Podcasting 101

Slideshow Transcript

1. Slide 1: MARCELO LEWIN PODCASTING 101 marcelo@pixelheadsnetwork.com www.PixelHeadsNetwork.com
2. Slide 2: AGENDA ✓ My Background ✓ Podcasting Background ✓ Building Your Studio ✓ Building The Team ✓ Pre-Production ✓ Production ✓ Post-Production ✓ Publishing ✓ Blogs & Websites
3. Slide 3: AGENDA ✓ Your Brand ✓ Marketing ✓ Social Networks ✓ Tracking Your Podcasts ✓ Monetizing Your Podcasts ✓ Legal Responsibilities ✓ Summary
4. Slide 4: MY BACKGROUND ✓ Web development since 1995. ✓ Toyota Corporation - Web Developer for the Systems Development Team ✓ NBC - Senior Web Game Developer in charge of all entertainment web projects. ✓ Walt Disney Imagineering - Senior Developer / Project Manager ✓ MyInternetDesktop.com - Founder and CEO - SaaS Applications on the Web. ✓ Internet Appliance Network - Division President Contacting Me ✓ J.F. Shea Co., Inc. - Interactive Media /Studio ✓ Marcelo Lewin Manager ✓ Phone: 626.609.7365 ✓ eMail: Marcelo@PixelHeadsNetwork.com ✓ Pixel Heads Network - Chief Pixel Head ✓ Web: www.PixelHeadsNetwork.com
5. Slide 5: PIXEL HEADS NETWORK ✓ Shows for Digital Media creators ✓ Currently have 4 shows, most sponsored. ✓ More are in the works (from outside the network as well) ✓ News items, lots of interactivity. ✓ Looking for: ✓ Angel / VC funding to expand ✓ Media experts for Meet The Experts ✓ Mac Converts For Born Again Mac User ✓ Show ideas ✓ Blog writers
6. Slide 6: THE DIGITAL MEDIA DUDE PRODUCTIONS ✓ Creates all the shows for PHN ✓ Creates shows for outside companies ✓ Training ✓ Consultation
7. Slide 7: PODCAST BACKGROUND ✓ What is a podcast? ✓ An audio or video file ✓ An RSS feed describing that file ✓ File is usually either an .mp3/.m4 for audio. ✓ Or .m4v for video ✓ What are the different types of podcast? ✓ Audio only podcast ✓ Enhanced audio podcast with chapters, images and links ✓ Video podcasts (more like regular videos) ✓ Screencasts (How-to’s)
8. Slide 8: PODCAST BACKGROUND ✓ When did podcasts first originate? ✓ Around 2004 ✓ Coined by Adam Curry ✓ iTunes added podcasts to it’s store. ✓ Why podcast? ✓ For fun ✓ For business ✓ To promote (yourself or your business) ✓ For marketing ✓ To show your expertise ✓ To express yourself
9. Slide 9: PODCAST BACKGROUND ✓ Don’t call it a podcast! ✓ The show is your content ✓ The podcast is your delivery mechanism ✓ Your show is the key, not the podcast ✓ Delivered via other methods in the future? ✓ Radio ✓ TV ✓ Other?
