I’ve only been doing my Ask a Minister podcast for several weeks now but I have received enough emails asking me how I do my podcast to warrant a post summarizing how I put together and publish my podcasts. This tutorial focuses on how to do a podcast if you’re on your own server and using WordPress. However, it should be adaptable to most blogging software. If you are on a hosted blogging service like wordpress.com or blogspot where you don’t have access to a server then your best bet is to use Odeo. Odeo has everything you need from soup to nuts (except the mic.) I’ve tried it and it’s a terrific option if you have a hosted blog; in fact, Ask a Minister episode #1 was recorded using their tools.
If you’re looking for a tutorial on how to do a podcast wherein you interview people or whatever then this post at Vitamin is a must read. It talks about how to do a podcast with Skype.
Necessary Tools
Like any good how-to I’ll start this one with a list of supplies you’ll need. Later I’ll give a few suggestions for what you might want but this is a list of what you’ll absolutely need.
- A computer/internet connection/server/blog/ftp client/etc (call me Captain Obvious)
- A mic and headphones. These can be separate pieces of equipment but I find that this headset works great; it’s what I’ve used for all my podcasts to date. I found mine at WalMart for $15.
- A program that will let you manipulate audio files and tracks. There’s plenty of software out there that you can pay for which I’m sure is very good. But I’m on a tight budget so I was looking for something free. After trying out a few programs I found Audacity and have been using it ever since. It’s open source too, which is nice.
That’s really all you’ll need to publish a podcast. Personally, I use a couple other things to help me with my podcasts.
Supplementary Tools & Resources
- Podpress. If you’re using WordPress as your blogging CMS then this is the best plugin you could ever use for podcasting. Get it.
- Podsafe Audio. Use caution when ripping copyrighted songs into your podcasts; unless I’m mistaken it’s still illegal to do so. If you want music in your podcasts I recommend you check out Podsafe Audio. They feature only artists who have made their work available under a creative commons license. For the most part they’re top-notch artists too. They may not be on the top40 radio stations but they’re really good.
- The Free Sound Project. Like Podsafe Audio this site features only those folks who want to make their audio creations available under a creative commons license. Unlike Podsafe Audio, The Free Sound Project features sound effects rather than songs. Cool.
Record your podcast
Recording your podcast is the hardest part of the whole process. I suggest you have some idea what you want to say before you hit “record” otherwise you’ll ramble on and on and on.
Using Audacity is a snap. The layout is very intuitive and if you’re computer literate at all then you should have no problem figuring out how to adjust volume and cut and paste audio segments. If you’re having difficulties using Audacity I recommend you read these tutorials. Also, if you google “Audacity tutorials” you’ll find more than enough resources which will help you out better than I could.
Basically what I do is I record my podcast at 44100Hz. I’ve found this gives me the best sound. I lay down the podcast track (notice my cool music industry lingo which I so effortlessly throw around) and then layer on any other tracks such as intro music and exit music. But for a basic podcast all you need is a recording of you talking about what you had for lunch.
Publish your podcast
Now that the hard part is over let’s publish that baby.
- Just save your podcast as an mp3 file. If you’re using Audacity here’s the process: (click a link to view a screenshot)
- Edit your ID3 tags.
- Make sure you check the ID3v1 radio box and click “ok”.
- Export as MP3; you have to do this as opposed to a vanilla “save”.
- Upload this mp3 file to your server, note the location of the file.
- When you write a new post create a link to this mp3 file.
That’s it!
If you’re using podpress for WordPress the process will be a little different but no more difficult. All the information you need to know about podpress is available from its download site.
Make your podcast feed available
One purpose of podcasting is to not only give people something to listen to when they visit your site, but to give them something to subscribe to. There are several ways to go about setting up a podcast feed but the easiest way, if you’re using WordPress, is to utilize the fact that WordPress automatically generates an XML (feed) file for each individual category. So, if you just create a new category and call it “podcasts” or whatever you want, then WordPress will generate a feed for it. The way I have my permalink structure set up my podcast feed address is http://openswitch.org/category/podcasts/feed. Simple, right?
If you make that feed available to the public then people should be able to subscribe to your podcast by plugging that address into itunes or whatever.
Of course, I would recommend you go another step with your podcast feed and run it through feedburner. They allow you to publish a podcast feed and using feedburner not only makes it easier for people to subscribe to your podcast but you’re able to keep track of how many subscribers you have. It’s win/win.
So, that’s all I do to make a podcast. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask.
