We’ve talked often in Listen To Your Freedom about how people have different learning styles and preferences. So while some people prefer a book, or online course and workbook, others prefer learning via video or audio.

So when you’re deciding which format (audio, video, written) to present your solutions or information in, it helps to take into account all of these factors:

1. What do YOU enjoy doing? Do you prefer writing, or video, or speaking (audio)?
2. What does your customer prefer, and what do they need, based on their lifestyle?
3. What are you able to do, and what can you afford to do at this time? It is better to just produce something simple, rather than waiting for your ideal scenario.

For me, audio is one of the easiest ways to develop and package content. Probably because I find it quite easy to speak, or read aloud, and I make very few mistakes when I’m speaking – so I don’t need to do much editing.

But let’s say you’ve already written a book or eBook. Well, creating an audio version of the book is an easy next step – and some customers will buy both.

Or perhaps you want to provide additional in-depth training in your audio course.

Or perhaps your book, or online course is really huge, so you want to chunk it down into stand-alone units and each unit consists of three one-hour audios.

All you need to create an audio course is a high-quality microphone that plugs into your computer, and Audacity, a free, easy-to-use recording software. Or, you can use a teleseminar recording service, and you dial into it with a corded, land-line telephone (ensures good quality).

Microphone Recording

If you want to use a microphone to record MP3 files directly onto your computer, you have a few different ways to go, Premium, Mid-Level, or Budget Bob. Let’s start at the top…

Premium Recording Set-Up

The Shure PG-42 USB mic is a really good microphone (about $249) that plugs right into the microphone jack on your computer. It will give you the clearest, best quality audio and can be used to record singing as well. Keep in mind though, that for a microphone of this quality, you also need to have a fairly quiet room to record in.

Unless you can completely avoid popping your “P” sounds (which causes a bit of a muffled boom in the recording), you also need to purchase a microphone pop filter. And by the way, the only way you can completely avoid popping your “P”s is to not pronounce them!

The Nady MPF-6 Clamp On Microphone Pop Filter is a good one, at a really good price (about $18).

You then can record onto Audacity (free for both Mac and PC), or GarageBand (Mac) or the very high-end Pro Tools for Mac or PC (really not needed unless you’re recording music).

However, please know that there is NO point in getting super high quality recording tools if you don’t have a soundproofed place to record in! Remember that the finer your equipment, the greater range and quality of sound it will record. So yes, it will pick up the crows outside, your washing machine, someone knocking on your front door, and your chair creaking.

Next, your recording room would also need to be set up to create a good quality or timbre of sound. For example, hardwood floors, bare walls and windows are all hard surfaces that the sound will bounce off of. So you need carpet on the floor, and rugs or thick fabrics covering the walls and windows (or egg cartons work well too).

Mid-Range Recording Set-Up

Now let’s look at the mid-range: A much cheaper mic, that has also gotten rave reviews from podcasters and Internet radio show hosts is the Audio-Technica ATR2100 USB/XLR Microphone. At only $53, it is far cheaper than the Shure mic listed above. But if all you’re doing is recording audio products (no singing) then this will likely be just the ticket. It plugs into your computer via a USB cord. It also comes with a mic stand for your desk, so you don’t have to hold it.

Then you would also purchase this Reduce Pop and Windscreen Mic Cover to place over your mic head and help get rid of those popping-P sounds – since it’s less than $3 you might as well get it, then do a test recording with it and without and see which works better for your voice.

Here’s my test recording, done in my office using the Audio-Technica microphone and the mic cover, recorded using Audacity:

Click the PLAY button [sc_embed_player fileurl=”http://listentofreedom.s3.amazonaws.com/audiotechnica-USB-test.mp3″]

Alternatively, you could wear a headset microphone that plugs directly into your computer. Again, it is best to get one that is corded for best quality and no interference during transmission. Just make sure it is compatible with your computer. Here are two good quality headsets that you could use:

Plantronics Audio 326 Stereo PC (plugs into the microphone jacks on your computer) – note this one is only for use with a PC, it will not work with a Mac, unless you buy an adapter (about $13).

Plantronics Audio 478 Stereo USB Headset Microphone (plugs into a USB port on your computer – so better sound quality) – about $29

Here’s my test recording, done in my office using the Plantronics USB headset microphone, recorded into Audacity:

Click the PLAY button [sc_embed_player fileurl=”http://listentofreedom.s3.amazonaws.com/plantronics-USB-test.mp3″]

Stereo Plug vs. USB Plug

If you get a microphone or headset with an audio/stereo plug (plugs into the microphone jack) it draws power from the computer, and converts your voice into an electrical signal only, and then sends it into the sound card where it can be processed as data.

But if you have a microphone or headset with a USB plug, it directly converts electrical signals into data, which is sent to the computer via USB. This usually results in better sound quality via the microphone.

The other benefit to the USB headset is that when you plug it in, the audio in/recording and audio out devices are automatically switched to the headphones. If you have a laptop, you may be frequently unplugging and plugging the headphones back in, so having the audio setting switch automatically would be a definite plus.

You’ll note with the three microphones above, the Stereo PC headset is less than half the price of the other two. Now you know why. But if your budget is really tight, know that you can still get a good quality audio recording with the Stereo PC headset.

Whichever type of microphone you use, you then can record using Audacity software (free for both Mac and PC), which is also very easy to use. Or Quick Time Player (Mac).

Budget Bob Recording Set-Up

Now let’s see what Budget Bob has to say: Believe it or not, you can also try recording using Voice Memo on your iPod or iPhone. I’ve heard recordings done using Voice Memo that were perfectly good and sellable audio recordings – you just have test repeatedly to get the perfect distance and then you have to maintain that position for the duration of the recording. So basically, you and your device cannot move for the duration of the recording. And of course, you have to record in a fairly soundproof room.

You can also use the microphone on a set of really good cell phone ear buds (in-ear headphones with microphone), plug them into your computer microphone jack – instead of your cell phone – and use the ear bud microphone to record directly onto Audacity software (free for both Mac and PC), which is also very easy to use.

However, for both these Budget Bob options, you must make sure your recording level is set as loud as you can make it, so that people will be able to play your audios in their iPod, or on a stereo system to their yoga class (for example). There’s nothing worse than buying an audio that you can’t turn up loud enough.

So again, set your input levels really high, record a 3 minute clip, then play it back on your computer and on your iPod or cell phone and see if you can turn it down low enough when listening through ear buds and high enough when playing on your computer or player to a room full of people. ALWAYS, always, TEST your stuff!

Basically, whichever recording device you choose – at whatever budget level, you then need to download it to your MP3 player and listen to it through headphones. Then also listen to it on your computer. Make sure it sounds good when it’s right in your ear, in your car, and on your office computer.

Now let’s get into the specific recording how-to’s…

How To Record & Export MP3 Files Using Audacity

Let me start by saying that Audacity is such a great free recording software that I and two of my friends began using it without any instructions whatsoever – it’s just that intuitive.

Of course, any learning curve can be shortened by having some instruction first, so here are a couple of videos that will no doubt save you some time in trial and error.

NOTE: Both these video demo’s are done on a PC.

