Podcasting Do's and Don'ts

By S. Housley

Consider following these simple podcasting tips to get the most from your podcast and make it stand out from other podcasts in the crowd.

DO
1. Make it Professional
Regardless of whether you are podcasting from your garage or a corporate boardroom there is no reason that your podcast cannot have a professional sound and feel. Use software to edit the audio file and filter background noise. Listeners will not tolerate poor audio quality. With the wide range of relatively inexpensive software and hardware available there is no reason you can not provide good quality audio podcast.

2.Transcribe
Provide listeners a transcript or detailed show notes in the description of the podcast feed. This will help prospective listeners locate your podcast using ... If you do not wish to transcribe the entire podcast be sure to provide detailed show notes and links to products mentioned in the podcast.

3. iTunes Support
With automated tools like FeedForAll it is easy to add iTunes support to podcasts. By listing your podcast in the iTunes directory your will significantly increase your podcast's exposure. With iTune's huge audience and distribution, podcasters are foolish to not target this channel.

4. Content
As important as audio quality is, it should not be at the expense of content. What you have to say is just as important as how you say it. Provide engaging content that is informative, educational or entertaining.

5. Subscribe To Your Podcast Feed
Subscribe to your podcast feed, this will allow you to see and hear what your audience sees and hears.

DON'T
1. Stray
Do not stray too far from the topic. If your podcast is about cooking it is probably not the best idea to go on a tirade about your political views. While you will likely interest some of your listeners you might alienate others. Focus is important, and critical for retaining listeners.

2. Ramble
Make a point then move on, there is no need for redundancy and rambling. Dead air, or "umms" will drive listeners away, keep your show moving. Do not be afraid to use audio editing software to remove any uncomfortable silence or repetition, it will make your show more professional.

3. Forget Meta Data
It is critical that you include appropriate and relevant keywords in your podcast feed title and description, this will help listeners locate your podcast.

4. Skimp on Bandwidth
There is nothing worse than building a large listening audience and being unable to handle the bandwidth loads. Use a reliable web host that can handle your shows bandwidth. Bandwidth and accessibility is critical to a podcast's success.

5. Ignore Your Audience
Do not ignore your audience. Create a venue for listeners to communicate with you, whether it be through email, a forum or a blog. Listen to what your audience is saying, and even more importantly listen to what they are not saying.

Monitor your web logs and monitor your subscription levels and bandwidth to know when a show is a hit. By adopting good podcasting practices, you will be on the path to podcasting success. Following these simple podcasting do's and don'ts will get you started.

About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for RecordForAll http://www.recordforall.com audio recording and editing software.