WEB WARRIORS GUIDE Getting Started with Podcasting Doug Heacock ∞ Introduction I grew up listening to the radio — I got my first portable transistor radio (about twice the size of my 5th-generation iPod™) when I was in the sixth grade, and my fascination with radio continued through my college days, when I studied Radio-TV-Film at the University of Kansas in the early 1970’s. I learned how to operate a broadcast mixing console, earned my FCC broadcasting license, and worked briefly as a reporter for the campus radio station. As it turns out, I didn’t work that much in radio, moving more toward film and video production, and eventually computing and networking technology. I never lost my fascination with the radio art, and even became a licensed amateur radio operator years later. But the advent of podcasting has brought something very much like radio back, and in an arguably better way. And after listening to my first podcast several years ago, I was smitten again with the desire to get “on the air.” Podcasting allows almost anyone to be a broadcaster, in a way. With a computer, some software (most of which is free), and some inexpensive audio hardware, you can take your message, your business, your hobby, your cause, your music, your teaching, your life’s story — almost anything that you’re passionate about — to a global audience. It’s not that hard, and it’s FUN. This e-book is designed to help you, the aspiring podcaster, get started with podcasting. It’s not difficult to learn what you need to know, if you’re reasonably comfortable with your computer, and if you’re willing to learn a few new things. The software required isn’t expensive — much of it is actually free — and the hardware you need to produce a podcast of pretty decent audio quality is inexpensive. Yes, you can spend a lot of money on audio gear and software if you want, but you can get great results with a modest set-up. Note: I was thinking it would be cool to have some useful hyperlinks in the sidebar for people who are reading this online. 2 How this e-book is organized The first section, “First things first,” provides some food for thought that you may wish to consider before launching into full-blown production of your podcast. A little forethought and planning can make the difference between a podcast that is interesting and compelling and one that really sucks. Good planning can also help you stick with it long enough to develop a good audience. If you’ve already thought these things through, feel free to skim the first section or just skip ahead to the next one. The next section, “Nuts and bolts,” is the real meat of the book — it provides information about software and hardware you’ll need, and about the process of recording and editing a podcast. The first part of the section is mostly about hardware and software, but if you’ve already got the stuff you need, you can skip ahead to the “Producing your show” section. That part deals with actually recording and editing your podcast. The last section, “Going live,” deals with the distribution of your podcast — how to get it listed in podcast directories, and how to promote it and build a listening audience. It also covers support materials, such as a blog or Web site for show notes and supplemental content. There’s also an appendix covering podcasting with GarageBand for Mac users. Prerequisites Although I’m assuming you haven’t got any prior experience with podcasting, I will assume that you are reasonably well-acquainted with using your computer and with searching and browsing the Web. Later in the book we’ll be talking about using a Web site to store your podcast files and distribute them, so if you don’t have a Web site that you can use in this way, you’ll need to set something up. I won’t go into much detail here about how to do this, but I will point you to some helpful online resources that can go a long way towards getting you started with this. Fortunately, 3 you don’t have to be an HTML guru to do podcasting, but a basic understanding of how Web sites work can be very helpful. For example, you’re going to have to learn how to use an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) to move your finished podcast file from your computer to the Web site where you’ll be storing and distributing it. You’ll also need to learn how to use audio recording software, which means that there will be a bit of a learning curve to navigate. I’ll be making some recommendations, and the main package that I’m recommending here (Audacity) is free, but to get the most from whatever software you choose, experiment with it and become familiar with the features you need before you begin recording your show. Finally, I’m assuming you have a computer (or access to a computer) that you can use to record and edit your podcast. I’ve included some general information about this, but ultimately, you’ll need to check the system requirements for the recording software you use to make sure that your computer is up to the task of audio recording and editing. There are references in this book to downloading and installing software, so if you’ve never done that before, you may need to ask a friend for some help. In most cases, the process is pretty simple and self-explanatory. 4 Part one: First things first In this first section, we’re going to talk about the things you need to consider before you press the “Record” button — LONG before you get to that point. What’s the show going to be about? How are you going to present the material? What do you need to do to get ready for the show? When are you going to get off your duff and just go for it? Choosing your Topic The first requirement for producing a podcast is actually pretty simple to understand: Have something to say. Although video podcasting is increasing in popularity, podcasting is still predominantly an audio phenomenon. You’re going to be talking to your listeners about something, and although there are many podcasts out there today that are boring and inane, yours doesn’t have to be, if you really have something interesting to say about whatever your topic may be. What is your passion? What is the thing you want to podcast about that led you to read this book? What are your interests, hobbies, skills? Do you have some expertise to share, or do you simply want to talk about your life and your experiences? Any topic you can think of can be presented in a compelling and interesting way. And the truth is that in many cases, there may already be a podcast out there about the topic you’re considering for your podcast. Don’t let that discourage you from doing a podcast of your own on the same topic. But ask yourself, what new or interesting twist are you going to bring to the subject? For example, you may be passionate about cats, and maybe you’ve decided to do a podcast for cat-owners. There may already be a hundred podcasts about cats out there, so listen to some of them, and you may find that you have things to say about cats that no one else is saying. Find the extra twist that will distinguish your show from those other hundred shows, and you’ll find listeners. I currently subscribe to more 5 than thirty