Install Audacity

Now that you have installed Audacity, you can go ahead and use it to record and also to export .wav files. But, if you want to export the much smaller .mp3 files (which take much less space on your hard drive or iPod!), then you need to first install the LAME encoder.

I know this may seem like a hassle, but trust me, if you’re going to use audio at all, then this is just a one-time setup hassle for something you will use over and over again for years! You do NOT want to send WAV files to your customers or opt-ins as the file will take up a lot of space on their device and they may hesitate to buy any more from you. Always send out MP3 files.

Install Audacity LAME Encoder for MP3 Export

Next, here’s how to use Audacity to record your audio:

Record Audio On Audacity

And lastly, here’s a video I did, showing you how to import an audio, edit the audio, and then export the audio as an MP3 file you can then send to your people, or make available for quick and easy downloading:

Import and Edit Audio in Audacity

Telephone Recording

This is the method I personally use for recording audio courses. If I’m doing a meditation, then I use my friend’s professional studio – cause I’m just that picky. Also, I don’t have music in the background, it’s just my voice, so the recording has to be pretty pristine, with zero background noise.

But to create an audio book, or an audio teaching course, I just use my phone to dial into my teleconferencing account, hit Record, and away I go. Oh, did I mention I clear my house of children, unplug the phones, make sure the laundry is not running and put a sign on the front door first?

I prefer this method because I’m already paying the $47/month fee for my teleconferencing service (InstantTeleseminar.com) anyway. And the set-up and recording are super easy.

If you want to go this route, the key piece of equipment you need to have is a corded, landline phone. I’m talking about one of these:

That means you do NOT use a cordless phone, or a cell phone, as neither gives good audio quality. For example, on this call with Paul Zelizer on Connecting With Your Customers, he was using a cordless phone and halfway through our call it started picking up another person’s conversation, that then got recorded onto our call as well! So I had to do some editing and splicing on that one. In extreme cases, you would need to re-record the missing bits and splice them in – too much hassle! Just use the right equipment the first time.

And your corded phone also needs to be a good quality phone – that doesn’t mean it has to be expensive, but you need to search for one with good audio quality (read the reviews!) like this Panasonic Corded Phone (about $15).

If you’re going to be making a lot of recordings, then I would also get this Plantronics S12 Corded Telephone Headset System to plug into the phone and use the headset instead of the handset. Not only will this be more comfortable for you, but you will get MUCH better audio quality on your recording.

If you think you’re going to be hosting teleseminars or podcasts – anything where you’ll be interviewing someone or hosting live calls, then this is probably the most cost-effective route to go: Get your Instant Teleseminar account and a corded landline phone. I also insist my guest call in from a corded landline if at all possible.

Oh yes, one more thing – you actually need to have a landline in your house or office! This is what we all used to have, before cell phones came along. You can also use a cable-based landline (runs on your TV or Internet cable – not on WiFi), which should be fine, but it is not as good as a fiber optic telephone line.

You will have to examine your particular audio environment and your recording needs and then pick the best solution for you. I have provided you with all the components here, but you will have to mix ‘n match to customize the best solution for your unique needs. See the chart below for a quick overview comparison.

Regardless of the recording method you choose, you will need to ensure your office or house is really quiet, or record at night when everyone is asleep!

One last consideration: Many people are not aware that cordless phones and cell phones give off biologically unsafe levels of radiation. Dr. Charlie Teo – one of the most renowned neurosurgeons in the world – does not carry a cell phone on his body, nor put it to his head. He places it on a table, or a counter, and puts it on speakerphone.

Cordless phones emit even stronger radiation than cell phones – strange, but true. I have lots of information about WiFi and cellphone technology and how to make it safer on my Listen To Your Gut blog (type “wifi radiation” into the Search box). But for now, just know that we do not have any cordless phones in our house – they are all corded phones. And we all turn our cell phones off when we come into the house. Here’s one of the best videos on this topic:

So that is another factor to take into consideration if you’re balking at getting a landline hooked up. A landline can run on either fiber optic or cable. So if you already have a cable TV account, you can also run your corded phone on a cable phone line – just call your cable TV provider.

Oh and do not get a corded phone that also has a cordless handset with it – that defeats the purpose and you will still radiate yourself and the other people in your house.

So to summarize, here are your four options to obtain a good quality audio recording. Keep in mind that for each of these scenarios, your environment must be really quiet – no dogs barking, children playing, phones or doorbells ringing, doors opening or closing, no laundry or dishwasher noise, etc. Many parents find it easiest to record late at night!

Note: you can use Skype to interview someone and record your interview, but only if you are planning on giving the audio away for free. This is because the quality of Skype is just not good enough (in my opinion). Here’s a sample of an interview recorded on Skype and you can see for yourself what I mean about quality:

Click the PLAY button [sc_embed_player fileurl=”http://listentofreedom.s3.amazonaws.com/daniel-vitalis.mp3″]

Of course, since this audio was given away for free and was fantastic content, I did not mind the fluctuating volume levels, or missed words, or occasional static – if I had paid for it, I would not be impressed.

Skype has a section of its site where they provide links to both free and paid software you can use to record your calls.

Audio Recording Methods Comparison Chart

Solution	Pros	Cons
Shure mic with Nady Pop Filter – you record directly to your computer, using Audacity, as an MP3 file.	Fantastic audio quality. Super easy to use – everything in one place.	Most expensive (about $270). You cannot interview anyone else. Only you can speak and be recorded – unless you are recording from a Skype call. Need soundproofed and sound-optimized recording room.
Audio-Technica Microphone with Foam Ball Mic Cover – you record directly to your computer, using Audacity, as an MP3 file.	Good audio quality. Super easy to use – everything in one place. Great price (about $39).	You cannot interview anyone else. Only you can speak and be recorded – unless you are recording from a Skype call.
Plantronics Audio 478 Stereo USB Headset Microphone – you record directly to your computer, using Audacity, as an MP3 file.	Good audio quality. Because you are wearing headphones, if you want to record a Skype call, your mic won’t pick up the other person’s voice coming through your computer speakers – so you won’t get any feedback noise and the audio levels from both of you should be good. Plugs in via USB port. Super easy to use – everything in one place. Great price (about $29).	You cannot interview anyone else, only you can speak and be recorded – unless you are recording from a Skype call.
Plantronics Audio 326 Stereo PC – you record directly to your computer, using Audacity, as an MP3 file.	The cheapest option and will still give you a good audio recording. (about $13)	Plugs into the microphone jacks on your computer, which is not as good as a USB connection. Only for use with a PC, it will not work with a Mac, unless you buy an adapter. You cannot interview anyone else, only you can speak and be recorded – unless you are recording from a Skype call.
Good quality Corded landline phone and Instant Teleseminar account – you dial into a conference call platform and their system records your call as an MP3 file. You control the call, speakers (callers) and recording via a Control Panel on the Internet	Good audio quality. Easy to use. Lots of other uses too: weekly podcast, or teleseminars, webinars, or interviews, or Internet radio show, or any other purpose where you need to interview someone, or have other people on the audio, or participating via the Internet. Reasonably priced (about $63, then $47/month).	Not as good audio quality as a direct microphone. You also need to pay for a landline (cable or fiber optic) if you don’t currently have one operating. Bit more hassle than a mic to your computer as you first have to set up the call (takes about 3-5 minutes), then dial in.

