How to Build a Video Podcast in 3 Steps
Most video podcast content is designed to be downloaded and spread virally, so we will look at some free methods to spread your content. New media outlets like YouTube and Google Video let you post your video content free of charge and simply paste a link into your website or blog. Easy, quick, and free, it’s no wonder we are seeing video podcasting take off. If you want to post your video and have it available for an iPod or to download onto a portable media device, you can simply upload your file to a server and post a link. More and more Fortune 1000 companies are posting marketing-related material in iPod-friendly formats to download, view, and share.
Step 3: Deliver It
The final step in the process is to actually distribute your content; technically your video does not become a podcast until it has an RSS feed attached to it. Most blogging software has RSS feed capability built in and will have your video podcast up and running in no time. Once you post your content online, simply copy and paste the embed code given by YouTube, Google Video, etc., or the link to your hosted file, and paste that into a new post on your blog.
(Below: Video on YouTube; note the selection of the embed code in the "About This Video" box)
Submit your RSS feed to iTunes and a host of other video podcasting services, and your video blog, or vlog, is up and running. Using a free feed service like FeedBurner can help you maximize your usage of links, tags, and images in iTunes so your content is easily searchable. Every time you post a new video, FeedBurner updates your RSS feed and alerts the distribution channels and your subscribers of your new content.
(Below: Optimizing a feed with FeedBurner for an iTunes podcast)
Final Thoughts
With any new technology, there is a learning and adoption curve so choose your content and the target audience for this new medium with care. Keep it short, simple, and easy to spread. This has been a very brief introduction to this process with the basics on how to get started. There are plenty of resources available for more detailed information on how to add more options and customize a process that will work for you. As part of a new media strategy, video podcasting and vlogging are incredible tools in the quest for additional revenue streams and more customers. With any luck, and a little help from you, vlog could be the word of the year for 2006.
(See the next page for a list of video podcasting resources with links.)