10. Slide 10: PODCAST BACKGROUND ✓ Internal vs. External Podcasts ✓ Internal podcast is listened to (or watched) internally by your company ✓ External podcasts can be listened to (or watched) by anyone that has access to your podcast ✓ Many reasons to create an “internal podcast” ✓ Communicate news about your company to employees ✓ Share tips from a department to other users ✓ Executive communications ✓ Share information within your company
11. Slide 11: PODCAST BACKGROUND ✓ Budget - How much will it cost me? ✓ Depends ✓ In-House you will need to consider ✓ Hardware costs ✓ Software costs ✓ Audio equipment costs ✓ Internal labor costs ✓ Set up time (time = money) ✓ Website publishing costs ✓ Marketing costs (time = money) ✓ Bus dev costs (time = money)
12. Slide 12: PODCAST BACKGROUND ✓ Budget - How much will it cost me? ✓ Outsourcing ✓ Consultation Fees ✓ Pre-Production costs ✓ Production costs ✓ Post production costs ✓ Website development costs ✓ RSS feeds costs ✓ Marketing costs ✓ Bus dev costs
13. Slide 13: PODCAST BACKGROUND ✓ Outsource or Produce In-House? ✓ Depends ✓ Outsourcing: ✓ Cheaper in the short term ✓ More costly in the long run. ✓ Requires no expertise in podcasting. ✓ No need to maintain a studio ✓ Less control over the entire process
14. Slide 14: PODCAST BACKGROUND ✓ Outsource or Produce In-House? ✓ In House ✓ More expensive in the short term. ✓ More cost effective in the long run. ✓ Requires expertise in many fields ✓ Audio Engineering ✓ Video Production ✓ Post-Production ✓ Marketing ✓ Website Development ✓ Business Development
15. Slide 15: BUILDING YOUR STUDIO ✓ What platform should I pick? ✓ Apple (Mac)? ✓ More costly (hardware) ✓ Better experience ✓ Great software ( & cheaper) ✓ PC (Windows)? ✓ Cheaper (Hardware) ✓ Good software ✓ Not as a great experience
16. Slide 16: BUILDING YOUR STUDIO ✓ What equipment do I need? ✓ Computer (Desktop / Laptop) ✓ Headphone ✓ Microphone ✓ Mixer ✓ Compressor ✓ Portable Recorders ✓ Microphone stand ✓ Shock mount ✓ Pop Filter ✓ Cables
17. Slide 17: BUILDING YOUR STUDIO ✓ What recording software do I need? ✓ Mac ✓ Apple Garage Band ✓ Apple Soundtrack Pro ✓ Freeverse Sound Studio ✓ Bias Peak LE ✓ Audacity ✓ PC ✓ Adobe Audition ✓ Sony Sound Forge ✓ Audacity
18. Slide 18: BUILDING YOUR STUDIO ✓ What other software do I need? ✓ Audio Hijack Pro for recording Skype calls ✓ Screen capture software for screen casts ✓ XML feed creation ✓ Skype for interviews ✓ Timer (for tracking time in interviews) ✓ Video editing for video podcast ✓ Final Cut Pro ✓ Adobe Premiere Pro ✓ Skype - For interviews ✓ Levelator - Awesome free software
19. Slide 19: BUILDING YOUR STUDIO ✓ What other software do I need? ✓ Web site design / editor ✓ Compression software ✓ Music library (Digital Juice) ✓ Blogging software (for maintaining your blog) ✓ Other small utilities
20. Slide 20: RECORDING LOCATION ✓ Where should I record? ✓ Small room (minimize echo) ✓ Padded ✓ Quiet ✓ Turn off air conditioner / heater ✓ Record away from computer ✓ Disconnect / Silence Phones ✓ Tell people you are recording ✓ Feed your dog while recording! ✓ Turn off any sounds from your computer including IM, email, Skype beeps, etc.
21. Slide 21: BUILDING THE TEAM ✓ Who’s all involved in a podcast? ✓ The believer (champion, evangelist) ✓ Pre-Production ✓ Writers ✓ Producers ✓ Admin ✓ Production ✓ Hosts ✓ Audio Engineer
22. Slide 22: BUILDING THE TEAM ✓ Who’s all involved in a podcast? ✓ Post Production ✓ Editor ✓ Audio engineer ✓ Compression specialist ✓ Publishing ✓ Web developer ✓ XML feed creator
23. Slide 23: BUILDING THE TEAM ✓ Who’s all involved in a podcast? ✓ Network ✓ Server maintenance ✓ DNS mainteance ✓ Domain name maintenance ✓ Marketing ✓ Copywriter (show notes, show description, titles, keywords, website text, blog entries) ✓ SEO / SEM / PPC ✓ Offline (radio, tv, cable, magazine)
24. Slide 24: BUILDING THE TEAM ✓ Who’s all involved in a podcast? ✓ Business Development ✓ Get guests ✓ Distribution deals ✓ Get sponsors ✓ Evangelize your show ✓ Build relationships
25. Slide 25: PRE-PRODUCTION ✓ What’s the goal and objectives of your podcast? ✓ To entertain? ✓ To inform? ✓ To make money? ✓ To get picked up for TV or radio? ✓ Set your goal and everything you do MUST support that goal.
