Hello fellow AVP listeners! Have I got some news for you! Well, if the title of this blog post is any indication (and it is) AVP is going live…well, almost.  Once a month, AVP will air Live on Blog Talk Radio.  The live episode will focus around business news (including the discussion of hot blog topics and social media trends), as well as, allow listeners to call in to share some of their insight and tips on the topic at hand.

If going live weren’t news enough, I am looking for a co-host for this live show too.  If you are someone that is internet savvy, likes to talk, has a true love for guiding and talking to people, as well as, the ability to keep the show from having any dead air during the broadcast (yikes!), then AVP wants you!  The co-host should also be proactive in the selection of topics and pre-production for the live show.  If this sounds like you, then you might just be the Co-host (or hostess) with the Mostest, AVP is looking for!

Hmmm, this has the makings for a contest, now doesn’t it? Well, it is! I am hereby officially launching AVP’s Contest “Be the Co-host (or hostess) with the Mostest on AVP Live” Here is what you need to do:

• Simply tell me why you want to be co-host on AVP Live. Be interesting, be outgoing, but above all else, be you.

• Entries will be accepted in the form of video or audio.  Once you have your entry recorded, send me a link to  video (posted on YouTube or a similar service)  or if you opt to record your entry as audio, simply send me the MP3 audio file (darlene (at) mypodcastharmony.com).

• Entries will be posted here on the blog.

• Once all the entries have been received, the field will be narrowed down to three potential co-hosts who will then get to test out their co-host chops during a pre-recorded episode of AVP, which will aired.

• The AVP Live co-host will be determined based on their initial entry and the pre-recorded episode.

Why should you be a co-host? Podcasting is a great way to connect with your audience AND practice your networking skills. Perhaps you want to learn more about being your own host, well I will take you under my wing and show you the ropes on producing your very own Blog Talk Radio show. If you have ever wanted to learn about podcasting and producing your own show, here is your chance. Plus, it is a heck of a lot of fun too!

Note: You don’t need to have any podcast technical ability; all you need is ability to keep a conversation going! Even if you don’t get picked for the Co-host with the Mostest spot, all entries will also be considered for guests on the show or perhaps even as an industry expert we call upon from time to time.

DEADLINE: Entries MUST be received by September 15th, 2009.

Submit your entries to:

darene(at)mypodcastharmony.com

Call 973-288-1298 between the hours of 6pm-12am EST
Leave a voice mail that includes your reason for wanting to be a co-host. Don’t forget to say your name and business name and web address, if you have one.

What are you waiting for…you know you have what it takes to be the Co-Host (or hostess) with the Mostest, send your entry today! :)

So, you want to produce a podcast, hmm? You have probably searched the internet high and low already, have come up with tons of information and now are feeling a bit overwhelmed. Maybe you think you aren’t technical enough or worse, you have no idea what you want to say! You can be a technical geek, but without a focus and an inspiration…you don’t have a show.

A podcast is a creative process and is a medium for you to share information. The information can be in the form of news, how-tos, advice or just your thoughts and feelings about the world and those that surround you.

If you know you want to create a podcast, but don’t know about what, then the odds are that you just haven’t found your voice yet. Meaning, you haven’t found that one topic, that one thing, you absolutely positively think people need to know and you want to (have to) share it with them. It is the one thing you are most passionate about.

So what if the thing you are most passionate about is knitting? If that is what you want to talk about and love…go for it! I have found the most interesting podcasts, the ones I want to listen to and keep coming back to..all come down to one thing…how passionate the host  is about the topic at hand. If you record a podcast and are just spitting out facts and figures about something you don’t really care about…people are going to notice and become just as bored as you are very fast.  This is a surefire way to lose listeners!

So, the tip for today is this. If you want to create a podcast…take the time you need to think about what it is you want to say. What is your show’s overall theme and topic. What is your message?  What do you love to talk about? Your business? Dancing? Gardening? Something else entirely? As off the wall as you may think it is…the possibility that there are others out there passionate about the same exact thing…well, the odds are pretty good. If you are passionate about your podcast and your show…the rest, well, with a little hardwork, the rest will fall into place.