Interactive Marketing

Creating your own internet radio show is not a hard nut to crack after all, if you just know how to do it. Here is a five step guide which will help you produce your own show.

When I first heard music on internet radio, I was thrilled at the possibilities. Gradually, my curiosity for the medium increased. I always thought of creating my own radio program and uploading it on the internet for everyone to enjoy. So I decided to find out what was needed to make my ideas a reality. Some brainstorming sessions with hours of research helped me know how to do it. Armed with my newly earned skills, I created my own radio show and put it online. It was thrilling to enjoy my own radio show with my family and friends. I got dozens of pats on my back! Even today, I fondly remember my endeavor.

Here is what I learned from my experience. If you too want to create your own internet radio show, as a hobby or as a business perspective, it could be useful. Go through these steps in an orderly way to podcast your own show.

Determine the Purpose

Before you initiate, you must determine the purpose of your show. What would drive you into a real commitment to offer valuable information to your listeners What are your interests, hobbies, skills, and passions in life that would prompt you to sustain the service You should sort out this before you begin. Don't start working on an internet radio program on a subject you yourself are not interested in. Go for a subject that arouses real passion in you, no matter how unpopular it seems. There will be people out there looking for the same kind of radio program.

Developing A Format and Outline

Decide on a format of your show will it be a music program, feature or talk show. This will determine your initial expenses. Organize your program outline in such a way that it suits the theme and makes maximum impact on the listeners. Gather all the media for your radio show. This could be audio clips, narration, promotional ads, interviews etc. You can include anything you desire in the program. As a producer, you are in control of how your program flows from one clip to the next. Arrange the clips in such a way that the program makes sense to the listeners. If the program podcast is not coordinated, users will not appreciate it and you will lose your clients.

Picking Software

You'll need to choose software according to the type of radio program. Here are few software solutions used for specific tasks

Shoutcast - A free internet radio software solutions for streaming audio.

Helix Server Basic - Free streaming media server software which can distribute live and on-demand video and other media

Quicktime Streaming Server - Lets you deliver live or prerecorded content in real time over the internet

Quicktime Broadcaster - QuickTime Broadcaster allows just about anyone to produce a live broadcast event

Peercast - Free way to listen to radio and watch video on the Internet

Andromeda - A delivery-on-demand software, it scans your MP3 files and presents them as a fully-featured streaming web site

Use software to put special effects such as 'fade-insfade-outs' between audio clips.

Export the Final Product

When you are through with all this, export the final product as an mp3 file, a compressed sound file format. As you know, compressed sound files work best on the internet because large files take longer time in streaming.

Upload the Show

Upload the show onto the web using your FTP client. Check the URL to which your file is uploaded to ensure the sound file is audible and is playing back on the web.

You are ready with your internet radio show. Spread the word about it and get ready for the applause!

You can podcast your show from the radio station of your choice over the net. A comprehensive internet radio station list would assist you in this regard.