Life-Hosting.com - What is a Podcast?

The internet can give your business opportunities you never even thought of before. A few years ago, the price would have been extravagant for a small business just to afford the cost of advertising on the radio. Today a small business can easily afford the equipment, software or tools needed to quickly create their own podcast and get their business products and services in front of an audience of millions through the Web.

Before tackling the tasks of creating your own podcast however, you need to understand exactly what a podcast is. A podcast, sometimes called an audiocast is not much different from a radio broadcast, it is simply an audio file uploaded to a podcast Web site where listeners can then access the audio. A podcast can also be combined with video in video podcasting.

What makes podcasting special however is the fact that listeners can access the podcast "on demand." At any time, listeners can go online and listen to an audiocast using an audio player. They can also choose to download podcast and play from their computers media player or transfer the files to an iPod or any other portable media player. Listeners can also choose to subscribe using Real Simple Syndication (RSS), RSS feeds are designed to regularly check for new podcasts matching the listeners playlist are automatically received.

Before creating your own podcast, it’s a good idea to listen to a few podcast to understand how the podcaster holds the audiences attention, length of podcast and how elements such as music and guests are used to create an environment similar to what's found on a radio show. Podcasting can really cover any topic from talk shows, to expert advice, to guided walking tours, music and any other topic you can imagine. Podcasting doesn't just have to be used as part of a businesses overall marketing strategy, some individuals are making money with their podcast through advertising and sponsors.

The equipment used to create your podcast does not have to be expensive a number of free software products are being utilized for podcasting and hardware options are reasonably priced. Skype internet telephony application is useful for interview guest that you can't meet in person. Many laptops come equipped with built in microphones that can be used, though they don't offer the best audio quality they do provide a cheap alternative too those who are not ready to make a larger investment. You can even create a podcast using your mobile phone.

Podcasting is a smart and simple way to easily connect with your target audience. Whether you run an online website or sell an educational product, podcast allow your business to connect with its primary audience with little effort on your part. Though podcasting may have started out small interest has exploded, major names such as the New York Times and NPR have gotten into the podcasting business in order to create better customer contact and have better customer retention. The Apple iTunes store boasts over 100,000 audio and video podcast.

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