REMEMBER: For ALL audio recordings, to save yourself hours of wasted time, be sure and record a 3-minute test clip first. Then play it back on your computer and on your iPod or cell phone and see if you can turn it down low enough when listening through ear buds and high enough when playing on your computer or player to a room full of people. ALWAYS, always, TEST your stuff!

Here are all my test recordings again, using the different audio recording methods, you can easily compare and then choose which suits your purpose best:

1. Audio-Technica microphone and the mic cover, recorded using Audacity:

Click the PLAY button [sc_embed_player fileurl=”http://listentofreedom.s3.amazonaws.com/audiotechnica-USB-test.mp3″]

2. Plantronics USB headset microphone, recorded into Audacity:

Click the PLAY button [sc_embed_player fileurl=”http://listentofreedom.s3.amazonaws.com/plantronics-USB-test.mp3″]

3. Instant Teleseminar with a corded, landline phone (no headset):

Click the PLAY button [sc_embed_player fileurl=”http://listentofreedom.s3.amazonaws.com/InstantTeleseminar-Test.mp3″]

After listening to each of these, I feel that the Audio-Technica gives the best voice quality, but it will pick up the most ambient (background) noise in the room or house. The Plantronics has the best balance of good voice quality and low ambient noise. The corded phone into Instant Telseminar has an edgy real-time sound to the voice, and like the Plantronics headset, there is low ambient noise. But I think if I used a corded headset plugged into the phone (with noise-cancelling mic) I would get a smoother audio quality.

This Plantronics S12 Corded Telephone Headset System would be my choice in this case, since there is a switch to set the microphone between high and low gain, and there is a dial to fine tune it within each of the settings. Here’s what a Freedomite said about this headset:

Out of the box, I sounded very loud in my own ear piece and if I were typing, you could hear it on the recording. So I set it to low gain, and moved the dial to a lower setting. My voice remained clear in the recording, but not too loud in my own earpiece, and sounds of me typing or moving around could not be heard on the recording. This is fantastic! With my previous headset, I could not turn down the gain this low, so I had to be very careful about background noise.”

When you have recorded your first “real” audio, download it to your MP3 player and listen to it through headphones. Then also listen to it on your computer. Make sure it sounds good when it’s right in your ear, in your car, and on your office computer. After you’ve got the first one sounding great, record the others using the same settings (write the settings down!).

Example: How I Created A $69 6-CD Audio Course

1. Used my Instant Teleseminar account to record my audios. ($47/month).

2. Dialed in from my corded, landline phone (excellent audio quality). Pressed record.

3. Talked for 60 minutes teaching people what I wanted them to learn for Audio 1. Downloaded MP3 recording to my computer.

4. Screwed up a little at the beginning, so used Audacity (free software) to edit my mistake. Exported as an MP3 file and made sure to set my fields for Artist Name, Track Name and Album Title – so that when someone imports my track into iTunes, or their iPod, it shows up properly.

5. Imported the MP3 file into iTunes, checked that my titling and name showed up correctly, and then converted it into a smaller file size MP3 (see instructions here), yet still with excellent quality. Tested it on my computer, my iPod with ear buds, and my car to ensure audio quality and volume levels were good. Made sure there were no spaces between the words of my filename (or people can have trouble downloading the file). Used hyphens or underscore lines to separate words. For example: choose-your-best-idea.mp3

6. Repeated steps 1 – 5 for all six audios

7. Emailed final MP3s to InfoDistributors.com (manufacture CDs and DVDs). They emailed me the design template (instructions) for the artwork for a 6-disc audio program.

8. Got my designer (found on Elance) to create a design from that template (cost $75). I emailed the finished design back to InfoDistributors.com

9. Created a video and a dedicated Page on my website to sell the program (my sales page). I shot the video with my Canon video camera (you could also use an iPhone, or Flip camera). If you want a really slick-looking landing page (sales page) you can either use your designer to create it as a Page on your blogsite, or use a WordPress Plugin called Optimize Press. If you are using Infusionsoft as your CRM platform, then you already have landing pages for your use.

10. Began emailing my list about my new Course, and carried out other marketing activities, like posting on Facebook, affiliate promotions, and a live webinar, or teleseminar to give some great free content, but also promote my course.

DONE!

All you have to do to create an excellent audio course is copy these 10 steps above. You can go ahead and create your content at any time and don’t worry, we will elaborate on Steps 9 and 10 in coming Modules. For now, all you need to focus on is creating your content or products.

NOTE: If I were creating an audio course that was delivered digitally via download links (no physical CDs), then I would skip steps #7 and #8 and replace them with:

7. Uploaded MP3 files to my server. Made sure there were no spaces between the words of my filename (or people can have trouble downloading the file). Used hyphens or underscore lines to separate words instead. For example: choose-your-best-idea.mp3

Emailed my designer to create CD cover art and package art to display in my shop and marketing materials.

You have to think of how YOU would like to receive your product. Personally, I understand that a boxed set of CDs has far more perceived value than a list of download links. However, I also find it super annoying to have to import each CD, one at a time, into iTunes and then transfer them to a playlist on my iPod – which takes about one hour total.

So personally, I may prefer to receive the boxed set of CDs along with all the files downloaded onto a memory stick (USB Flash Drive). That way I feel the specialness of the boxed set, but I can also insert the memory stick into my computer and transfer all the MP3 files to my iPod in about 20 seconds (Infodistributors.com also does custom USB flash drives).

However, I may also not care about the physical CDs and be happy with just the USB flash drive – because that alone is far more convenient than downloading a bunch of files! To communicate more value, you could have the flash drive imprinted with your name or program name and present it in a really nice box, or get a custom shape flash drive, like these, for example:

Or, you could always offer both the physical CDs and the USB flash drive and let your customer choose which format they want!

Lastly, just make sure you took note of #5 above and TEST your finished product to ensure:

• File size is not too big and is in MP3 format for best compatibility across devices (see below for how to compress files).
• Audio quality is good – test on both your iPod and computer.
• Volume range is good (i.e. Can I turn it up loud enough if I’m playing it on my computer, or for a group, and can I turn it down low enough if playing through ear buds?)
• File name does not contain any spaces – words must be linked with hyphens or underscore. Example: eat-green-foods.mp3
• Track title shows up the way I want it to.
• My name shows up as the Artist, and the Album shows up correctly as the name of my audio series

Throughout Listen To Your Freedom, you will hear me telling you to TEST everything before you release it to your customers, or as a freebie to your site visitors. Remember that you can sell a crappy product once, but that customer will not buy from you again. And whatever the quality of your free stuff, your site visitor will expect the same quality from anything they purchase – so make sure your free stuff is GREAT.

NOTE: Many Internet marketers would sell an Audio Course like this for at least $97 or $197. Set your price according to your market and when you’re ready, check out this page for details on how to price your stuff.

My Audio Track Doesn’t Show Up Properly in iTunes or Windows Media Player!

The data that you attach or embed into your audio file that allows other apps to read your info, or show your album cover, are called ID3 tags.

The easiest way to add ID3 tags to your audio is to add the required fields (Track Title, Album Name, Artist/Composer, etc.) when exporting your file from Audacity (see the videos above) as an MP3 file. Here’s what that looks like:

If you also want to show an album cover or have an image show up along with your audio track, then you need to use a special software to attach that image to your MP3, like Jaikoz or Mp3Tag.

