Want to Host a Podcast?
South Dakota State University requires all university-approved podcasts to be hosted through PodBean, a distribution and podcast management software approved by University IT. There are no costs for a university entity to access PodBean. To host your group’s podcast through PodBean, follow the steps and guidelines below.
PodBean is a one-stop podcasting platform to record, manage, publish and distribute your podcast — even from your mobile phone. Users must be onboarded for PodBean through University Marketing and Communications ahead of gaining access to the software. Each podcast will be assigned one channel administrator role within PodBean and up to two channel contributor roles, as needed.
Podcast Approval
To be approved for PodBean hosting, the following information must be submitted to Andrew Sogn, marketing and social media coordinator, for approval ahead of any recording. All podcasts must have at least six planned episodes for approval and recording at least three episodes must be completed before the podcast is made public.
- Podcast Name:
- Podcast Host(s):
- Podcast Topic & Summary:
- Podcast Frequency and Planned Schedule:
- Podcast Episodes Plan:
- Episode 1: Guests (if applicable) and Summary
- Episode 2: Guests (if applicable) and Summary
- Episode 3: Guests (if applicable) and Summary
- Episode 4: Guests (if applicable) and Summary
- Episode 5: Guests (if applicable) and Summary
- Episode 6: Guests (if applicable) and Summary
Naming and Podcast Logo
University Marketing and Communications must approve podcast names and will include the tagline “a podcast from South Dakota State University.” This ensures podcasts remain on-brand and under the university umbrella. An SDSU-branded Podcast logo is required for PodBean publishing, and artwork can be requested through the Lytho system for UMC creative services. There is a $40 design fee. Should you create your own logo, branding and approval must be given by University Marketing and Communications.
Recording and Editing
Podcast audio recording studios are available for use through UMC and the Yeager Media Studio. Please contact sdsu.socialmedia@sdstate.edu with available times to record your podcast. Studio space is limited to two individuals per episode, unless special circumstances dictate additional space and recording capabilities are needed. Approval for additional equipment must be given by University Marketing and Communications ahead of recording.
UMC staff will be available to assist with technical troubleshooting. Video podcasting is not available. UMC staff will assist with the setup, studio education and recording of the first podcast session, and will be on standby for technical troubleshooting during future recordings. Hosts are asked to supply their own SD Card for recording, otherwise, an unedited digital recording of your podcast will be sent to the podcast host within two business days. All editing must be done by the podcast host unless contracted through University Marketing and Communications at $50/hour. Editing tutorials and troubleshooting is available on an as-needed, and as-available basis through UMC.
Publishing
To be compliant with university and federal accessibility guidelines, transcripts must be uploaded to PodBean and available ahead of publishing a podcast. PodBean supplies a transcription service for $0.20 per minute or allows an .SRT or .TXT file to be uploaded. Caption (.SRT) files can be downloaded via YouTube if published through that platform, which is recommended for distribution and accessibility. All transcription must be coordinated by the podcast host unless contracted through University Marketing and Communications at $50/podcast.
Podcasts will automatically be published to the PodBean webpage set up for the podcast, and an embeddable player and links to the webpage will be available for users.
PodBean provides access to various distribution channels, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Store, etc. SDState users are welcome to distribute to the channels they feel appropriate for their podcasts, but accounts must be set up individually with each distribution channel (i.e., you must have an Apple ID for Apple Podcasts, Gmail for Google, Spotify account for Spotify, etc.). Each distribution channel allows for one podcast per account. It is recommended that a department email is used to set up a distribution channel account.