But to date I've done almost nothing to promote on iTunes. But that's changing NOW! Why? Because I realized how stupid simple and easy it is to upload your podcast or audio to iTunes.



a. It's a total no-brainer.

b. It's free.

c. It's easy

So why wouldn't you do it?

Step 1: Download iTunes from iTunes.com if you don't have it. Hey, it's free. You can't beat that.

Step 2: Install. This is a piece of cake.

Step 3: Go to the iTunes store.

This is the tricky part. You must first click on "iTunes store" in the left margin before you can find the "submit a podcast" link.

Step 4: Click podcasts on the left.

Step 5: Scroll to the bottom on the left and you'll see "submit podcast."

If you don't have an Apple account for the iTunes store, you'll need to create one. It's free.

Step 6: Enter the RSS feed URL your podcast is on.

If you use a Wordpress blog, you'll already have an RSS feed. All you do is copy the URL and paste it into the space provided. I tried the Atom feed URL created by Blogger and it seemed to work fine also.

It's that simple and easy!

Really, a lot of people use iTunes. It's free to put your podcasts or audios on there. Why wouldn't you? It doesn't take much time at all. Now, you have to save your audio in the right format but the new software programs make this easy.

The other issue with podcasts is recording one to begin with.

You need a computer, a mike and software.

Some people create podcasts using a headset with a mike. To start with, that's fine. Later, you'll want to invest a full-blown solution. This will probably cost you $500 total for a mike, mike stand and USB audio capture sound card.

The sound cards that come built into computers aren't high quality and will produce noise on the recording. The USB external sound card plugs right into your computer. And you plug the mike into it. Presto. Chango! You have a great sound.

For software, a lot of people on Mac computers start with Garage Band. On PC's, most podcasters use the free Audacity software, although Sound Forge is an excellent paid alternative.

You may also want some royalty free music for your intro and exit. If you search Google for "pod safe music," you'll find plenty of free and low-cost options.

Think about this: Your friends use iTunes. Your family uses iTunes. Almost everyone you run into uses iTunes. Why not put your podcasts on there for free and promote your products or yourself?

Even if you don't have anything to sell, you can build your exposure, create credibility and build a mailing list to use when you do have a product or service to sell.

Copyright (c) 2008 Marlon Sanders