 

 

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Now that you’ve seen some more ideas for how to create an Audio Course (rather than just a single audio), brainstorm a larger project you would like to create in audio MP3 form; either a paid item, or a freebie. Something you could o er as a course, or a series of audios:

 

How would you like to record it? What equipment do you need to get?

 

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A CD or audio (MP3 file) can be a great item to have for your customers or site visitors since many people prefer to listen, rather than read. Many people even prefer it to video, since you can listen while you run, drive, walk the dog, lie down, or cook.

I’m going to show you how you can create a CD or audio in only ONE DAY and then you can use that CD in any of the following ways:

• One of the best ways to start or build a relationship with your tribe (site visitors or customers) is to produce a CD or free audio (MP3 download file) that lets them get to know you and gives them some insight, inspiration, encouragement, or instruction. This could be just you talking, or you could interview a friend, colleague, family member, or a known expert in your field.

• People often prefer audio to a book or eBook. So you could simply read and record your existing book aloud and then offer it as an AudioBook.

• You can present your solution, or technique, or method in audio format. You could record your how-to manual. Whatever you would do as a book or video, simply record it as an audio instead. Diagrams can always be provided as a PDF (that they can download or view online) if needed.

• You can also create a CD or audio that adds to and increases the value of an existing product. For example, think about how you feel about the value of an eBook. Now tell me how you feel about the value of an eBook and CD package?

This is called positioning. You may be offering exactly the same information, or same solution, but by adding a CD (which you can create in one day) you have positioned that solution as a “package” and thereby greatly increased the perceived value of that solution.

A Heal Your Insomnia Today eBook may sell on Kindle for $7.99

But a Heal Your Insomnia Kit (eBook + CD + pdf chart) may sell for $27 or $47 or $69 or higher.

So enough about why creating CDs (or MP3 audios) is a great idea, let’s move onto how you can create your CD, or audio product, or freebie, in just one day – AT NO COST. Keep in mind, that on this page, you’re learning how to create content. Here are the details on how to sell and deliver that content to your customer when you’re ready to.

*Note: And if you’re wondering about the sale prices I’m suggesting, that’s all covered here.

Step #1: If it’s just you talking, then record directly to your computer. If your computer has a good built-in microphone, you can just use that, or purchase this cheap, yet fantastic quality microphone from Audio Technica. Or record directly to your cell phone and then export the file to your computer. iPhone has an excellent quality recorder called Voice Memo.

If you would like to include other people on the audio then set up a paid or free teleconference line. This way you can record interviews, focus-group conversations, panel interviews and more. It also lets you conduct live calls with numerous listeners, record the conversation, and use that for your CD.

If you’re going to do this often, then get a paid service like Instant Teleseminar, which is what I use.

Or, go to one of the free providers below and sign up for their service. Keep in mind that the quality of the free lines is not a good and you can have more glitches and quality problems than with a paid service:

www.freeconferencecall.com

www.freeconferencecallHD.com

www.freeconferencecalling.com

www.freeconference.com

Note: you can also use Skype for this step, but only if you are planning on giving the audio away for free. This is because the quality of Skype is just not good enough (in my opinion). Here’s a sample of an interview recorded on Skype from Daniel Vitalis and you can see for yourself what I mean about quality. Click the PLAY button, or, you can download this audio from the link below:

http://listentofreedom.s3.amazonaws.com/daniel-vitalis.mp3

Of course, since this audio was given away for free and was fantastic content, I did not mind the fluctuating volume levels, or missed words, or occasional static – if I had paid for it, I would not be impressed.

Step #2: Learn How to Use the Service. Learn the basic steps for calling in, recording your call and then downloading the mp3 file. You can learn how easy it is to use Instant Teleseminar here, or each of the free services has their own instructions.

Step #3: Choose a Topic. Select a topic you can easily talk about for at least 30 minutes without having to refer to notes or think too hard. Or read (with energy and lots of expression!) from your book, or tutorial you have already created.

Step #4: Set Your Purpose. What is the one most important thing you want listeners to be able to DO by the time they’re done listening to your audio? What ONE problem do you want to help them solve? What ONE solution are you going to give them?

Step #5: Choose 3-5 Main Points. Your audio doesn’t need to be long. Choose three to five main points or subtopics you want to talk about.

Step #6: Make an Outline. For each of your 3-5 points, add another 3-5 bullet points to flesh out the subtopic. Be sure to include information that will help listeners achieve the objective you set in Step #4 above. Your information has to lead to action, or it has no value.

Step #7: Include a Call to Action. Once they listen to the audio, what do you want them to do next? Call you? Order a product? Make an appointment? Visit a webpage for more info? Share the audio with a friend? Decide what to have them do next and include that at the end of your presentation.

Step #8: Practice. Run through your presentation at least once to make sure it flows properly and that you are comfortable presenting it.

Step #9: Record Your Audio. Call into the conference line, or get your computer ready to record (use Audacity or Quick Time Player) start the recording, then deliver your presentation. If you make a few “flubs”, don’t worry. You can also use the free recording software called Audacity to edit out your mistakes. See my Audacity instructional video below. When you’re finished, save or download your MP3 file to your computer.

Step #10: Edit Your File if needed. Edit out any mistakes – use a free editing/recording software called Audacity. Add an intro or outro if you like. Then your audio is ready to go. See my video below for how to edit mp3 files using Audacity. If it is in another format, like m4a or wav, then convert to mp3 (see Tech 3 for instructions on how to convert audio file formats).

When you title your mp3 file, make sure there are no spaces between words (or people can have trouble downloading your file). You can use hyphens or underscore lines to separate words instead. For example: choose-your-best-idea.mp3

Step #11: Host Your File. Host your MP3 file on your website server, on Amazon AWS or even on DropBox.com. Copy the link to the hosting location and use it in emails, on your website, anywhere you’d like.*

Step #12: Also Create a Physical CD if you like. Transfer your file to a CD and you’re ready to go! If you don’t have many customers or site visitors, you can print labels yourself from an office supply store and mail them out personally. But if you have a larger list or customer base, then you can have a run of professionally replicated CDs made with covers and cases to match.

In that scenario, you would email the final MP3s to InfoDistributors.com (they manufacture CDs and DVDs) or some other replication company. They will send you the design template (instructions) for the artwork. You can create your CD cover art for free. CDs also make great direct mail items or giveaways at networking events. You may want to hand out a presentation on CD instead of just a business card.

That’s it! Follow these 12 steps and you’ll create your audio product, or a free giveaway for your sign-up list, in just one day!

As promised, here’s how to use Audacity to record your audio:

Record Audio On Audacity

Lastly, here’s a video I did, showing you how to import an audio, edit the audio, and then export the audio as an MP3 file you can then send to your people, or make available for quick and easy downloading:

Import and Edit Audio in Audacity

 

Now let’s brainstorm your ideas for a free audio or CD you could give to your people…

 

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What great give-away, or freebie CD, or audio MP3 could you create that would make your website visitors and people on your email list LOVE you. What would be useful, helpful, fun, or entertaining? Would it be a solo audio, interview, teleseminar, lecture?:

 

 

 

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So let’s say you’ve published your softcover or hardcover book, and it’s available for sale on Amazoan, in Barnes & Noble bookstores, and on your site. Or you’ve published your e-reader book on Kindle, or Nook.

