how to create podcasts | practical guides for girls

What you need...

To distribute your own podcast:

Microphone
Audio editing software
An MP3 encoder
Somewhere to host your podcast files
An RSS feed

and as with receiving podcasts:

Computer with sound card
MP3 player software and/or a portable MP3 player
internet connection
Speakers and/or headphones
You do not need an iPod!

Feeling brave enough to start your own podcast? All you need to start off with is a good idea and the rest is relatively simple for anyone who is a confident IT user.

Creating your own audio podcasts

1. Plan it
2. Record it
3. Beware – Copyright
4. Publish it
5. Tell the world

1. Plan it

So you have a great idea for a podcast. Now you need to plan and script it, otherwise you'll end up with a lot of audio editing to do after you have recorded your podcast. Without having a script to prompt you, you will find yourself pausing for thought, making for a frustrating and dull listening experience for your subscribers.

2. Record it

You need a microphone and audio editing software for this step. There are thousands of different microphones on the market at all sorts of prices. Your selection will depend on your budget.

Audacity is a freeware audio editing program that is popular with podcasters; at their site you can find out all about Audacity and download your own free copy.

Before recording the whole episode, do a small ten second test run to make sure that your microphone is plugged in properly, that your sound levels are good and that you are actually recording something!

When you are confident everything is working ok, record your episode. Don't stop every time you make a minor mistake, just carry on and cut out the mistakes later. When you have finished recording you can delete any unwanted interruptions, coughs or mishaps.

Then you need to export your finished audio file as an MP3. You will need an MP3 encoder for this step. Full instructions on how to use the free LAME MP3 encoder are included on the Audacity website.

3. BEWARE – COPYRIGHT

Many people like to add music and jingles to their podcasts. To avoid legal action against you, you must ensure that you have the full permission of the copyright owner whenever you use any audio. Sites such as Media Music Now offer royalty free music that is safe to use.

For further information on the legalities, check out the Creative Commons Podcasting Legal Guide.

4 Publish it

Now you have your MP3 file, you need somewhere on the internet for it to sit. If you have your own website blog and/or hosting service, then you can upload it as you do with your other files.

If you do not have any space online then there are plenty of hosting services that you can use for free. www.gcast.com and www.ourmedia.org are ideal as they offer lots of help and guidelines on the techie side to podcast and media distribution.

Now all you need is your feed, which will distribute your podcast. This can be as difficult or as easy as you like. If you are already using a podcast hosting service then it will probably automatically generate your feed automatically. If you have uploaded your file to a host that does not offer this facility, you can use FeedBurner to create the necessary RSS feed. FeedBurner is free and easy to use, as well as offering tracking facilities so you can see how many people are subscribing to you.

5 Tell the world

People won't know about your genius unless you tell them! Your final step in the process is to advertise yourself. Submit your podcast to as many podcast directories as you can find, like podcast.net and podcastalley.com. Invite people to subscribe using your blog, or post invites on your friends' blogs.

What about video and enhanced podcasts?

Creating video podcasts involves the same steps as mentioned previously, but you will be shooting and editing video. It is difficult to get hold of free video editing software, and even harder still to find one that exports the right type of file format – MP4.

Traditionally, it has only been possible for Mac users to create enhanced podcasts. Apple multimedia tutorials give step-by-step guidance on how to create both enhanced and regular podcasts.

Help is at hand

To those less comfortable with Internet technologies, you may find the last steps a little daunting, but don't let this hold you back. Podcasts are so popular now that there is a whole host of more detailed information on the web. All services mentioned within this article offer helpful advice and tips and what to do if you get stuck.

That's it in a nutshell! Now all you have to do is make sure that you keep distributing new episodes.