Podcasting Internet Business

Podcasting is a new and exciting combination of existing technologies that allows people to hear information on topics of interest to them. Podcasting is a blossoming opportunity and everyone is getting on board. It benefits the podcaster as an opportunity to be heard. It benefits you as the listener, as a way to get only the information you want and to listen to when and where you want. And, podcasting is an opportunity for the entrepreneur to develop into a part time or even full time business.

Introduction

Podcasting is still in its early days. People are still trying to figure out what they can put on podcasts, and if people will listen to it. Content and audience will be the determining factors on who is still around 5 or 10 years from now when podcasting reaches its maturity.
Ever heard of the game “Pong?” If not, ask someone who is a little older than you to tell you about it. After Pong came early game systems like Atari with Pacman characters running from ghosts. Game systems have advanced so far in only a few decades. Podcasting is like that, too! Web radio is like the Pong of Internet audio-tainment. Podcasting is like the early Atari system. It won’t be long and we’ll be looking back and laughing at how primitive podcasting is.

Content is king!
If you're interested in podcasting, check to see what's out there now. Some interests lend themselves to podcasting more easily than others, while others may not seem so readily transferable into a podcasting format.
When creating your podcast, make sure that it contains quality content. Just like a bad television show, a podcast with little to say will find that it fades out of existence as its discontented audience trickles away.

Would you eat a sandwich with nothing between the bread? Would you read a newspaper that only had blank pages? When was the last time you watched that all-static channel on TV? These are silly examples but podcasting is in its infancy and people tend to put anything on a podcast! If you want a podcast that will be around for awhile, make sure you’re offering a sandwich which is more than just two slices of bread!

Formats of a podcast

Podcasting can take many formats, just like a television show or radio program. In fact, since podcasting is so new and people are willing to experiment with different kinds of formats, you are likely to get away with formats that will not be considered acceptable in a television or radio program.

The interview show. In each podcast you interview one or several experts in the niche you serve.

The call in show. In this format, people phone in and you talk to them. This works well in any problem diagnosis situation, where people ask you for help with their garden or their car or their computer and you give advice to them but it is practical enough advice that all of your listeners will find value in it.

The monologue. In this format, you simply tell people your ideas, just as if you were a professor in a college lecturing your students or a storyteller with a rapt audience. If you have something interesting to say and you are a good speaker, this format can work well, especially since podcasting is the only medium that will allow you to do this. But be careful! Because it can become boring very, very quickly.

The dialogue. This format is much more enjoyable to listen to, even though you can accomplish the same thing in this format as you can in the monologue; get your ideas across to your listeners. The only difference is, two or more people are talking about it and the different invoices will help break up the format, and may even allow for a question-and-answer style discussion or a debate with one person on one side of the issue and the other person on the other side of the issue.

The conversation. This is a little less formal than the dialogue (above) and a lot more freeform. There are some great podcasts out there of just conversation-style shows, but they are difficult to maintain quality content without a script.

Podcast version of seminar/convention. This format is somewhat difficult to listen to, although if your industry has a convention that you cannot make it to, this is the next best thing. When the speaker of the seminar speaks into the microphone, it is also transferred into an MP3 format and then made available for you to download. If the seminar requires a lot of visuals, the podcast can be very boring, but it's the best option if you can't make it.

This quiz show. This is an interesting format, and it can be done in a couple ways: some podcasts ask questions, pause for some music while you think of the answer, then reveal the answer.

News magazine format. News channels, like CNN, are putting their headlines into podcast form. Like a television or radio broadcast, they simply list off the headlines then have a feature story or two followed by a few smaller stories. It's a good way to catch the news if you're on the go and want quality news from a respected national news source rather than local news from your radio station.

Of course, there are many other formats, but these are often the most popular. If you're creating a podcast you'll probably want to use these formats in a combination to provide the very best value to your listeners.

Sample Podcast format

For example, here's a typical format of some current, excellent podcasts available right now:

• Introductory music
• Introduction of hosts
• Hosts introduce topics covered on the podcast with the catchy title and a one sentence teaser (like a table of contents for the podcast).
• The first topic, the hosts review industry related news.
• The second topic, someone calls in with a problem and the hosts make suggestions to solve the problem.
• The third topic, the hosts review a couple of web sites or industry related books.
• There is a brief pause for an advertisement.
• The fourth topic, (the longest, in a feature format) an industry expert is interviewed.
• Question and answer between hosts and guests.
• The hosts mention an upcoming seminar they are offering.
• The hosts talk about the next podcast coming up and what listeners can look forward to.
• Concluding music.

Not every podcast has to follow this format, and you'll find podcasts that vary in quality and quantity of content. But this example, above, is a sample outline drawn from a conglomeration of good quality podcasts currently available.

The secrets to successful podcasts

• If you're planning on podcasting, here are a few tips to help you create a high quality podcasts. They do not cost anything and they are easy to implement so they should be added to your podcast in order to help you create a quality product that people will want to subscribe to.
• Have a script but don't read from it. Listeners can tell both ways: if you are just flying from the seat of your pants, or... all... you... do… is… speak… like… this… all… the… way… through… your… podcast. Both ways can be annoying.
• Put a little bit of music or a related sound at the beginning and end of your podcast. Like parentheses, these just give the listener with audible cues that your podcast is starting and finishing.
• Host a podcast, rather than simply letting it be a sounding board of one person renting on and on. The differences in voices will make for a more enjoyable experience for your listener.
• Give headlines at the beginning of your podcast. Tell listeners to expect to hear “these 3 things: Number one, number two, number three.” That way, they can follow along more easily.
• Add value! Podcasts can be a good way to make money, which we will talk about in detail later, but people will only be drawn to them if they actually add value to their lives. Don't use your podcast as a vehicle to only move product or you will find you only need to make one podcast because no one will listen to any more.
• Remember that podcasting is an audio format. There are many podcasts out there today that are simply recordings of seminars or trade shows or product unveilings that require in order to succeed.
• Learn to speak clearly. Either hire a professional to help you or join a group like Toastmasters whose purpose is to help you speak more clearly. There are too many podcasts today whose speakers have not tried to improve their ability to be understood, and these podcast will not be around for very much longer.
• Be excited about your topic!
• Whether you are new to podcasting or a veteran this list will help improve your listener’s experience.

Niche markets

The secret to successful podcasting, and to the future success of the industry lies in podcasting's ability to service a niche market. Most people can find general information readily available quickly.

What people want is in-depth information, instruction, and entertainment specific to their area of interest. It is easy for them to find a web site that will post all the baseball scores in their favorite division. What they might be looking for however, is information, instruction, and entertainment related to their baseball team, which might not be readily available at the click of a mouse.

People who want to find out more about the industry, do not want to scour the Internet for a couple hours each day looking for analysis and information and top experts. Podcasting brings all of that to them.

Submit Your Podcast

A podcast can be nothing more than you rambling to your computer and saving the file. If you search Google for "What is a podcast“ you will get all the information you need.
Submitting your podcast will get you highly targeted traffic when people listen to your podcast.

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