But you have an audio, or series of audios that are an integral part of the book. How can you make sure that Susie Smith, who buys your book from Chapter’s bookstore in Calgary, can receive those MP3 audios?

Remember, if this was an eBook purchase from your site, you would simply email the download links for the audios.

But you don’t have Susie Smith’s email and you don’t even know that she bought your book in her local bookstore. Or, how about Susie bought your Kindle book on Amazon – you still don’t have her email address.

I’m going to show you how to deal with this situation first (delivering audio), then I’m going to show you how to be able to provide video in the exact same situations.

Adding Audios To a Printed or Kindle Book

To be able to supply an unknown reader with your audios, you simply have instructions like this as part of the book text; which sends them to your site or hidden page where you give them the download links for your audios:

 

For the audio guide that accompanies this book, please go to:

www.mysite.com/guide-me

 

This webpage can be a hidden page, or it can be a password-protected page. If it’s password-protected, you would then have instructions like this in the book:

 

Make sure these instructions appear on the page where you talk about the audio and also at the end of the book.

Or if you want, you can make the password a bit trickier by having something like this:

 

Here’s a real-life example of how someone has done this from a softcover book I bought on Amazon, called Full Body Presence by Suzanne Scurlock-Durana, where she gives you 5 audios that go along with the book. Here’s the sequence of events:

1. I bought the book

2. On page 11 and page 185 of the book, the website and password is given where I can download the audios:

 

To download the free audio tracks
for this book or order a CD
for a small fee plus shipping, visit

www.healingfromthecore.com

Click on the Full Body Presence download link,
and enter the password presence.

or write to us at

Healing From The Core
P.P. Box 2534
Reston, VA 20195

2. I go to the site and this is what I see:

Although it looks like you have to enter all your personal information, you actually don’t, and it works with just the password and the Image Verification fields filled in. NOTE that I don’t recommend you set your webpage up like this! This is way too confusing and she must get a lot of customer service questions about this process. I’m going to show you a method you can use that is much simpler and clearer for your reader or customer.

After I SUBMIT the form, it goes here:
http://www.healingfromthecore.com/FBPAudio.html

HOWEVER, as I said, there is a much simpler way for you to set up exactly the same thing on your handy-dandy WordPress site in three easy steps, that is also less confusing for your customer:

How To Create A Password-Protected Page

1. Put something like this at the beginning and end of your book:

2. Set up a hidden page (see instructions above) on your site called “Guide Me”, this will ensure the URL for that page is: www.mysite.com/guide-me and then list your audio titles along with their download link on that page.

You could either structure your downloads in the way shown above, with Click here to download… Or, you hyperlink the actual audio title, like this:

etc.

In both cases, you would create the link to the MP3 audio file by using the Insert/Edit Link button – try this video if you don’t know how to add a hyperlink to text. Here’s an example of what it looks like when you add the link:

Finish setting up all your links. And of course, have an introduction or some explanatory text on the page before you list the download links.

3. When you go to publish that page, here’s what the PUBLISH box on the top right hand side looks like. See where the Visibility is set to Public?:

You can change this and set the Visibility to Password Protected. Simply click on the Edit link next to Public and enter your chosen password:

Then click Update. Or if you haven’t published it yet, then click Publish.

When someone enters the URL you gave: www.mysite.com/guide-me

Here’s what they’ll see:

Note: If you want to also offer the option to PLAY your audios online, you can install the free plugin Compact Audio Player. Here are instructions on how to install a plugin.

Adding Videos To a Printed or Kindle Book

The process for adding a video to a printed book is actually very simple.

You simply take a screenshot of the video and then place that in the book as a jpg photo. Underneath the video you give the YouTube URL where the video is located. So it may look like this:

If your book is being printed in black and white, make sure you test to make sure your color images will print nicely and not be too dark!

Alternatively, you could follow the same format as we used for providing audio with a book (see above) and have a dedicated page at the front and back of the book that says something like this:

Again, you could choose to make this a hidden page, or a password-protected page. If it was password-protected, you would change your book notice to appear like this:

Pretty simple eh? And your readers will love the multimedia content. Personally, I think the second method of sending them to a video page on your site is better than prompting them to type in YouTube URLs.

Alright, now that you are simply brimming with tools and ideas, let’s come up with YOUR plan to get your content out there…

YouTube has always been a great (and free) place to upload your videos, but it’s even better now, since Google bought it. Google is improving YouTube so that your YouTube channel offers more options and ad revenue opportunities, videos are now getting better search engine rankings (due to improved keywording facility) and there are more post-upload editing and annotation tools (where you can add a website, or instructions to a finished video) available.

A possible downside to Google purchasing YouTube is that they are making it a lot more commercial and this likely will result in less usage over time and people switching to other video platforms that are less ad-happy. But that may take years to occur and for now, it is still the best free video platform to use.

Google has also improved the Help and tutorials sections of YouTube and has some great tutorials on how to produce good videos that grab and hold your viewers attention. However, when you are just starting out, you may want to avoid these as they may work against you by intimidating you and making it look complicated!

One of the first videos I ever shot – that contains a bunch of things I would never do again – is still considered helpful enough to people that it is fast approaching a million views. So at the end of the day, don’t worry about anything and just share something that is useful, or solves a problem, or offers hope, or makes people laugh. That’s really all you need to do and you will automatically get better as you go along.

When you do a YouTube video, remember to tell your viewers you have detailed info or a free report about that topic on your blog – then give the link orally and also put it as a hyperlink in the video description field (ABOUT section), so they can click directly to it. Remember, the goal of all your YouTube videos is to get people to sign-up or opt-in to your email list on your site.

Vimeo has a very basic account available for free and then their paid plans start. They also don’t have the advertising monetization that YouTube has. And obviously, being that YouTube is owned by Google, which video platform is going to get better search engine ranking?!

However, if you want to have a more professional look to your videos, or you want to be part of a developed artistic (filmmaker) community, then Vimeo is definitely better. And if you want to offer private videos, for example, where your videos can only be viewed on your website, or within your membership area, then you’re going to need Vimeo Pro ($199/year).

I use Vimeo to host the WordPress tutorial videos and some of the other content videos on this site. But you’ll notice that I use YouTube for much of the simple how-to vids and other content that helps spread the LTYF program to potential customers.

Whether you choose to go with YouTube, or Vimeo, or both, the same instructions apply throughout this module.

But I’m Ugly, or Camera Shy!

If you don’t want to feature yourself in your videos – although keep in mind a number of homely people have very popular channels, so you don’t actually need to look good – there are a number of ways you can still upload excellent videos without ever filming yourself:

• You can get your kids to appear instead of you. Some of my most popular videos feature my daughter Zara, people often enjoy her more anyway!

• You can produce videos using pictures with you doing a voiceover. Any video editing software, like iMovie (for Mac) or Windows Movie Maker (free), makes it easy for you to create a video using jpg photos. Then you can easily record a voice track to narrate your video, using the same software. This way you can create videos that are instructional, or funny, or tell a story, or educate.

