Flattr Wants to Help Podcasters Get Paid

This is a new service (started in 2010) that makes it easy for people to “flatter”.

Let’s say I put aside $10 a month to “Flatter” people with, and I click 10 different flattr buttons on websites.Each person gets $1. The more people I click, the smaller amount given to each. To “flatter” someone, when I visit their website I will have to login to my Flattr account, and from there it’s one click. In reading the idea behind flattr, the developers felt paypal donations required too much work. I’m not sure I agree with that.

Flattr is integrated with dailymotion.com website, and also with the Instacast Podcatcing software for the iphone. Now users of instacast will be able to flatter the podcaster with one click in the app. There is also a setting in Instacast to allow it to flatter every podcast that the listener consumes in the app.  I was informed by some folks at flattr that ” podcasting is our most successful category, there’s a well-known German podcaster Tim Pritlove (he has at least one show in English too) who has publicly revealed that he makes €2500 (that should be over $3000) per month after tax. Oh, and for the Android users Podkicker Pro just integrated Flattr in a similar way.”

For podcasters using WordPress there is a plugin that will add a flattr button at the bottom of every post (or you can customize it). This was super easy to install and setup. (you can see this at the bottom of this post). The plugin also puts the flattr button in your feed (if you want).

Their catalog is not very cast at this point, and as people sign up they are going to want to flattr people so you might want to sign up while this is still growing.

MP3 Tags and Show Notes

ID3 tags are entered into the media (audio and video) before you upload it to the Internet. I typically put a summary of the show (entered into the comments section). Also be sure to enter an image. Two software titles I recommend is MP3 tag, and ID3 Editor ($15 Mac).

Show notes are typically a blog post where you should write about your episode (I try to do 300 words).

Getting Kicked Out Of iTunes

Her are the iTunes Submission Rules

• Technical problems, usually the lack of episodes or the inability to download or play episodes. These problems can almost always be avoided by testing your feed using Subscribe to Podcast in the Advanced menu prior to submission.
• Requirement of a login or password to access the feed or any of the episodes.
• Strong prevalence of sexual content.
• Use of explicit language in the title, description or cover art of the podcast.
• Use of explicit language in the podcast when the <explicit> tag is not set to “yes”.
• Apparent misuse of copyrighted material or other violation of third party rights.
• Inclusion of offensive material, such as racist content or child pornography.
• Misrepresentational use of Apple copyright, including “iPod,” “iPhone,” “iPad,” “Apple TV” and “iTunes.”

In general, if there’s something that you want to convey about your feed, please do so in the summary field in your RSS feed, not in the content of an episode

Mentioned In This Show

Covenant Eyes – Keep you, your family, and your business safe

Rich Palmer

Jay Walsh

Save 10% on your ticket to Blogworld use the coupon PodDave10

When you mix your car stereo volume, when you mix in the cream in your coffee, you have the ability to mix. When you attach a file in email, or upload an image in Facebook, you have file management skills. Today I talk about how you already have the skills to create a podcast.

Grow Your Audience the Jesus Way

Create life changing content

Go find your audience

Make friends with them

Tell them your message while being yourself

Get to the point.

Be consistent

Make deep relationships with those who follow you

Be relentless about telling everyone

Make it easy to consume your message

Always be thinking of your audience.

Mentioned on this Show

Stitcher Radio For Your Smart Phone

Use the activation code davej when you download the software at www.stitcher.com/davej

Rev. Kenn Blanchard and the Black Man With a Gun podcast

Scott from the Baseball Experience as a free software to Record Skype called MP3 Skype Recorder has said it takes some tweaking, but you can’t beat the price. I use Powergrammo.com

Bloworld NYC Schedule

I had some challenges finding the schedule at Blogworld in June. You can find it here. Use the coupon Blogoworld Coupon Code BWAPVIP10 to save on your registration before May 15th. You can get 10% off with Blogworld Proom Code PodDave10

Media Hosting For Podcasting and Membership Websites

Courtney this is a hard solution to find. With podcasting you need/want stats and lots of unwanted bandwidth (something like Libsyn – use code sopfree to get your first month first). With a memberhsip site you want your media in a location you can lock down tight (like your website host – assuming you don’t have a TON of members). Amazon S3 appears cheap, but its not once you get a few episodes under your belt and then you wind up with expensive bandwidth bills. You had mentioned Google drive, but there are no stats and no pricing for bandwidth.  The good news is there are scripts like Magic Members or Digital Access pass that not only protect content, but also protect downloads.  Keep in mind, if soneone REALLY wants to steal your downloads they will (and they weren’t going to buy your stuff anyway).

Items Mentioned in Show

Speaking of Wealth Podcast

Tricks of the Podcasting Masters

Podcast Click Podcast Promotion

Building a Better Dave

Steve McQueen (his real name) wrote in and asekd:

I have the Behringer 1202 and an Alesis 3630 I got cheap. (Not a popular compressor from what I have read) My mic is a Rode Procaster and I use a Tascam DR-07. Do you need to use a mixer with the insert jack?