26. Slide 26: PRE-PRODUCTION ✓ What topics should I podcast on? ✓ What you like / love. ✓ DO NOT SELL! No no one likes to listen / watch a show that is 100% commercial. ✓ Pick a hobby, craft or something you are great at ✓ Must be passionate ✓ Identify if there is an audience. ✓ Anything technology, today, does great.
27. Slide 27: PRE-PRODUCTION ✓ What’s the style / voice of your podcast? ✓ Serious ✓ Kick back ✓ Funny ✓ “Preachy” ✓ Who will host it? ✓ You ✓ Co-worker ✓ Friend ✓ If not you, learn how to “direct” your talent as to what it is you want.
28. Slide 28: PRE-PRODUCTION ✓ What’s the format of your podcast? ✓ Come up with a format and stick to it ✓ Be consistent, your audience expects that ✓ Format Types: ✓ Single Host Talk ✓ Multiple Host Talk ✓ Interview / Single Host ✓ Interview / Multiple Hosts ✓ Roundtable Discussion ✓ News ✓ Educational
29. Slide 29: PRE-PRODUCTION ✓ What’s the format of your podcast? ✓ What’s the episode format? Keep the same format for all episodes. For example, Born Again Mac User: ✓ Intro Music ✓ Welcome ✓ News Items ✓ Favorite Mac App ✓ Introduce Guest ✓ Guest Interview ✓ Wrap up ✓ Closing (Music and credits) ✓ Apologies
30. Slide 30: PRE-PRODUCTION ✓ How long should your podcast be? ✓ Depends on format ✓ 15 minutes is the “sweet spot” ✓ 30 minutes, usually, is the maximum attention you will have with them. ✓ Consider how they will listen to it ✓ On the computer, will they have time to listen to it in the background ✓ Does it require their full attention? ✓ Will they listen to it in their iPod while working out? ✓ Will they watch it on TV via Apple TV or? ✓ Will they watch it in the plane on the iPhone?
31. Slide 31: PRE-PRODUCTION ✓ Schedule Your Show ✓ Come up with a schedule ✓ Daily, Weekly, Monthly ✓ Come up with a publish time ✓ Stick to this schedule! ✓ Consistency is important. ✓ Can you imagine if American Idol sometimes aired at 8pm on Mondays, sometimes at 7pm on Wednesdays? What would happen to the audience?
32. Slide 32: PRE-PRODUCTION ✓ What type of podcast should I produce? ✓ If you don’t need to show anything, stick with audio. ✓ Easier to produce ✓ Cheaper ✓ If you are going to teach something, stick with a screen cast, specially if you are showing software. ✓ Relatively easy to produce ✓ A bit more expensive
33. Slide 33: PRE-PRODUCTION ✓ What type of podcast should I produce? ✓ If you need to show something to move the story forward, then do a video podcast. ✓ Depending on the production needs, this can range from cheap to very expensive. ✓ Definitely more time consuming to produce. ✓ Requires more expertise in a variety of other fields, including editing, color correction, etc.
34. Slide 34: PRE-PRODUCTION ✓ How do I select the frequency of my podcast? ✓ Daily ✓ More ideas, more work and more costly ✓ Be careful not to “overload” your listener with too much. ✓ Weekly ✓ Less ideas, less work, less costly ✓ The sweet spot. Most people enjoy this.
