Podcasting is an amazing and easy tool for traffic generation.  Anyone can create a podcast on any subject, and it can be started without major expense.  The issue is, many people just don’t know how to begin.  With that, I want to answer the question “What is Podcasting and How Can I Start Today“?

Podcasting is a system that lets you download audio programs directly to your iPod or other media player.  You may listen to these audio programs later on whenever and wherever you want to listen to them.   Many people like to download podcasts so they can listen to them while they exercise or do housework.  The advantages of Podcasting is that it allows a person to listen to audio content of their choice without any charge – and at a time of their convenience.  Therefore, Podcasting has proven to be a far better alternative to the traditional radio.

So, how do I Start Podcasting?

Podcasting is a very easy process. You do not need anything other than an Internet-ready computer and a portable media player.  Even if you do not have a portable media player, you can begin Podcasting simply using a computer  that has an Internet connection.    There are many websites that really help you get started with Podcasting.  One of my favorite sites that allows you to create audio content is BlogTalkRadio.   Without question, they are the best-of-the best when it comes to ease of use, unmatched value, and quality service.  They are one of the treasures of the internet for providing convenient marketing resources without major expense and a difficult learning curve.  Obviously, I highly recommend the resource and believe it can be a major tool in your marketing arsenal – especially for creating quality audio content.

There are certainly other resources available to help you gather information on podcasting and audio creation, and to get you started quickly.

Years ago I shared the importance of the emerging social media trend in building traffic.  At the time, I called podcasting and social media the direction that online marketing was heading – and the emerging importance in the marketplace.  Obviously, we can see that value on display today in every area of the internet community.

Podcasting has gained a prominent place in the social marketing community, and the growth-rate continues to rocket across all continents.  If you pick any niche topic and do a search, you will likely find podcasts already available on the net – and ranking high in the search engines.   Podcasts are available on a almost any subject, but the missing and valuable information may be YOU.  Only you possess your unique opinion and perspective, so that makes your content valuable and relevant.  You could very easily possess the next viral podcasting audio message that penetrates the marketplace, and creates a massive traffic funnel to your opportunity or site.

If you still have any doubt in your mind about the value and importance of podcasting, simply do a Google search on the term “Podcasts”.   At the time of this post, there are more than three hundred seventy five million results returned.  That should certainly interest you and wipe out any doubt about the effectiveness of audio content in the marketplace.   The simple fact, Podcasting is really in it’s infancy as a means of delivering marketing content and driving targeted and relevant traffic.  There is immense growth ahead, so getting started now will certainly give you an edge in your niche.

Podcasting is a Great Tool For Home Based Business Owners
If you run a business from your home, you can make use of Podcasting very effectively to build your brand and grow your business.  Getting your podcast launched will help build credibility and establish your authority on your subject.  Sharing the information with your listeners makes you an expert in their eyes.  As they continue to “follow” you, they will have confidence in what you share and will be more likely to purchase from you or join your business opportunity.   With that, I believe podcasting is the ultimate Virtual Prospecting tool.   Simply put, it enables you to reach new customers in the marketplace.

So, if you really have a passion about your product or service, Podcasting gives you an amazing vehicle to share that passion with others.  The best thing is that you need not to be a software expert or have any other technical expertise to start Podcasting.  All you need is the desire to take action and get started.

If you have not heard any thing about podcasting, then you are certainly missing out on a traffic system related to a very useful technological advancement.  It would not be an over-exaggeration to say that podcasting is possibly the most important technological trend since the advent of Internet. Popularity of podcasting is increasing day by day, and at a very fast pace.

Podcasting is Going to Stay Here
There are people who suspect that podcasting is becoming popular because of the new technology enthusiasm, and will last long.  I would ask them to recall the period of the last decades of the last century when the Internet was just taking off.  People expressed similar views regarding the Internet then, and obviously that has not been the case at all.  Furthermore, if you compare podcasting with the Internet, you will find that podcasting is actually growing in popularity at a faster speed than the internet initially did.  The point is, podcasting is a tremendous traffic generation system that is growing, and is here to stay.

After going trough this brief information, it is hopeful that you have become more curious about podcasting, and want to get a little more knowledge about the technology.   Let me give you a little history on the origins of this important traffic solution.

Basically, podcasting lets you download audio files from the Internet to your iPod or any other device such as an MP3 Player, Cell Phone, PDA, PSP or even to your computer. The word “pod casting” is derived from two words- iPod and broadcasting.  In short, it was a system for broadcasting audio files over the internet for use by IPod users.  

Former VJ of MTV, Adam Curry, developed an apple script application to automatically download the audio files and sync them to your iPod or any other media player.  You can listen to these audio files later at your convenience.

People have been working to make podcasts possible since the year 2000, but there were no real concrete result until late Fall of 2004.  Adam Curry along with the David Wiener made podcasting possible and created the history.  Both of them are recognized today as the fathers of the podcasting revolution – or perhaps better known as “Podfathers”.

Word of The Year 2005

With no regulatory body like FCC,  podcasters are free to use their imagination.  They have the liberty of saying whatever they want to say.  The reality is, the freedom to express their views and explore their thoughts is actually sparking creativity and new ideas.  This fresh content is attracting and exciting listeners and those who share an interest are flocking to the podcasting experience.  In 2005, podcasting gained so much popularity that the word “podcasting” was named the word of the year.

How to begin Pod casting?
Three basic steps to start Podcasting includes audio recording and conversion of those files in MP3 format, creation of RSS 2.0 text file giving information about your media file and finally, uploading both the files to Internet.  There are many resources and trainings available on the internet, to make the process of podcasting very simple to follow.

The Demands Of A Regular Podcast

I have recently started focusing on a new traffic system that uses podcasting as the traffic funnel.  It’s quite interesting and financially rewarding, but it also can be quite demanding.

There are several things to consider before starting a new [tag-self]Podcast[/tag-self].  Here is a step-by-step process to determine whether you’ll be able to keep up with the demands of a regular podcast.

1.    Across the top of a blank piece of paper write down five ideas you have that you might like to podcast about. (In another chapter will show you how to improve your content to gain subscribers, but for now this is a good place to start).

2.    Record how frequently you want to do each podcast. (Daily, Weekly, Monthly, etc.)

3.    Under each idea list all the sub-topics you would like to cover in your podcast. (For example, if you want to cover major league baseball, you might write down such items as recent player trades, highlights of recent games, things to watch out for in upcoming games, an analysis of player stats, a review of an event in the history of baseball, and a review of a baseball movie or book).

4.    In brackets, beside each sub-topic, write down the number of minutes it would take you to cover that in a podcast, and the number of minutes it would take you to prepare and research that information.

5.    Add up all the minutes it would take for you to cover those topics in a podcast. This will be the length of your podcast.

6.    Write that total above your idea.

7.    Now add the second number, the length of time really take you to prepare and research the information

8.    Add that number to your podcast length.

9.    Write that number above your idea as well.

With this new information you are able to determine how long you want your podcast to be, how frequent you want it to be, and how much time you’ll have to put in to it in order to reach your goal. Often, people’s initial goals in their podcast are too lofty and required to much time for them to do a good job on a consistent basis. In upcoming chapters will show you how you can improve that by narrowing down the focus of your audience.

At this point though, you simply need to look at the chart you created to determine if you are able to spend that amount of time doing the job and a regular basis. Because that’s what it is: a job. You may not get paid for it (yet), but your subscribers are expecting you to produce on a consistent basis.

Soon, I will be launching a new course that will show you how to build a huge income with podcasting.  The title of the site will be:  [tag-self]podcasting wealth[/tag-self].  I’ll give you more details later.