A compressor makes the loud parts software and the soft parts louder (giving you a consistent audio level). The quick answer is no you do not HAVE to use an insert jack.
I’ve done that with my little Behringer mixer. I either plug my mic into the compressor (if it has XLR inputs) and then plug the compressor into the mixer (and mixer into recorder). Or I plug my mic into the mixer, and then the output of the mixer into the compressor, and then the compressor into my recorder. I’ll Google and see if there is any major difference

Problems with Pamela Skype Recording Software – No Active Call

Tina from episode 300 is having issues with Pamela for recording Skype calls. I’ve tried this software twice and couldn’t get it to work in either case. I recommend using a portable recorder to record skype. HOwever, not everyone can afford that, so if yo have to use software is use Powergramo. If you’re on a Mac look for total recorder.

Want to Split Costs at BlogWorld NYC?

I’ll be at BlogWorld in June, and the hotels in NYC are expensive. I’m looking for someone to split the cost of the hotel. If you’re interested and attending, please contact me.

From time to time the Site may make “8Packs” of music loops and other audio, visual and audio-visual materials available for download on the Site (the “Free Content”). Sony Creative Software grants to you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable right to download, copy, modify and publish the Free Content in connection with your own remixes of such content as part or your own original composition only. You may not redistribute, sell, rent or license the Free Content to third parties without the express written consent of Sony Creative Software.

The “you may not redistribute” is a bit vague. When I was talking about this with a friend he asked, “How would Sony know if the music you’re playing was purchased or the free version?” To this I said, “I guess they wouldn’t…

If you want to play there is even a free version of Sony Music Studio (with less features) called Acid Xpress if you want the affordable version of Sony Music (with features like exporting to wav, and other formats), you can pick it up at Amazon.com for $36.

Sony Creative Software ACID Music Studio 8.0 - 2011 List Price: $69.95 Price: $49.99 Read Reviews

“If you don’t believe in yourself, you’ll never have the courage to press the record button. On the flip side if you think every word coming out of your mouth is golden, you might be in for a rude awakening (content – not you – is king). It hasn’t hurt Rush Limbaugh, Donald Trump, Paris Hilton, Howard Stern etc. But then again these people are polarizing (loved and hated with extreme passion)…”

Jim Meeker said this:

Anytime that anyone presents their content, in any medium, as being “the only way”, the ego of producing a podcast turns to the egomaniacal. And no matter how you slice it, it just ain’t pretty I find humility and a soft stick to be much more enticing when it comes to podcasting. When I feel that the podcaster is just being natural and “sharing their passion” for whatever the content, I am more inclined to return to the podcast for a second listen. So, yes, I have tuned out of podcasts that I felt that there was an arrogance to the host.

Steve Hart said this:

If the podcaster lets their ego get in the way of addressing criticism or listening properly to what other people say, then that is when ego becomes an issue.
Podcasters can have all the ego in the world, but the ego must be matched with an equal amount of humility for it not to become destructive.

Charlie Hays had this to say:

To me, one side of the line is that you need to have confidence in yourself and your knowledge / expertise in your chosen niche as well as mic delivery and creating compelling content that grabs an audience’s attention.

On the other side, when the show is more about promoting personal agendas and less about creating compelling content, your ego has become too big. I have unsubscribe from a handful of podcasts for this very reason.

I know that more people than ever are making money from podcasts which is great, but when 1/4 of the show is infomercials or testimonials or content that is not related to the shows topic, that does not interest me personally, even though I can fast forward through a podcast.

Here are some other quotes on being an “Egomaniac” from people you may have heard of:

“If being an egomaniac means I believe in what I do and in my art or music, then in that respect you can call me that… I believe in what I do, and I’ll say it.”
-John Lennon

“To have ego means to believe in your own strength. And to also be open to other people’s views. It is to be open, not closed. So, yes, my ego is big, but it’s also very small in some areas. My ego is responsible for my doing what I do – bad or good.”
Barbara Streisand

“I have a huge ego and a huge inferiority complex at the same time.”
Barry Gibb

Balancing Your Ego in Podcasting

You need to be able to speak to be a podcaster. The number one fear of humans is speaking in public. This means to start a podcast you need to overcome the number one fear of most people. Sure, talking into a microphone in a basement is not in technically in front of people, but in a way it is. You need to have something to say.

Confidence in knowing what you know is great. I was amazed (being a musician my whole life, and a Beatles fan) that my wife could not name the original drummer of the Beatles (Pete Best – Pre – Ringo). I never thought of it, but I do have a lot of information about music, history, etc. I was the only kid in first grade who knew who Jimi Hendrix was when he died.  If you have information that other people may not know, you may be viewed as an expert. You may not feel like an expert, but if you have spent time in your topic you probably know more than most people. Share it, and find other like you.

