Jessica Lunsford Blog

Podcasts have been popping up all over the Internet in the past year or so. I have come across podcasts on anything from the latest tech gadgets to gardening tips. With millions of listeners out there and plenty of new people listening to podcasts every single day, now is a great time to start your own podcast and make some money along the way.

So far podcasts sound pretty similar to an Internet Talk Radio Show, doesn’t it? Even though the two have many similarities, there are also quite a few differences. Podcasts are unusually not as structured as an Internet Talk Radio show. The tone of a podcast is very informal. Podcasts are usually on blogs and are also available for automatic download to your mp3 player through RSS. Podcasts also don’t have guests on every show. The host of the podcasts does a lot of the talking him or herself. Podcasts be shorter or just as long as a talk radio show, plus they can vary in length from one show to the next.

There is a little bit of both hardware and software you will need for a good sounding podcast. Podcasts are usually broadcast as mp3’s, so you need some sort of software to record your show as well as a decent microphone. Plantronics has some great mike’s available. You can either use software like Allrecorder or a complete service like Audio Acrobat that will also host your audio files for you. Having your files hosted through a service like audio acrobat has the added benefit that people listening to and downloading your podcast will not eat up your bandwidth. This may save you quite a bit of money in hosting fees. You also don’ t have to worry about troubleshooting when there is an issue with the audio files.

Let’s talk about how you can start making money with your podcast. Your two main sources of income will be paid advertising and affiliate programs. You can sell 30 - 60 second ad spots on your podcast, as well as advertising spots on the site that links to the audio file of your podcast. As far as affiliate marketing goes, you can promote related products on your website and mention them in your show. If a listener follows your recommendation and buys the product through your link you will make a commission.

Another, newer source of income for podcasts that’s starting to pop up is sponsorship. Companies will pay good money to be mentioned as the main sponsor of the podcast both on your podcast website and in the show itself. Once your podcast attracts some listeners and you start getting some publicity, it should be easy to attract a corporate sponsor. In the meantime you could contact a few small businesses in your target market that may be interested in sponsoring your podcast for a few months.

Now sit down, grab a pen and paper and come up with a great topic you can talk about for hours. Jot down a few ideas and start recording. Before you know it, your first own podcast will be up online.

Nell Taliercio is the owner of a leading work at home mom resource website packed full of unique information for the telecommuter, business owner and virtual assistant. Visit www.mommysplace.net today

Real Estate Podcasting is slowly trickling into construction builders & real estate companies business models. As the revelation of practical uses for this new medium become more and more apparent to business owners, a new form of online real estate sales begins.

Podcasting has gained popularity over the last year at an intense growth rate. The reason for this success, is due large in part to the success of the Apple’s iPod. A name in which no way offers ownership of podcasting to Apple, but it does however give the computer giant, a fantastic product association whenever the word is uttered.

Podcasts are now able to be played on a plethora of devices, iPods, Psp’s, Video Cellphones, PDA’s, Pocket PC’s, Ultra Moblie PC’s, Tivo 2, and more. This explosion in accessibility is what is directly making podcasting a viable business tool; directly enhancing and affecting the way internet marketing, sales, and promotions are being used, as well as customizing its uses to any specific business brand or industry.

With Real Estate podcasting, the return on investment begins as soon as the first podcast is downloaded. In today’s modern world time is a luxury, traveling is not always convenient, and efficiency is always top priority. Real estate podcasts merge accessibility with efficiency, and convenience with the comfort of buying.

When an interested party is shopping for a potential home or investment, they want to make sure they see and know as much as possible about the property before making a decision. Unfortunately, property purchasers are routinely disparaged by the lack of available pictures, data and information on a website. In addition, the inconvenience of scheduling a viewing of the potential property can be a deterrent as well. Real estate video podcasts allow the user to view a full video tour of the property along with an audio voice over of the broker’s listing information. These podcasts features high quality sales information scripts with beautiful pictures and live motion video, giving you a feel for the environment from any geographic location.

Real estate podcasts are meant to serve as a teaser to your buying audience. Especially for those who may have never inquired further, until they were tantalized by the visual satisfaction they were able to receive immediately.

Real estate podcasting really becomes advantageous when the subscription model is attached. All podcasts can be subscribed to, with one click of a button, through your local aggregator, like iTunes, My Yahoo!, Goole reader, etc…

Once a podcast is subscribed to, the user will receive every new podcast that is published to the file immediately as it is distributed. With home builders and realtors, this becomes highly advantageous for residual marketing and sales efforts. Having a direct link to an interested party allows the business to implement more highly targeted sales campaigns, geared towards specific individual & group needs. Investors can receive up to date video listings of new investment opportunities on the market. Home buyers who are looking over an extended period of time, can remain interactive with your company by receiving all the new updates of new properties in the area as they are available.

Podcasts are not only used in conjunction with a company’s website, but they are also listed in podcast directories, such as iTunes, Odeo, Yahoo Podcasts!, Google Base, etc. These directories are visual catalogues of podcast content. They organize the podcasts into segmented categories and then rank the most popular ones accordingly. The higher a podcast is ranked in its particular category, the more visibility that podcast receives. The great thing about podcast directories is that it separates the users into targeted demographics, by segmenting the location of the podcasts listed on the directory by category and information. This presents incredible potential for the business to create multi level marketing campaigns, aimed at their ideal demographic using this targeted method of consumer reach.

For the first time ever, the commercial industry has control on a direct avenue for multimedia distribution and penetration to the market based upon consumer demand and needs on a global scale. This control not only integrates seamlessly with internet technology, but it merges the traditional elements of sale, publicity and marketing with modern points of access and distribution.

Real Estate podcasting allows home builders, brokers, buyers, sellers, investors and any interested party the chance to preview a product anywhere, anytime, and on any device they choose. The use of podcasting in the real estate industry will not only increase technological confidence among home buyers, but it will directly affect corporation’s turnover times, thereby increasing revenue and ultimately the bottom line.

Ryan Hoback is founder and Chairman of What I Want Podcasting, a leading business podcast development firm. Specializing in the commercial application of podcasting for society.

If you wish to reach Ryan, Please contact info@whatiwantpodcasting.com.