35. Slide 35: PRE-PRODUCTION ✓ How do I select the frequency of my podcast? ✓ Monthly ✓ Great if you don’t have the time or money to put into. ✓ You may not get lots of audience members. ✓ Some directories don’t like this and will kick you out.
36. Slide 36: PRE-PRODUCTION ✓ Should I script my show? ✓ Script ✓ Sounds more professional ✓ No “um, ahs” and other annoying filler words. ✓ Less spontaneous ✓ Outline ✓ Helps you keep in track ✓ Allows for spontaneity ✓ Just turn the Mic on and go.... ✓ NO!!!!!!!
37. Slide 37: PRE-PRODUCTION ✓ Should I use music? ✓ Makes the show sound more professional ✓ Pick royalty free music ✓ Check out Music.PodShow.com ✓ Digital Juice is another good source ✓ Music needed for: ✓ Intro ✓ Transitions ✓ Extro (closing)
38. Slide 38: PRODUCTION ✓ Microphone Technique ✓ Don’t touch the microphone with your mouth. ✓ 6 Inches away and then move in or out as you record and test. Find the optimum distance for your voice and stick to that. ✓ Too close gives you the “proximity effect”, the effect when a person speaks into a microphone too clause, causing them mic to exaggerate bass or low-end frequencies. ✓ Use a pop filter in studio - To stop explosive pops and “s” sounds...called sibilance. ✓ Use a windscreen outside.
39. Slide 39: PRODUCTION ✓ Recording an interview ✓ Send the questions to the guest before the show. ✓ Do a “pre-show” talk for about 5 minutes with the guest to “relax them”. ✓ Ask if they are ok with the questions and/or if they would like to change some of them. ✓ Do a 30 second test recording with the guest prior to the live recording. ✓ Mute your microphone when the person is speaking, but be ready to quickly un-mute it for quick reaction comments from you. ✓ Always thank the guest for their time.
40. Slide 40: PRODUCTION ✓ Let’s record a show! ✓ Apple Sauce For The Soul - A show about Apple for Apple “Kool Aid Drinkers” ✓ Record a quote ✓ Plug it into the Audio Project ✓ Explain chapters and images ✓ Export to MP3 and Enhanced Audio Podcast ✓ Let’s record a Skype Interivew. ✓ A show about Police Auxiliary ✓ Special Guest: Daniel Lewin
41. Slide 41: POST-PRODUCTION ✓ Should I edit or not? ✓ That’s a highly debated topic. ✓ I say “yes!” - Make it sound professional. ✓ Some say no because it takes too long. ✓ Do you want to sound amateurish? ✓ When was the last time you listened to your favorite radio show and/or watched your favorite TV show and it was not edited? ✓ How long should editing take? ✓ Depends ✓ Video takes longer the audio
42. Slide 42: POST-PRODUCTION ✓ Editing an interview ✓ Tighten up the interview ✓ Keep it on time ✓ Remove “ums” and “ahs” and “you knows” ✓ Remove noises ✓ Cut out “extra information” ✓ Move questions around to make the flow better. ✓ NEVER “change” what the guest said.
43. Slide 43: POST-PRODUCTION ✓ Editing a news show ✓ Remove any stories you don’t need (or are outdated) ✓ Add intro and extro music ✓ Add “sound effects” ✓ Editing a screen cast ✓ Requires a lot of time ✓ Add pointers, highlighters ✓ Add keyboard shortcut popups ✓ Clean up audio ✓ Add titles.
44. Slide 44: POST-PRODUCTION ✓ Use The Levelator ✓ Compresses ✓ Normalizes ✓ Performs “magic” ✓ All in one step ✓ It’s free! ✓ Take your raw files and drop it there, then edit the “Levelator” files in your editing program.
