I love to write once and repurpose the articles I write
into as many marketing opportunities as a I can that will
reach the greatest number of people. While podcasting has
always intrigued me, I never wanted to take the time to
create additional content for an audience who prefers to
listen to their information rather than read it. Then it
occurred to me that I could create podcasts from my
articles by simply reading them (with some feeling and
inflection) and integrate that into my weekly article
marketing plan.
Podcasting is the process of creating audio files (most
commonly in MP3 format) available online so that users can
automatically download the files to listen whenever they
want. Many will listen to the file via their computer, but
since the file is portable, the listener can also download
the file to the mp3 player, much in the same way they would
download and listen to music.
Here's my 7 step process to creating podcasts from my
articles:
1. Write article. Yes, you have to begin here, as without
content, you have no podcast.
2. Create introduction. There are actually 3 parts to
your introduction. In the first part, give your podcast a
name and create an introduction to who you are and what you
do. Here's an example:
"Hi and welcome to the (your name here) podcast. I'm (your
name and title and description). What I do at (my company
name) is....(your 10 second audio commercial)."
In the second part of the introduction, I create a short
sponsor message. Instead of finding paying sponsors, which
is a very viable option, I create sponsors by buying domain
names for affiliate products that I routinely recommend and
then use that domain name and description of my product as
my sponsor. In this way I leverage the information I
already have at hand (recommendations of trusted products
and services for which I'm an affiliate) without the hassle
of seeking out paying sponsorships.
So, the second part of my introduction might be constructed
to say something like, "Our sponsor this week is
XYZStorytelling.com. What if you had a FAIL-PROOF SHORTCUT
to consistently capture attention, whether you're closing a
sale, writing promotional copy, or captivating at a
cocktail party? This new teleseminar will teach you how at
XYZStorytelling.com."
The third part of the introduction gives the listener the
title of your podcast, as in this example: "This week's
(podcast name) podcast is called, (your podcast title
here)."
3. Create outtroduction. This is the exiting information
that you say at the end of every podcast. For maximum
effectiveness, incorporate your website's primary call to
action here. My call to action is sending people to pick up
their free copy of the ebook giveaway that I provide when
they sign up for my email newsletter list. Here's an
example: "Thanks for joining me for another (your podcast
name) podcast. As your free gift, please pick up your copy
of my ebook, (your free giveway here), at (your website
URL).
4. Prepare for recording. In order to sound natural and
relaxed yet animated and interesting, you'll probably want
to rehearse the reading of your article a couple of times
before actually recording it. Initially I was copying and
pasting my article into a Word document and enlarging the
type so that I could easily read it. Then, I discovered a
fr*ee online teleprompter call CuePrompter.com. Now I copy
and paste my entire podcast, including the intro, article,
and outtro into CuePrompter, set the speed to 3, rehearse
with the teleprompter a couple of times until I'm
comfortable, and then I'm ready to record.
5. Record the podcast. You can record your podcast on any
type of audio recording software, like Audacity, or through
a teleconference bridgeline service that records phone
calls. I use an audio recording service that permits me to
record and distribute my podcasts. Because your podcast
will be fairly short (6 minutes or so), if you stammer or
stumble during the recording process, it's simple to just
begin again.
6. Upload the podcast. Once you have your completed
recording, you can upload the podcast into your podcast
distribution service or your podcast website. The link to
your service or to your podcast website should be readily
available on your primary website, in your email
newsletter, and on your blog.
7. Post to podcast sites. If you don't use a podcasting
distribution service, you can manually submit your podcast
to various directories online and enter the appropriate
distribution information there. That may include info like
the podcast title, your name and company name, category
for podcast, podcast album art, and keywords to describe
the podcast. I've found a comprehensive listing of podcast
directories at
http://www.podcastingnews.com/topics/Podcast_Directory.html.
Instead of reinventing the wheel by creating new content
for a new marketing medium, the podcast, simply repurpose
the material you've already created. This is a very
effective strategy to get the word out about your products
and services to an entirely new market!
----------------------------------------------------
Online Business Resource Queen (TM) and Online Business
Coach Donna Gunter helps independent service professionals
learn how to automate their businesses, leverage their
expertise on the Internet, and get more clients online. To
claim your FREE gift, TurboCharge Your Online Marketing
Toolkit, visit her site at http://www.OnlineBizU.com . Ask
Donna an Internet Marketing question at
http://www.AskDonnaGunter.com .
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