podcasts, and in most cases, I subscribe to more than one podcast on the same topic. Why? Because each host brings something different to his or her show. Format You’ll also want to think about the format of your show — is it going to be just you talking most of the time, or do you plan to have a co-host? Will you be doing interviews? Will you work from a script, or will you just ad lib the show? What about the length and frequency of your podcast? Will you be recording short, five-minute shows, or hour-long shows, or something in between? How often? Daily? Weekly? Monthly? Your answers to these questions concerning the format of your podcast will determine how much time will be required to produce it. For example, a daily 15-minute podcast that consists of you just talking without a script in a sort of “stream-of-consciousness” way may require little more than the time to record it and put it online, but you’ll be doing that every day. A weekly 45-minute podcast featuring guest interviews, scripted content, multiple show segments, with music segues and sound effects or other editing, may require several hours of planning and production time. How much time do you have for this? Here’s an example of what a typical podcast format might look like: Opening theme music and voice-over introduction Host welcomes listeners, gives e-mail address, show-notes Web site info Host previews the line-up for the show (Bumper music) First segment: listener feedback and questions (Bumper music) 6 Second segment: topic-related news and host commentary (Bumper music) Third segment: host interviews someone with something to say (Bumper music) Preview of next show, reminder about contact info Closing theme music In this example, there are essentially three major content segments of the show — this format could fit almost any topic, but it’s not the only approach. Some podcasts are just one person talking about whatever he finds interesting. Some involve two or more co-hosts, kicking a topic around. Some podcasts are almost entirely interviewbased, meaning that each week the host interviews someone and that interview provides the bulk of the show’s content. The length of your podcast is up to you. The format above can fit with a ten-minute show or a one-hour show. I’ve subscribed, at various times, to one-minute podcasts, five-minute podcasts, half-hour podcasts, and podcasts that lasted well past an hour. How long your show is may be determined by several factors: How much content you intend to present each week How much time you have to produce and edit the show The target demographic If, for example, your target demographic is a busy, active professional person, you might consider a short, concise show that they can listen to on the way to an appointment. If your target demographic is the stay-at-home dad, you might do a 15-minute show that he can listen to while he’s washing the dishes. Think about where and when people typically listen to podcasts — I listen in my car, mostly, or while I’m walking. When I’m driving, I like shorter podcasts that I can finish during the relatively short 7 drives I take around my small city, but if I had an hour-long one-way commute every day, I’d have plenty of time to listen to longer-format shows. When I’m walking, I like longer shows — 45 minutes or an hour — provided they are interesting and compelling. When you’re choosing your format, remember, it doesn’t have to be that way forever. You can experiment with a different show format each week, and let your listeners’ feedback guide you into the right groove. But settling on a consistent format can help you in planning your show, and it can keep your show moving. Planning and preparation The better your preparation, the better your show will be. If you’re an expert who can talk about your subject off the top of your head without much research in advance, great. But most of us need to prepare an outline for each show, at the very least — you may want to take time to write a full script. Depending on the kind of content you’re planning to present, there may be appreciable research time involved, pulling resources together, reading articles, compiling a list of Web sites, books or other information you may wish to provide to your listeners. Getting in front of a microphone can be daunting for beginners, but if you’ve prepared plenty of material to talk about, you’ll avoid subjecting your listeners to awkward silences while you gather your thoughts. Before you record your first show, it might be a good idea to prepare at least a basic outline for the next few episodes as well. You don’t have to stick with that outline — your interests may change, or a listener may prompt another topic with a question or comment via e-mail, and you may throw your initial outline out the window after one or two shows. But having several shows’ worth of content prepared ahead of time will help you become a regular and consistent podcaster, not a “pod-fader” — someone who puts out a couple of shows and then fades into oblivion, never to be heard from again. 8 You may want to produce two or three practice episodes before you release the real thing. This will give you some experience with recording and editing, and help you get comfortable with working in front of a microphone. Share your practice episodes with people who will tell you honestly if they suck or if they’re good. They may give you suggestions for how to improve your delivery, or they might alert you to potentially annoying speaking habits that you need to work on eliminating. If you are willing to approach this phase of the process with a fairly thick skin, and accept criticism and suggestions gracefully and with humility, you may learn some very useful things that will make your podcast more successful. You’ve got a certain amount of ego, or you wouldn’t be considering producing a podcast in the first place, but at this stage of the game, you’ve got to let the ego go and listen to what others say. You don’t necessarily have to take every bit of advice that’s offered to you, but try to have an open mind — if one person tells you it sucks and another person tells you it’s great, the truth is probably somewhere in between. If everyone tells you it sucks, find out what you’re doing wrong and fix it. And if everyone tells you it’s great, then you’re well on your way (or else you’ve got friends who routinely suck up to you). Pulling the trigger If you’re like me, you can get so caught up in the planning and preparation that you just spin your wheels and never really get going. In the “Podcast 411” podcast (look for it on iTunes), you’ll hear dozens of interviews with podcasters, virtually all of whom give the same advice to aspiring podcasters — just go do it. Planning and preparation are really good things to do, but you can plan something to death if you never actually get up and start working the plan. When you find yourself re-working your show outline for the eleventh time, it might be time to just go with what you’ve got. Planning, while essential, is no substitute for actually recording a podcast, when it comes to learning how to do this stuff. You don’t 9