• You can create a slide presentation (with text and photos) using PowerPoint or Keynote. Then you save the slides as photos (jpgs) and import the photos into your video editing software (iMovie or Windows Movie Maker). Paste a track of music, or record a voiceover and you’re done. If you have Keynote (Mac) you can actually save the presentation directly to video.

• Either way, it’s a good idea to have a customized background for your slides that contains your website’s URL on the top right corner or bottom right corner. Or have your site URL appear at the beginning and end of your presentation. This way you can drive visitors to your site even if your video is embedded on other sites – in which case your YouTube description and link will not appear. Watch how to create a video using PowerPoint:

• Here’s another super-easy way to create an inspirational slideshow video directly on YouTube:

1. Visit the upload page on YouTube
2. Click Create under Photo slideshow.
3. Upload photos from your computer, or select photos from an existing Google+ photo album, and click Select
4. Drag and drop the photos to rearrange them. When you’re done, click Next
5. Select an audio track from the library under “Audio”, or select No audio to have your slideshow play without music. (Note: You won’t be able to upload audio files from your computer).
6. Click Upload when you’ve finished making your slideshow

• Perhaps you are doing tutorial videos that involve showing people what you’re doing on your computer screen. Perhaps you are showing them how to use a software, or format a document, or perhaps you want to show things that are on the Internet. In these cases, you would use a Screencast software to record what’s happening on your computer screen. This is also called Screenshot Video.

The best free screencast software for Mac is Quick Time Player. Good paid screencast software for Mac includes Screenflow and IshowU HD. The best free screencast software for Windows PC is Screencast-O-Matic or CamStudio. Two of the best paid screencast software for Windows are Camtasia and SnagIt (SnagIt is much cheaper than Camtasia, but with good capability).

When you are making screencast videos, try to record the screen at 640×360 (16:9) so that the videos do not appear fuzzy. If you can’t do it in 360p, you can set it at 480p (854×480). Do not upload screencast videos in 720p unless you have no other option.

• Use a “whiteboard” to draw pictures or figures that illustrate what you’re talking about. Many math instructors use this method, but it’s also become popular for selling products and courses where they have a professional illustrator drawing pictures of people and scenarios as they talk. You can do-it-yourself by drawing stickmen, writing words, drawing arrows, circling text, etc. as you speak.

• Most people use their iPad (Bamboo Paper – Notebook is a free app that works well), or a special drawing tablet that hooks up to your computer for this. You can get these drawing tablets with a medium screen size, or a small screen size (cheaper). Personally, I prefer the medium size (8.5″x5.3″) since I find it difficult to write or draw small.

• Do a Skype interview with someone and just show and record them on the screen! I have had people do this with me a number of times and I don’t mind at all. Or you can have them large on the screen and you in a much smaller box, so less visible. Free software to record the Skype interview are Quick Time Player for Mac and Free Video Call Recorder for Skype for PC, available here: http://www.dvdvideosoft.com/products/dvd/Free-Video-Call-Recorder-for-Skype.htm

Remember, when you are making screencast videos, try to record the screen at 640×360 (16:9) so that the videos do not appear fuzzy. If you can’t do it in 360p, you can set it at 480p (854×480). Do not upload screencast videos in 720p unless you have no other option.

But I Don’t Have a Decent Video Camera!

Oh this is SO not a barrier to doing videos – let me tell you why… Leonie Dawson built her business to half a million dollars shooting all her videos from her laptop camera. Even while breastfeeding. Really. People do not care, they just want you to be real. Be yourself and your tribe will feel instant recognition and follow you. The rest will mosey on their way – which is good, because they’re not your customer anyway.

No video editing software? No problem. Just shoot short videos, start to finish using your mobile phone, or a Flip video camera (less than $99 and even cheaper used) – which plugs directly into your computer for uploading. You don’t need to add titles displaying your website, you can just give it verbally at the beginning and again at the end.

Are you out of excuses? If video is your thing, or if your site visitors really like video, or your message is a perfect fit with the medium of video, then get your butt in gear! Just start with the simplest, shortest vids you can manage and know that you will get better over time. It’s all good.

That’s really all that’s needed and you can literally start tomorrow. Let’s get your ideas flowing…

 

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Jot down a quick list of video ideas; topics you’d like to present and how you’d like to create the videos for these:

 

 

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Video Production & Marketing Musts

Whichever way you decide to create your videos, there are a few things you can do to maximize your video marketing:

Give Out Your URL – Always add your website to your video in a spot that cannot be cut without losing the content. Your videos will get picked up and featured on websites and blogs all over the world and you don’t want to lose this opportunity to market your site! It’s also a good idea to verbally give out your website URL during your video as well.

Offer More Stuff – At some point in your video, direct the viewer to your website for more information, or a free eBook, or a detailed blog post, etc. You can add an “annotation” (like a note) to your videos on YouTube that goes to your webpage when someone clicks on it. You can also put a link to your site or page in the video description field that appears underneath your videos.

This is another place where you can implement the “give your best stuff for free” mandate. If you want to use video to advertise a program, or course, or service, or consulting that you offer – make videos that offer specific solutions or help. Use the video(s) as your chance to show people how good your stuff is. This is why you want to give some of your best stuff away for free. You want people to watch that video and be absolutely convinced that:

1. a)    You really know your stuff, they can trust you, you know what you’re talking about
2. b)    You are a great teacher and they will be able to learn easily from you because you explain things so well, or you really motivate them, or you’re funny and enjoyable
3. c)    If you are selling a video-based series, they also get to see the quality of your video and be assured they won’t be disappointed

Here’s an example of a video that delivers in spades on all of the above:

• The demonstration is clear and concise
• The camera is set up well and you can see clearly everything as he demos
• The title is catchy and holds a promise (which he delivers on)
• At the end of the video (which is a good length – approximately 7 minutes) he directs you to his website where you can buy his full-length training program and get more excellent quality instruction – just like you just watched.

This video has been watched over 1.2 million times, so he has gotten LOTS of free advertising for his brand, his course and his website from this video – and he deserves it!

Ask Viewers To Subscribe – You can build your YouTube Channel subscribers faster if you ask people (usually at the end) to subscribe to your channel. Your subscriber’s will be automatically notified when you post new videos and you can also email them directly if you have a special offer (but be respectful, you don’t want to anger them and make them unsubscribe).

Be Yourself & Have Fun – You will always engage the viewer better if you are free in yourself and allow your true personality to shine through. You are not a professional news anchor, so don’t try to be! Just have fun and deliver the goods. People will be patient with all kinds of quirks if they sense you are sincere and they get value from your content.

Use Royalty-Free Music – Don’t put any copyrighted music in your video without permission! Expensive lawsuits are never fun. Here are some music resources you can use when the time comes, the tracks on these sites are either royalty-free or very low priced (as low as $1.99):

• SoundCloud
• Vimeo Music Store
• Free Music Archive
• FreePlay Music
• StockMusic

However, keep in mind that royalty-free only applies to non-commercial uses of the music. Unfortunately, the definition of “non-commercial” is pretty nebulous. From what I’ve seen I would say that it is okay to use the music on a video or page where you are not selling anything – but then you must give the full music credit on the page, or at the end of the video. You cannot use the music IN or as part of the product you are selling (video, audio, etc.) without purchasing a commercial license for the music.

