1. Keep it short - no more than 20 mins
2. If you have music and FX turn your recording into 128K 44.1 Stereo if it is just speech 64K mono 44.1 is fine.
3. Treat like a professional piece of audio. We have heard far too many amateur Podcasts from organisations that should really know better.
4. Give em a reason to keep listening within the first thirty seconds.
5. Give em something at the end as a little extra. (A device to keep listening)
6. Make the description work for you. Again grab them and give them reasons to listen.
Short and Sweet
In showbiz they say "leave them wanting more." Trust me I have been making Podcasts since they were invented. I Produced the first paid-for Podcast in the UK, but enough of me showing off. 20 minutes is about the maximum time anybody wants to listen to you. The exception, music pods which are fine running for an hour.
Structure
Beginning middle and end. Whatever you podcast and whatever subject; it is a show and has a narrative if you just drone on incoherently you will never be downloaded again. Don't write copious notes but do set out some bullets with what you want to cover.
Music and FX
Don't just drop some bit of music into your podcast - there should always be a reason and explanation for why we are hearing a tune or an effect.
Try and stay pro
Even if you are planning a cutting-edge never-been-done-before podcast - people expect to be entertained and if you sound rubbish they will stop listening within a few minutes.
Grab them at the front
Grab them with what you are planning to do right at the front of your Pod, don't start with 3 mins of music and then fall on with a bunch of crap. When you grab them, tease them with what is still to come.
The end
Offer a website or something extra to either listen or go to. It's never goodbye as you always hope they will download your next effort.
The write stuff
Descriptions should entice, titles should explain and the artwork should by 300 pixels 72 dpi to work properly with iTunes. Make sure your artwork also works as a little thumbnail. Meta Tags should make sense and have key words that direct listeners to your content.
More stuff
Browse the Showtime category on this website for more general ideas about content which you could use for Podcasting.
