Yesterday, on Blogging and Beyond, we talked about podcasting with Debra Simpson of Magic in Words. Debra is passionate about podcasting and shared some great tips about how to use audio not only for podcasts, but also to add "stickiness" to your website.
Podcasting may sound scary if you're not technically inclined, but it can be done "down and dirty" with very little expense or effort. Here's how...
You need two, no four, things. Aside from a telephone and a computer, which I'm assuming you have since you're reading this, you also need an account with AudioAcrobat, and a blog.
I'm making some assumptions here. If you have a business, then I'm assuming you are willing to make some investments in marketing tools. If you're not, then stop reading.
An AudioAcrobat account (you get a free 7 day trial to test it out), will cost you $19.95 per month. AA hosts all your audio files, helps you create your audio, gives you the tools to create audio players you can post on your blog or website (see Savvy Biz Cast for examples), and guides you through creating podcasts and submitting it to iTunes. Can't beat that for 20 bucks a month.
OK, here's the "how-to":
1. Log in to your AudioAcrobat account.
2. Click on the yellow tab that says "Audio"
3. Click on the button that says "Record by phone"
4. Follow the directions for dialing in to the recording system with the phone number and PIN provided.
5. Follow the prompts on the recording.
6. Record your content (that's another story). You can record up to 60 minutes. You can replay, re-record and save.
7. After you save the recording, it will appear in your account as an mp3 file. Click on the Audio tab and then "Show Audios".
8. Select the audio you just recorded and edit the title and description so you can identify it later.
9. When you're in the View Audio module, click on the Publish Audio tab. You have the choice to publish for the web (blog), for email, or simply the link.
10. To publish for the web, select the first option where you will choose the audio player you want to post. There are many options and you can customize the colors as well.
11. Once you've selected and modified the player, click on the button that says "Generate HTML code." A field will open up with the code you need to copy and then paste into a blog post or on your website.
OK, that's how you post audio on your site or blog. How do you make it a podcast that folks can subscribe to? That's tomorrow's lesson!
