://clickbank.com/

The key element to generating revenue is getting your podcast noticed. The best way to accomplish this goal is by getting your podcast listed in iTunes and also listing your podcast with other podcast directories. You need to let people know that you are out there so that you can obtain a large audience. Over time, as your audience grows, the potential for commercial sponsors will also grow.

By definition, podcasting music describes a technology platform which allows you to distribute your audio music files via the Really Simple Syndication (RSS) format. Since this technology has become very popular among the global youthful generation, it can provide you with an inimitable opportunity to expose your music. So, as an upcoming artiste, what are the benefits that you get when you podcast your music? Learn here:

* It Provides You With A Chance To Build A Community: One of the vital steps of gaining recognition in the music industry is to develop a community. Podcasting your music and consistent communication with audience in your community can help you strengthen and expand your fan base in your community and beyond.

* Opportunity to Get Gigs: Gigs are very important to any artist. Podcasting music is one of the proven ways to get entertainment joints to listen to your music and to gauge your music genre against their targeted demographics. Therefore, podcasting is a vital marketing tool that will go a long way in finding you more bookings for your music in night clubs and other entertainment joints.

* It Provides a Powerful Distribution Channel: As aforementioned, without the backing of a reputable recording label, it can be very challenging to get an air play on your local radio stations. Podcasting music provides a very powerful distribution medium that can greatly increase your exposure as an artist.

* It Provides A Platform To Sell Your CDs: Podcasting music can also help you sell your music CDs. Sharing your sample audio files or single songs freely as a podcast can also encourage your fans to purchase CDs that contain your additional songs. This can significantly increase your general music sales and publicity.

* Promotional Opportunities: Podcasting music is also known for its ability to provide cross promotional opportunities. You can use podcasts to exchange promotional adverts with other artists who are of a similar music genre. This can significantly increase your fan base. Additionally, podcasting can be used as a stage to announce your new albums, songs, interviews and other promotional information that you want to reach your fans.

* Catching the Interest of Your Fans: Through podcasting your music, you can attract more fans, especially if you can feature music samples in your podcasts. Your loyal listeners will share the music samples with their close associates. Consequently, your music popularity will increase.

In a nutshell, podcasting music provides a very versatile opportunity to music artists. With this unique technology, you don’t have run after a recording label for your music to get noticed or to hassle for opportunities to play in a local night club to increase your fan base. Podcasting your music provides you with a convenient distribution channel.

We’ve certainly come a long way since “podcasts” were just a thing that a handful of people listened to on their click-wheel iPods. Even though the name itself was born from the iPod, it has slowly but steadily risen into one of the dominant forms of entertainment on the planet today. Millions of people listen to podcasts all over the world on a daily basis, many of whom have never owned an Apple product in their life.

Podcasts are creating a great new opportunity for marketers and artists alike on a daily basis that has STILL yet to reach the apex of what is possible with the format.

It’s the Wild, Wild West

One of the major reasons why podcasting as a format is so great for marketers and artists alike is because it’s essentially an open range as far as the actual content is concerned. Because the closest relative to the podcast is the traditional radio show, let’s take a look at some of the core differences.

With a radio show, you’re essentially beholden to the FCC as far as the actual content you’re able to create is concerned. There are certain rules and regulations that you have to adhere to regarding what you can say, when you can say it and more. The infrastructure of a radio show is also hugely expensive – if a show isn’t getting a certain number of listeners, it won’t get the ad rates it needs to stay on the air. This can lead to a program getting shelved before it finds its audience.

With a podcast, however, none of this is a concern at all. Podcasting is cheap – all you technically need is a microphone, a piece of recording software (most of which is available freely online) and an Internet connection and you’ve got your own show.

Much like the rest of the Internet, podcasts are also completely unregulated, meaning that you can say what you want, when you want and how you want – period. Not every show will amass a following of millions of listeners, but it is very possible to cultivate a small but loyal following of “high value customers,” aka the types that marketers love.

