How do I create a podcast and make money? Nowadays this question is becoming more and more popular.

If you have ever listened to, or subscribed to, a podcast, then you already know how convenient they are. You simply subscribe to the podcast, and it is downloaded as updates are available. Then, you can listen to the podcasts at your convenience, regardless of whether you are online or offline.

So, given the popularity of podcasts, have you ever considered the idea of creating your own podcast? If not, perhaps you should. The podcast has truly liberated the notion of free broadcasting in that anyone with the right software and equipment (which usually costs less than a few hundred dollars, not including internet access) can broadcast online.

Just as with any other endeavour, there are steps that the experts recommend be implemented before the first episode.

How To Podcast Like A Pro

1 – Plan Your Podcast

When creating a podcast, as tempting as it may be to jump in, feet first, it is always best to plan ahead and organize. Know your topic, and organize the material well so that it flows naturally. Failure to plan will make your podcast seem awkward, lack direction, and will lose listeners very quickly. It is a good idea to choose a topic that you are passionate about, as you are more likely to convey your enthusiasm about a topic that captures your own interest. In turn, it will capture the interest of others.

Write out a few dot points on some subjects you would like to cover over the course of the cast, that way you stay on track and your audience will not get lost in your discussion.

(Image Courtesy of Cam Knows)

2 – Set The Stage

In podcasting, “setting the stage” is a metaphor for deciding how your podcast is going to be formatted. Will you be speaking alone? Will you be engaging in dialogue with someone else? Will you be adding music to enhance the podcast? The possibilities are only limited by the boundaries of your imagination. There are no legalities to restrict your creativity with one exception: if you do plan to use music in your podcast, make sure that you have all of the appropriate permissions from the artist(s) and recording companies. Or, if you have musical talent, you may simply create your own music.

Also, as a postscript to the legality of podcasts, common sense should come into play. Use of material that is illegal in nature is not encouraged and may result in criminal action being taken against you. Again – just use common sense.

(Image Courtesy of Siamese Puppy)

3 – Create A Professional Recording Location

The volume of background noise that exists in our lives would probably amaze us if we really noticed it. As we live and grow in our surroundings, we learn to “tune out” background noises and only notice noises if they are unusually loud, sudden, or strikingly different from the normal background noise that is always there.

To the contrary, when recording audio, every decibel of background noise is not only audible to the listener, it can be distracting and annoying. Furthermore, most normal rooms have a faint echo which is also magnified when recording.

When setting up your location for podcasting, the smaller the surroundings, the better. Also, having some sort of insulating surface around the recording area will help to absorb the sound of your voice and prevent the bounce-back effect of an echo. As strange as it may sound, a good way to practice podcasting is to do so in a clothes closet, as long as you are not claustrophobic. The surrounding clothing will absorb the excess noise and the improvement in voice quality will be significant. Once this has been completed as a test, strive to achieve similar quality in the broadcast location.

(Image Courtesy of Travis Estell)

4 – Prepare Your Gear

You can get your hands on a fairly reasonable condenser studio mic for as little as $200 USD with a wind muff to stop those “pff” sounds when you blow or speak loudly into the mic. It also pays to purchase an MBox or a good quality sound card for your computer, this will allow you to record your podcast in CD quality (320kbps). You will need a mixer to run your Mic’s through, just make sure the mixer has “Phantom Power”, to power your condenser mic. A mixer is also great for expanding out the number of mic’s as you introduce more guests on your show.

You will need a nice set of Headphones, preferably the over ear ones and as far as software goes, you can use either Logic, Pro Tools or if you are on a pretty tight budget then “Garage Band” will even do the trick. There are other multi track recording and editing programs but those three came to mind as a great tool for tracking your podcasts.

(Image Courtesy Of mbrown)

5 – Create A Great Environment

Make sure your environment is as comfortable as possible and really set the scene, put up a funny poster ,an awesome view of Manhattan or a canvas print of Muhammad Ali knocking out his competition to inspire your thoughts while podcasting, it’s all really up to personal preference. Famous Podcaster, “Joe Rogan” even has mannequins with “Storm Trooper” helmets on them to jazz up his studio. Let your imagination run free and create a cool vibe in the room.

The more professional and personalised the setup, the more serious you will take your podcasting.

6 – Promote Your Podcast

This part is just as important as creating your podcast itself. How is anyone going to hear your podcast if you keep it all to yourself? Add a  Get on Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and start promoting your show and posting snippets of your clips. Create a community on Google+ that is aligned with what you talk about and start discussions with those like-minded people so that you can share your show with them also.

Most people will only listen to the first 30 seconds of a podcast, so make sure you are always giving your “A! Game” and you are showcasing what you feel will be a highlight of what your podcast REALLY has to offer the world. If they like what they hear then they will listen, then hopefully share your podcast also with their Facebook friends and Twitter/YouTube followers.

All the pros are publishing their podcasts in the iTunes Store, the best way to do this would be:

Alternatively, you can navigate to the submission page this way:

1. Open iTunes.
2. Click the iTunes Store icon in the Source list.
3. From the Choose Genre pop-up menu, choose Podcasts.
4. Click the big “Publish a Podcast” button in the middle of the screen.

Note: The iTunes team reviews each podcast submission. Depending on demand, it may take a week or two before your podcast is added.

How Can You Make Money Podcasting?

Podcasting is a lucrative means of earning a solid income online. To effectively use podcasting to generate earnings, it is always a good idea to follow the examples of others who have been successful in an endeavor such as this. Some examples of successful podcasters include:

Joe Rogan, a UFC commentator, comedian and the host of the hit TV show Fear Factor runs his own personal podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience“. His show is raw and uncut, with some really out there, yet incredible life advice which is shared by Joe and his mix mash of guests every week.

Joe Rogan endorses a new supplement brand called “Onnit” who have proven to deliver great results for their customers. Not sure how much kickback Joe Rogan gets for endorsing the Onnit brand but it would be a great idea for anyone who has a large number of listeners to contact some brands who relate to your audience for sponsorship.

Kevin Kastner, no not the actor, but a guy who podcasts the well known “Alaska TV” once broadcasted via a podcasting network. Networks provide a modicum of security by reaching a broader listening audience; however, Kastner was dissatisfied with splitting his profits with the network. He decided to break away from the network, seek his own sponsors, and keep the earnings. His efforts were successful, as his earnings spiked more than 200% in the first year.

Susan Bratton, Is CEO of Personal Life Media and host of the DishyMixPodcast. Bratton controls the overall programming, brand, and ad distribution of her network thereby creating a consistent experience for her audience and advertisers. She similarly sells programming by category, but unlike purchasing through a podcast ad network, advertisers know they’ll get a consistent experience with programming and audience. Bratton says they get about a million downloads a month across all their forty shows. With that much exposure, she can sell packages of programming by category that get from 100,000-250,000 downloads per month.

Royce Hildreth, who co-produces a podcast which is of interest to pregnant women, utilizes a system that is more or less a hybrid of the network vs. self-sponsored arrangements.

He has an arrangement with a media company where he can solicit his own sponsors, and the media company will take care of inserting the ads for him. This is done on a flat-fee basis, which Hildreth stated has worked out well.

Don McAllister, who podcasts “ScreenCastsOnline“, believes his system is among the best. He provides some podcasts free, and charges a flat fee (usually around $55) for the others.

The free podcasts serve as “teasers” which generate the interest in the paid broadcasts.

In Summary

The above tips and techniques are only highlights of podcasting for fun or profit. As long as the broadcaster is passionate and knowledgeable about the material being podcasted, the rest is easy.