What kind of sites are out there to find great podcasts?
Are there sites out there that can help me podcast?
Which ones are the good ones?
Is there a way to tell other people about my podcast?
How do I get someone to host my podcast?
What if I don’t want to buy software, like the kind that creates RSS feeds? What if I don’t want the technical hassle, but just want to make a good podcast?
What you need to know
Introduction
Podcasting host sites
Highlights of current podcasts
Take Action
Do it now! – for personal podcasters Do it now! – for business podcasters
Wrap up
Summary
Watch your step
The three things you need to know Stay tuned…
Once you’re an old hand at listening to and creating podcasts, it’s time to see about expanding your repertoire of what you can listen to… and who will listen to yours.
Check out these sites. They are excellent places to find podcasts on just about everything under the sun. And many of them have a place to submit a link for you to get your podcast heard!
Once you’ve created a podcast and saved it in an MP3 format, what do you do with it? You need to get it attached to an RSS feed (which will give it a URL) and you need to tell the world about it and give them a place to find information about it (which requires another URL). Then you need to market either URL to the world! For ease of understanding, let’s simply their actions to these three things:
• Host your Podcast. (Attach it to a RSS feed and provide you with a URL so subscribers can download).• Host your web page (which is like a “cover page” that will tell people about your podcast and give them the URL to subscribe to it).
• Market your podcast (tell the world about your podcast and give them a chance to learn more about it and subscribe if they want).
Some sites provide some or all of these services. Different sites provide you with varying levels of these services. Here is a general rule of thumb on how they work:
Since these sites are born and disappear every day and since many provide varying degrees of service, which changes over time, we cannot accurately review them. We can only provide you with the links to check out for yourself.
Generally speaking, we have divided the sites into the following categories:Podcast hosting sites – Hosts
Podcast hosting sites – Marketers
The marketers can still be considered host sites, even though they don’t actually “keep” your podcast on their server, since (in many cases) that’s the only place you’ll be putting your podcast RSS feed URL, so they become the only way for the world to learn about your podcast.
So you’ll want to find a host to put your podcast and a marketer to tell the world about it.Podcasting host sites
http://www.podcastpickle.com/
This is an excellent site about podcasting and it doesn’t take itself too seriously. It claims to be the best on the Internet and it is probably a fairly accurate claim. It’s definitely one of the best.
http://www.podcastalley.com/
This site is very easy to navigate around and has tons of great podcasts to listen to. You will be hard-pressed to not find something here that interests you! The way it works is that you select a category and it gives you all the podcasts in that category. Then you scroll through the titles and click on one to find a brief description of the podcast and an option to subscribe.
http://www.podcastbunker.com/
This site is well put together and provides a large list of podcasts. It also advertises itself as the home of the 30 second podcast preview. When you click on the name of the podcast you are taken to another screen that tells you a bit about the podcast as well as the frequency it is produced and the average length of the podcasts. This is great if you are looking to fill a specific length of time.
http://www.thepodcastnetwork.com/
This site is the first commercial podcasting site on the Internet. It is quite pleasing to look at and has some good content but doesn’t seem to be as comprehensive as some of the other sites.
http://www.podcast.net/
This site has a lot of promise as being a very comprehensive site, the only problem is that the pages under each subheading take too long to load so if you’re impatient you’ll probably go elsewhere. Also, the information given for each podcast is not very telling. All in all, good potential but could be tweaked a bit better.
http://learnoutloud.com
LearnOutLoud.com is a site that is working hard at becoming the premiere place to hear audiobooks, podcasts, and any kind of audio media. While still in its infancy, it is slowly gathering resources to provide people with great media. They’ve selected some real winning podcasts.
http://podcasthost.com/
This site was surprisingly impressive. It didn’t seem to really boast at having a great selection of podcasts, but if you go to the directory, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
http://www.podbus.com/
This site will host your podcast for you. They charge a fee, but they will also automatically attach your podcast to an RSS feed. The site is simple and well laid out and the fee is not that much.
http://www.podcasterhosting.com/index.php
If you will sign up for this company and pay their fee, you can send your podcast to their site and enable the RSS feed so that you don't have to have a program that does that for you. You'll still want to get your podcast hosted at other sites but your podcast URL will point to this site.