It’s Easy

Keeping in line with just how easy it is to START a podcast, finding listeners is also incredibly easy. Many smartphones (including the iPhone) have a podcasting app built right in at the time of purchase, creating millions upon millions of potential new listeners each year. These users can also listen to podcasts just about anywhere – with advancements like Apple’s carplay functionality, the differences between listening to a traditional radio show in your car versus a podcast are minimal at best.

It’s Popular

All of this leads directly into the next major reason why podcasting is the next great frontier for marketers and artists alike: as a medium, it’s undeniably popular. WTF with Marc Maron (an interview-style podcast hosted by comedian Marc Maron). There are some network television programs that don’t get 4 million viewers per month to put that into perspective.

Listeners Are Used to Ads

Perhaps the most important reason of all why podcasting is great for marketers and artists alike has to do with the fact that listeners are already accustomed to advertisements. Podcast episodes naturally lend themselves to a variety of non-intrusive ad formats. Sometimes a host will do live reads for products and services before or after the show itself, leaving the actual content completely uninterrupted. Sometimes a podcast episode will feature a quick break right in the middle for ads, separating the content into two chunks.

It doesn’t actually matter, as listeners aren’t “changing the channel” the same way they are when a radio show breaks for ads every 10 to 15 minutes. They understand that listening to (or even just putting up with) ads helps keep the content they love free by supporting the artists they want to hear. This in turn translates into big results for marketers, creating the type of situation where everyone wins from the top down.

It’s no secret that the podcasting world has seen quite the renaissance in 2015. It has never been easier to download your favourite podcast to take with you anywhere on your smart phone or tablet. Podcasts are an indispensable journalism resource and will become increasingly so in 2016. The modern journalist simply must keep abreast of the gadgets, software and trends shaping the industry today. The good news is that podcasts make this easier to do than ever-before! Here are ten amazing shows to wrap your ears around in 2016:

10. Content Warfare

Ryan Hanley presents ‘Content Warfare’, this serialized podcast features some of the world’s most prolific creators of online content. Popular topics include content creation and marketing, audience building and social media. This is a good one for anyone working in the digital media space who is keen to keep abreast of the latest trends and tools available out there.

9. @Sree show

Technology journalist Sree Sreenivasan was named Fast Magazine’s most creative person of 2015 for a reason, his podcast @Sreeshow is full of great hands-on advice for the digital journalist. Sree is prolific in the industry and taught at Columbia Journalism School for over 20 years before becoming Chief Digital Officer at the Met Museum of Art in New York City. He gives great advice everything from making the most of social media, photography and design, to tips on the latest mobile technologies. Worth a listen.

8. The High-Income Business Writing Podcast

Ed Gandia is a B2B writer who presents a show which looks at the nitty-gritty of what it takes to succeed in copywriting or business writing. This twice-monthly show is very much aimed at those working in the (freelance) business writing space. Gandia uses real-life case studies to demonstrate the best ways to find better clients, prepare content, or streamline your business as a freelancer (and much more). This is an entertaining and very hands-on podcast and is one to follow in 2016.

7. On The Media

This weekly hour-long radio show/podcast seeks to explore “how the media sausage is made”, as it “lifts the veil on the process of making-media”. And, it does. Hosts Brooke Gladstone and Bob Garfield take us behind the world’s headlines as they skeptically entertain us by revealing how the biggest stories are put together – whilst uncovering the not-so-obvious political narratives in everything we consume in the media. This is an eye-opener and should be required listening.

6. The Freelance Game

Veteran freelancers Andrew Hayward and Nathan Meunier co-host “The Freelance Game” podcast which covers the industry generally (with expertise in video gaming journalism). This very entertaining podcast specializes in dispensing advice on all areas of a freelance writer’s life. If you need advice on pitching to editors, interview strategies or diversifying your income as a freelancer then you need to check this out.

