Back in 1995, when most podcasters were just starting to log on to AOL, a group at Apple Computer’s Advanced Technology Group was hard at work on a new technology that would eventually give rise to podcasting.
They were building something called RDF site summary to help web users keep up with new content. The problem was that in the early days of the web it was hard to find the best content and dial-up connections were really slow. RDF eventually became RSS feeds which was a way for people to have new content automatically delivered to their RSS reader or email inbox.
Now people could keep up with new content on multiple sites without having to check to see if anything new had been uploaded just by checking their RSS reader. Nearly ten years later, this technology was used to deliver audio files and the first podcasts were born.
Podcasts are built on these RSS feeds so that new podcast episodes are automatically delivered to your listeners’ computers and iPhones. The feed is really just a type of XML code that tells your podcast app that there is a new podcast available, where your app can find it, and a bit about the episode.
Sometimes you’ll hear people talk about their podcast feed, and that’s the same thing as the RSS feed. Typically, podcasters will include things about the podcast itself (it’s name, artwork, description, etc.) and some information about each episode (episode name, description, artwork, etc.).
Most importantly, as a podcaster, your RSS feed will tell your listener’s apps where to find the episode. You see, your episodes aren’t in iTunes, they aren’t in your RSS feed, they are somewhere else . . .
Your podcast episodes are actually being hosted somewhere. If you read about podcast hosting, or if podcasters tell you where they host their files, what they are really telling you is where those podcast episodes are located.
Your podcast host can be a professional company, a free service, or your own server. But the main purpose is that the episodes are actually made available somewhere on the web so that listeners can download them when they are available.
Some examples of podcast hosts include our company Buzzsprout, or our competitors Libsyn, Podbean, and Spreaker. There are also alternative hosting solutions like self-hosting and using Archive.org which we’ll discuss later.
I speak to a lot of podcasters who want to how to upload their podcast to iTunes. We all know iTunes is one of the best ways to find new podcast, but iTunes actually doesn’t host any podcasts.
iTunes is something called a podcast directory and there are actually a lot of them. They are just places where you can list your podcast for people to find. The best analogy is that iTunes is like a phone book; while a phone book tells the world which number to call to talk to you, iTunes tells podcast apps where to find your RSS feed.
This doesn’t diminish the importance of iTunes in the least. Just as it use to be critical for businesses to be listed in the Yellow Pages, it’s critical for podcasters to be listed in iTunes.
A lot of podcasters use to use a feed redirect service called Feedburner to give them more control over their feed. Feedburner is a service that sits between your podcast host and your podcast listings. The main benefit for Feedburner use to be that you could redirect your feed to a new host quickly and easily.
Since then a few things have changed. First, nearly all of the reputable podcast hosts will redirect your feed for you without any questions. When you’re looking at which host to pick, be sure they will allow you to redirect your feed – you don’t want to get stuck with a host that overcharges you and then won’t let you leave once you’ve grown your listenership. Second, Feedburner is a Google service and they haven’t been investing much into the service for several years now leading some podcasters to speculate that they might shut it down eventually.
My recommendation is to avoid using a service like Feedburner since it just adds an additional step of complexity into the process. You can read more about using Feedburner with your podcast at the Audacity to Podcast.
To make your podcast available in iTunes or on your own website you’ll need to host your podcast on a server somewhere. You can go one of three routes: self-hosting, free work-around options, and managed hosting options.
I’m a large proponent of using a managed hosting solution. In my view you want a simple and robust solution so that you can focus your efforts on your podcast, rather than building an maintaining your own hosting platform.
You can host your own podcast on your own server and generate an RSS feed to distribute your audio files. This is an option that provides the absolute most flexibility, though it can be expensive and time-consuming. Adam Mulholland, creator of the AM Podcast Network wrote a good post of how they manage their own hosting.
You can write your own feed or use something like Podcast Generator to help create the XML for your podcast feed. If you do build your own feed, use the Sample RSS feed from Apple to get started and make sure you use the correct RSS tags for Podcasts Connect.
There are a group of new podcasters that use work-arounds to leverage free file hosting services to deliver their audio files. This is only recommended for really small podcasts since it could be blocked by your file hosting service if you’re using too much bandwidth.
If your budget is really tight, and you just want to test podcasting for a month or so, these might work for you. Check out these posts on hosting your podcast on Google Drive, or with Archive.org.
With a dedicated podcast host, you’ll be able to quickly upload your first episode in a few minutes. You can also feel confident that your podcast is secure and compliant with all the RSS specifications. Additionally, your host should be updating their feeds to match any new developments in the podcasting space.
