Here are some essential Podcasting tips that you should know to have a finished podcast which stands apart from the crowd:

1. Audio quality is important. Ensure  you use good equipment and avoid increasing the gain and recording volume on your recording device, for example, when recording with portable MP3 recorders.
2. We always use Music breaks at the beginning and between segments
3. Structure is important, for example, summarise the main headline/features at the beginning and then proceed to each part with a 10 second music break. Using background music or fading in and out music for segments can be a good way to provide a sense of structure and ambience. We suggest that you adhere to the MCPS-PRS licensing requirements or use royalty free music.
4. Avoid using music with vocals as it can case the main presenters audio to be fused-out!
5. Use professional mixing / sequencing software, for example, investing in Adobe Sound Booth or Garageband.
6. Skype is a good way to record international or non-instudio sessions. However, sound quality cn be variable. Therefore, you will need to allocate time to edit the recording.
7. It is likely that editing will be required for the refinement of the final cast. For example, we suggest that you can remove, interuptions, pauses and ums! Therefore, ensure that you consider sufficient timing and pace – the last thing you want is the listener to become frustrated with content that is too ‘tight’.
8. Consider recording the main content and then passing it to an external organisation to edit and package (including the insertion of corporate adverts and information bullitens) the final cast.

In the past KHL Interactive have produced video and audio podcasts for theatres and Cinemas. These podcasts have provided a lot more information for a potential audience for example:

• Adverts
• Sponsors
• Details of availability and
• Exclusive interviews or insights.

With a podcast, clients can actually ‘stream’ audio and let it play while they are doing other tasks at their computer, especially as humans tend to multitask in order to be more efficient with the use of their time – on the move or at a desktop!

You also need to ensure that the content has a well and highly perceived value.
Loyalty is key and is closely related to regularity of quality output.

With a podcast accessed through iTunes, you potentially have an audience of millions of listeners.
Podcasting your subject area can ensure targeted content and an avenue for greater interactivity between you and your product or service.

7 Good reasons for business podcasting:

1. Use it to increase your marketing reach and on-line visibility
2. Corporate Communications of this type can improve your sales and conversion rates
3. Develop a regular dialogue with subscribed listeners
4. Assure value added content to both increase loyalty and re-enforces branding
5. Communicating Industry news and trends sets you apart from the competition
6. Interviews with leaders in your particular niche will establish your business as a respected thought leader in your niche or industry
7. Podcasting facilities an extension of accountability for your business, for example: service reporting, client discussion, blog commentary / feedback, product planning or version/configuration management.

1. Ensure you are at least 2 episodes ahead of yourself – Therefore, when you plan to launch or relaunch you won’t disappoint
2. Its easy to lose listeners / viewers – Therefore, stay close to release date as much as possible – There is a lot we can learn from traditional broadcast disciplines.
3. Ensure that your podcast is accessible from more than one podcatching source, or offer a download link – giving freedom for more mp3 / mp4 devices
4. Burn a feed if your show is not supported by a website or blog – Feedburner is great – This can certainly help track behaviour – If one day your podcast is very popular to the extent that you could monetize it, you will need vital stats
5. Develop a media kit for the latter
6. Respect copyright and ensure that you have the right license, for example: The Smooth Groovers Podcast pays for a license from the MCPS-PRS Alliance, adhering to their policies and royalties et a.
7. Segments are helpful to structure your podcast and help it become more engaging.
8. Use tools that work – Garage band on Apple is good. In addition, Goldwave and Audacity. Other multi-tracking software is available.
9. Run your first productions by friends to capture vital feedback and development strategies
10. Use a newsletter to keep pod-catchers aware of developments and access to exclusive / complementary content
11. Establish an online forum to capture thoughts, feedback and improvement suggestions.
12. If you have a website / blog, install Analytics to understand issues such as bounce rate and popular content (inc: top landing pages).
13. Build a complementary website / blog / channels that is regularly updated. For example, link to your magazine to offer exclusive content, reuse your audio on different websites and ensure access to archives.
14. Consider organic growth for your web presence, for example linking to complementary and relevant sites or content.
15. Develop a consistent script- There are lots of on-line tools that you can use to help you develop a great structure to your episode
16. Listen to lots of shows of different types – to get a feeling of the type of style that works well
17. Read articles on podcast techniques for corporate and non-commercial casts
18. Understand quality components, for example – Equipment and Software components
19. Get Support from people in the know! For example: Knowledge Hemispheres Ltd and
20. Most important of all have fun

