Podcasting for Your Small Business

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From time to time as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with small business experts that could benefit my audience. This is excerpts from my #smallbizchat interview on Twitter with @podcaststeve.

Steven L. Lubetkin, operates Professional Podcasts LLC, an award-winning producer of radio, TV and other multimedia content distributed over the Internet as podcasts. Steve is a Senior Fellow of the Society for New Communications Research, a global think tank for advanced study of new communications tools, technologies and emerging modes of communication, and their effect on traditional media, professional communications, business, culture and society. He contributes to AllVoices.com and NowPublic.com.

Steve published an article on podcasting in Bank Marketing Magazine. The download is available at http://www.lubetkin.net/docs/ABABankMktg-Podcasting.pdf

Smallbizlady: What is a podcast?

Steve Lubetkin: A podcast is just an audio file distributed via the internet. People can download to mp3 players or onto a CD and play in car, while working out etc.

Smallbizlady: Why should small businesses do podcasts?

Steve Lubetkin: No one under 35 reads newspapers or looks at ads. You need to be high up in Google search. Podcasts help a lot!

Smallbizlady: Is it expensive to produce podcasts?

Steve Lubetkin: No. You can do it yourself, although it should sound professional. All you need digital audio recorder and a computer. There’s good free software to edit.

Smallbizlady: What recording devices do you suggest?

Steve Lubetkin: Check out BSWAudio www.bswusa.com for recorders. Olympus makes several under $150

Smallbizlady: What free software programs should you use to create and edit podcasts?

Steve Lubetkin: Agood free recording/editing software is Audicity. It is available for Mac and PC. Garageband is another MAC option. If you do not have a recording device, use can Skype to record an interview over the free internet phone service using the software Pamela (a free software program) on your computer.

Smallbizlady: Shouldn’t it sound like I’m not a professional?

Steve Lubetkin: Absolutely NOT! See top 100 podcasts in iTunes. They are mostly professionally produced. People prefer good quality pods. Don’t scrimp.

Smallbizlady: What should podcast include?

Steve Lubetkin: Don’t do a commercial. Be real, talk about your expertise in interview format, try not lecture! Small businesses should use to show they are experts and have solutions for clients. Anything you could hear on radio or see on TV you can do in a podcast. It’s your own radio or TV station. Be creative!

Smallbizlady: What are good resources for learning how to produce podcasts?

Steve Lubetkin: Tod Maffin’s book, http://todmaffin.com/book; NPR book Sound Reporting. Anything you could hear on radio or see on TV you can do in a podcast. It’s your own radio or TV station. Be creative! About.com has podcasting pages, Blubrry.com & libsyn.com have how-to features.

Smallbizlady: Can you list some free sources where I can host my podcast?

Steve Lubetkin: I suggest libsyn.com, podbean.com, blubrry.com they are all good podcast hosting platforms with RSS and other cool tools.

Smallbizlady: What about the fee-based podcasting services?

Steve Lubetkin: Powweb or Globat are low cost options and they work well with WordPress.

Smallbizlady: How does Google find my podcast?

Steve Lubetkin: RSS feed is important, consider feedburner.google.com. Learn about text metatags, embed in podcast mp3 files. Metatags are text fields you fill out using your recording program or a tag editor program. artist, title, genre, keywords, etc.

Smallbizlady: How do I get my podcasts listed on iTunes?

Steve Lubetkin: An iTunes supported RSS Feed will automatically be generated for you by your hosting service such as Podbean. You need to Set iTunes options. Podbean provides an easy-to-use iTunes setting preview page. You can easily change all iTunes related options in this single page by clicking on ‘Settings’ in the main menu, then selecting ‘iTunes/Advanced.’ Once you set these options up, they submit your podcast to iTunes and it shows up in the store. For additional info on iTunes check out podcast specs at http://is.gd/1Fonk

Smallbizlady: Shouldn’t it sound like I’m not a professional?

Steve Lubetkin: Absolutely NOT! See top 100 podcasts in iTunes. They are mostly professionally produced. People prefer good quality pods. Don’t scrimp.

For more tips on starting or growing your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog at http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com