Podcast Music:

You have your podcast ready but you really need to be sure you're using "podsafe" (or legal) music. There are many misconceptions about the legal use of music in broadcasts and especially podcasts, but the only way to be sure that you are using music legally is to use royalty free music.

Tips on good podcasting:
I love podcasts and can't wait for my favorites to release their shows.
I think that your approach to producing a great podcast depends on the age range that you're aiming at.

Your Audience
-Age 25 and under I'd keep it quick, snappy and short, probably around 15 minutes.
-Over 25 and you can make longer shows of 30-60 minutes as long as they're packed with content!

Humour goes a long way.
Within reason (depending on your subject), I think that you should keep your podcasts humorous. My personal favourites are science shows which some may consider dull but these are packed with laughs:
Skeptics guide to the Universe (often over 1hour!)
The Naked Scientist

Organise your articles into different segments or chapters.
Here the use of well chosen music is important to create space between your segments. It needn't be anything long but something that fits with the style of your subject and the mood of the segment really helps.

Recording quality makes a HUGE difference and it needn't be too expensive.
Invest in a good mic' and a pop screen too. A Rhode NT1 is an excellent good value mic'.
Try to make sure it's quiet when you record try to deaden the sound of the room with soft furnishings otherwise you'll get a tinny sound.

Intro your Podcast
It may sound obvious but you need an intro tag (with music!) to identify your show, maybe the people on the show and the articles. If you think of your podcast like a book-you have the front title, index and chapters. It's a good way to organise a long show, especially.

Edit your show.
A little time spent editing your show will produce a much cleaner result and will avoid any obvious amateur mistakes and avoid needless rambling a vocal wastage!

Good use of Music.
Yes I know what you're thinking but music can REALLY make your good podcast sound GREAT. There's obviously the intro music and little sections/ sfx inbetween but you could also make really subtly use of music that people hardly notice to produce a feeling.
My absolute favourite use of music in a podcast is : Mysterious Universe. (sadly no longer available).
Often I've been listening to an article or story and thought that I've heard something in the room but it's really subtle use of music that slowly get's louder as the story progresses and becomes more audible.

Get Listed on iTunes!

For really high quality legal music for use in podcasts go to: smartassmusic.com

You can easily search, preview and purchase an entire track, individual edit or a whole music package.
High quality instant previews allow you to hear the quality and you can download your tracks in CD quality WAV files.
Our standard license will cover you for podcasts as well as many other media uses.
If you're working on a budget then we also have a selection of free loops and free podcast music which you can download.