How to start a podcast
From the outside, everything seems simple: you take the phone, sit down with a friend in the kitchen, discuss some topic with them, upload the file to the Internet, and wake up the next day as a famous podcaster.
But is it really that simple? Let's find out more about starting a podcast.
Planning
The question to ask yourself initially is: what do you want to tell and to whom? Consider why you want to be a podcast creator, not a YouTuber or text blogger. Are you sure your story is suitable for audio format? That question is not meant to dissuade you. Rather, by answering it, you will be better able to formulate the idea.
To do this, you can fill out a checklist with concept elements for creating a podcast:
- Topic – what is the main thing you're going to cover;
- Goal – informative or entertaining, etc.;
- The target audience – you want to cover all ages or a specific age group;
- Genre – this can affect how you use your tone of voice (somber for scary stories, relaxed for life stories, etc.);
- Format – just audio or video recording of a conversation;
- Visual and audio design – something that will draw the attention of potential listeners.
Also listen to the top series of Apple Podcasts, CastBox, or other platforms: it'll help you understand what podcasts on a similar topic already exist and how you can differ from them (and at the same time, learn some tips from professional podcast hosts).
Writing down a concept allows you to detail what you want to create. It may sound tedious, but to make something competently, you have to be considerate and know what to do and how to do it.
Recording
When the concept is ready, half of the work is already done. Now we can talk about the technical side!
What do you need to start a podcast? Everything depends, as always, on money. How much are you willing to spend on equipment? In any case, if there is a shortage of funds, you can consider a basic set for a podcast:
- A room that has furniture, it's good if there are some carpets (all soft and fluffy objects will absorb the unneeded echo);
- A condenser or simulated condenser microphone, you can find the ones with a USB or AUX cable and with good sound;
- Simple stands (they usually come together with microphones);
- PC with editing software.
Under certain conditions, you can record good sound even on the phone, but for a professional podcast, it's better to think about additional equipment.
If you still decide to go with the phone, pay attention to how close you are to it and the room's acoustics: both you and your podcast partner, if there are any, should be heard well. Try to do a test – record a couple of minutes, listen, and determine at what distance from the phone you get the best sound quality.
Editing
After recording the audio, it's time to edit it. Cutting out long pauses, smacks, and other unflattering elements that can make listeners quickly pause and never return to your podcasts. What needs to be cut out, what is unflattering, and what can be your shtick, of course, is up to you. Such things are easier to notice when, after a short break, you listen to the recording from the point of view of another person. Then it will be clear what grates on the ear and is better to cut out and what sounds cool and can be left.
As to which programs to use for editing, for a beginner, simpler editors where you can quickly work with audio are more suitable. However, it would be advisable to start learning some complex editor to save time in the future when you want to spice up your podcast.
Promoting
Now is the time to send your podcast to all popular listening platforms. There is no single platform for podcasts, so to get the most coverage, you have to be everywhere:
The number of these platforms is limited only by your ability to find them on the Internet. The good news is that you don't need to upload files to each site separately, it's enough to create an RSS feed in one place, and then you only have to insert it into the fields specially provided for this on different platforms.
In the end, sound, image, and headlines are all important, but content is even more so. No matter what kind of microphone you have, whether you work with someone or alone, the main thing is that you have something to say!
