Podcast Freq

A Guest Post from Tishia Lee of Tishia Saves Time:

When I first started offering transcription services as part of my Virtual Assistant business, transcribing podcasts was not something I considered. In all honesty, I never thought about the fact that there would be a benefit to having a podcast transcribed. Once I began receiving requests on a regular basis I began to learn why people were choosing to do this.

There are some people that like to have text to read so they can follow along as they listen to audio and there are also people out there that would prefer to just read the transcript than listen to the audio. By having their podcast transcribed they were providing that option to their listeners. This is probably the most common reason why people choose to have their podcasts transcribed.

Aside from the reason listed above, there are other benefits to having a podcast transcribed. Once it has been turned into a text file you can add it to your website. This provides new content and we all know how the search engines like fresh content.

Another benefit of having your podcast transcribed is that you can use it as part of a package deal. For instance maybe you have a special report to offer to your target market and you interviewed someone really cool for your podcast that goes along with the information in your special report. You can offer the audio and the transcript as a bonus to go along with it.

You can also turn the transcript into blog posts, articles, mini ecourses, etc. These are just a couple options of how having your podcast can be beneficial to you. You can get as creative as you want and use the transcript however you see fit.

I mentioned having my podcast audio’s transcribed in my last post. In case you wonder - no, I do not transcribe them myself. (Shudder the thought - I did enough transcription to last a lifetime in my first office job… imagine transcribing insurance department complain letters eight hours a day… bad memories!)

I outsource all of my transcription work to my trusty Virtual Assistant, Tishia Lee of Tishia Saves Time. For some unfathomable reason, Tishia actually likes doing transcription work so I’m pleased to leave her to it.

Tishia isn’t the only VA that I outsource work to. I turn to Christina Lemmey of MultiMedia VA for the creation of simple podcast promo audios, short commercials, etc. Christina also does podcast production for a few of my clients, releasing me to focus on other projects.

Outsourcing is a powerful business building tool. Without some level of outsourcing your business is only going to be able to grow so far. Let me introduce you to a couple of outsourcing resources that could be just what the doctor ordered for your business and podcasting growth efforts.

Outsourcing Sweetie

Outsourcing Sweetie is first a resource that teaches you how to outsource effectively. If you opt for Platinum Membership you actually tap into a crack team of service providers and project management consultancy for a monthly fee. You receive a certain amount of ghostwritten content, technical script work, virtual assistance and graphic/web design work each month - plus you can strategize with the Sweetie herself, Alice Seba.

Start by becoming a Gold Member for only $10.00.

Shelancers

Shelancers is a new resource for finding online service providers. Exclusively created to showcase women providers, Shelancers is a refreshing alternative to the big freelancer directories.

One of the most common questions people ask about getting started in podcasting is ‘How do you record a telephone call?’

Back in my early years as an internet radio show host, I tried every cheap-o solution that I could find. Remember that in the summer of 2003 we didn’t have hundreds of podcaster enthusiasts sharing their ‘how to’s’ for free on blogs and forums. Finding information was hard and I felt like most of the time I didn’t even know the right questions to ask.

To start with I bought a little Radio Shack part for $15 and it certainly captured the phone conversation, but it also captured the loudest phone line humm I’d ever heard.

I went back to the store and bought another part of $25, thinking maybe spending ten dollars more would solve my issue. Nope, no difference.

So I went to the internet and searched for phone recording tools. Mostly I found more little doohickies like the Radio Shack parts I already tried. I bought one for $60 and another for $200 but my results didn’t vary much and I sent them back.

Finally I stumbled on the JK Audio website and found the Inline Patch.

With the Inline Patch I was able to capture voices and minimize humm as well as compensate for differences in volume between my show guest and myself.

I’ve used the patch faithfully until just this year when SkypeOut won my heart away from my land line.

I signed up for my own SkypeIn phone number for my business and started using Skype almost exclusively. I remembered receiving a free license for Pamela a couple of years back so I downloaded that and dug the license number out of an old email.

Pamela allows you to record your Skype calls beautifully and for now my Inline Patch is gathering dust on my desk.

It is coming up to 2 years since I had an iPod bought for me - a gift that changed my life literally. I had no idea at the time what a podcast was, and I had no technical background. Within 2 years, the majority of my time and the majority of my income is generated via social media….what a whirlwind two years. Now the iPod is part of my life, part of my everyday living.