45. Slide 45: POST-PRODUCTION ✓ StackTraxx By Digital Juice ✓ Inexpensive Music ✓ Production value ✓ Easy to manage ✓ Extensible (each instrument is separated into it’s own track).
46. Slide 46: PUBLISHING ✓ XML Feeds ✓ iTunes ✓ Titles ✓ Description ✓ Keywords ✓ Enclosures ✓ Feedburner.com ✓ Feed For All (Windows) ✓ Creating and XML feed with PodcastMaker (Mac)
47. Slide 47: BLOGS & WEBSITES ✓ Website ✓ Nice clean design ✓ Functional ✓ Allow people to listen to or download ✓ Have interactivity ✓ Comments ✓ Subscribe to shows ✓ What’s coming up ✓ What’s the latest ✓ Forums
48. Slide 48: BLOGS & WEBSITES ✓ Website ✓ Home Page ✓ What’s your show about? ✓ When does it air? ✓ What’s the frequency ✓ How to subscribe to it ✓ Latest episodes ✓ Upcoming episodes
49. Slide 49: BLOGS & WEBSITES ✓ Website ✓ Show Page ✓ About The Show ✓ How to subscribe to it. ✓ Show news ✓ Latest episodes ✓ Previous Episodes ✓ Upcoming episodes ✓ Show sponsors
50. Slide 50: BLOGS & WEBSITES ✓ Website ✓ Episode Page ✓ Title ✓ Player (Audio/Video) ✓ Show Notes (very important) ✓ About the hosts ✓ Mentioned sites / URLs ✓ All Episodes ✓ Comments ✓ Download ability ✓ Subscriptions ✓ Interactivity (Email Friend, etc.)
51. Slide 51: BLOGS & WEBSITES ✓ Blog ✓ Extremely SEO friendly ✓ Great for keyword density ✓ Great way to support your podcast show. ✓ Easy to implement ✓ Many choices, most of them for free. ✓ WordPress is THE best hosting solution ✓ Post blog entries as often as you can, but do it consistently
52. Slide 52: YOUR BRAND ✓ Your Show Is Your Brand ✓ Brand Your Show ✓ Pick a Cool Name ✓ Come up with a tag line (e.g. From Windows Hell To Mac Heave for Born Again Mac User) ✓ Keep same music ✓ Talk about “the show” and “the brand” NOT “the podcast”. ✓ Be consistent about how it looks and what it sounds like, both online and offline.
53. Slide 53: MARKETING ✓ Online ✓ Submit your podcast to iTunes ✓ Submit to as many podcast directories as possible (email me and I’ll send you an extensive list) ✓ Create email lists (have a “subscribe to newsletter”) button on your site and start taking in subscribers. Email them weekly. ✓ Interact in many different websites and blogs. Try to get your blogs entries posted on other people’s blogs. ✓ Get linked from other sites (that are relevant)
54. Slide 54: MARKETING ✓ Online ✓ Involve outsiders in your podcast and they will help you market it: ✓ Meet The Experts - Each person interviewed will always post my episode in their site and tell all of their contact list that they are in “Meet The Experts” ✓ EXPOzed - Each vendor that is video taped at the show expo, will immediately either send out a press release about them being on EXPOzed or will post it on their site and email all of their customers. ✓ Look into Online ads in relevant web sites. ✓ PPC campaigns - Cheap and effective.
55. Slide 55: MARKETING ✓ Online ✓ Press Releases - Create an event about anything and send out a press release! ✓ Are you an expert in something, join professional organizations and get invited to speak and talk about your podcast. ✓ Get with an SEO specialist to help you optimize your Titles, Description, meta tags, keywords, keyword density, links, alternate image tags, plus the million other things an SEO specialist knows that influences how people find you. ✓ Answer all your emails re: your podcast immediately. Don’t ignore them. Even the negative ones. ✓ Add comments about your podcast to your site.