For me balancing your ego is (to use my teaching background) throwing out the top and worst and keeping the middle. While it’s nice to have the person that just GUSHES about your podcast, they may not have made it to those episodes that you’re not as proud of. Likewise, the scathing review you read in iTunes about your podcast burned and was painful to read. That person may not have been your target audience.

Good Ego – Bad Ego

Let’s look at an example when an ego is good, and an ego derails a podcast

Good – You miss an episode. You know there are people who listen every week. You take a few minutes toward the end of the podcast to explain the lack of show last week. This is a courteous gesture to your audience, and shows a sincere appreciation for their devotion to regular listening.

Bad – The podcaster launches into a 10 minute explanation about why they missed last week’s episode. Feeling guilty they go into insane amounts of detail explaining why they missed last week.  In my opinion this shows that the podcaster has a belief that his audience is waiting with intense anticipation for the next episode. That they are barely surviving without your podcast. Get a grip. You’re no longer talking about your passion, but instead are talking about you. Your ego has go you off topic.  The truth (from what I’ve experienced an heard), most podcasters may get some feedback if they miss an episode, but you’ll be surprised just how well your audience got along without you.

 New Stats at Libsyn

Libsyn announced that they have weaked their stats to better reflect mobile downloads. In the past if a mobile phone started to download a podcast and then was interrupted when it started again it boosted your stats. Now they have tweaked their stats to better identify this situation. What this means is their stats are going to be more accurate, but your numbers may take a small dip. For more information about Libsyn, go to libsyn.com and if you sign up use the promo code sopfree to get your first month free.

Great Tool For Show Notes

I’ve said in the past that one way to organize your show notes is to write them in WordPress and save them as a draft (and the publish them when you release the show). This stops you from having to them type them twice. However, when you are out and about this means you have to remember your idea, etc until you get back to a computer. If you have a smartphone, you can use Evernote and clip websites, type notes, record audio notes, and more. This is not a new tool, but I’ve been a little late jumping on the Evernote bandwagon. I’ve heard it was cool, and after using it I can agree.

Shout Outs

Special thank to Daniel from the Audacity to Podcast and Ray at the Podcasters Studio, and Cliff at podcastanswerman.com for mentioning me in their show. Also thanks to Uwe from http://www.greenjobs.de

Keep Your Family safe, and your eyes where they are supposed to be by using Covenant Eyes software. Use the code “Podcast” to get your first month free.

Get your first month of hosting at libsyn.com y using the coupon code sopfree

1. It’s not about you – its about your audience’s passion.

Even when I do a show about me (Building a Better Dave) I still want the audience to do something with the info (laugh, cry, think, grown, learn). Answer every email. Respond to every comment. Connect in as many ways as you can. Chances are these people are just like you. In this episode I talk with one of my listeners who turned me on to a new tool for WordPress themes. We always say talk about your passion. That’s true. That’s podcasting 101. In the end it’s about your audience’s passion. In theory your audience will end up mirroring you and your passion.

2. Pick a Schedule and Stick with it.

I have done a podcast and a newsletter for musicians for 10 years (podcast for 7). At the end of last year I just couldn’t find anything to create shows around. My publishing was very unreliable. I was averaging anywhere from 700-1200 downloads per episode. This year I dedicated to putting out a show a week even if its shorter. When I checked my stats, I’m averaging 150-250 downloads per episode. I also changed the name of this podcast (but didn’t change the feed). All I can learn from this is people want to be able to count on you.

3. Abandon The Idea of Free Podcasting

You can paint with peanut butter. It’s true. Should you? Probably not. Can you podcast for free? Kind of. Should You? No. I recommend you get a website host ($7 a month), and a media host ($15 a month – use Libsyn promo code sopfree to get your first month free).

4. Resist the Impulse to Start Another Podcast

When you get your first one off the ground, your next urge is to start another five podcasts. Unless you have a lot of time on your hands, its probably better to focus on putting out great content.

5. Resist The Impulse to Spill All Your Beans

As Content is King, when you get a giant surge of content resist the urge to make a special two hour episode. Instead pace yourself, and while you deploy this information you will have time to find more great content that you will deliver when the surplus is gone. This is so easier said than done.

6. Content Is King

If your information doesn’t MOVE me, I’ve got way to many options to listen/watch your mediocrity. What do you want people to do with your information? How do you want them to feel?

7. Presentation is Queen

Don’t forget your album art. Get some decent equipment, produce an intro and outro, and have ways for people to contact you. If you are looking for sponsors, your website should be clutter free.

8. Promotion is the Jack

Man does not live by content alone. If you build it, they might stumble over it. You build your audience one at a time. Get to know them using tools like Polldaddy, Survey monkey (Blubrry, Libsyn, and Podtrac have tools as well), go to where they are, make friends, THEN tell them about your podcast. There is no giant switch that will give you 1000 subscribers. Make sure everyone in your family has a business card that points people to your site. Make sure site makes it easy to listen to your show. Then the content can suck them in.

