How to Podcast

"The definitive step-by-step guide on how to podcast
without breaking the bank."

This is the home of the free podcast tutorial that will take
your podcast from concept to launch fast and for minimal cost."

Basic Podcasting Software

We’ve talked the gear, now let’s take a look at the podcasting software you’ll need. Right now I’m just going to cover podcasting software for getting started. Later we can talk about some more advanced software solutions for podcasting.

Here is a brief overview of the podcasting software you’ll need. Later I’ll go into detail with video tutorials on how to install and use each of them. These are all free to download and use.

Audio Recorder & Editor: Audacity

First you'll need software for recording and editing your audio. Audacity has become very popular in the podcasting arena. It has all the basic features you’ll need to record and edit your shows, it’s easy to use and it runs on PC or Mac.

You can download the latest version of Audacity here.

On the next page, we'll be going over how to download and install Audacity.

Then you’ll see a video that will teach you how to record your podcast with Audacity. If you just can’t wait, click here for the Audacity tutorial.

MP3 Encoder: LAME or iTunes

Once you create your podcast, you need to convert it to MP3 format before you upload it to the internet. Converting your audio to MP3 makes the file size smaller and easier for others to download and listen to.

LAME is a program that works with Audacity to convert your audio to MP3. LAME stands for "LAME Ain’t an MP3 Encoder". I know. It seems like a contradiction. It’s also not at all lame. It actually works quite well.

You can download LAME here.

Downloading LAME and installing it is covered in the Audacity download/install tutorial on the next page.

You can also use iTunes to convert your audio to MP3. Later in this tutorial I’ll have a video on how to convert your audio to MP3 using iTunes.

Media Player: Windows Media Player & iTunes

You’ll want to download the latest versions of Window Media Player and iTunes. It’s a good idea to try playing your file in both these players to give it a test run. Make sure that it sounds OK and that your track information show up from your ID3 tags in your MP3 file (Title, Genre, Artist, etc.). We’ll talk more about these tags later.

Download iTunes here

Download Windows Media Player for PC here

Download Windows Media Player for Mac here

Choose one of the above media players, download it.

File Transfer: SmartFTP (for uploading your audio files)

Once you’ve recorded your audio and converted it to MP3, then you need to upload it to the internet. For this you’ll need a file transfer program such as SmartFTP.

SmartFTP is what I use. It’s free for personal, educational and non-profit use. If you use it for commercial purposes, then you can consider paying for it ($36.95).

Download SmartFTP here

If you use Libsyn to host your podcast, then you won't need an FTP program. Libsyn offers a way to upload your file through your internet browser.

SUMMARY

Here is the basic podcasting software you will need to get started.

This software is all free to download and use. Let’s go over how to install all this podcasting software.

How to Download and
Install Audacity >>

<< Basic Podcasting Gear