Author of ''Promoting Your Podcast'' from Larstan Publishing Says Podcasters Should Create Audiences, Not Wait for Them to Develop.

WASHINGTON -- Jason Van Orden, author of ''Promoting Your Podcast: The Ultimate Guide to Building an Audience of Raving Fans,'' (Larstan Publishing, http://www.promotingyourpodcast.com) says that the jury is still out on just how fast podcasting is proliferating but that people and companies seeking a low cost technology to reach audiences should stake their claim now.

He notes that early last year, Forrester Research (in its "Future of Digital Audio" report) predicted that podcasts would reach just 700,000 homes in 2006 but would swell to 12.3 million American households by the end of the decade, as more people buy MP3 units and broadband reaches nearly two-thirds of households.

By July of this year, Nielsen/Net Ratings found that nearly 15 million Web users have recently downloaded an audio or video podcast--over 10 percent of all American adults on-line. Also last month, a Diffusion Group research report predicted that the U.S. podcast audience will climb to 56 million by 2010.

"The fact is, nobody really knows just how steep podcasting's growth curve will be, but it's obviously expanding very quickly, and whether it's currently reaching one million or ten million homes, the technology holds huge advantages for individuals and companies who have news, a point of view or product information they want to communicate," Van Orden said.

Van Orden noted that there are two basic categories of podcast content: existing programming converted to downloadable or streaming file formats and original programs created specifically for podcasting.

"I think that converting existing programs to podcasts is really a no-brainer. It costs nearly nothing and, given reasonable promotional efforts it will reach some incremental audience," Van Orden said.

"I also think that developing original programming now--even for an incipient audience--also makes great sense. The production and syndication costs are very low for original programming and the potential audience is obviously on the rise. There's really no reason to wait," Van Orden said.

He said that successful podcast producers must develop creative content, master effective production techniques and--the focus of his book--market and promote the program to gain loyal viewers or listeners.

"Some naivete and rough edges in a podcast can be charming and appealing in contrast to the sometimes over-produced feeling of professional media, but the appeal wears off pretty quickly and producers need to turn out consistent, skillful programs to hold interest: That's the basic fact of life in a very competitive field," Van Orden said.

Topics in Van Orden's book include step-by-step strategies for generating organizing and sustaining a robust marketing and promotion campaign to attract and increase a podcast program's audience. Specific chapters discuss creating an online buzz about the show, attracting search engine traffic, landing free press exposure, and maximizing traffic and subscriptions from podcast directories.

An Alaska native and current New York City resident, Van Orden is a podcaster and podcasting consultant, webpreneur and would-be rock star. He dove into podcasting with the same passion he has for music and Internet business. His Website HowtoCreateaPodcast.com draws thousands of visitors with its combination of technical tips and marketing strategies.

He also produces three podcasts of his own: The Podcasting Underground (podcastingunderground.com), Internet Business Mastery (internetbusinessmastery.com) and GothamCast (gothamcast.com)--a show on living in New York City.

Van Orden discovered his aptitude for consulting and speaking during a stint teaching audio production and recording at the university level, explaining technical concepts to musicians and creative concepts to engineers in the same classroom. He also draws on his Utah State University electrical engineering degree, especially the coursework in audio engineering.