9. If this is your first podcast, forget about going LIVE for a while.

CNET just put out a statement that they cancelled some of their podcasts because nobody was listening live. The power of podcasting is people can listen whenever they want. To the best of my knowledge, there is no Podcaster who has more listeners live then downloads (not counting Radio people who put out their show as a podcast). I’m talking about people who started in podcasting. Even Leo Laporte who HAS a radio show has stated publicly that his live to download ratio is very heavy on the download side. When you do “live” you add more technology, and more complexity and the return on your investment is very little. Yes its fun to get live feedback, but when you are first starting out I don’t think it’s worth the extra effort. This is strictly my opinion.

10. Drop the idea that your podcast should be “this long.”
Unless you’ve got a legit reason, I would not worry that your podcast is not “an hour” or “40 miutes” long. Don’t get me wrong. It should be in the ballpark. Don’t do a five minute podcast and then follow it with a 90 minute episode. For me, a podcast should be just long enough to cover your topics in the episode and not a minute more. But Dave what about talking about myself to build listener loyalty and that relationship you always talk about. THAT’s a great point. Lead with your best stuff first (the content) and anyone still listening will love to learn about you.

BONUS TIP Quit Waiting to Be Perfect

If you are waiting for the seas to part, and the perfect room with the perfect microphone, and after this, or if this would just happened THEN you would podcast, I want to share with you the immortal words of David Lee Roth (one of my heroes growing up ) he said, “I have a two word plan, “let’s go.” You can get paralysis by analysis, and eventually you WILL HAVE TO PRESS RECORD.

SUPER JUMBO DELUXE TIP

Be careful talking about your family. Be careful trying to be “Edgy”. You never know who is listening. It might be your future mother-in-law, or your future boss.

Reaching Out To My Audience

As this episode is all about my audience when I got an email from Tina, I sent back a reply asking her to ask the question live. Later that night we got on skype and made it happen.

Tina is starting a podcast about home schooling. She wanted to know how much to share about herself. I explained at first your audience doesn’t know you (and may not be interested in a 10 minute lesson on Tina). This doesn’t mean you can’t explain your motives, and give some “behind the scenes” info. I just wouldn’t lead with it. In radio, or TV (especially the news) they always lead with their “top story.”

You can find Tina at

Author of: www.lulu.com/tinasrealm
Webmama of: www.mommychats.com, www.fresnofamily.com, www.homeschoolrealm.com, www.tinaswebsiteshop.com, www.homeschoolpodcasts.com www.tinasrealm.blogspot.com
President of: www.fresnolearningvillage.com

www.tinaswebsiteshop.com

Podcast Co-Hosts Checklist

From Steeden Crowe via the Vociemail button on the right side of the screen.

“Where do you find a co-host?”

Typically co-hosts come from people you hang around with or are in your community (in this case photographers). I don’t know of any “find a co-host” specific resources. As for other podcasters, I would find one that fits your idea and regularly contribute, and the host may eventually ask you to co-host. Some people enjoy being in control (a solo podcaster makes all the decisions and has say over every aspect). With that said here are some things to think about when it comes to co-host.

1. Time zone (makes it hard to get together when there is a 6 hour difference).
2. Passion. They need to match your passion for the subject.
3. Readiness. You are ready to go. Do they need to wait 6 months before buying their first microphone?
4. Schedule: It takes 4 minutes for every minute of produced podcast (so a 15 minute podcast takes an hour). You need to decide on weekly, twice a week, once a month. Whatever the schedule is stick to it, but make sure your co-host and you agree on it.

Then once you get a co-host you need to get in writing:
1. Who owns the name of the podcast (see Pink Floyd) .
2. What happens if someone quits.
3. What will get someone fired.
4. Who does what (one may do all the technical while the other handles twitter and facebook, etc).
5. How will you split up the money if any rolls in?

For now do you know anyone in your immediate circles that might be interested? If not go to a forum for photography and mention you are thinking of starting a podcast and are looking for a potential co-host.

I’m Speaking at Blogworld in NYC

I was asked by Cliff Ravenscraft to speak at this year’s Blog World in New York City. It’s June 5-7. They are looking to really boost the Podcasting track this year. having Cliff at the helm should be a fun boost. When I heard Daniel Lewis and Ray Ortega (and possibly Dave Thackery), I was like “I’m there!”. I’ll be speaking on a panel, and possibly more. If you’re looking for a great conference to help you understand blogging, podcasting, and new media, this is THE conference.  I’ll keep you posted as to exact times and sessions I’ll be involved in.

