"Sometimes you come up with an idea that requires creative and technical wizardry to provide an internal client with exceptional value. Then, after the initial excitement has worn off, the scale and difficulty of the task becomes apparent. 
PODCASTING: HOW TO START
A quick guide through the podcasting process to encourage you to make a start.
Just do it! Podcasting is not fiendishly difficult and because it is relatively inexpensive to produce, you can afford to make mistakes, learn and quickly produce podcasts that are engaging and effective.
The Process: Treatment, Script and Recording
The process you will follow when producing your podcast will vary depending upon the type of podcast you are working on. In most instances, you will follow three stages:
1. Treatment: no matter what you produce, it is important you write a ‘treatment’ before you start. This is an outline of the key topics to be recorded, the creative approach to be taken and any issues to be discussed and overcome. If it is a seminar, then the emphasis will be on the main learning topics; if it is a chat show to review a project, then you will need to have a structure and order of events. For any dramatised training, you may find you need to hire a professional writer to help pull all of your ideas together into a cohesive document.
2. Script: again, this will vary depending upon what you are recording. You may wish to have everything tightly controlled, in which case your presenter will need a seminar script to read from. Alternatively, you may wish things to be more fluid, in which case your script will show a clear running order of the topics to be discussed with relevant sub-topics. If you are producing dramatised training, your scriptwriter will present a number of drafts for you to approve. Remember that writers have different styles and approaches — so if you are looking for humour, then it is best not to hire a writer with a reputation for hard-edged drama.
3. Recording: if you are after professional production values and are considering podcasting for marketing, organised chat shows or dramatised scenarios, then consider going into a recording studio and hiring a company with production expertise. This can be done on an hourly rate and the studio will manage all of the technical aspects of the recording, as well as the delivery of a high quality recording. The last thing you want is to invest time and resources into the preparation of a good podcast only to be let down with an amateurish recording.
If you want to do this in-house, there are a variety of low-cost routes to consider. Here are three:
- Download digital recording software; buy a microphone and record onto your PC. You can then edit and convert your recording into an appropriate audio file.
- Purchase a digital dictaphone and then transfer the recording onto your PC for final uploading.
- Subscribe to an audio bureau service that will allow you to make recordings via the telephone, which will be automatically enabled for delivery via your website.
Details about some of the companies that can help you are available on the Links page of the site. Don’t expect your recordings to be perfect first time, it is going to be a steep learning curve but if you approach it in the right way, great fun.
The Process - Hosting and Listening
In most instances, what you record will be converted into an XML file, otherwise known as an RRS feed. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. The file will list the website location of the podcast episodes as well as the title, a short description and date of publication. You can either write the file details yourself or get your producer to do it. The file is then posted on a web server and given a unique address. It will look something like this:
http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/stw/rss.xml
It is with this web address that all of your listeners will be able to subscribe and listen to your podcast. They will go to their audio ‘aggregators’, e.g. i-Tunes, type in the web address and the aggregator will automatically locate and download the file. From here, it will be seamlessly exported or ‘synced’ with their mobile audio player.
For podcasts that you want to make available on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, your listener will be required to regularly log on to their ‘aggregator’ to pick up the latest download. If this is part of an ongoing training course, then it will be important that you make sure they do this on a regular basis. It is not the end of the world if they don’t; they will just find that when they next log on, all of the podcasts they missed will be downloaded.
One of the great things about podcasts is that there is no restriction on age, topic or listening location. It is one of the most accessible of communication tools and we have only just started to wake up to all of the creative and productive benefits it can bring to business.
This article can be printed and if you would like to learn more about podcasting you may wish to read other articles on the site: ‘Why Podcasting?’, ‘Podcasting Formats’ and ‘Personality Branding’.
If you would like to discuss ways in which podcasting could improve your marketing and training communications, then please contact me directly for more information.
Joe Pélissier