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Launching a podcast can be a fun adventure. You’re able to bring your voice, your rant and your thoughts to the world without having to go through editors, segment producers or other filters.

Although you may have great content, you may be missing the mark when it comes to adding a little pizzaz to your podcast. Interviews with experts, monologues on an issue you’re passionate about and energizing music are all equally liked by listeners. However, if your podcast lacks intrigue, it will sit in a podcast directory with no downloads and very little subscribers.

Because I just launched a podcast, I wanted to ensure that I’m on the right track. So, I asked some other podcasters on what makes a great podcast. While they agreed that it’s an awesome marketing tool, they disagreed on the two ingredients that could make or break the popularity of your podcast - the use of humour and the presence of personality.

One podcaster, Donna Papacosta, president of a communications company in Oakville, Ontario and who hosts a podcast herself, suggests that when communicating with a business audience, leave the humour out.

“For a B2B podcast, I would skip the humour. People want content that is relevant to them,” says Papacosta.

However, Penny Haynes, CEO of Georgia-based company that teaches people how to create their own podcasts through a virtual course, disagrees. She doesn’t think your podcast should be dry and stiff, no matter who’s your target audience.

“Everyone has their own ideas and tastes regarding programs, but I love a little humor. A little bit of someone’s personal side can add a lot to it,” says Haynes.

Paige Eissinger, who hosts a computer call-in radio show in Missouri, says that she is immediately attracted to podcasts that inject a little humour.

“The worst people in the world to do business with are the ones who are humorless and I sure wouldn’t listen to their podcasts,” says Eissinger.

“I don’t mean that you should have a ready joke for all your B2B podcasts, just that if your message lends itself to humor, take advantage of it. Don’t pass up a witty remark just because ‘It’s business’,” says Eissinger.

Being witty is one thing, but being silly can really turn off a listener. Just ask Papacosta, who’s not afraid to unsubscribe from a podcast if it turns out to be a total dud.

“I’ve hit the stop button on many a podcast because of content I deemed stupid or a waste of my time,” says Papacosta.

At the end of the day, it’s a podcaster’s personality that will win many fans and garner tons of downloads.

“Content [of a podcast] is important, but surprise, surprise - personality wins out,” says Haynes. “When it came down to a choice between great content and great personality, personality was the winner.”

Haynes recounted a podcast where she shared her thoughts and feelings about celebrating the one-year anniversary of her business. She was surprised by the response of her listeners.

“They loved it, as it made me ‘real’. They felt invited and involved in my private world,” says Haynes.

Eissinger can relate. One of her favourite podcasts is hosted by a man who has a southern accent. Although she learns alot from his podcast, she’s a sucker for his accent and in her mind, this lends alot of personality to his podcast.

“His content is great and very relevant to my business, but [his Texan] accent grabs me every time,” says Eissinger.

While spontaneity, humour and personality can add some sizzle to a podcast, Angelo Cerase, a Toronto-based financial advisor who has a list of podcasts he enjoys listening to, draws the line when a podcaster lacks focus in their program.

“I really, really, really hate it when a podcast has the author going on and on about absolutely nothing, without a real plan or script of what he was going to say,” says Cerase.

“A little ‘useless’ filler is welcomed in a podcast, it makes the person on the other end seem more human. But too much is, well, too much,” says Cerase.

Having a great mic, snazzy music and earth shattering content is not enough. You need to inject a little bit of humour and personality into your podcast to really get people to subscribe to your feed week after week.

Special thanks goes out to the members of the Podcaster Central Network who contributed their comments for this article. If you want to learn more about how to create, publish and host a podcast, join Podcaster Central by clicking here:
http://podcastcentral-network.ryze.com.

Copyright 2005 Leesa Barnes. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

Leesa Barnes, Chief Divapreneur, helps consultants, virtual assistants, professional organizers and coaches pull clients to them using a podcast. Leesa’s advice is based on her experience producing and hosting a podcast where she saw a spike in subscribers to her ezine list and signed up 10 new coaching clients. Her audio program called Podcoach Your Way to Success: Secrets for Coaches on How to Use a Podcast to Market Your Business & Gain More Clients contains worksheets and exercises to help any coach set up their own podcast in as little as 4-hours.

Go to http://www.podcoachyourwaytosuccess.com and sign up for her free ecourse that will teach you how to use a podcast to grow your coaching business and pull clients to you.

