How to make a podcast

The podcast is a growing format on the net. More and more users decide to listen to these audio recordings that overshadow some radio broadcasts. Podcasting is also growing as a practice, being an increasingly professional and competitive world where every detail matters.

Those first podcasts that could be listened to with rudimentary media have nothing to do with it. Today it has become a profession, like influencers, with millions of followers and good earnings. Regardless of whether you do it in an amateur way or if you want to start professionally, here you will have the keys to not die trying.

What is a podcast?

For those who are not yet familiar, a podcast is a type of audio or video broadcast that can be viewed / listened to online or downloaded. They are generally broadcast as a series, as if they were an audiovisual program and have a defined theme.

The goal of becoming a podcaster and starting your own podcast program can vary greatly in each case. For instance:

• Disseminate information or courses in this way.
• Use as a social gathering about sports, video games, etc.
• Position yourself as an expert in any subject.
• Allow networking.
• You can unleash your imagination by telling stories, anecdotes, product promotions, reviews, unboxing, etc.
• You will reach all the places, since any user, from any device with connection, can follow you.

How to start recording your own podcast

If you are determined to start creating your own podcast, then you should keep the following points in mind:

1-Planning

You should always start planning, thinking about the objectives you set for your project. Not so much at the level of the audience you want to achieve or success, but the why? or what for? you want the podcast. It can be for simple fun, because you like to spread content, because you want to promote a course or a business, etc. In addition, you also have to ask yourself at this stage if you want to monetize your podcast or not.

On the other hand, it would also be good to think about him with whom? That is, if you decide to record your podcast alone, like most, or if you need a co-presenter or collaborators for your program. Even if you want it in a video version or just record sound.

2-Choose a niche and a place

To record your podcast you should also choose a topic or niche. This is very important to retain your listeners, since they will know what they are going to find. For example, here are some ideas:

• Comment on video games or teach how to pass screens.
• Comment on sports or eSports.
• Review or unbox products.
• Give advice on fashion or aesthetics.
• Publicize future product launches.
• Make humor.
• To teach.
• Go out into nature like “National Geographic”.
• Etc.

Keep in mind that you should make a value proposition. There are many songs that are already over-exploited, and if you arrive new you will not be able to attract a good number of audiences, since they will fragment or they will prefer the podcaster that they have been listening to for a long time. This does not mean rejecting topics from which content is already broadcast, but it does mean being different, looking for something original that others do not give. Nothing more of the same or of poor quality.

Once you have chosen the theme, the following is the place where you are going to record. If it is only sound it is not so important, but if you also want to make video it can be. For example, to talk about hardware or software it may be good to do it in your room, while to do a podcast about nature it is better to bring a camera and record outside. Deciding that is more important than you think, even when choosing the right hardware (eg: omni-directional microphones to pick up ambient sound, waterproof camera…).

Another important thing on the subject is that you will know how to better identify the type of listener by sex, age, profession, etc. And that can help you improve your podcast channel and give them what they really want.

3-Structure

Now that you have the clearest ideas about your podcast, the next thing is to structure all the ideas you have. There is no use having an immense amount of ideas if you do not order them and anticipate whether they may be viable or not. For example, if you are going to do a podcast about nature and the environment, you should think of an index of topics to be covered in each episode of the series.

4-Choose the necessary equipment

In many cases, it simply means having the necessary hardware to start recording, such as a PC, a microphone, and little else. Other times you will need more equipment, such as a camera, spotlights for lighting, a background, etc. All this will depend on the chosen theme, format, and the place where it is going to be recorded.

To get started in the world of podcasting, the basic thing you should have is:

• Specific equipment for podcasting.
• A good PC with an optimal configuration for audio recording or video editing.
• A good microphone.
• Headphones (if you need them in your case).
• Webcam, GoPro, etc. (if you are going to do a video podcast).

