Publish your Videos to iTunes
Apple's iTunes is an excellent additional platform for publishing your content. It allows you to offer your existing audience more ways to watch video (on the desktop, the iPod or the TV). It also allows you to broaden your audience (through the iTunes store). iTunes uses the concept of Podcasts for third party content. With Bits on the Run, any playlist you create is already a full-fledged iTunes podcast.
About iTunes
There are two main parts to the iTunes ecosystem:
- The iTunes client, a media player that can be downloaded for free and installed on your computer.
- The iTunes store, an online catalog consisting of both free and paid-for content.
The iTunes store can be accessed from inside the iTunes client. Here's a screenshot of the client. It has the iTunes store open on the main podcasts page:
Once a user sees an interesting podcast, he/she can click its subscribe button. The newest videos from that podcast are then automatically downloaded to the iTunes client. Any new videos the podcast author releases there after will also automatically be pushed to the client.
The great part about iTunes is that the video isn't confined to the desktop client. A user can choose to automatically sync specific podcasts to the iPod or iPhone. This makes iTunes a great intermediate for offering your podcasts as iPod downloads. For users who have a Mac or Apple TV, podcasts will also be available to their TV / Frontrow interface, bringing your content to the big screen:
Playlist & Video Properties
As stated above, a Playlist (channel) in the Bits on the Run CMS already fully aligns with an iTunes Podcast. Here is a diagram that shows how a Podcast is displayed in the iTunes interface. All corresponding channel and video properties are marked and labeled:
A couple of these properties are quite important:
- The Playlist thumbnail is the primary trigger for users browsing the iTunes store. Make sure it looks compelling.
- The Playlist title and description are used by iTunes for its search functionality. Make sure you have a specific title and clear description. The description can be longer than the example in the diagram.
- Though not shown in the interface, the tags from your videos are also part of a podcast. iTunes uses these, under water, also for search functionalities. Make sure you have good, descriptive tags with your videos.
Offering Direct Subscriptions
When you have created a playlist in Bits on the Run with all properties filled out, it is time to offer subscription links to your users. You should first do this directly, without the use of the iTunes store. This is easier to setup and enables you to check all data before submitting.
In the details page of your playlist, click the RSS Feed tab and then the Publish RSS Feed button. Copy the RSS feed URL to your clipboard. This is the source of your podcast. Let's add it to iTunes:
- Launch iTunes.
- In the Advanced menu, select Subscribe to Podcast.
- Paste your RSS feed in the text box and click OK.
These three steps can also be automated, so you can offer a direct link to the podcast subscription at your website. The trick is to just change the http:// part of the RSS feed to itpc://:
Note that such a link will not work for users who do not have iTunes installed, so always mention iTunes or a troubleshoot notice.
Submitting to iTunes The Store
Last, let's submit the podcast to the iTunes store, so people who have never visited your site will also be able to find your content inside iTunes. You need a valid iTunes account; create one if you haven't got it already. Next, follow these steps:
- Launch iTunes.
- In the left navigation column, under iTunes Store, click on the Podcasts link to go to the Podcasts page.
- In the left column of the Podcasts page, in the Learn More box at the bottom, click on the Submit a Podcast link.
- In the first submit step, again paste the RSS feed of your Bits on the Run channel.
- In the second submit step, select the category and language of your channel:
It'll take about a day for Apple to approve your podcast. Once approved, your podcast will be available in the iTunes store catalog. Any new videos you add to the channel will also automatically appear in iTunes. Any changes in your channel properties (e.g. a new thumbnail) will also be reflected within a day.
If your playlist is available in the iTunes store, it is good practice to update the subscribe link at your website to a new URL. These new links have the domain http://itunes.apple.com. You can find the link by right-clicking your podcast thumbnail in iTunes.
The advantage of this subscription link over the itpc:// one is that the iTunes store will now count the number of subscriptions and move your podcast up the charts accordingly.
For more technical information about iTunes and podcasts, see the Making a podcast article at the Apple website.