The process of creating a podcast is fairly simple. You record it, share it, and promote it. Recording A PodcastTo record an audio podcast, you'll need a microphone and a computer. You will also need audio recording & editing software. I use the Audacity software which is free, and both Mac and P compatible. A high !uality microphone is ideal for podcasting. I ha"e been using the Plantronics #ireless $%& 'eadset for inter"iews, webinars, guest appearances on podcasts, audio("ideo creation, etc ) and I love it.*or my podcast, I decided to go to a higher !uality mic and chose the Blue Yeti USB Microphone. You can listen to a sound !uality comparison of the two at thatlin+.You'll simply plug your mic into your computer, open Audacity, and start recording. You can also edit your audio in audacity, and easily add intro music or an intro clip.*or intro music do a search on ,oogle for -royalty free audio- or -royalty free podcast music- as a start. I decided to ha"e a custom intro .a -/ingle-0 created for my own podcast, for stronger personal branding.A powerful software will allow you to easily layer bac+ground music with your "oiceo"er, transition from segment to segment in your show, blend together different trac+s so you can add sound effects, and more. ,arageband will allow you to do those things, or Mac+ie1s Trac+tion is another easy)to)use option. *or serious processing power, 2A# .2igital Audio #or+station0 software such as a+ewal+ %34A5, M3T$ 2igital Performer, Apple 6ogic, 2igidesign Pro Tools and others will gi"e you the same capabilities as the pros ha"e. Music software, such as Propellerhead 5eason and a+ewal+ Pro/ect 7, will let you add your own bac+ing music trac+s to bring e"en more originality to your podcasts.How/Where To Upload PodcastsIn order to share your podcast with others, you ha"e to upload it to the web. The most popular and least e8pensi"e option is Ama9on %:. There is a *irefo8 Plugin that ma+es uploading your podcast episodes .media files0 to %: "ery easy.Promoting Your Podcast3nce you ha"e created your media file and uploaded it to the web, you'll want to share it with the world. The first step is creating an 5%% *eed for your podcast.The PodPress plugin for #ordPress is a good solution, as it integrates your podcast with a #ordPress blog ) and generates an iTunes friendly 5%% feed at the same time.You can now submit your podcast to iTunes so that it can be found by searchers. You'll also be able to properly optimi9e the blog posts for each episode, bringing in free search engine traffic.Also set up a *aceboo+ Page, a Twitter & YouTube account, and a ,mail account foryour podcast. Anytime you set up a blog, website, podcast, etc you should set up all of the related social media accounts for personal branding. And of course, start interacting in those spaces. 3ne other thing you'll need is Album Art. This is an image that represents your podcast in iTunes, and can also be used across your social media profiles. You want to create this in super high !uality, ;8? so that it doesn't loo+ grainy on Apple T@ and similar. You can easily outsource this tas+ on freelance /ob boards if you're not the creati"e type.4ow that you'"e generated an 5%% *eed and #ordPress blog for your podcast, be sure to submit it to both podcast and blog directoriesAHow To Create A PodcastMaster Chec!list$se this master chec+list to get your podcast created, from start to finishB ,et high)!uality mic reate Album Art 2ownload Audacity 5ecord Your Podcast Insert intro clip or /ingle, and e8it clip on"ert recording to MP: format %ign up for Ama9on %: 2ownload the *irefo8 %: Plugin $pload media file to %: Install PodPress Plugin on #ordPress &log %ubmit your Podcast to iTunes %ubmit your Podcast to directories3nce you ha"e e"erything set up, continue recording & uploading on a regular schedule. reating a publishing schedule will help you line up topics and stay on trac+ ) consistency is good.You can tweet when you ha"e a new episode a"ailable, and also in"ol"e your followers by letting them submit !uestions or suggest topics they'd lo"e to hear. Your blog and social media profiles can do a lot to grow your listener base and ma+e your podcast successfulA3T'C5 3PTI34%

Con"ert #our audio $ile to MP% $ormat& 3nce you ha"e your podcast recorded, you1ll need to con"ert it to MP: format so listeners can download it. Any of a number of pieces of software can be used to do this D we1re /ust tal+ing regularold MP: files. There are free audio editors(file con"erters, or for best results I recommend using &IA% Pea+ on the Mac or %ony %ound *orge or %teinberg #a"elab on #indows to do the con"ersion. The ad"antage to using a EcommercialFprogram is that you1ll also get a lot of audio editing and processing capabilities thatwill be "ery useful to you when you1re creating the audio for your podcast. IMP35TA4TApple is hosting podcasts, and you can access them "ia iTunes. To fully ta+e ad"antage of all that iTunes offers in this capacity, some optional GM6 tags can be added to the 5%% feed file. %ome of the commercial 5%% creator programs will add these tags automatically.iTunes supports podcasts withpictures and web lin+s thatshow up in the iTunes %ong Artwor+window. This re!uires software that can create EchaptersF in the MP: file. ast Casy cando this, as can Apple1s hapter Tool.This is the latestB You can e8port a "ideo file from Huic+Time ? Pro.Mac or #indows0 in iPod format, andenclose its location within an 5%% file in the same way you can an audio MP:. The E"ideo podcastF can then be downloaded and"iewed on a computer or compatible iPod.