5. The Media Podcast with Olly Mann

The Media Podcast is recorded in London’s Covent Garden and is brought to us by Olly Mann (writer, gadget correspondent, LBC Radio presenter and occasional TV news commentator). Our affable presenter is our guide to all-things broadcast, print and digital media-industry related. The show frequently features leading UK-based journalists and should be required listening for anyone interested in the inner-workings of the British media.

4. How to Cover Money

The How To Cover Money podcast is a weekly podcast bought to us by Arizona State University’s Reynolds National Center For Business Journalism. Hosts Micheline Maynard and Mark Remillard offer advice on how to make money from stories (even if you aren’t a business journalist). This is a serialized podcast which comes from a business journalism perspective (but provides help for all journalists by offering useful strategies for covering and making money from stories more generally). A very good reference for anyone interested in business or financial journalism.

3. Journalism.co.UK

This is one of Britain’s leading media-related podcasts for a reason. Listeners are invited to take a look at the latest trends in digital journalism. The show often features industry experts who give an insight into how British newsrooms are handling these changes. Topics covered include everything from how to get into specific areas of journalism such as technology or broadcast, to tips for student journalists. The web-site (journalism.co.UK) is also worth a look and can be a great place to find media jobs.

2. The Media Show (BBC Radio 4)

Guardian columnist Steve Hewlett presents BBC Radio 4’s own ‘The Media Show’, a podcast which features discussions into areas such as censorship, business, ethics as well as general analysis of the fast-changing media world. Expect new episodes every Wednesday. This one is well-funded, well-produced and ensures influential guests on a regular basis. Recent guests include the Chief exec of Trinity Mirror, the owner of The Huffington Post, and the CEO of Virgin Media.

1. The Longform Podcast

Our number one podcast to follow in 2016 goes to The Longform Podcast. Each week hosts Max Linsky, Aaron Lammer and Evan Ratliff (CEO of media software company Atavist) invite a renowned journalist or editor to take us behind the scenes of a news story (whilst providing a master-class in journalism). If you want to get to know the people reporting the stories, or if you’re interested in how the world’s best staff writers or freelancers got started, then you need to listen to this podcast. Recent guests include a Pulitzer Prize winner, war-correspondents, and senior writers for the world’s leading publications. Longform deserves five-stars and wins the award for number-one podcast to follow in 2016.

The marketing concept of podcasts came on strong in the early years of the 20th century. And as of today, it’s used by thousands of business owners who want to increase their sales and profits simply and easily. Plus, podcasting is a free tool to use that can dramatically help to boost your traffic count, the number of new email subscribers that you have gained, and the number of people who go on to buy your products.

In my opinion, podcasting is a lot like posting videos on Youtube. You have to create the video, display your website address at the bottom of the video, and then hope that someone types in your domain name into their web browser so that they can get to your website. But nowadays with Youtube, you can list your website address in the description portion of the video, and it will turn it into a clickable link.

But podcasting is still kind of primitive if we’re going to compare it to Youtube. YouTube is the number 3 ranked website on the internet entire in terms of website traffic. And the largest podcast directory on the internet (iTunes), is the number 32 ranked website on the internet (according to the traffic service called Alexa).

Nevertheless, you can still get tons of traffic to your website simply and easily using iTunes and podcasting. In the same way that you will want to submit your video to other video sites other than Youtube… you will want to submit your podcasts to other podcast directories other than iTunes. It’s just a great way to get more exposure for your content.

When creating your podcasts, you will want to pick a niche that best suits your personality, knowledge, and potential amount of income that you can make. There are a ton of niches that you can enter into, but you will want to find one that is obscure and low in competition. That way you can attack the market with a variety of different internet marketing strategies, and quickly acclaim dominance in that niche.

Now when signing up to get your podcast marketing strategy together, you will want to get yourself a blog and podcast RSS feed. The easiest way to do this is with a company called “Feedburner”. Feedburner is a great service that can help you to launch your podcast marketing strategy simply and easily.

