How-to: Podcasting, Soundcloud, Blogger

So, let’s say you’re using Blogger, and you also have an account on Soundcloud to host your music and podcasts.
In this tutorial you’ll find how to integrate these simple but powerful tools to stream your podcast as an RSS feed and spread the news around the web.

• 1. Let’s start uploading your show to Soundcloud. Click on upload file and select the file on your HD (in this case it’s an old Flash Gordon radio show). While uploading the file, fill in the form fields (file name, keywords, etc.).
• 2. Select Public (the file needs to be available for everyone).

• 3. Then, check both Download Options.

• 4. Click on Save and your file is ready on Soundcloud. Copy the resulting URL.

• 5. Now, open Blogger (if you have not a blog already, sign up and get one, it’s free). In our example the blog’s title is test4podcast. Click on the Settings tab, and then click on Formatting. Scroll down until you see a Show Link Fields option. By default this is set to NO. Change it to YES and save settings.

• 6. Create a new post. Once you’re done with its content, click on Add enclosure link.

• 7. In the enclosures field, paste the Soundcloud file’s url and add the following suffix: /download.mp3

• 8. Publish your post. Please note, if you try to visualize your post on blogger you won’t see any audio file. But don’t worry, your show is there and ready to be used, keep on reading…

• 9. Now it’s time to create an RSS feed for your podcasting blog. Go on Feedburner and burn a feed.You’ll just need to put your blog main url and check the “I’m a podcaster” option.

• 10. If Feeburner finds more than one feed associated with your blog, choose the RSS one. Ok, the feed is ready, but some more options need to be added. Click on Next.

• 11. Here you tell iTunes how to list your podcast. Please select a category (and a subcategory, in case) and fill in the relevant fields.

• 12. Add a copyright message, and the podcast’s author name.

• 13. A few more options to check here, and your podcasting feed is ready

• 14. Check the feed clicking on the little RSS grey icon in the upper part of the screen.

• 15. You should see your feed now (the visualization could be different from the screenshots here, just check that both the article and the related audio file are there).

• 16. Copy the feed url. Go back to Blogger. Click on Settings, and then on Site Feed. Allow a full blog feed, and paste the feed url you’ve got from Feedburner.

• 17. Now it’s time to check if your podcast blog is working fine. Using your news reader of choice (here you see Google Reader, but it could be any other service), add a new feed/subscription using the feed url (in our case http://feeds.feedburner.com/test4podcast). You should get something like this…

• 18. Also, you can check your podcast in iTunes. Click on Podcast in the sidebar, then click on the Advanced main manu voice, and choose Subscribe to Podcast. Paste here your feed url and your podcast should start downloading.

• 19. If you like, you can submit your podcast to the iTunes Store’s Podcast section. Just click here or go to the iTunes Store, choose Podcast and then scroll down until you find the Submit a Podcast image. 

• 20. Click on it and follow the instructions (you’ll need an iTunes account, you can get one for free). Just keep in mind this process is not automatic. As reported on the Apple website: “the iTunes team reviews each podcast submission. Depending on demand, it may take a week or two before your podcast is added”.