The exciting part about podcasting is the fact that it levels the playing field for businesses of all sizes.
Small business owners and independent content publishers can finally distribute messages through powerful audio format and reach targeted audience like never before.
Podcasters can start recording audio on shoestring but that doesn't mean they can't get fancy with the gears.
If studio quality podcast is necessary, you can build your own home recording studio equipment that suits your budget.
The problem is, unless all your listeners are hooked up to the Internet with broadband connection, the size of the podcast -- hence the quality of it -- should be considered carefully.
Perhaps you will be amazed that even the very simple podcast gear can produce a well-sounded podcast.
What is the budget you need to start podcasting? Here is a quick assessment to help you get the whole picture.
1.
Computer with Internet connection Assuming that you are using a computer with Internet connection to check email and conduct other business operations, this may not be an investment for podcasting.
Any good speed computer should be able to produce a podcast.
2.
Microphone Get a good quality microphone at the very least.
It will boost the quality of the recorded voice dramatically.
Price starts at around $30.
Installing pop filter also helps removing annoying pops from the recording.
You may want to consider investing in a headphone, or replace headphone and mic with a headset.
3.
Domain name You can publish your podcasts from other free blog hosting, but this is not a recommended setup for business.
Getting your podcast up on your own company or a standalone domain requires a domain name.
Nowadays, a domain name (.
com) costs no more than $10 per year.
4.
Hosting account Reliable hosting account starts at around $10 per month.
You should research carefully though as podcasts consume a lot of space and bandwidth transfer, not all hosting companies will provide the resources as they promise in the product description.
That is just the fact of life that we have to overcome.
Everyone is trying to offer the greatest features just to get customers.
It is still possible to get great deals in business hosting, just that you have to do your own due diligence before you decide.
Consider yourself very lucky if you can trusted recommendation from friends.
But at least you should also assess that their needs are exactly the same as yours.
5.
Podcast site A podcast site can be as simple as blog software running on a hosting account under a domain.
The cost of this varies but you can get a business grade blog software for free.
Other options cost no more than $200-$300.
Every business should afford this.
As you see, starting a podcast needs no more than $50.
It may be less than that if you already have a hosting account or domain that you want to host your podcast with.
The real cost of podcasting is not in the price of equipment, but more in creating content.
The good news is, you can leverage what you know -- including existing content -- and shoot it down the podcast channel.
Sounds good? It does.
So what do you have to lose?