http://blipmedia.org/
They have a very attractive site that allows you to create your own podcast. And you don’t need a webpage, they provide a profile page for you and they host it for free on their site. It looks great and this is a really good site for beginners. It seems to be a simpler version of the blog you created in a previous chapter. In fact, if you don’t want to maintain a blog, this might be a better choice for you. Like the earlier site, you simply phone in your blog to them and they post it.
https://www.libsyn.com/index.php
Again, this is like a paid version of the blog you set up. Like most of the paid sites, you can send them your podcast and they will attach it to an RSS feed and either give you a blog or let you use your current site to host it. Doesn’t look like they do a lot of marketing right now for you, but they give you a place to let your voice be heard.
http://audioblog.com
This nice looking site will sell you a blog and let you phone or download your podcast to them. They even support vidcasting as well! The price seems reasonable and they appear to provide a lot of support.
http://ourmedia.org
This is a nicely designed site that lets you post your podcasts for free. They also support vidcasting. Like many of these sites, it’s up to you to market it, but this looks like a nice place to park your podcast.
http://podlot.com/
Another inexpensive place to host your website. For about $5/month they will give you some space to put your podcast into an RSS feed, but it’s a pretty bare bones service. There’s other sites that seem to do a little more for free. Still, if you’re looking for simplicity and ease of use, this might be the place to go.
http://www.blogmatrix.com/sparks_main/
This site will host your podcast and provide a podcatcher (like Doppler). Their site is free but you can also pay to upgrade to other levels of service as well.
http://www.podblaze.com/
Another free site. Well laid out. They offer quite a few features for the podcaster, but unlike the blogger.com site you signed up for a couple chapters ago, you don’t to phone in your podcast, you can use your computer’s microphone.
Another free site. You phone your podcast in, like blogger.com, but the site looks like it’s still fairly new and underdeveloped.
http://www.sportpodcasts.com/
If you like sports, this is the directory that will take you to podcasts on a wide variety: From auto racing to wrestling and everything in between. Also, it’s surprisingly orange!
This collection of podcasts is focused on the stock market and financial industry.
http://www.podcastingnews.com/topics/Podcast_Directory.html
If you can’t find what you’re looking for in some of the podcast sites above, check this site out. It is a very comprehensive collection of directories and you are sure to find what you want here.
There are literally thousands of podcasts available right now. It is impossible to review even a good portion of them to give you an overview. What follows, though, is a selection of news, sports, business, and general interest to give you examples of very good podcasts of varying length and style that might interest just about anyone starting off in podcasting.
http://www.cnn.com
CNN provides an excellent brief news podcast the newsbuff on the go! It’s short but the lead story is comprehensively covered. Notice how they use headlines first before launching in to the main stories.
http://800ceoread.com/podcasts
This podcast doesn’t have a dynamic title and is easy to skip over but it is an excellent podcast that includes interviews with top CEOs. This podcast uses different formats, including the interview and the monologue and the hosted podcast to keep listeners interested. Good content!
http://www.ipodtraveller.net/
This podcast talks about travel around Europe. It has two hosts, a guy and a girl, which make for a good overall sound.
http://www.stephenlive.com/
Stephen Pierce is a speaker who hosts a podcast on making money. Entrepreneurs will really enjoy this podcast! There is good information and it is a good example of a hosted podcast that is very popular right now.
http://www.thef1podcast.com/
This podcast covers the world of Formula One racing. Race over to this site and get the URL for their podcast. This podcast shows that a niche market like formula racing gets one of the many racing-niche podcasts out there today.
http://www.portablemediaexpo.com/audio.htm
This is an excellent weekly podcast on podcasting. In fact, it’s one of the best out there. It’s very interesting and informative while still entertaining. If you are going to model your podcast after a well done podcast, this is the one to use!
http://www.coffeegeek.com/
If you love coffee as much as the rest of the world, then you’ll love this podcast about all things coffee. Whether you’re a coffee drinker or a coffee shop owner, this podcast offers something for everyone. Another example of a specific niche market served by a podcast.
http://www.tampabay.com/
This site is a weekly podcast about playing poker. They talk about tips and strategies to improve your game.
http://www.af.mil/
If you are a member of the USAF, or know someone who is, this is the podcast for you! It gives news and information about the Air Force and its people and programs.