1) I use it as a hard drive to carry a back up presentation to clients. I would be carrying it anyway for entertainment so it means there is nothing extra I have to remember to put in my briefcase.
2) I use it as my photo album, before I never could find the photo’s I was looking for…now the memories are with me all the time.
3) It is my learning and development tool - I don’t attend courses, I listen to podcasts on all sorts of areas to develop my skills…expand my learning…
4) I use it as my library….I only listen to audiobooks.
5) I now do 40 minutes exercise each day without getting bored…why? because I am entertained and engaged during that exercise either with a podcast, an audiobook or a video.
6) I use it as my address book for when I am offline…I don’t have a pda, so I carry my mobile and my ipod.
7) I wake up every morning to my iHome. I have over 10,000 songs on it and always play them on shuffle so that I never know what is coming next.
I use it as a child occupier when out with friends! I have downloaded a few cartoon, and short films….wonderful to help entertain a bored child when you are out for tea!
9) I use it to record when I am out and about…normally I use a micro audiotrack but if I find myself without it..I use my iPod.
10) …..Great for plugging into your ears when you don’t want to speak to people on the train etc……:)

I have been a member of the Blubrry community since it’s launch, I have always been a huge fan of their work.

I am delighted to see that they have updated their page layout - check out Middle Age Shed (love that logo!) and The Engaging Brand to see the new buttons.

The page looks clean and I love the simple layout….look at the range options

Add to Digg, Google, Delicious
iPhone feature
Zune

The tag feature is great for finding new shows and I also love the fact that the shows are now central to the page. Often directories are bland and look just like a long list of shows…Blubrry is different, it has a retail appeal in it’s layout. When you add to the design strength the ability to join affiliate programs and earn money from your podcast…it is a powerful package.

I think the only thing that is missing now is the community of the show. Would it be possible to have a news feed for the blog, or links to the facebook group etc…oh and of course the Facebook Blubrry player!

The art of search for podcasting is such a critical element of future growth….one of the reasons I use Blubrry as my link to my podcasts is that for people new to the medium, will find the site easy to navigate and easy on the eye….as I said with the retail feel. It is so important that people find the experience of listening to their first podcast or downloading their first show…easy, otherwise they will not stick around and it will be the equivalent of a lost shopper during the checkout process.

So well done Blubrry…as always love the changes
[tags] blubrry, podcasting directory, podcasts, search, attracting listeners [ /tags]

My good friend Leesa Barnes has now launched her new book Podcasting for Profit - you can download 2 chapters here at her site.

In the book, Leesa shares a proven 7 step plan to help individuals and businesses generate income through audio and video podcasting. I was privileged to be used as a case study, over at The Engaging Brand! The 7 steps are explained in detail but in summary are
1) Assess - work out your goals
2) Plan - your next steps
3) Launch - your podcast
4) Grow - your audience
5) Profit - 106 pages dedicated to ways of creating income streams!
6) Measure - your success to your goals in the right way
7) Optimise - Reviewing progress to ensure that you are maximising your return

Well done Leesa on a great first book - if you want to check out an interview with her then check out The Podcast Sisters as there is an interview coming up on the show.

So after Tim and Emile Bourquin’s Podcast Media Expo event I have had some time to think and I thought I would try and write down some initial thoughts on what I would like to see at the 2008 event in Las Vegas. I really enjoyed this year’s event and have to say The Podcast Brothers know how to hold a superb event!

1) I would like to hear from people who are using podcasting for different uses than the “normal” programming …for instance I do work with clients - which you can hear about on Show 20 of The Podcast Sisters using podcasts as training, communication and employee engagement tools. I would like to inspire or be inspired by people who are using podcasting in a creative way.

2) I wonder about a speed dating session! Sometimes as a lessor known podcaster it can be hard to meet people, especially if you are a little shy…so what about a speed podcasting date session where people have 30 sec to introduce themselves to each person in the room!

3) As podcasting is a global medium, I wonder if we could have a geographic track…finding out what is popular in different world audiences and how countries differ in approach?

4) Maybe a future trends strand that looks at how the web is evolving…3.0 if you like…and the implications for podcasting, social media etc and how as a podcaster you need to be evolving your offering.

Just some quick ideas on what I would like to see at the next PME, but remember if you missed this year’s then you can always download the audio over the next few weeks.
[tags] podcast expo, podcasting, tim + emile bourquin, social media, corporate podcasting [ /tags]

As a podcaster you are often asked about what you do….being prepared with your answer, is very important. So take 10 minutes to work out how you would reply to the following questions

1) What do you do?

My answer = I am a show producer. (Tends to pique interest somewhat!)

2) What is the show about?

My answer for The Engaging Brand is…. to help leaders inspire, motivate and engage people at work, why? to boost profits!

3) What is a podcast?

It is a radio show on steriods! You choose what you want to listen to and it will automatically download to your computer for you to listen to at your leisure….no time contraints, no content you don’t want…just 100% content.