YouTube does have music partnerships with some record labels – or some people have written to the music publisher and obtained permission to use the song – which is why you will see some videos with copyrighted music.

However, there is currently no easy way to discover which songs you can use, so I find it less time consuming to just use royalty-free music – or create your own! Don’t forget Garage Band on iMac– that is a very easy way to start creating your own music and I’m sure there are other apps and free software for easy music creation – just Google it!

If you have a little cash (like $17 or so) and you’re ready to brand your videos by creating a Video Intro that appears at the beginning of every video, then it is worth buying a music track from somewhere like Audio Jungle which will give you some high quality music, but also help to maintain exclusivity (i.e. less people will use paid music vs. free music). For example, this composer on Audio Jungle will give you a good idea of the variety available and how it all works: MojoMusic

The music that plays at the beginning of all the Listen To Your Freedom videos is a ‘video logo’ that I purchased from AudioJungle. Video logos are very short (around 20 seconds) so sell for under $20. The longer tracks of 2 – 3 minutes are more expensive ($30 – $80). The cost of the music varies depending on whether you want to use it only for free content, or whether you’ll be charging for the end product. Or whether you want to use it for one purpose only, or multiple purposes.

Publishing or uploading your videos to YouTube or Vimeo is also very easy as most video editing software (and some video cameras) have one-click uploads to YouTube and often Vimeo.

Monetize Your Vids – You can also click a few boxes on your YouTube channel that tells YouTube you would like to run advertisements on your videos. YouTube will attach the ads automatically to the beginning of your video, or run them along the bottom; whichever option you select. If anyone watching your video clicks on the ad, or watches the entire ad, you receive a few cents in revenue from YouTube. It may not sound like much, but over time, you can build up to $50 or $100/month for essentially doing nothing.

If you select to play the ads that run before your video starts (True Stream or Skippable ads) they are more annoying to your viewer, but they pay a higher ad revenue than the ads that just run along the bottom (which you can close immediately by clicking the X). You might want to upload two videos and put a different ad type on each one, then monitor them to see if having the ad at the beginning affects your watch time (the amount of time people spend watching your video).

It is not enough to track Views, because someone may click to watch your video, encounter an ad and immediately click away. This will still show up in your video view count, but it doesn’t really have any meaning.

If you don’t want to bother to test, then just run the least annoying ads to start with. Once your videos pass a few thousand views, then experiment with using the True Stream ads.

For my videos, I use the low-paying ads that run along the bottom until my videos hit 10,000 views, then I switch them to the True Stream (skippable) ads that run at the beginning  – where people can skip after watching 4 seconds:

As you can see above, I also run the Display Ads in the sidebar beside the video – this is just an ad on the page, so doesn’t affect the video or viewership at all.

If you had a video that went viral, or passed a million views, then you could definitely switch to the ads that play in full before your video starts – people are not allowed to skip them – as these pay the highest revenue. But otherwise, I wouldn’t use these ads, or you are likely to severely limit your views, as most people will not sit through the ad.

Take YouTube To The Next Level

If you find you adore doing videos and want to make this a major part of your site promotion (marketing), then YouTube itself has a ton of fantastic (free) tutorials showing you how to make a really superb channel and deliver top quality content:

http://www.youtube.com/yt/creators/

Jody Jelas also has some fun video tutorials and here’s a good one:

Another cool tool is to use a ready-made video intro template – where the music and images are already done for you (you just customize it to your name, site, tagline, etc.). These are also really cheap (less than $10) and you can see a great selection at VideoHive.net

You may also want to customize your content by making use of YouTube trends. If you can create videos for your niche that are related to the currently trending videos, you may be able to piggyback on the trend and get a good number of eyeballs on your videos too. This is probably best used if your stuff is entertainment-based, or you sell trendy products, or your demographic (your customer profile – see Module 4) fits with the viewing audience. Visit YouTube’s official blog to see the latest trending videos.

Lastly, you can also drive some related-content fans over to your channel by leaving useful comments on related videos (other people’s videos in your niche or about your topic). If your comment is liked, your comment will be placed at the top of the comments listing for that video and a lot of visitors will click on your username – which then links to your channel bringing in fresh visitors.

Again, your business is based on your top interest, or passion; you know you’ll be active in that niche and reading or watching other people’s content anyway – don’t miss this super-easy opportunity to leave a thoughtful or helpful comment which takes you only seconds to implement. NEVER use this opportunity to sell yourself, that will just turn people off and get you marked as a spammer.

Just Be Yourself!

At the end of the day, take all the ideas and tools in this Module and stick them in your tool belt for easy access, but above all, just be yourself!

If you are just truly, authentically YOU in your videos, your tribe will find you AND you will have the most success that way too. Don’t try to behave like you think a healer/fashionista/guru/carpenter/designer/chef/coach or beauty queen (to give a few examples) should behave. Just be YOU and share your thoughts, tools, energy, humor, process etc.

For example, Bunny Meyer may not strike you as a particularly mainstream beauty guru. She dyes her hair both black and blond and refers to her fanbase as “the swamp family.” Her self-described hairstyle, “messy and imperfect,” is a true reflection of her uninhibited personality. But Bunny’s openness, self-deprecating humor and strong, confident voice have helped her develop a loyal audience.

Her videos include product reviews, daily outfits and funny rants, averaging 180,000 views each. She has over a million subscribers and an Etsy store where she sells stickers, buttons and travel cups. Because of her large fan base, she has sold over 700 items on Etsy.

Of course, if she knew about LTYF, then she could monetize that million+ fanbase way beyond a few items on Etsy, product endorsement deals and YouTube ad revenue! But never mind, when she’s ready I’m sure she’ll realize she can develop her already lucrative business even further.

What can you learn from Bunny? Viewers tend to respond to authenticity and confidence. You should consider fully embracing what makes you unique, no matter how different you may seem. Whatever you are likely running yourself down for, or wishing was different about you, is probably your unique selling point!

Overwhelmed?

I know I covered a lot of options in this unit. But please know this is so that, as your skills grow, you can keep returning here for ideas.

You do not have to do or even understand most of the techniques covered in this section to get started! The most important items – that you can get going on right away – are:

1. Get your YouTube channel set up – choose a username that is the same as your site if you can get it, or your own personal name.
2. Upload your first video – remember, the first time you do something is always the hardest. So just shoot the simplest, shortest video (2 minutes is great) you can, give out your URL, and just begin the process of throwing yourself, your ideas, your solutions out there.
3. Add the keyword tags to your video that will categorize it so that people searching on that topic can find your video. Just imagine you were searching for your video, what would you type into Google? And those are your keywords. You can also always add your name as a keyword, so people can easily find you. See the next unit, Module 17.8, for how to choose the best keywords for your content.

For now, let’s just get your first video up there – remember the first time you do anything is always the hardest! After that first time, you mow down all your blocks (by taking action) and it becomes easy-peasy!

Now take action!

 

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Your YouTube channel name: ____________________________________________________
Topic for your first, short, easy video:_______________________________________________
Keyword tags for when you upload your first video:______________________________________

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Remember, that if you don’t like YouTube, you can always use Vimeo instead. You can get a basic account on Vimeo for free.

