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Leadership Institute

The Leadership Institute is an efficient way for each individual to identify their leadership development opportunities and create a specific, actionable plan for professional growth. Whether you're an individual seeking self-development or an organization looking for an effective way to develop your team, the Leadership Institute is an easy and valuable investment.

The best investment you can make in your people and the success of your organization is in one of the Institute's integrated leadership development seminars.

The Leadership Institute is facilitated by Mark Lombard. Contact Mark at (802) 655-4847 or via email at lombardmd@msn.com .

Leadership Seminar, Summer 2008

Workshop Outline

The Ten Things You Need to Know About Podcasting

by Michael Kreidler of Catholic Media Partners

1. The 4 P's

Plan: it is normally best to podcast on something you know and something you are passionate about. Decide on your format - will it be interview based, will it be you and a partner, a solo effort, a panel. What are the parameters of the subject matter.

Produce: Get your guests, decide your show topics. Don't try to fill a certain amount of time. If the topic takes 5 minutes or 45 minutes - let the subject matter fill the time not you.

Promote: Use your website, blog, newsletter(s), magazines to let people know about your podcast. Offer to be a guest on other podcasts.

Partner: There are over 150,000 podcasts currently in production. One of the best ways to get noticed is by

partnering with other podcasts who have formed networks or affiliations. Search on Google on the terms "Podcast Network" for a list of the wide variety of networks in existence. If one does not exist that fits your topic, consider starting your own.

2. Content

The adage is still true - Content is King. What do you want to say? It is important to have a clear idea of what you want to say before you start recording a show. It is a good idea to outline your show or at least have show notes on what you

want to talk about. Next, who are you talking to? Knowing your audience is essential. Speaking to 5-year-olds sounds different than speaking with 45 year olds. What will make your podcast different from others. Listen to other podcasts similar to the one you want to do. What will distinguish your cast from the others?

3. Equipment

There are a few essentials and then a few extras.

First you need a microphone. The type you will need depends on the type of show you will be doing. Most podcasts involve speaking. In this case your best bet is to go with a condenser microphone. A good condenser microphone will run about $100. Companies, such as Audio-Technica and Shure, have excellent quality microphones. They are available online or at local music stores.
Make sure you purchase a cable of sufficient length for your needs. This cable will be an XLR cable. It has three prongs to it and will not plug directly into the computer. An XLR to mini jack (which is the size plug you need to get audio into your computer) will run around $20.
Decide whether you will go with a field recorder or a desktop recorder. For the field recorder, one of the best deals is the Zoom H4 Handy Recorder which sell for around $250. The M-Audio MicroTrack 24/96 recorder sells in the U.S. for about $300. Antoher highly recommended recorder is the Edirol R-09 It sells for $400.
You can go with desktop units such as a mixing board like a Behringer XENYX 1222FX Mixer with Effects (around $200), or an audio interface, such as the US-122 by Tascam (around $199). It allows for a two microphone input and then attaches to the computer using a USB port.
You will need a mic stand (either desktop or freestanding). Highly recommendedis a pop filter to prevent 'popping' that can occur when you speak certain sounds.
A descent set of headphone are also a good idea for your field recording. You aren't likely to be doing high-end music mixing so even a set of earbuds would suffice.

4. Recording

The only way to get any good at recording is to do it over and over and over again. However, one must always check your 'levels'. Each piece of equipment sets levels in a different way, so familiarize yourself with your equipment. There are two events you are trying to avoid, the first is to record too low. The other (and more common) is to set your levels to high. This causes distortion and usually renders the recording unusable.

5. Editing

Once you have the content recorded, you will need to do some amount of post production. This could be moving, cutting, or 'cleaning-up' the recording. It could also involve adding music or sound effects.

A favorite of podcasters is Audacity. It free software and is available at Sourceforge.net. If you are using a Mac, then you have excellent editing software already. It is called GarageBand. The choice of many professional sound engineers is Adobe's Audition. While it does provide a cleaner sound and is easier to manipulate, it is expensive (around $350).
Watch out for the music you use. Unless you have permission of the artist before hand (or you are the artist), using most music is a violation of someone's copyright. There are some exceptions to this, the first is music released under Creative Commons. The other is a sight called Magnatune. They allow you to use any music from their catalog for podasts (as long as you follow their guidelines)

6. Conversion

Once the sound is recorded and edited, it needs to be converted into a format that can be easily used by the listener.

The standard for audio podcasts is the MP3 format (there are other variations such as AAC, OGG, and MP4, but stick with the MP3 when you start). Both Audacity and Audition have the ability to compress your audio into the MP3 format.
You need to decide on the quality of the final product. The standard used us kbps or kilobits per second. The higher the number the more data is included in each second of recording. So, the higher the number the higher the quality. If you are doing an audio only podcast you can get away with 64kbps. However, 96kbps provides a crisper sound without much of an increase in the size of the file. If you are including music in your cast then go with at least 128kbps. You can play with the settings on your recording equipment and get a feel for the different output of each setting.

7. Hosting

You will need to upload the content, now in the MP3 format, to a host.

It is best to work with a company that specializes in podcasting such as Libsyn. This type of service does not charge your for additional bandwidth. Anytime someone downloads your podcast, the file flows through someones wires (often called pipes). Most hosting companies charge you for how many bits and bytes flow from your account to someone else's computer. These additional fees can be substantial. Libsyn.com provides unmetered bandwidth. They are very reasonably priced. Their hosting options start at $5 per month and top out at $30 per month, depending on how much storage you need. The other advantage of using this services is they manage your feed (discussed below).
There are constantly new services and options available. To get a feel for the various options available go to Robin Good's Blog for reviews on other products available to you.

8. Feed

Your content is now hosted, but how do people access it. You listeners will 'subscribe' to it. They do this by copying your subscription information into a 'podcatching' program (also called an aggregator).

The most popular is iTunes. Other popular programs are Miro and Songbird.
Some people manage their own feed (which is an xml file), but most have a service manage it for you. It is highly recommended that you look into Feedburner.com as well. It provides a lot of flexibility where you could change Internet hosts without losing any subscribers. It also allows you to move your hosting account without having to change your subscription feed.
If you want to manage your own RSS feed there is an extensive tutorial.

9. Market

Your content has been created, edited, converted, hosted, and you have a feed to which people can subscribe. Now you need to let people know your podcast exists.

You should make sure your podcast is listed on the major directories. Robin Good has an extensive list of places to list your podcasts.
Next, you should join a group that supports podcasts. Do a Google search on podcast networks to find an extensive list of networks. Also, create a promo and ask other podcasts to play it. If you participate in online forums, let them know about your podcast as well. Tell family, friends, acquaintances, your mailman, priest, and others about your cast.

10. Repeat

It is important to have your cast consistently posted. If you commit to a weekly cast, make sure it is available on the same day each week. Try not to take miss a week or to go on hiatus. Many of your listeners will unsubscribe if you do.

Have fun. Podcasting is a blast. It can help your business, build your reputation, but most of all it is a load of fun. If you have any additional questions. Please feel free to contact me at mkreidler@catholicmediapartners.com.

http://www.catholicmediapartners.com

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