1. Converts your mp3 file to Japanese

2. Converts your audio (I believe to 64 kbps) I’m still checking on this.

3. They show you how to submit their RSS to iTunes (which would “Marry” you to them).

4. They rename you audio file to a bunch of numbers like 49493.mp3

I lump this media host along with podomatic.com, podbean.com as hosts to avoid. Instead use Libsyn.com or Blubrry.com

ID3 Tagging on Tablet

Audio Tagger will allow you to do ID3 tags on a tabelt.

andftp program allows you to upload media via ftp on your tablet.

Thanks to Charles from Bear Crawling Nation podcast.

Getting Audio Into Audacity (12:15)

1. Mic directly into computer

2. Mic into portable recorder.

3. USB device (microphone or interface) directly into computer

Starting with Affiliate Marketing

Thanks to Scott from thebaseballexperience.com for this question. Here are some affiliate resources.

1. Commission Junction

2. Share a Sale

3. Link Share

 Also Mentioned in this Episode

Covenant Eyes – Protect Your Family

I mentioned I had an “Eye Problem” you can read about it (and see my sexy eye patch) at davidjackson.org/2012/03/stick-a-needle-in-my-eye/

Larry DeKay from the Business Writing Today podcast wants to know how iTunes rankings are measured. The official answer is “I don’t (not does anyone else) know. There are thoughts about reviews helping. Some people think you can get new and notable in iTunes only if you have more than three episodes (this has been disproven). Larry is confused that podcasts that have faded and are not currently producing content are ranked higher than his podcast. As podcasts are time shifted, you could have a podcast that was created years ago still be popular today. The bottom line is nobody really knows. Here is a better use of your time:

Instead of getting hypnotized by stats, take that time and focus on creating the best content you can make. Spending time digging through stats typically does not help you grow your audience. It’s hard (especially when you’re new), but focusing on making GREAT content will help your audience grow faster than looking at sats.

Great news From France

Hue Patrice from France who produces the http://rockaixpress.com podcast, and he put some of the tips we’ve discussed. As he put it, he creates fewer mistakes, and his audience is growing. The story doesn’t stop there. He recently won a European Podcast Award. In his e-mail he said, “So, I just want to say to your listeners who have a podcast or will have soon a podcast, that your tips work well, they have worked for us, it will work for you, and I want to say a HUGE thank you for helping me to reach my goals, and won an European contest, that’s awesome! I must continue to work hard for making a nice podcast for my audience, but I wanted you to know that a french listener has reached his own goals, helped by an enormous desire to succeed, a ton of passion and your voice playing in his iPod.”

Keep up the good work.

Building Your Virtual Family

I recently did a review of the B-Movie Podcast, on the Podcast Review Show. In my opinion, they have INSANE amounts of information about these old movies. IN my opinion taking over 30 minutes to get to that content is something I would change. This got his audience’s attention, and they came over to the site to defend their favorite podcast. Here are some snippets of the comments.

“It’s not a convenience store where you run in, grab what you need, and hit the road.For regular listeners, a lot of the material that a newcomer might think is extraneous — such as the audio clips or the pre-review roundtable discussion — gives the show much of its laid-back charm. To cut that material in order to get to the review more quickly would, I think, do more damage than good.”

“Those of us who listen to the show aren’t just listeners, we’re a “virtual” family. I love to hear about what others are watching because it introduces me to new shows and movies I otherwise might not have ever heard of or tried. If I just want a movie review, I’ll go to IMDB or Rotten Tomatoes.” “Tighten” the show up by eliminating all of this and the show loses it unique color and flavor. It becomes another run of the mill show that can easily be missed.

“It isn’t designed to just get in, rattle off a movie review and get out. It’s designed to spur conversation and to introduce the listeners to new shows or movies or even music. “

“The B-Movie Cast has none of the snark or condescension that many other seem to feel toward this subject matter. Those of us in the B-Movie Cast family — and that’s what it is, a constantly growing family — _love_ this stuff. One thing might be better, and that’s finding out about a new movie you might love that you’ve never heard of before — and the B-Movie Cast does that too, even for a guy like me who’s been watching this type of stuff for 50 years. Vince’s show has told me about things I missed or never even knew about before. And when you’ve seen as many films as I have, that’s something special.”

“I listen to LOTS of podcasts but yours is one of my favorites. I enjoy the honest organic feel of the show. It’s a real comfortable and pleasant show to listen to. It’s like hibernating during a nuclear winter in a psychedelic cabin while snuggling up on a cuddly werewolf skin rug next to a martian fireplace with a sexy 60′s bikini spy babe (probably Elke Somers) and drinking a steaming warm cup of vampire blood. Thank you so much for covering so many genres of classic film, TV shows, and all else stuff under the sun. I am having a blast rediscovering old movies I forgot about and other ones I never would have seen if it weren’t for you. Keep up the great work! Long live the B Movie Cast!”

