There are many ways to create an .mp3 file. Some methods include creating an mp3 directly from your editing system including Audacity, Garageband and others.
My preferred method is to use the free iTunes software. This gives you a better sounding file due to the technology (Fraunhoffer (best for voice)) that iTunes is using to compress your audio into the .mp3 format.
The video below shows you how to setup your iTunes software for compressing an uncompressed file (.wav or .aiff) into the .mp3 format.
The settings shown are my preferred settings for audio only (mostly voice) for podcasting. You can change the bit rate to your desired setting for the best compromise between size and quality.
After properly setting up the iTunes software to create mp3′s, I’ll show you how to add in metadata to your file. ID3 tags are the information that helps identify your podcast episode within someone’s portable media player such as an iPod, iPad, or Android device.
This information will display each episode’s title, description and album cover art as well as any other information you choose to include.
I tackled another DIY podcast studio project today and I’m happy with the results thus far. This is a desktop rack mount which I’m calling the Podcaster’s Rack Mount because of it’s relatively small footprint. Designed to fit a mixer and one or two rack mountable pieces to meet the challenges of recording in a home studio.
Next steps will be to add two more mounts so that it can be extended to hold two additional pieces of audio hardware (to be determined) and a coat of paint (wrinkled black).
I created this because it couldn’t be purchased. This is the smallest rack mount for a desktop that I’ve seen. This unit is only 13″ tall, fitting standard rack units (19″ wide). I also included a base that tilts the mixer towards the user making it much easier to operate and monitor. [click to continue…]
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You produce a podcast that you make available for free and in fact spend lots of your own money on (if you’re truly invested). So how does your podcast pay you back?
A podcast pays in both tangible and non-tangible ways. In this episode I cover all of the ways I’ve found to make money from your podcast as well as how to see value in your show when you aren’t seeing cash. In a lot of cases, money is not the goal of the podcast producer and even those that have an interest in making money from their show need to understand all of the ways a podcast pays back.
Affiliate Accounts: Quite possibly the easiest way for your podcast to earn real income is to make sure you sign up for affiliate accounts with sites such as Amazon or any other retailer who has products that you are promoting on your show.
Donations: Don’t be embarrassed to ask for donations. It can help offset the cost of producing a podcast and often times you have people in your audience who understand all the hard work you put into producing your podcast. Let them donate.
Ads: There are a hundred different ways to approach getting sponsors. There are network sites like Blubrry.com who will find the sponsors for you or you can go out and get your own. This is often the most difficult way to get income from your show but it can also be the most lucrative.
Premium Content: It’s possible to make your back catalog or even your entire show pay-for-content. Libsyn.com now offers a service that will allow you to determine how much of your feed is premium.
Non-tangible Returns on Your Podcast
Subscribers: Every new subscriber is cash in the bank for a podcast. In podcasting, it’s all about the audience.
Email List: If someone is willing to give you their email, consider that as good or better than a donation. Email’s can be used to reach your audience from now until they unsubscribe so it’s a pretty big return when your audience likes you enough to give you access to their email inbox. Treat it wisely. This could be your only link to your audience should something go wrong with your hosting, podcatcher, etc.
Reviews, Comments, Social Sharing: Anytime someone gives you a review on iTunes, a comment on your site, a Like on Facebook or any other feedback, you’ve been paid. These help increase your visibility in search engines be it Google or iTunes or wherever else people can find your show.
Emails and Voice Feedback: When people leave you feedback or ask questions, this is content you can use to power your show. Including your listeners in the content of your episodes increases their investment in your podcast as well as helps you create content which can be a challenge after producing a lot of episodes.
Word Of Mouth: Just as it reads. When people tell their peers, you win. More subscribers leads to more podcast currency.
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We continue where we left off talking to Dave Jackson from the School of Podcasting.
On this episode Dave and I chat about podcasting software and how using old gear can be just as effective as buying brand new. I ask Dave what he thinks about having to have the “radio voice” sound for your podcast and how he defines success when it comes to his shows.
We touch on ideas about investing in your show and how to produce a podcast on a budget. Dave gives us some great insight about some of his attempts to monetize his podcasts and opens up the pages of his podcasting ebook to share some tips.
We wrap up by approaching some of the more controversial podcasting topics such as people who say “podcasting is dead.” And you hear why I might agree. Listen in for some great conversation about all things podcasting as I wrap up my interview with Dave.
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An interview with Dave Jackson from The School of Podcasting’s Morning Announcements. A “podcast that talks about all things Podcasting. From planning planning, producing, and promoting your podcast along with all the tools and techniques.” With over 250 episodes published, Dave is one of the original podcasters. He was an early digital mentor for me [...]
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Learn the basics of podcasting from how to decide on a topic to choosing gear, software and hosting for your website and media. You’ve decided you want to start your own podcast and now you need to know how to proceed. In this episode we go back to the beginning and walk you through the [...]
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On this episode I talk about how to post your podcast feed to facebook automatically including an audio player and how to keep your podcast alive after you stop producing it and paying for hosting. I also discuss the differences between using a hardware versus software based compressor/limiter/gate. This is a non-essential piece of equipment [...]
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On this episode, Vincent, host of This Week in Virology, calls in to talk about his mix-minus setup. Grant wants to know about slow download speeds from files hosted on blip.tv and I talk about having a plan to stay connected to your audience if one or more of your broadcasting channels goes down or [...]
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Where do you find statistics about your podcast? I hear this question often and with it usually comes confusion about what exactly is going on with the stats you get from Feedburner. On this episode I talk all about the different places to find stats for your show and why Feedburner may not be your [...]
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Learn how to get started in video podcasting and some fun YouTube hacks. I talk about what cameras you need as well as other gear needed to start a video podcast. Also discussed are hosting options for you video, audio for video, and editing software options for both the Mac and PC. Once you have [...]
I tackled another DIY podcast studio project today and I’m happy with the results thus far. This is a desktop rack mount which I’m calling the Podcaster’s Rack Mount because of it’s relatively small footprint. Designed to fit a mixer and one or two rack mountable pieces to meet the challenges of recording in a home studio.
