What You Need to Know About Podcasting

Welcome to the podcast revolution! Now, more than ever, podcasting has reached the peak of its popularity, probably because it is an ideal way to share your thoughts and ideas to the entire world. If you are looking for a jumping point to start your podcasting career, here's a list of things that you should prepare.

Factors to Consider During Pre Production

1. Theme - Before you do anything else, pick a niche that you are passionate and knowledgeable about. It must be something that you think is fun so that you will not run out of ideas in talking about it. If you want, you can cover a broad topic like motherhood, books, or student life. No worries, if you feel like expanding your theme or narrowing it down in the future, there are no rules that will stop you! But, as you are still starting, make sure that you will stick to a specific one first until your brand is established.

2. Format and Episode Length - Most podcasts last around 30 to 60 minutes long, and anything longer can be too much for the typical listener. How long do you want your podcast to be? Take into account an outline of the critical things you want to be included in every episode, and outline it from there. You should also think about how you will be segmenting the show.

3. Script - No matter how much you know about the show you want to produce, you should write a script and outline everything. With structure, you will make transitions more elegant, natural, and allows you to stay within the time limit.

Essential Podcasting Equipment You Should Buy

1. USB Microphones - Pod-casters must invest in the proper microphones. You can use the USB ones like Fifine USB Plug & Play and CAD 37 that you can directly plug to your computer for excellent sound quality and flexibility. You can also use the Audio-Technica ATR2100 for an inexpensive microphone option.

2. Recording Software - For your audio recordings, you have a lot of options to choose from. One that's great to use is called Audacity because it is the one which is most compatible with the usual operating systems. With Audacity, you can record directly, or you can upload different audio files like WAV or MP3 files. Other alternative options are Acoustica, AudioJungle, or Pro Tools.

3. Headphones - Headphones are essential so that you can hear yourself and your guests talking. There's no need to buy fancy ones. Just make sure that it is compatible with your mixer if you have one.

4. Pop Filters - Sometimes audio recordings can hurt the ears, especially with popping sounds. Make sure that you get filters to clamp on to your mics so that too much air pressure or hard pronounced consonants will not hurt your podcast.

5. Mixers - If you're an amateur, there's no need to get this yet. But, if you are serious with this, it can be a significant investment as they offer better recording options, more ways to control, and comes with some effects.

Things to Do During Production

1. Recording - So, this part is where you apply everything you have prepared for. When you're starting, there's no need to perfect everything and overthink your actions. Prepare yourself from some troubleshooting, especially during your first time. Just enjoy the recording until it is complete.

2. Editing - This is where the magic happens. Editing takes some time to learn and lots of time to execute as well. Here you can trim your file, add some effects, add some background audios, or tinker with the volumes. Some things that you should watch out for are ensuring that your vocal levels are precise and roughly the same throughout the podcast. You should also trim out dead spaces and awkward pauses to make things sound more smoothly.

3. Uploading - A podcast only becomes a podcast once you have shared it on the internet. To share your show, you should find a host site online before you link the file somewhere else. Some people tend to use Blogger or WordPress for a more straightforward means to host their audio files. But, there are limitations when these almost-free blogging sites are used.

4. Indexing - Podcasts, in general, are XML files that index MP3 files and metadata about a specific show. To generate the best results, a reliable guide would be the specifications as set by Apple Podcasts. Once you accomplish sending the XML file online, use feedvalidator.org or other similar RSS validation tools to make sure that you did things right. After that has been checked, you can submit your podcast to sites like Sound-cloud, Stitcher, iTunes, Google Music, or Spotify.

How to Spread Your Podcast Around

1. Host Website - Make sure that your podcast has somewhere that it considers as its home. Design a site that would stand out and accurately represent your brand. Also, don't forget to provide all the information about your podcast on your website, including episode titles, episode descriptions, all participants, and episode show notes.

2. Social Media - To gather listeners for your podcast, utilise the power of social media. Post notifications and promotions to Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, LinkedIn, and other similar sites whenever new podcasts become available. Also, use social media for branding, additional features, and showcasing extra content. You can also include updates and other links to keep promoting your podcast even after it has already aired. You can also use social media to encourage your guests, post teasers, share sneak peeks, and shout outs.

Final Thoughts If you have accomplished all of these, congratulations! You are now officially a pod-caster! Pro tip: podcasts are like TV shows that recur, so you should get your thinking hat on and plan the next episode. But before you record the upcoming production, consider acquiring feedback from people close to you, people who have listened to your show, and do a self-reflection of things that you can improve on. Another great tip is to have an ideas notebook or journal where you can jot things down every time you feel the creative juices flowing.

Lydia Lee is a Fashion Blogger and works for a Tech company as her day job while writing as a freelancer for several fashion magazines both local and international. Her pet terrier named Fugui keeps her company and loves going on long walks at the park.