You might be thinking that as we are a Corporate Podcasting company why on Earth are we giving away so many tips!
Good question. For those who are technically savvy and have the person-power we are confident you will get going.
The key areas to consider are:

• Consistency
• Clarity
• Professionalism
• Measurement and
• Linking to your internal and external initiatives.

As a business we suggest that time is a cost, together with focusing on business opportunities.
Therefore, it probably makes sense to outsource this part of your communication strategy to someone like us: khlinteractive.
Our Corporate Podcasting FAQ section can help you to decide on the cost and business benefits of an outsourced approach.
Alternatively, record the content yourself and allow professionals to master it for you.

Please click here for your free download entitled: An Audio Guide to the 4Ps’ ofPodcasting
Or, listen to the audio by clicking on the play button below:

The following free white paper outlines a number of strategies and benefits for using new and social media for your business. It may also be worth attending a course on-line or in-person – details at: http://www.khlinteractive.com

Please click here to download it.

It is important to consider our approach to this project. A simplistic and non-value adding approach would have been for Knowledge Hemispheres to take the provided script and record it post voice-over auditions.

Our approach differed for this project as we worked closely with our client to understand the target audience, a European mainland based pharmaceutical global player. Ironically one of the e-Learning modules covered a more anthropological context.

- Play Sample #1: Project Management Introduction:

Play Sample #2: Cultural Diversity

Rev Jesse Jackson is an American civil rights activist and Baptist minister and was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988. He and served as shadow senator for the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1997 and is also the founder of the Rainbow/PUSH coalition.

Whilst on route to India Rev Jesse Jackson visited the UK offices of our client Presentation to talk openly about the challenges of the economy, house price inflation and suggesting solutions for those unable to sustain their livelihood as a result of the rapid erosion of the banking system and mechanics.

His message is truly inspiring. At one point during the interview he suggests (paraphrasing) that as bankers were so keen and creative in lending money to people (during the property acquisition boom years), why is it that the same creativity is not being demonstrated to help those who need it or will need it soon !?

Please Play a sample of the Jesse Jackson Interview, by clicking on the play button below:

Making your work sound interesting, attractive and inspiring can be difficult even to the most passionate amongst us!

Elevator pitches can also be incorporated into:

• Printed business cards
• Part of Video or audio podcast content
• Company presentations, including FLASH based presentations that combine multimedia
• Good practice for a variation/incorporation (subtly) into a 140 character Twitter message

Here are 10 ways to develop a great Elevator pitch:

1. Understand the client / end market / business opportunity it will be aimed at
2. Understand the critical business issue based on your executives personal experiences
3. Consider a simple and easily worded solution : Don’t be a generalist.
4. Communicate what your company actual does to resolve the issue
   (Consider the STAR – Situation, Task, Activities and Results)
5. How will the company facility benefit to the client
6. This is a taster – What are the next steps to gain more information
7. Consider your organisations mission and summarise it to help formulate your pitch
8. Use multimedia tools to express yourself – A picture tells a thousand words!
9. Slip in the values of your organisation
10. Consider where this pitch will be used and reused.

With regard to the latter, the 30 sec pitch could be reused (the term we use is repurposed) as part of a:

• Video Podcast pre-play sequence
• Audio Podcast pre-play sequence
  (Incorporating it into your corporate podcast can really help with consistent communication strategies – both interal and external)
• Adapted theme for different parts of your business
• initiative or ongoing brand clarification programme

Recently the CEO or Knowledge Hemispheres Interactive was in conversation with another CEO who is involved in installing software in aircraft landing gear. The CEO of the landing gear software company suggested that the more you communicate your corporate’s objectives the better you become at refining your company’s purpose.