What We Learn From This

1. If you think nobody will listen to your podcast because its a “niche” topic, think again.

2. While everyone may watch their local news at night, you rarely hear of people who watch the news getting together on a website, and describing themselves as “family.”

3. Audience appreciate a host who has true passion and love for his subject. They will respond with love and passion for their host.

4. YOU get to decide what makes it in (or not) to your podcast. If you want to create a 3 minute or 3 hour podcast, its up to you.

Davidrisley.com has made 6 figure incomes with his blog. Derek Halpern is another successful Internet Marketer who combines human psychology with Internet Marketing at socialtriggers.com. Dana Gould has been very successful as a stand up comic and writer for many sitcoms (he was a voice on the Simpson for 7 years). What do all these succesful people have in common? Even though they have experienced success in their life, they all started podcasts recently. The question is Why aren’t you?

Make Sure Your Podcast Media is Set Before Uploading it to the Internet.

Once you’ve recorded your podcast and you have a finished mp3, you think you’re done. This is where you really need to mind your P’S and Q’s. The information that is displayed in a portable media device (like a smartphone, iPod, etc) is saved within the media (mp3, video). Once you get it correct, you can upload it. If you make a mistake you can fix it, but you will need to upload it again. There is where a problem comes into place.

With my preferred media hosting providers Libsyn.com and Blubrry.com they limit the amount of space you can upload in a month. If you make a mistake there is no “Do over” option and that second upload will count against you. For me, this is not a problem as I produce a podcast once a week, and I’m rarely even close to exceeding my space requirements. However if you almost using all of your space every month, this could cause an issue.

I do not use iTunes to add my ID3 tags. For whatever reason, I can add my podcast album art in iTunes, but it won’t show up in Windows Media player. This makes you look like a hack. Instead I use mp3 tag (right-click on the mp3tagv249bsetup.exe link and choose save target as). This software is free. If you’re on a mac, check out http://pa-software.com/id3editor/ ($15).

UPDATE: I got this note from blubrry.com “If your client was on blubrry.com hosting… All he would have to do is delete the episode and upload the corrected version with the same name (or a different name for that matter) If you delete a file that is counted against your monthly upload, it will be taken off the limit right away.

Audacity Tip: Removing Noise From Your Podcast

While I love the service podcastvoicemail.com (affiliate link) the quality of audio that comes in (based on the person who calls in some cases) is not always high quality. Today I show you how you can clean these up before putting them in your podcast. This is under the effects menu. The first time you “learn the noise.” Then do a select all and preview the file with the noise removal turned on and adjust accordingly.

Can you podcast for free? Yes. Should you? No. Actually let me rephrase that. HELL NO. But if you must, you could get a wordpress.com account as your free podcast hosting and use archive.org to for a free podcast media host. Then you can use feedburner to enter your itunes information. You can make your album art using the free GIMP software, and then while you’re at it buy a gun and shoot yourself in the foot. Here is what you get.

1. A really slow website. I’ve had issues helping people move off of wordpress.com and I’m surprised how slow it is (when you host WordPress on your own site its much faster but it costs $7 a month). You also get imacheapy.wordpress.com as a website name. you’ll be saying this in your pdocast so the shorter the better. Your choice to not pay $12 a year has now made your domain name LONGER.

2. You have audio that will CRAWL when people try to download it. After all people have TONS of extra time to wait for your media to download while their car sits in the driveway waiting to go to work (when you can get media hosting for around $12 a month).

3. You will never be featured in iTunes as your album art will look like someone designed it in Microsoft Paint. (when you can get album art for about $50 bucks). See www.schoolofpodcasting.com/skank

4. You’ve blown your first impression.

Maybe you sign up for a free account to use Blog Talk Radio. Now you have a website that is OVERFLOWING with ads, and your audio sounds like it was recorded with someone frying bacon under water. Good luck with that.

My advice is to stay away from free. There are typically two ways to pay. Either you pay with money (about $7 a month for hosting), or you pay with time (as free sites typically have no support. I know money is tight, but you have to think of this from a potential customer / client. If I was buying a car, I wouldn’t buy one from someone who is selling out of a tent and could move in the blink of an eye. As a musician, I always cringe at people who make their own business cards for their band (by that I mean by the “business card paper at office Max). The card is flimsy, and looks and feels cheap. It screams, “Look I can’t afford the .05 for a business card.”

Here are some other reasons to avoid free.
Mevio
Podango
mypodcast.com
wildvoice.com

All charged nothing for their service. All went out of business. It appears paying for things with a smile is not a got business strategy. They could afford to pay people to support their product. They couldn’t pay people to communicate with their customers. They went out of business. It takes money to run a business. It takes money to start and run a podcast. I was on Mevio. I made money with them. However, I saw the writing on the wall and did nothing. When they dropped all their audio podcasts, I was forced to move all my audio. I didn’t pay in money. Now I’m paying in time. I could go on and one with examples of this. You will pay with either time or money.