Luckily Feedburner is free, and you can take advantage of everything that it offers for you today. Once you acquire an RSS feed from Feedburner, you will want to go and submit it to the podcast directories, and also ping your podcast blog on a service like “pingomatic”.

Marketing your products and services using podcasts are a great way to earn the money that you are looking for in your business. I believe the popularity of podcasts will evolve over time, and it’s a smart thing to do if you want to use this medium as a part of your marketing strategy. Use it today and watch how your sales and profits increase.

Good luck with using these podcasting tips to earn the kind of money that you’re looking for in your business.

It has been said that in October of 2004 a Google search returned less than 6,000 results for the term “podcasting”. Today, a similar search yields more than 857,000 results. Like the blogging phenomenon, podcasting has come out of nowhere and attracted an enthusiastic following.

While some traditional radio talk shows have begun providing podcasts of their regularly-scheduled broadcasts, the bulk of the podcasts that have cropped up tend to be independent broadcasters who have a fascination with technology. As a result, some podcasts are a little rough around the edges. Nonetheless, it is clear that the technology provides a significant opportunity and potential. Even nay-sayers believe that podcasting is more than a passing fad.

Podcasting is RSS that is used to syndicate and distribute audio files. Podcasting contains an audio file in the RSS feed’s enclosure tag. An enclosure tag is used in RSS feeds to include certain types of files. The file contained in an enclosure tag can be: an image, a data file, a video file, or an audio file. Podcasting specifically refers to RSS feeds that contain audio files in their enclosure tag. The RSS version that currently supports enclosure tags is RSS version 2.0. All podcasts are currently created using this specification.

The benefit to podcasting is the fact that users can sync content with their media player and listen at a time and a place of their choosing: radio on demand. And while this technology is not limited to music, it seems to be the area that has received the most attention.

Podcasting is generally inexpensive to implement. Investment in a good quality microphone will ensure that the recording is audible. Depending on knowledge and experience, some podcasters invest in audio conversion, compression and audio editing software applications. Also, web space bandwidth and software to create the feed for the podcast is needed. All in all, the initial expense is relatively small.

Publishing Podcasts

In three simple steps, independent broadcasters can have their voice heard:

1. Publishers create audio content, posting it on a website for listeners.

2. Create or edit an existing RSS feed including a link to the audio file in the “enclosure” field of an RSS 2.0 feed, uploading it to a website.

3. Tell the world that a podcast is available.

Listen to Podcasts:

In three simple steps web surfers can listen to podcasts:

1. Download a news aggregator or RSS reader that supports podcasting or sync a wireless device like an iPod with your computer.

2. Enter the URL of the podcast feed into the news aggregator or podcast management software.

3. As new items appear in the aggregator, review the podcast’s description and listen to those that are of interest.

As popularity increases it is likely many voices will be drowned out, but for now, an independent broadcaster with a microphone and unlimited bandwidth can make a name, create an image and change the world.

Useful Tools for Podcasting:

Create podcast feed – http://www.feedforall.com

News aggregator supporting podcasts – http://www.feeddemon.com or http://www.primetimepodcast.com

See also Podcasting Tools – http://www.small-business-software.net/podcasting-tools.htm

But first, what is podcasting?

Podcasting is a relatively new kind of technology so here is a bit of background for those who haven’t come across this term yet. The definition on wikipedia is pretty good:

“Podcasting” is making audio files (most commonly in MP3 format) available online in a way that allows software to automatically download the files for listening at the user’s convenience.

The way I see podcasting is a cross between a radio show and a blog. The great thing is anyone can produce a podcast with little outlay and only very basic knowledge of IT. Once you have produced a podcast you can allow people to subscribe to receive updates when they are uploaded to your website. This is done in a very similar way to using an RSS reader to syndicate blog/news feeds (more on this later).

How did I make and publish my first podcast?

The first step for me was research. I wanted to find out what other podcasts sounded like and what other people were already doing (particularly in my field of personal finance). This was also a useful activity to remove any fears that all of the podcasts already produced would be of a highly professional quality – some are, but most are not!