Podcasting is the new medium fad of the moment. But can it be used for marketing and is it inexpensive? The answer to both questions is “Yes.”

First, let me explain for the neophyte what podcasting is. Technology for its use has been around as early as 2000 but its widespread use really made its hey-day in 2003. So it is still new and the power of this new medium has yet to be realized.

Nevertheless, as an audio technology, there are some practical uses.

The name is derived by fusing iPod with broadcasting even though it has nothing to do with the iPod. Simply put, podcasting is taking an audio or video file and placing it on the Internet so that it can be downloaded for personal use by others. By transferring files in this manner, one could listen to a radio program or watch a television show or movie on one’s personal MP3 player, iPod or similar personal portable media player.

So how can this technology be used for marketing? If you have a product or service you can place an audio or video file on your web site describing your product or service and even do product demonstrations. Another use of the podcast is to develop an infomercial-type broadcast in which you accept advertising from other companies, somewhat like a television commercial in the middle of a program. While this use may not be necessarily popular, I believe it can be used effectively.

For instance, instead of interrupting your program with a commercial, put your commercials at the beginning or the end of the podcast. Also, you don’t want to overdo it. Only include one or two short commercials so that you don’t bombard your audience with too much marketeering. In this age, with cable and satellite television and radio, spam blockers and laws and other anti-commercial posturing, too much of a good thing will rub people the wrong way. A good example of this is pop-up advertising; too much is bad but just enough is effective marketing.

The uses for podcasting are endless. They can be short or long, but the key thing is to present them effectively. You want your files to be clear and understandable, so choose a speaker or presenter who looks good on camera and who has a voice that sounds pleasant. Also, treat your podcast like any other media presentation which you would spend hard-earned dollars to produce. Write a script and test it before an audience before you go into production. Do everything you would do for a television commercial you were producing or a radio spot. You want it to be professional and of the highest possible quality.

All you need to produce your own podcast is a personal computer. If you have Microsoft Media Player or RealPlayer by RealNetworks then you can record your own audio file right onto your hard drive. A web cam will do the same for your video file. Another way to capture your presentation is to use a digital tape recorder or a camcorder and download them onto your computer’s hard drive later. Then, you can upload them onto your web site the same way you would upload any other file.

Now that you have a basic understanding of podcasting, give it a shot. Make the most of this new technology and have fun.

Cookies are necessary to run an Internet browser. They make it possible to visit most websites and can actually speed up and make your browsing experience safer. To feel more at ease and safer with them on your computer, you should set your browser to delete cookies on a more regular basis. Some may save up to 30 or 60 days automatically. With a third party privacy tool or by setting the browser to delete them every day, you can remove them from your hard drive before anyone can access and use your information. In combination with a good spyware removal tool and sensible browsing habits, you can overcome the possible negative effects that cookies might have on you and your PC’s privacy. Anti-spyware that is bundled or integrated will be the favored choice for an entrepreneur or SMB you won’t have several licenses to deal with and the software will update the whole rather than parts.

A close friend of mine walked into his minority SMB office, cup of coffee in hand and was blown away by this question no owner wants to hear coming from his sales manager - ‘Hey boss, is a keylogger, spyware? Of course the cup of coffee hit the floor as my friends blood pressure hit the roof. Like most SMBs or solo entrepreneurs they have no IT guy, so he/she wasn’t there to get fired on the spot. No, I got the brunt of the frustration - being his IT guy on the side and now we get to the global definition of spyware. Data loggers, key loggers are just a few programs which harvest info from your computer. Winclear is the only program created specially to auto remove such spywares. 74. That is why every computer owner needs winclear.

Protect With Winclear :Turn Off Web Search History
A couple based in Philadelphia was recently arrested for their illegal use of the spyware program Spector, which is a widely available program that anyone can buy for under $100. Spector is a keylogger, and once installed on a computer it has the ability to record all keystroke activity and send it out to virtually anyone-including cyber criminals. Spector is able to record information such as passwords, credit cards, social security numbers, and other sensitive information. Winclear is the only software which is capable of removing keylogger programs. To feel more at ease and safer with them on your computer you should set your browser to delete cookies on a more regular basis. Winclear has been the industry leader in fighting keyloggers for the last 8 years.

Winclear:
It provides you with extensive spyware and adware protection. That is the reason why you need Winclear installed onto your computer. Do not be misled by marketing promises. Protect your computer security by using Winclear! More about Winclear here: Win Clear.