How to Do Everything with Podcasting (Paperback)

by Shel Holtz (Author), Neville Hobson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Reach a targeted and influential audience using the medium that's gone from underground scene to mainstream. How to Do Everything with Podcasting walks you, step by step, through the process of creating, broadcasting, and promoting your own podcast. You'll get tips for targeting your audience, refining your content, integrating various technologies, and profiting from your podcast. You'll also discover how businesses can use podcasting as a fresh, inexpensive way to communicate with customers, investors, and employees.

• Subscribe to, download, and listen to podcasts
• Get the right hardware and software
• Plan, record, edit, and release your own podcast
• Incorporate music, sweeps, interviews, and other elements
• Connect with listeners using blogs, live chats, and user-created content
• Profit from your podcast through advertising, networking, and merchandising
• Tap into support services for help with production, hosting, bandwidth, and more
• Create customer-focused or business-to-business podcasts

About the Author

Shel Holtz is principal of Holtz Communication + Technology, which helps companies apply online communication capabilities to their strategic communications.

Neville Hobson is a UK-based communicator, blogger, podcaster, and leading early adopter in new-media communication for business. Since January 2005, the authors have produced and presented the twice-weekly "For Immediate Release: The Hobson & Holtz Report" podcast on public relations, business, and technology.

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media; 1 edition (June 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0072263946
• ISBN-13: 978-0072263947
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #656,899 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Every podcast consultant should read Part V, August 30, 2007

By	Sallie R. Goetsch (El Cerrito, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Disclaimer: As a contributor to the authors' podcast, For Immediate Release, I might be expected to have a biased opinion. I do, but I also held the book to the standards of their podcast and their blogs. If it hadn't been good, I would have been seriously disappointed.

But not to worry, it's good.

Naming a book "How to Do Everything with Podcasting" is ambitious, but that was the publisher's choice. They have a whole series of "How to Do Everything" books. And while there might be things you can do with podcasting that aren't covered in the book, it's impressively comprehensive.

I particularly appreciated the details about sound editing in Chapter 9 when I had to assemble the interviews from the iMeme conference. (It helped, but with background noise as bad as that, there's not a lot you can do if you don't use a directional mic in the first place.) The only omission I'm aware of in that section is a reference to the Levelator, an amazing tool every podcaster should have. (It's free, too. Gigavox invented it in self-defense.)

I imagine many people will head straight to Part IV, "Make Money with Your Podcast," but I really appreciated Part V, "Use a Podcast as a Business Communication Tool." These 65 pages are pure gold for any podcast evangelist operating in either the corporate or small-business world. Shel and Neville start by pointing out that creating a podcast is not a business goal. Rather, podcasting is a tool that can serve a purpose in the business' overall strategy. If your company starts podcasting "because everyone else is doing it," the podcast is not likely to be a success.

There's also an appendix about legal considerations for podcasters, one listing podcasting resources, and a podcasting glossary to help you sort out the jargon. And to keep up to date (because things on the Web change so quickly), there's a website for the book at EverythingwithPodcasting.com. You can find Shel's mix-minus instructional video (for recording Skype calls without echoes) and a whole lot of other good stuff--including a long list of links to podcasts.

Three cheers and five stars, guys.

SRG

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An encyclopedig guide, June 23, 2008

By	Paul A. Baker "communicator" (Madison, Wis., US) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

What can podcasting do for a business? That's the wrong question to ask, say Shel Holtz and Neville Hobson. Like any communication tool, podcasting should be applied as a solution, not as a goal in and of itself. "Podcasting ought to come up in larger discussions about ways to reach audiences, to convey particular messages, or to address specific situations and problems," they advise.
Hobson and Holtz are internationally known business communicators, bloggers, and consultants.
Besides detailing all the technical aspects of podcasting, Hobson and Holtz preach the gospel of strategic planning. Thinking about producing a podcast? First, address the question: What outcomes are you trying to achieve? Would it serve as a marketing vehicle, or to supplement public relations and financial communications, or to enhance customer relations, or to enhance customer support? And how will you measure the success of your efforts?
They offer many examples of podcasting done well. Purina's Animal Advice podcast, for example, provides information pet owners can use; it does not `sell product.' Stanford University podcasts offer faculty lectures, interviews, music, and sports content. Target groups include students and alums. IBM's The Future Of .... Podcast reaches investors and features interviews with engineers, product managers, and others in the trenches--not with PR or marketing staff.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good enough to get you going, and well written too!, March 11, 2008

By	Nick A. Edwards "Average Guy" (Jacksonville, FL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book was all I needed to get set up for my first podcast. I am one of those types who can't just settle for the basics, which can be an expensive problem. But this book will get anyone who is budget-conscious up and running with less than $100 out of pocket, assuming you at least have a computer.

If you are looking for some expertise about equipment or how to set up your rig in the studio, this is not the book for you. You might want to look for a book about home recording or even professional broadcasting. I have to give these authors big kudos though, this really is everything you need to know about *the basics* of podcasting. If that's what you need to know, you won't go wrong with this book. Oh yeah, it is very well-written and easy to read also.