How to Create Your Own Podcast: RSS Feed Files and Podcast Hosts

Now that you have your finished podcast, your next two steps are to create an RSS feed file and find a podcast host. If you plan to host your podcast on your own site, you will need to create an RSS feed file. However, since some podcast hosts create the RSS feed file for you, you might want to hold off doing this next step until you decide which podcast host you are going to use, if any.

Creating an RSS Feed File
An RSS feed file is a text file containing XML language that allows it to be read by feed readers and aggregators. Essentially, this file will tell podcast software what your podcast is about and where to find it. It also allows people to subscribe to your podcast and notifies them every time your podcast is updated. Some podcasts hosts, which will be discussed shortly, automatically create the RSS feed file for you while others will expect you to create your own.

If your podcast host does not create RSS feed files for your podcasts or if you are planning on uploading your podcasts to your own website, then you will need to learn to create your own RSS feed file or find a good RSS feed generator. Sites such as Feedburner.com and MyRSSCreator.com will help you do this. If you choose to go this route, it is a good idea to have your RSS validated by an RSS Feed Generator like the one found at the World Wide Web Consortium. Considering that iTunes is one of the biggest podcast directories, it is also important that your RSS feed file contains iTunes specific tags. For specifics, please read the iTunes Podcaster Tech Specs.

Finding a Podcast Host
Now that you have your podcast and RSS feed file, it is time to find a spot to upload your podcast. If you still do not understand how to create an RSS feed file, do not worry. It is easy to find a podcast host that will create your RSS feed file for your, thus eliminating this problem altogether.

If you already have your own website, you can choose to host your podcasts there. However, podcasts are space and bandwidth hogs, which means that it will not take long for you to exceed your allowed allotment.

Most podcasts will be about one megabyte (MB) in size for every minute if they are encoded at 128kbps. For example, if you had a thirty-minute podcast it would be about 30MB. If you encoded it at 64kpbs, the file would be about 15MB. If you published a similar podcast each week and had only 100 subscribers, you would need twelve gigabytes (GB) of bandwidth. Depending on your web host, you site will have a bandwidth limit of about 10 to 3000GB.

However, this is only one part of your bandwidth need. You also need bandwidth to store your old podcasts and allow people to download them. Downloading a file eats up about the same amount of bandwidth as playing it. Therefore, as your audience grows so does your bandwidth needs. Imagine for a moment that your audience doubles your second month and those listeners decide to go back and listen to your old podcasts. In one month, your bandwidth needs just tripled. If your podcast becomes too popular, you could easily overwhelm your website, which may mean fees and can cause your site to crash.

For that reason, it is wise to consider investing in a podcast host right from the beginning. Podcast hosts have added benefit of being established podcast communities that will make your podcast easier for others to find. They also can help answer your questions and give you support with any issues that you might have. More importantly, having a podcast host does not limit you from providing links to your podcast on your website, if you so desire.

When evaluating podcast hosts, there are five major issues you need to consider: cost, features offered, bandwidth limits, storage limits (also known as disk space), and RSS feed creation. The following is a comparison of the major podcast hosts. In most cases, it is advisable to choose a host or plan that offers no bandwidth with the most storage that will do all the RSS encoding for you.

If you would like to find out more about the individual podcast hosts, please check out the fifth article in this series titled "How to Create Your own Podcast: A Review of the Major Podcast Hosts."

Now that you have published your podcast and have an RSS feed file, you have two options. You can sit back and wait for your audience to grow or you can hit the web and start promoting your podcast. Some podcast hosts will automatically submit your podcast information to the major podcast directories, such as Podcast Alley, iTunes and Podcastpickle. You can also set up a Myspace profile or a blog and integrate your podcast into them.
Congratulations, you are now an official podcaster.