Q: Before trying to reach a larger number of people, inform those already in your social and professional spheres by sending out an e-mail. If you already have a contact list specifically set up for this subject, send the e-mail out to everyone on that list. Even if you don't have a special contact list set aside, it might still be worth your time to send an e-mail out to anyone you know who might be interested. Provide all relevant information in the e-mail. You should also include a note in the body of the e-mail encouraging your contacts to forward the e-mail to others who might be interested. Facebook is still one of the most popular social media websites. Plenty of people successfully use it to reach the masses, and plenty of others try to do so and fail. Knowing how to use Facebook effectively is crucial. If you haven't done so already, start an official fan page on Facebook and build your fan base. Update the page often and keep it active. Target your posts your specific target audience based on age, gender, relationship status, and similar criteria. Make your posts more interesting by using original images. Post during different time slots to determine which reaches your target audience most effectively. Cross-promote with other pages who share a similar target audience. Consider buying actual ad space on Facebook. Your cause, event, or company should have its own Twitter account. At minimum, you should tweet frequent updates from this official account and aim to get as many followers as possible. It's also a good idea to start an official Twitter hash tag. Create a term that is easy to remember and relevant to the topic, then tag all of your related posts with this hash tag. Print this tag on every other piece of promotional material, as well, so that more people will know to use it. Set up an official Pinterest account to promote your cause, event, or business. Post information related to your topic and try to get followers who share your interest in the topic at hand. You can pin articles on related subjects, tutorials on related DIY projects, or advertisements for your newest events or products. Encourage those who connect with you to send or post their own photos, then pin those photographs to a special board dedicated to your supporters. Network with popular blogs related to your subject matter. Get to know the person who runs the blog and ask to write a guest post about your chosen topic. This might be even more beneficial if you have your own blog. You can link back to your blog in each guest post and offer guest space on your own blog to those you network with. Stick with something educational. If you want to direct readers to your own blog or website for more information, include the plug toward the end of the post and keep it brief. Roughly one-quarter of Americans listen to podcasts, so converting the information you want to spread into digital audio can make a big impact. If you have an existing blog, you can simply convert your existing posts into podcast form. Another option is to record a regular podcast show. Make each episode readily available for download or streaming audio. Consider writing a short, concise book on your cause or on a topic related to your business or event. Self-publish your eBook and make it available for free or cheap on as many major platforms as possible. The material you publish must be relevant and the eBook itself should look professional. Design an eye-catching cover to accompany your eBook, too. The right cover can be the factor that convinces a potential reader to find out what your eBook is all about. Make your eBook available on your blog, if you have one. It should also be available for download to the Amazon Kindle and Barnes and Noble Nook.
A: Send e-mails to your existing base. Get seen on Facebook. Promote on Twitter. Create a special Pinterest account. Write guest posts on other blogs. Stream podcasts. Publish an e-book.

Q: You will need a good microphone and a way to prevent echo or background noise from bleeding into the sound you want to keep. A high-quality computer microphone will work effectively enough for a beginning cartoon, but if you plan to seriously market and distribute your cartoon, you will eventually need to invest in more professional equipment. When working with a small microphone, encase it in a tube speaker box lined with foam to cut out echo and excess background noise. Get creative and look for simple, everyday ways to make noises passably similar to the noises you need for your cartoon. Make a list of sound effects you will need. Be creative and thorough, including everything from the obvious (explosions, alarm clocks) to the less obvious (footsteps, background noise). Record different versions of each sound so that you have more options to use. A few examples of sounds you can create include: Fire - Manipulate a piece of stiff cellophane Slap - Clap your hands together once Thunder - Shake a piece of plexi-glass or thick cardstock Boiling water - Blow air into a glass of water using a straw Baseball bat hitting a ball - Snap a wooden matchstick If you do not have access to the equipment or otherwise find it impossible to make your own, there are CD-ROMS and websites offering royalty-free pre-record sounds you can use as desired, and this might be a more viable option for you. Always review the usage permissions for any pre-recorded sound effects you use. Even if something is free to download, it may not be free to use, especially for commercial purposes. It is very important that you know what you are permitted to do before you use a sound for your cartoon. If your cartoon has dialog in it, you or others you know will need to be the voice bringing your characters to life. As you record your lines, read from the script using appropriate intonation and expression, and make sure that you match your lips to the animated lips of the cartoon. Consider manipulating the voices using computer software. If you have fewer voice actors than characters, you can change the voice of one character simply by adjusting the attributes of the voice sample you already gathered. You will need to invest in special audio editing software to do this, but depending on which one you use, you can likely change the pitch and add overtones, like metallic garbles, to the voice recording.
A:
Get the right equipment. Record your own sound effects. Look for free pre-recorded sound effects. Record real voices, if necessary.