One Way to Create a Podcast

Hello everyone!

Here is one way to create a podcast.  This explanation will be changing as we go along as more team members add their ways of working, but here is a place for you to start.

1. Decide what you want your organziation to create a podcast about.  There are many ways that a nonprofit or NGO can use a podcast.  Here are a few examples for you to use as the sole theme of your podcast, or to mix and match with each episode.

a. A leader in your nonprofit or NGO talks about what is going on in your organization.  This is great if your founder or director is a strong and inspiring speaker. Example: Senator Barack Obama's podcast.

b. Short, informational pieces about one issue combining voiceover by a narrator/host and interviews with the people you serve. Example: "Pakistan's Earthquake: A fifteen-year-old tells her story."

c. Weekly updates about what is going on in your organization followed by interviews with experts in your field. Example: This Week in NetSquared News.

d. Have your constituents create the podcast. Example: UNICEF Digital Diaries: Berenice's Story from Ghana, Part I

e. Be creative!  The Nature Conservancy produces a podcast called Nature Stories, that is all about people's connection to nature. Check out the one called "Just Another Fish Story" about a whale that washes up on the beach of a small town in Maine.

f. Use recordings from presentations.  The Bioneers have turned the recorded presentations from their conference into a podcast.

f. If you already produce a radio show, make sure your listeners can subscribe to it as a podcast.  Example: Mother Jones Radio.

2. Make sure you have regular staff time set aside to create the podcast on a regular basis, ideally once a week.

Once you've purchased the equipment and software (although a lot of it is free), podcasting is very inexpensive.  Your only cost will be staff time.  You need to make sure that you have at least one staff member whose job description include producing the podcast.  Depending on what type of podcast you decide to create, it can take as little as 3-4 hours  per week.

3. Buy your equipment.

You're going to need a digital recorder and a microphone.  It is easy at nonprofits to want to buy the cheapest equipment, but think about how you might want to use this audio in the future, beyond the podcast.  If you think you might want to use it for  a PSA, or to create a CD or a presentation, you may want to invest in higher quality equipment for better sound. Remember, if your listeners can't understand what is recorded, what's the point!

Here are a few options (I've just pulled these prices off the Web, but you should shop around, Amazon.com has some good deals).

Olympus DM-20  $290.00
M-Audio MicroTrak $400
Marantz PMD 660 $600

Microphones make a huge difference in sound quality, so even if you buy a very cheap recorder, try to buy a good microphone. 

One good microphone is the Electro-Voice 635A $110

You'll also need a USB cable to connect the microphone to your computer $20, and if you are going to record more than a couple hours of material you would need larger media cards. Either a 1GB for $100 or a 512 MB for $50.

4. Record your content

When creating content, think about length. Do you want your piece to be 5 minutes long, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, an hour? How long would you listen to a podcast for?

When you are recording someone (even if it is yourself), do a test recording to make sure your levels are ok (if your recorder allows you to test levels) so that the person's voice doesn't sound too loud or too soft.

You also might want to record some "room tone", what it sounds like in the room without anyone talking.  Sometimes it is helpful when editing to be able to add room tone clips, for example, if you edit what someone is saying and you want to add a pause.

Also, if you are reading something, try to sound natural (its hard!), but it will make for easier listening for your audience.

5. Edit your podcast

Once you're done recording, connect your recorder to your computer using the USB cable, and download your recording.  I download mine into iTunes.

There are a lot of different audio editing softwares out there.  I use Garageband, but a lot of people use Audacity.

If you want to add music, here are some places to look for copyright free music:

Podsafe Music Network

Opuzz

FreeAudioClips.com

FlashKit

Creative Commons

6. Upload to a podcasting host

Some podcasting hosts are going to require that your podcast file be an MP3.  You may have recorded it originally as an MP3 or as a WAV file.  If you use Garageband, it exports your file as an AIFF into iTunes and you can convert it into an MP3 in iTunes.

There are a lot of podcasting hosts out there, but here are a few to choose from:

Liberated Syndication

Odeo

BlipTV

Gcast

OurMedia

You'll want to have a descriptive blurb for your podcast and have a logo ready that you can upload as well.

7. List your podcast on directories

If you want people, other than visitors to your site, to find your podcast, you'll want to list it on some podcast directories.  Here are a few:

Podcast Alley

Podcast Pickle

iPodder

Podcast.net

Podcastdirectory.com

iTunes Music Store

Open Media Network

Podscope

Podlounge

Yahoo Podcasts

And here is a list of sites about podcasts, podcasting and videocasting.

8. Have Fun!

Podcasts are a fun, creative way to get the word out about your organization's work.  Experiment, mix it up, ask for listener feedback and have fun!