Here is something else to consider. I haven’t bowled in years. If my friends called and said, “Let’s go bowling” I wouldn’t blink. I googled my old bowling alley. It turns out bowling is now 3.99 a game, and 2.50 for shoes (http://www.eastgatelanes.com/5.asp). That means if we bowl four games (a typical night) it’s going to run me $18.46 for one night. If I’m on a league that’s 10 weeks at 18.46 that’s $180.

If I want a website it’s $12ish for a domain name, and $7 for hosting. That’s $8 a month. I went through McDonald’s and got a “Value meal” the other days and that was almost $6. If I each month eat at home one night (instead of McD’s or Starbucks), and don’t hit the vending machine at work I can afford a website.

I have a friend who wanted a cool theme. I suggested thesis ($90), he went with a less expensive one. The theme is causing issues. It’s messing up his RSS feed. The author of the theme is out sick, and he has restrictions on his forum so I can’t see the answers. You can pay with money, or you can pay with time. What’s more stressful parting with money, or pulling out your hair because something that should work isn’t?

Again, stay away from free. Anything worth doing, is worth doing well.

OK, how much does it cost to start a podcast?

Domain: $1 a month
Hosting: $7 a month
Media Hosting: $15 a month

Total $23 a month.

You can purchase the Behringer USB Podcasting Kit for $99 and get started. This is not my favorite way, but I’ve used an evaluation unit and it wasn’t horrible. You can always buy a better microphone later. This works if you’re flying solo. If you have more than one person in the room, it’s going to cost more. Keep in mind these are ONE TIME fees.

If someone is podcasting for free, they should be doing it because someone forced them.

How to Afford to Podcast

First of all this month I made $26.40 (so far) this month. That means I spent $23 a month and made 26. Im up three bucks (I made $80 with another affiliate program, and $30 with another one – I’m up about $115). This won’t happen over night. You will need an audience, and a relationship with that audience. I’m telling you this because I like to shoot things straight. You will lose money (more than likely) when you start. Over time as your audience grows, that can change. But lets look at things we spend out money on that we could probably do away with.

Ask Your Doctor if Getting Off Your Butt is Good For You
Instead of driving to the store for milk, or to work, walk or bike.

Let’s look at fast numbers. The shortest reasonable commute is 10 miles (16 km) each way. (Anything shorter is bad for your car, since it won’t heat up all the way and boil off the water that condenses from the exhaust in your cold engine. This water dilutes your oil and rusts your exhaust. Engine wear is far, far greater in the few miles during engine warm up, too.)

10 miles each way is 20 miles a day. There are 250 work days a year, or 5,000 miles a year for commuting. At 50¢ a mile, the latest averages for running a car, that’s $2,500 a year.

Buy Used and Old

I just bought a really nice GPS system for my car. It costs half of what the latest greatest GPS costs. How? It’s last years model. You don’t need the biggest baddest fastest stuff. You can get by with a Sure SM58 $99, and a small Behringer Mixer ($37, $49 if you have two hosts). You can use Audacity to start with (I recommend Sony Music Studio for $44).

Don’t Eat Out

We were all tired. We didn’t want to cook, and we were in a hurry. We went to Olive Garden. We waited in line for a table. We waited for our waitress. We waited for our drinks, then for our order to be taken. She wasn’t a horrible waitress, but I had stayed home and cooked spaghetti it would be close to being on the table at this point. Am I saving time? I need to quit fooling myself. When the bill came I saw where I wasn’t saving any money either. I think we’ve conned ourselves. When the bill came I saw where I could’ve stayed home, had my family help me cook the meal, and saved about $30 and had food left over.  I do the same thing in the morning. I wake up late, and think “I don’t have time to make breakfast (which is cereal – I know…). Instead I drive through and pay $4.79 (which would buy a box and a half of cereal and feed me for a week) and I timed it. It took 7 minutes to wait in line, get my food, and drive off. In seven minutes I could’ve poured and eaten two bowls of cereal. We again are fooling ourselves. Also, we’re lazy. Yeah, I said it. Bottom line if I do this once a week that’s $4.79 X 4 = $19.16 and all I need to do to pull this off is go to bed earlier (Free).

Quit Buying on Credit

I once purchased an elliptical machine on a Dicks Sporting Goods credit card as I had 6 months same as cash. Six months came, and I didn’t pay off the balance. I’m now paying 30% interest on that card. This should be illegal, but there is no law against being stupid, and that’s what I was. If you want to get out of debt, check out the Total Money Makeover book by Dave Ramsey.

Use Coupons

According to ilovecouponmonth.com  Every hour spent couponing in 2011 is worth an estimated $100 (Really? Is there a coupon podcast?). People saved $3.7 billion with coupons in 2010.