SO HOW DO YOU REPLY LET ME KNOW!

[tags] podcasting, podcaster, what is a podcast, audio files [ /tags]

Podcasting News has given us an insight into PodShows announcement at the Podcast Expo coming up this week.

“Podcasting startup PodShow is expected to formally announce a partnership with TiVo next week that will bring PodShow’s video podcasts to TiVo users. The agreement promises to make Podshow’s content available to millions of new viewers, directly on their televisions.”

I have always believed that podcasts will show strong growth when the user interface is simple and using technology that people are used to…like a TV. My mum is in her 70’s and feels intimidated by the technology….but if I said you can listen to The Engaging Brand through your TV…she would! Now I know my mum is not typical but her feelings are…..the content is not the issue, it is it’s strength….if we could break the mystery of how to listen then podcasts are ready for growth. I only hope that Sky in the UK does a similar deal!

podcasts, podcasting, tivo, podshow, podcast media expo, listening to podcasts

Yesterday I was with a client in London which meant a 7 hours of travelling….which I love as I catch up on podcasts! I was struck by how many people had earphones….I don’t know if this was me just noticing for the first time, or whether there does seem to be a growing trend. Yesterday 1 in 4 (my estimate) of people were listening rather than reading, talking, sleeping etc

It struck me that the problem is not delivering your content…the medium is there, people are using mobile players. The problem is that most people are still not aware of the podcast possibility. I think it would be a safe bet that most of those people were listening to music.

My takeaway…if all those people can download music, then they can download podcasts. If we could convert just a 1/3rd of those people to podcasts then that would change the landscape for podcasts. The market is there, the product is there…we just need to bridge the two!

podcasts, podcasting, music downloads, mobile, audio

For me one of the best podcasting tools out there, is The Levelator. Well The Levelator has a new home over at The Conversations Network.

For podcasters, the levelator remains an invaluable tool. Here is what they say at their website

“Have you ever recorded an interview in which you and your guest ended up at different volumes? How about a panel discussion where some people were close to microphones and others were not? These are the problems the post-production engineers of Team ITC here at The Conversations Network solve every day, and it used to take them hours of painstaking work with expensive and complex tools like SoundTrack Pro, Audacity, Sound Forge or Audition to solve them. Now it takes mere seconds. Seriously. The Levelator is unlike any other audio tool you’ve ever seen, heard or used. It’s magic. And it’s free.”

Doug Kaye says “I’m equally excited to announce thatThe Levelator has also come home. From now on, future development, distribution and support of The Levelator will be done here, and to kick things off, we’ve just published a newversion (1.2.1) for OS X and Windows. The Linux versions willbe available shortly.”

podcasting, the levelator, doug kaye, podcast tools

I want to bring together a monthly carnival of podcasting tips and thoughts on how to evolve your podcast or your podcasting income. Here is the first carnival but would love your articles to share with others.

I was delighted yesterday to be contacted by Karin Hogh who is a journalist, media advisor, instructor and speaker. She has graduated from IT-University with a thesis about podcasting, so she is clever too! Karin is a wonderful evangelist for blogging and podcasting, check out her blog at The PodJournal. Karin and I spoke about a new service that she is providing - Podhandle.

I am a fervant supporter of any widget, any software that makes podcasting easier for the listeners or potential listeners. Podhandle is a new service which as the website explains has many interesting features…

User friendly and secure web based interface including:

* # Easy upload of files (images and audio/video)
* Help with required entries of tags and shownotes (SEO)
* Template for email-notification (newsletter)
* Approval of listener/viewer comments
* Choise of colourcodes, fonts and size of publishing-widget
* Generating of html- or Javascript for embedding on frontpage of website (selection of features) and complete size on subsite

In addition we provide:

* Choise of subdomain (ability to move feed without having to change adress)
* Statistics
* Hosting
* Support (via email - response within 12 hours)
* Surveillance and validation of feed

On your website users can see:

* Brief user-guide
* Flash-player (audio and/or video)
* Link to audio and/or videofile
* One-click-buttons to podcatchers e.g. iTunes
* RSS-feed to copy-paste
* List of previous episodes
* Email-notification (newsletter)
* Feedback-option

I like this concept and will be interviewing Karin about it on Sundays The Podcast Sisters show. I will also trial the service on Sunday within the show notes.

If we are to grow our audiences we need to find tools that help the consumer experience, that make it so easy to subscribe, to listen that why wouldn’t they? I will let you know more once I have used the service!
[tags podcast player, podcasting, karin hogh, podhandle, podcast + listeners [/tags]