Virtual Podcast Seminar eBook
For almost 5 years I’ve been blogging about podcasting. One of the series of posts that I did in the past was something I called the Podcast Seminar. It was a virtual podcast seminar that would show the beginning to intermediate podcast the basics of podcasting. The posts have been very popular and are still available on the site. However, it was in need of some updating and expanding. Rather than put all that effort into more posts, I went ahead and rolled it up into an eBook. That way you can download and consume it in either print form or on your computer or other PDF compatible device.
Here are the topics covered in the eBook:
- Choosing a topic for your podcast.
- What length should your podcast be?
- What type of podcast do you want to produce?
- What equipment/software do you need?
- Should your podcast be daily, weekly, monthly?
- Creating your podcast with a blog.
- Marketing your podcast.
- Show notes and SEO: Why are they important?
- Podcast metrics: Who’s listening?
- Monetizing your podcast
- Spreading the word through social networks.
- The Wrap-Up
Thanks for visiting the site and for considering purchasing my ebook. Good luck with your podcasting endeavors.
Virtual Podcast Seminar Ebook – Only $5
Now the third, and most important topic on Social Networks, how do I use them? Too many times I see posts on the social networks that I frequent that are just promoting their blog posts or latest episodes of their podcasts. Social networks are about more than just sending out a note that you have a new blog post. It’s about engaging an audience and sharing, as the definition above implies. If you do a podcast about a certain subject, like marketing, ask questions about marketing. Share what ways you’re using the topics in your podcast in your business. Give examples of how those in your network could use your latest podcast to make them money. Again, the word is engage.
So let’s look at an example someone who engages his audience, and in my opinion does social networks correctly. That person is 
So are social networks important for your podcast? Sure, but make sure the social networks that you choose are not just used as a cheap press release medium. If you’re excited about using social networks to promote your podcast and build a community, there are others out there that can help you in the best ways to leverage social networks. One person you definitely have to check out is 
First off, let’s get this ugly fact out of the way; unless your podcast is a standout in the thousands of podcasts in iTunes, there’s a good chance you’re not going to make a dime on your podcast. If you’re getting into podcasting to make money, you’re going to be sadly disappointed. At least for right now. There are opportunities to make a few bucks, but basically the monetization model for podcasting is far from fleshed out. Even though that’s the case, let’s take a look at the models listed above.
Premium Subscription – When you subscribe to a podcast, it’s not like subscribing to cable. No money changes hands. You simply add the podcaster’s RSS feed to your aggregator of choice. In the premium subscription model, you still subscribe to the podcaster’s feed, however this time you have a username and password and you pay the podcster to subscribe to the feed. This model is much like the premium channels like HBO. You pay an agreed upon amount each month. There are a few services that can provide this type of service, but the one that’s getting a lot of use is 
I’m not going to pretend to be an expert on SEO. I do however understand keywords and their importance in your show notes and blog posts.
Blogging and podcasting go hand in hand. Both are distributed by RSS feed. A podcast feed is differentiated by the use of the enclosure tag to add the podcast content to the feed. Because of this similarity, one of the easiest ways to create an RSS feed for your podcast is with your blog.
podcasts every day and record them with just about every piece of audio and video equipment under the sun. If you’re comfortable doing research and shopping online for audio hardware, check out 
Software wise, if you are doing an audio podcast with Windows, download Audacity and learn how to use it. It’s free and will get you started with no money. When you’re ready to step up to a more full featured editor, consider Soundforge. For video, Windows includes an adequate video editing program called Windows Movie Maker. Start with this and move up to Adobe Premiere, or Sony Vegas if you really get into video podcasting and want to add more effects. If you are using a Mac, you can also download and use Audacity for creating an audio podcast. But if your Macintosh includes Garageband, and most do, that’s the tool for you. For a video podcast on a Mac, if you have iMoveHD, you’re golden. If you don’t have it, you can purchase the iLife suite and get both Garageband and iMovieHD. When you want to take the next step up, look at Final Cut/Express and Adobe Premiere.
First let’s discuss audio. In audio there are basic podcasts and “enhanced” podcasts. Basic podcasts are most times encoded with the MP3 codec though they can be encoded in WMA, OGG, or AAC. Basic audio podcasts can be produced on Macs, PC’s, portable recorders, etc. The options to creating a basic audio podcast are almost endless. Also the number of devices that can listen to basic audio podcasts is almost limitless.
How about video? Breaking down video subtypes, I would make two broad categories: screencasts and traditional video. Screencasts are first person videos where the podcaster/presenter shows you their screen and records a voiceover to explain what and how they are doing on the screen. Screencasts are almost as easy to create as audio p0dcasts with the correct software. I highlighted a free tool called 