Once I had established that nobody else was doing what I planned to do (with the exception of Martin Lewis, the Money Saving Expert, but this is more about saving money than financial planning) it was time to work out how to record my first show.

I planned to record ten minute shows which would cut down on production time and also keep the file size quite small. Because this is an audio file hosted on our website I wanted to ensure that it was not too large (to keep download times fast but also save on bandwidth restraints).

To record the content for my podcast I first tried using ‘Sound Recorder’ that comes with Windows XP. This wasn’t ideal for a couple of reasons. The recording time is limited to 60 seconds which would have meant cutting my planned show into ten perfectly timed segments then editing them all together. It also wouldn’t have allowed me to speak over backing music (something I felt was important for a professional sounding show/introduction).

I searched the web and found some free to try software on download.com. This software is called Propaganda 1.0 and it offers a complete solution to the would be podcast creator. I downloaded the free trial to ensure it did everything I wanted it to and then shelled out the $49.95 to activate the full version.

I wanted to ensure that my podcast wasn’t ten minutes of me talking about pensions so I asked my sister to record some sound bites for me. These were just simple bits of audio that I could use to introduce the show, break up the content and use to finish the podcast (my regulatory warning/disclaimer).

In terms of hardware I just used a microphone headset; the same system I use for Skype. This cost me £10 in Dixons and does a good job in terms of recording a single voice.

Using Propaganda I could record content for the show, line up as many as 16 different audio tracks (including some backing music) and play with the timing. This whole process took just under 2 hours before I was happy with the final version.

Publishing my podcast

The Propaganda software makes this pretty easy as well. Essentially there are three steps to publishing the podcast.

1 – create an MP3 file of the podcast. MP3 seems to be the most common file format for podcasts so I stuck with tradition. Propaganda allowed me to convert the 16 tracks of audio I had lined up into a single MP3 file and choose the most appropriate file quality. I opted for something mid-range, not too low as the sound quality suffered and not too high to keep the file size reasonable (under 4MB).

2 – host the MP3 file on your website. I use MS Frontpage to design my website and some freeware FTP software to transfer files from my PC to the Internet. To host the file I also built a basic website page that would tell prospective listeners a bit more about my podcast in general and more about this particular podcast show.

3 – make an RSS feed. Again, Propaganda did this for me with its publication feature. The RSS feed is the syndication feed that allows podcast players to find your podcast and subscribe to updates. When you produce a new podcast show you update this RSS feed (which is hosted on your website) and the various podcast players notice the update and download the new podcast for the listener.

Promoting my podcast

Now that I had a podcast I had to get some listeners! I posted a request for help on an online network, Ecademy.com, and got some very useful responses. It seems that the main podcast directory is Apples iTunes so I started there. It is really easy to get listed as all they need to know is the links to your podcast, website and RSS feed. There is a vetting process so I had to wait a couple of days to get listed but by Sunday morning I found my link and was able to use iTunes to download, listen to and subscribe to my podcast.

There are loads of other podcast directories but one that caught my attention was Britcaster.com. As this only lists UK podcasts (most of the directories, including iTunes, are US centric) it should result in a more relevant audience.

As well as listing in the various directories I added a blog on my website and a mention on my Ecademy signature. The combined effect of these two items is to get a high result on google.co.uk when the search term ‘personal finance podcast’ is used.

I think that I had a fairly good story to tell the press now as this is a first for a UK podcast (personal finance from an Independent Financial Adviser). I have already had some positive responses from the trade press so this week I plan to move onto the consumer financial press.

What next?

Well, apart from working on show number two I plan to improve the production quality of the show as time goes on. I might consider getting some ‘jingles’ produced that I can mix into the show to improve the feel and quality of the production. There is, of course, a business motive for producing this podcast as (I hope) it will lead to new enquiries and a higher profile on the web and in the press.

For anyone who is considering their own podcast (or has read this article and thinks it might be something they could do) I would suggest go for it! Podcasting is still in a very early stage and not many people in the UK have caught onto the technology just yet. With the explosion in iPod and other MP3 player ownership all of the predictions are for massive growth in the podcast market.