Start Viewing Things as Podcast Killers

I love the subway restaurant commercials where people go into hamburger joints and order a “Big behind with a helping of flabby arms.” However, when you are ordering junk food that is what you are basically doing. With this in mind, the next time you spend money on something you want instead of something you need remind yourself that this specific purchase cost me my web hosting, or 20% of a new microphone.

See Where Your Money Is Going – For Free

One service that I love is Mint.com You can sign up for free (it’s from the people who make Quicken software) and you enter in your bank information (they use the same security your bank does, I was nervous too at first, but after I read all the details – they’ve gone above and beyond to keep your information save and secure) and as you spend money it automatically tracks what you spend it on. In some cases (like Wal-Mart) you might have to go in and fine tune it (as my walmart sells groceries).  In the end it’s pretty cool. You can set up a budget (oh wait I mean a “Spending plan”) and be alerted when you go over it. This is really cool for married people as you can tie multiple accounts into your mint account so everyone will see everything…. For more information go to mint.com and sign up today. The good news is you will see where all your money is going, the bad news is you will see where all your money is going. The only time you need to enter transactions is if you use cash (Cash? What’s that?). By using the link, you help support the show.

Podcast Questions From the Audience

Ilene from Basic Blog Tips asks, “Why do podcasters state the number at the begining of an episode?”

Scott from The Photography Podcast asks, “What podcast directories should I be listed in?

PowerPress 3.0 Now with Meta Marks

What can you do with meta marks?

• Display an image in your audio podcast during playback, referring to the topic you are discussing in your show. The image can optionally have a web link for additional information.
• Display a video in your video during playback, making it easy to insert an advertisement. And yes, the video can have a complementing web link for more information.
• Display a text comment during playback of your media, great for leaving comments about the topic being discussed at the specified position and duration.
• Display a bookmark that allows users to jump to that position in your media.
• Insert an advertisement tag to indicate to services where an advertisement is placed in your media.
• Include a lower third advertisement for placement in your video during playback.

Full description of Mata Marks

At first crack, I can’t get Meta Marks to work. They are working on some documentation on how to use it (only what it is). Not very useful at this point. I’m also having some issues with PowerPress and creating hyperlinks (it could be just me, but I’d wait to upgrade possibly).

Feedburner Vs PowerPress

Here is the break down.

iTunes Tags

Both Feedburner and PowerPress make it easy to add the iTunes information

Size of Feed Issues (512k)
This is neither a Feedburner or PowerPress issue. It is in RSS guildeline.

What if Feedburner went out of business? (very unlikely)
You would hope that Google would provide a way to redirect your feedburner feed to your new solution. If they don’t, you would need to (for example) resubmit your feed with a slightly new name. Once it was in iTunes you could change the name back. It’s a pain in the butt

What if Blubrry or the lead developer of PowerPress go out of business?
There is a feature in PowerPress that lets you redirect iTunes to a new feed. In the event Angelo retires, blubrry would hire a new developer to continue to support PowerPress. As your fed is on your site there is also a solution called a 303 redirect (a bit technical) that your web host could implement to redirect people to your new feed.

What if My Web Host Goes Out of Business and I’m using PowerPress?
You would order new hosting, redirect your domain name, and as long as your new website was set up like your old one the RSS feed location would be the same.  Kinf of like when all Best Buy stores were set up identical. You would go in and turn right to go to computer. If you’re using feedburner, you simply login to feedburner and enter the new RSS feed location (which should be the same as the old one if you’re moving from WordPress to wordpress).

Last 5 in 5.

Today’s last 5 in 5 comes from Scott Eiland for the Baseball Experience Podcast

Firwall and Iceberg Podcast

Mark Gungnor Show – Marriage Advice

This Week With Larry Miller -Comedian

Up and in – Basball Podcast

Adam Corolla Show – Comedian Podcast

Podcasting For Your Business

Kevin Mulryne (who I tlaked about in a previous episode) of the Yes Music Podcast is talking to people at his job about starting a podcast for their business. Here are some things to keep in mind:

1. Audio podcasts can be listened to while doing other items.

2. You are seen as an aexpert.

3. You can build a community and solicit comments from your audience.

4. It costs much less than advertising on any other media, and you reach a global audience.

5. You can use a tool like Magic Members to restrict who can and can’t consume your content.

6. You can use podcasts as a customer service tool.

7. Don’t have any hard selling in your podcast. People don’t choose to watch commercials.

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PODCAST CONSULTING: I wold love to work with you via one on one podcast consulting and coaching. I can do as little or as much as you’d like. I can demonstrate and walk you through the podcasting process. Email me at , or schedule an appointment.

Self Paced Tutorials: The School of Podcasting has self paced tutorials that will walk you through the entire podcasting process, and has an organized resource section to equip you with the proper tools. Sign up for a week, or a year. There are many packages to meet your needs sign up today.

Last 5 in 5 From Butch Gibson

This Week in Photography

Podcast Answer Man

Audacity to Podcast

Joel Osteen Podcast