56. Slide 56: MARKETING ✓ Offline ✓ Cable TV - Try to get your local cable TV to interview you about your podcast - But don’t call it a podcst - call it a show! ✓ Radio - Try to get on local radio stations to talk about your podcast. ✓ Email magazines and newspapers about your podcast and why it’s so different then anything else out there. ✓ Attend conventions about your subject and pass out flyers and business cards ✓ Join your chamber of commerce. ✓ Create a media kit.
57. Slide 57: SOCIAL NETWORKS ✓ Create a home page in: ✓ Twitter.com ✓ MySpace.com ✓ FaceBook.com ✓ YouTube.com ✓ Linked In ✓ Add blog entries to all those social networks. ✓ Link back from those social networks to your site.
58. Slide 58: SOCIAL NETWORKS ✓ Most social networks have a “no follow” attribute added to the <a> tag, however, linking back still helps for the users to click on it to get back to your site. ✓ Interact with other users in social networks. ✓ Add your social network links on your main site.
59. Slide 59: TRACKING YOUR STATS ✓ iTunes DOES NOT provide statistics. ✓ You can implement up to 5 re-directs and through that, you can create code that tracks how many downloads each “enclosure” has. ✓ Feed Burner is a great (and free) way to track your podcasts (it’s called ‘burning’ your feed). ✓ Other tracking services: ✓ Podtrac ✓ Sonr ✓ Fruitcast
60. Slide 60: TRACKING YOUR STATS ✓ Stats to track: ✓ Downloads ✓ Total downloads per episode ✓ Total downloads per user ✓ Unique downloads per user per episode. ✓ Subscribers ✓ Total subscribers ✓ Breakdown by readers ✓ How many of those subscribers are engaging with the podcast (Reach)
61. Slide 61: TRACKING YOUR STATS ✓ Stats to track: ✓ Other ✓ Hits - How many hits did my feed get? ✓ Clicks - How many clicked on an episode? ✓ Views - How many people viewed the episode (but didn’t click on it) ✓ Would be great to have stats: ✓ Fast forward or rewind trends ✓ Skipping trends ✓ How long they listened to
62. Slide 62: TRACKING YOUR STATS ✓ Stats to track: ✓ Would be great to have stats: ✓ Fast forward or rewind trends ✓ Skipping trends ✓ How long they listened to ✓ Where did they being listening to the podcast ✓ Where did they exit the podcast
63. Slide 63: MONETIZING YOUR PODCAST ✓ Ways to monetize your show: ✓ Sponsors - Ads at the beginning, middle and end of the show ✓ Advertisement - Advertisement in your site and newsletter ✓ Premium - Offer “extra” shows or “behind the scenes” shows for an extra monthly or yearly charge. Still offer free shows. ✓ Subscription - Monthly or yearly subscription charges for your show. No free shows. ✓ Store - Add a store for any products and/ or services you speak about in your show. Sign up for affiliate programs.
64. Slide 64: MONETIZING YOUR PODCAST ✓ Ways to monetize your show: ✓ DVDs - Package your shows into DVDs. Add extra features and sell those DVDs. ✓ Distribution - Distribute your shows through other sites that have revenue sharing with their advertisers. ✓ Side effects of your shows that you can monetize: ✓ Creating podcasts for others ✓ Become an “expert” either in podcasting and/or the topic that you are podcasting about and consult ✓ Charge for presentations / speeches
65. Slide 65: LEGAL ✓ I’m not a lawyer, so always check with a lawyer before doing anything you have doubts with. ✓ Make sure you use royalty free music. Royalty free music is not “free” music. You just don’t pay royalties, but you do have to purchase it. ✓ If you are going to use recordings from another show, make sure you get clearance from the owner. ✓ If you are going to use sound effects, make sure you have the rights to them. ✓ Check with your lawyer if you have further questions.
66. Slide 66: Thank you! MARCELO LEWIN PODCASTING BOOT CAMP marcelo@pixelheadsnetwork.com www.PixelHeadsNetwork.com