Reliability – How long have they been in business? Are their any complaints about downtime for their service? How many podcasts do they already host?
Feature set – Do they provide a basic website for you? Can you post embed players on your own website? Are they compatible with your website builder? Do they automatically tag your podcast episodes with ID3 tags? Do they provide statistics about your listeners? Etc.
Pricing – Does the host charge your for storage, bandwidth or both? This can be one of the trickier points since many of the hosts bill on different terms.
Redirects – Does the host allow you to redirect your feed if you ever decide to leave? This is a big one. In the past there were hosts that wouldn’t allow you to leave, so you wouldn’t be able to move your listeners if you ever decided to leave. Most of the reputable hosts do this now, but its definitely something to double check.
On Buzzsprout, you get all of the features I just mentioned and more. You can upload an episode in just a few minutes, and can even start your podcast on a free plan to make sure podcasting is right for you. (For podcasters looking to start a podcast, signup at Buzzsprout.com/50 and you’ll get 50% off your first month of podcast hosting. Plus, if you have any questions along the way you can reach out to me at support@buzzsprout.com and we’ll be happy to guide you throughout the process.)
After selecting the hosting option that best fits your needs, you will also want to submit your podcast to the various podcast directories for broader reach. Popular options include iTunes, Google Play Music, Spreaker, SoundCloud and YouTube.
Now that you have your hosting figured out, it’s time to start—or get back to—recording! Record a conversation with anyone, anywhere (and on any device) and get crystal clear audio on both sides when using RINGR. RINGR is an essential tool for top quality podcast interviewing and recording. Download RINGR today and give hassle-free interviews a try.
Alban Brooke is General Counsel & Director of Marketing for Higher Pixels (Buzzsprout, Tick, and StreamCare). Find out more information about Buzzsprout, the easiest podcasting software for hosting, promoting, and tracking your podcast, at http://www.buzzsprout.com
When Jenny VanDeHei left for college to study business, she thought she had picked her last stone and fed her last calf. She loved the family farm she grew up on, but she saw her future as an accountant, in an office building in the city, far from the country fresh smell of cow manure.
Never once did she think her life would come full circle back to farming nor that she would be so happy it did.
Jenny has found herself once again discussing combines, manure pits, grain trucks, and other vocabulary she’d learned firsthand listening to her parents discuss the farm around the kitchen table. After earning her degree at the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh, Jenny started her career at SECURA. She began underwriting insurance for farmers in Wisconsin and has now taken on a leadership role as Supervisor of Farm/Ag Processing Services. She and her team of Customer Service Representatives send all of the insurance documentation out to agents and policyholders. She also spends time on project teams for the company and the farm division.
Jenny grew up on a small family-owned and run dairy farm in Seymour, Wisconsin. It was started by her grandparents, eventually taken over by her parents, and still thrives today. They currently milk 75 head of cattle twice a day in a stanchion barn and care for 100+ Holstein heifer calves and dry cows while working 765 acres of land. They also had a custom harvesting business, which they sold a few years ago.
“Running a farm with your family is no easy task,” Jenny said. “But when it’s all hands on deck to make sure all the work gets done, you become closer than most.”
From an early age, Jenny was responsible for cooking meals for the family after getting in from night milking and running hot and ready bag lunches out to the field using the old farm truck.
From April through October, Jenny spent most of her time driving tractor during the planting and harvest seasons. When she wasn’t doing that, she stepped in as a substitute milker, calf feeder, barn scrapper, and feed pusher. Like many farm kids, she was a jack of all trades and filled in wherever needed, whenever needed.
One of her favorite memories is picking stones—a non-negotiable chore—with the neighborhood kids. They would gather together and spend the entire weekend in the field picking stones wondering how on earth there was always more stones to pick, year after year.
Living and working on a farm instilled many life lessons Jenny values in her life off the farm. Farming taught her the importance of teamwork, and she learned the value of hard work and determination. These are values Jenny applies when trying to reach common ground on a project or to show appreciation when someone goes the extra mile. When she’s not supervising farm/ag processing services at SECURA, you can still find Jenny rolling up her sleeves on the farm—picking stones, driving tractor, or cooking meals for her family and the farmhands.
The knowledge Jenny learned through her firsthand experience combined with her years with SECURA make her a farm insurance expert for our agents and policyholders. For many of our Farm-Ag experts, training began when they were barely old enough to walk, and Jenny is no exception.