Because relatively few people produce their own podcasts now is a good time to get your own show up and running before your competitors catch onto the idea.

Having a knowledgeable expert on your podcast positions you as an industry leader. That’s why it’s important to do everything you can to make your expert look like a rock star.

Here’s a list of do’s and don’ts when it comes to podcast interviews, specifically focusing on how to make your guest look like a rock star (or thought leader).

1. Do research on the person you’re going to interview. Prepare some questions, get their bio and write down all the things that make them great.

2. Do get the spelling and pronunciation of your guest’s name correct before you start recording.

3. On the scheduled day and time of the interview, don’t leave your guest scrambling to figure out how to contact you. Since you arranged the interview, you have to make contact with your guest.

4. Do send interview questions at least a week before the interview. The day before is no good.

5. Do remind your guest that the interview is being recorded. This will put your guest at ease and help him or her to relax.

6. Do let your guest do the talking. He or she is the expert, so let their expertise shine through.

7. Do edit all the verbal clutter your guest makes. This will cause you extra work, but doing so makes your guest sound polished and articulate.

8. Do follow up with a thank you email and a link to the podcast interview that your guest appears on.

9. Do provide instructions on how the person can access and download their interview. Not everyone is well versed on how to listen to a podcast.

10. Do provide your audience with a URL to your guest’s website under a special section called Show Resources.

11. Do provide a blurb that your guest can copy and paste and send off to their colleagues, network and/or mailing list. This helps you to increase your audience and gain additional subscribers by using your guest’s database to promote your podcast.

Podcasting is one of those marketing mediums where a lot of people don’t know how to create one, and how to implement it into their business. Podcasting is fairly new, but it can definitely bring you a lot of traffic to your website on a daily basis. So if you think you can’t use a podcast, think again.

Podcasting is easy. Not to mention free. So it’s another way to deliver your marketing message without spending a dime on advertising. If you have a good, clear voice – and you speak coherently…. I think you should put podcasting into your marketing mix right away. You’ll see good results from it.

I always get asked from people, “How do I drive traffic to my website by using podcasts?” Well that answer is incredibly simple. When you start your podcast, mention your website address and the benefits of visiting there, and also do the same thing at the end of the podcast. Sometimes you will have to spell out the name of your website, because people will type it in wrong on their web browser.

Podcasting is a hot marketing medium. A lot of celebrities use podcasts in their business. One person that I know for sure who uses podcasts is financial guru Suze Orman. She mentions it every time on her show, and she gets a lot of downloads because of it. The drawback with podcasts is that sometime when your podcast is long (like 30 minutes or so)…. the size of the file may be large.

How large? About 400MB and above. Unless you have a super fast computer that downloads things quickly… you could be waiting around for a long time waiting for your podcast to finish downloading. So whenever you make your podcast, test it. Submit it to iTunes and see if the download speed is quick, or long.

If it’s long, see if you can condense your information into a more smaller size by cutting down on the podcast time. This is necessary sometimes because people don’t have all day to wait on your download to finish. Some people are still using dial up connections to connect to the internet, so this is something that you want to consider also.

Just focus on delivering outstanding content via your podcast and you will be good to go. Be sure to speak clearly and use good microphones. Don’t settle for a cheap web cam that can record audio because I assure you that the audio quality will not be good. You will hear a lot of static in the background, and it will sound unpleasant. And this could cause your followers to stop listening to you because you’re so hard to hear.

So invest in some good equipment. You could probably go to Radio Shack and pick up a good microphone there. Or you can certainly look on eBay and Amazon.com for one also. If you have a camcorder at home, test out the quality of the audio of the camcorder and see if it’s worth using as your primary podcast recording device.

Podcasting is something that a lot of people need to get involved in because it’s something that can revolutionize a business, and get you more customers for free.

Good luck with using podcasts in your business today.