One last thing for those of you who really want to run with your video channel and make sure you are uploading the best quality videos you can…

Best Settings For Uploading Quality Videos

Following are the formatting and uploading guidelines that YouTube and then Vimeo prefer; to give your viewers the best quality videos to watch.

Simple YouTube Video Formatting Instructions

Step 1: Open your file with a video editing tool like iMovie, Final Cut Pro, or Quicktime Pro.

In iMovie, select Share > Export Using QuickTime
In Finalcut Pro, select File > Export > Using Quicktime Conversion
In QuickTime Pro, select File > Export > Export: Movie to QuickTime Movie

Step 2: Next, verify your settings by clicking Options à Video settings

Compression Type: H.264
Frame Rate: 30 is preferred. 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97 are also acceptable.
Data Rate: Automatic
Key Frames: Automatic
Frame Reordering: Unchecked

Audio/Sound settings

Format: AAC
Click Show advanced settings and choose Constant Bit Rate as encoding strategy

Other settings

Size: Choose the original size of the video
“Prepare for Internet Streaming”: Fast Start

Make sure that you’re using one of the following formats (YouTube prefers .mp4):

.MOV
.MPEG4 (.mp4)
.AVI
.WMV
.MPEGPS
.FLV
3GPP
WebM

Step 3: Go ahead and UPLOAD your video to YouTube!

Advanced YouTube Video Formatting (Encoding) Settings

Recommended bitrates, codecs, and resolutions, and more

Container: .mp4

No Edit Lists (or you may lose AV sync)
moov atom at the front of the file (Fast Start)

Audio Codec: AAC-LC

Channels: Stereo or Stereo + 5.1
Sample rate 96khz or 48 khz

Video Codec: H.264

Progressive scan (no interlacing)
High Profile
2 consecutive B frames
Closed GOP. GOP of half the frame rate.
CABAC
Variable bitrate. No bitrate limit required, though we offer recommended bit rates below for reference
Color Space: 4.2.0

Frame rates

Frame rates should match the source material. For example, content shot in 24fps should be encoded and uploaded at 24fps. Content recorded at 30fps should be uploaded at 30fps. Content shot in 720p60, should be uploaded at 720p60. Content at 1080i 60, should be deinterlaced, going from 60 interlaced fields per second to 30 progressive frames per second before uploading.

Bitrates

Standard quality uploads

Type	Video Bitrate	Mono Audio Bitrate	Stereo Audio Bitrate	5.1 Audio Bitrate
1080p	8,000 kbps	128 kbps	384 kbps	512 kbps
720p	5,000 kbps	128 kbps	384 kbps	512 kbps
480p	2,500 kbps	64 kbps	128 kbps	196 kbps
360p	1,000 kbps	64 kbps	128 kbps	196 kbps

High quality uploads for creators with enterprise quality internet connections

Type	Video Bitrate	Mono Audio Bitrate	Stereo Audio Bitrate	5.1 Audio Bitrate
1080p	50,000 kbps	128 kbps	384 kbps	512 kbps
720p	30,000 kbps	128 kbps	384 kbps	512 kbps
480p	15,000 kbps	128 kbps	384 kbps	512 kbps
360p	5,000 kbps	128 kbps	384 kbps	512 kbps

Resolutions

YouTube uses 16:9 aspect ratio players. If you are uploading a non-16:9 file, it will be processed and displayed correctly as well, with pillar boxes (black bars on the left and right) or letter boxes (black bars at the top and bottom) provided by the player. If you want to fit the player perfectly, encode at these resolutions:

1080p: 1920×1080
720p: 1280×720
480p: 854×480
360p: 640×360
240p: 426×240

The YouTube player automatically adds black bars so that videos are displayed correctly without cropping or stretching, no matter the size of the video or the player.

For example, the player will automatically add pillarboxing to 4:3 videos in the new 16:9 widescreen player size. If the player is re-sized (i.e. when embedded on another website), the same process takes place so that 16:9 videos are letterboxed when the player is sized to 4:3. Similarly, anamorphic videos will be automatically letterboxed when shown in either 16:9 or 4:3 sized players. The player can only do this if the native aspect ratio of the video is maintained.

You can adjust the fit of your video in our player after uploading your video by using formatting tags.

If letterboxing is added to a video before it is uploaded (i.e. in the case of creating a 4:3 video from a 16:9 master), the widescreen player will add pillarbox bars too, resulting in black bars all around the video (windowboxing) and a bad viewing experience.

Go to YouTube’s Help section for any other questions you might have.

Vimeo Video Formatting Instructions

In order to compress, or format, your video to be uploaded to Vimeo, you will need to export your video from your editing software (like iMovie) into a format that Vimeo accepts.

For the best quality video, export your video as a Quicktime or Mpeg4 (mp4) movie, using these settings:

Codec: H.264

A codec is the format in which your video will be encoded. Vimeo accepts most major video codecs, but for best results we recommend using H.264. If you’re uploading High Definition (HD) video, choose the High Profile H.264 setting instead of Main Profile.

Advanced H.264 settings: To make your uploads extra smooth, choose the following advanced settings whenever possible.

Closed GOP
CABAC (to reduce your file size)

Here are some codecs that will not work on Vimeo: G2M2, G2M3, Canopus HQ.

Frame rate: 24, 25, or 30 FPS (Constant)

Vimeo accepts videos with frame rates of 24 (or 23.976), 25, and 30 (or 29.97). If you know the frame rate of your footage, it’s best to encode your final video at the same frame rate. However, if your footage exceeds 30 FPS (frames per second), you should encode your video at half that frame rate. For example, if you shot at 60 FPS, you should encode your final video at 30 FPS. If you’re uncertain what frame rate you shot at, set your frame rate to either “Current” or 30 FPS. If there is an option for keyframes, choose the same value you used for frame rate. Important: Always choose “constant” frame rate instead of “variable” frame rate.

Bit rate: 2,000 – 5,000 kbit/s (SD) / 5,000 – 10,000 kbit/s (720p HD) / 10,000 – 20,000 kbit/s (1080p HD)

Bit rate (aka data rate) controls both the visual quality of the video and its file size. In most video editors, this is measured in kilobits per second (kbit/s). When you have the option, choose a “variable” bit rate and set the target to at least 2,000 kbit/s for standard definition (SD) video or 5,000 kbit/s for HD. Plus and PRO members have the option of uploading 1080p HD footage, which we recommend encoding at a bit rate of at least 10,000 kbit/s.

Resolution: 640 pixels wide (SD) or 1280 pixels wide (HD)

Common resolutions for SD video include 640 x 480 px (4:3 aspect ratio) and 640 x 360 px (16:9 aspect ratio). The most common setting for HD video is 1280 x 720 px (16:9 aspect ratio). Plus and PRO members have the option to present their videos at 1080p. 1920 x 1080 px is the most common resolution for 1080p video.

AUDIO

Codec: AAC-LC (Advanced Audio Codec)

For best results, we recommend using AAC-LC (low complexity) for the audio codec.

Data rate: 320 kbit/s

For best results, encode your audio at constant rate of 320 kbit/s.

Sample rate: 48 kHz

For best results, set your audio sample rate to 48 kHz. If your working setting is already less than or equal to 48 kHz, leave it as is.