http://www.fair.org/counterspin
This is the podcast of the media-watch group FAIR. They provide news and views that cast a sometimes more critical look at the news-media industry and their coverage of events. You’ll get current news reports with a different slant.
http://www.openpodcast.org/
This is an interesting site for the budding podcaster who doesn’t want to commit to doing a regular podcast, but would still like to podcast occasionally. This is an ongoing, open podcast that people can submit when they want, as if everyone in the world is part of one big podcast. It’s an interesting concept and there will undoubtedly be a wide range of material to hear! You can call or email your less-than-5-minute podcast in and it gets posted to the open podcast in just a few minutes.
http://www.podquiz.com/
This is an interesting idea! It’s a weekly trivia show. There are rounds of questions, then music, then the answer. It’s an interesting idea and shows that the world is open to any podcaster with an idea!
http://www.recoverypodcast.com/
This is an interesting idea… and an excellent use for podcasting. It’s updated about once a week (or so) and gives news and information and support to people who are recovering from addiction.
http://www.arthritiscentral.com/
This weekly podcast talks about news and techniques on living with arthritis. They use a variety of formats and it is hosted by a doctor.
http://www.dawnanddrew.com/
This is one of the most popular podcasts on the Internet. It is a daring, no-holds-barred podcast of frank discussion between a husband-and-wife team of ex-punks. Listener discretion is advised!
http://www.whosaid.org/cast
This podcast is an interesting idea. It reads out a speech by a character in literature and you have to guess who that character is. It’s a short podcast and is updated every couple of days. Very entertaining for the book lover!
http://historypodcast.blogspot.com
This podcast is a regular podcast delivered roughly every week (a little less or a little more) on famous figures in history, such as the Mata Hari, Benedict Arnold, and Lady Godiva.
http://planetarysociety.org/audio/podcast.html
This weekly podcast interviews people who can give listeners insight into outer space. If you’re interested in astronomy and what’s beyond our planet, give this podcast a listen.
As you can see, podcast topics and format vary greatly. If you’ve listened to some of them, you’ve probably noticed that the quality also varies as well. As you plan your podcast, select a couple podcasts who consistently produce good shows and mimic their format to develop a strong sense of what makes up a good podcast.
Take Action!1. Remember thinking about areas of interest you’d like to hear more podcasts about? Now’s the time to check out podcasts at some of these sites.
2. Don’t download the first one you see on your topic. There’s probably more than one! Find a couple and choose the one you think will be of the most interest to you.
3. Keep thinking about doing your own podcast. In the next chapter we’ll be looking at what you might want to include in your podcast and how you go about selecting an audience.
Take it to the next level
If you’re looking for a great gift for someone for a birthday or Christmas, buy an inexpensive MP3 player and download some podcasts in areas they might be interested in. The gift will be affordable and personalized and it will continue to be helpful to them for years to come.
Do it now! – For business podcastersTake it to the next level
If you have employees, ask them to listen to podcasts on your industry. Buy them a podcast and subscribe them to an industry-related podcast at work. Or, if you can find a short podcast, include it in your weekly sales meeting as a way to kick-start the meeting with fresh, free, outside content.
Wrap-upBookmark these sites and you’ll find that you’ll never be at a loss for good podcasts to listen to. There are other sites out there, but these are the biggest and the best. And, we’ve given you an interesting sampling of what’s available. Don’t get overwhelmed! Just find a few that you enjoy.
Watch your stepTelevision, email, and the Internet have let the world come to us… but they are also great time wasters! It’s easy to spend hours browsing the internet or getting caught up in an Instant Messaging conversation with someone and have time slip through your fingers. It’s exactly the same with listening to podcasts. They’re a great way to be entertained and informed, but they can be time eaters as well, if you’re not careful. Take control of technology, don’t let it take control of you!
The three things you need to know1. There are many podcast host sites out there so you should be able to find a podcast you’re interested in listening to… or ten!
2. Marketing your podcast requires some work on your part and getting it hosted should be one of the ways to get it heard.
3. Submitting your podcast to host sites is easy to do.
Stay tuned…
In the next section we’ll talk about how you can tweak your podcast to help improve your program and gain an audience.
And after that we’ll show you everything you’ve wanted to know about earning an income from podcasting. It’s easier than you think!