You will also need software to record, encode and edit your videos or sounds. Some recommendations are:

• Audacity, Adobe Audition, FL Studio, etc., as an audio editor.
• Magix Sequoia, Adobe Premier, CyberLink Power Director, Pinnacle Studio, Final Cut Pro, OpenShot, Avidemux, etc., as an audio editor.
• Skype, or another video calling platform, for remote interviews with your guests.
• OBS, or similar, for screenshot.

It is likely that, depending on each case, you will need additional material. For example, of spotlights to improve the lighting of your studio, selfie stick for the camera, supports, etc. Make sure you always have what you need and do tests to verify that everything works and that the quality of what you get is as expected.

5-Create content

The improvisation is not the best ally, and improvise on a podcast and get it right is not easy. That is only available to some professionals. Therefore, you must create a script to follow. You can have it next to you to take a look, use a teleprinter, or learn it by heart. Some do a mix between a scripted show and improvisation. For example, if you are a computer expert and you are going to do a podcast about it, you will not need to learn anything, or have a very detailed script, but you will be able to use some key points to try to follow an order or not forget anything.

In addition, viewers will always appreciate the enrichment of the podcast with slides, samples, instructions or explanations at the bottom of the screen, etc.

6-To record

You already have everything you need, the next thing is to start recording. Obviously, if you are going to broadcast live, mistakes are your great enemy. They can come from the lack of improvisation, that you can get nervous in the first broadcasts, etc. Therefore, to start the ideal is that you post your content in a delayed manner, so you can treat it and eliminate errors or false shots.

And, as advice, think something, the public that listens to you is not usually there to criticize (although there are trolls everywhere, but it is not frequent that someone wastes time with a podcast that does not interest them), but because they are interested in what What are you going to show. Therefore, that should comfort you and make you lose your initial nerves a bit.

7-Edit and post production

When you are not using live streaming, the next step would be to use your editing software to edit the sound or video. This can be to eliminate errors, or to add effects of any kind, or enrich it with subtitles, notes or graphics that appear on the screen, etc.

8-Upload the podcast to the platform

After having the content ready, and having reviewed it, the next step is to upload the podcast to the platform where you are going to host it. That is, upload it to YouTube, Spreaker, Libsyn, Soundclou d, etc. In the case of direct, you can also use various platforms, such as YouTube, Twich, Zoom, webinar platforms, own website, etc. Whichever place you choose, make sure that the multimedia file has the correct format, resolution, quality and codec compatible with the platform.

9-Diffusion

If you thought that the task of a podcaster ends there, the truth is that you are very wrong. If you want to be really successful, you will have to move your content through social networks, aggregators, payment platforms for mailing campaigns, etc., so that people know you and start following you. Simply launching content onto the web is not enough. What good will it do you if no one sees / hears it?

10-Finally comes monetization

It is not always done, it is optional. But if you want to make money with your podcast, you will have to think about monetizing it, so that through your audience you can receive income. This can be from the different monetization options provided by the platforms, such as monetization by YouTube ads, etc. Another way of obtaining benefit is by allowing access to content upon payment (by subscription), or through sponsors, crowdfunding, etc.

Recommendations to grow

To get started in the world of podcasting you have to take into account a series of steps that you must follow to get off to a good start and not get frustrated in the attempt. The first thing you should do is start without an idea in mind that you are going to get rich from it, or that you are going to achieve millions of audiences. This is not always achieved, and in some cases it is a matter of a lot of dedication, time and effort.

The rabbits that you have to keep in mind for your podcast to be loved are:

Consistency: If you manage to be liked with your podcast, viewers will want more content. Be consistent, don’t leave your audience abandoned or they will abandon you.

Quality: take care of the quality of the content and also of the video / audio itself. A podcast with technical problems or poor quality is very annoying.

Do not worry about your voice: surely when you listen to yourself in the recordings you do not like your voice or you do not recognize yourself. That is your voice, and that happens to all people. One thing is how you hear yourself internally, and quite another what others hear. It happens to everyone.

Naturalness: try to be as natural as possible, without forced voices or poses, etc.

Time: it is often said that things, if they are brief, are twice as good. Spending a long time pounding on something can get tiring. It is important that your content is not boring, that it is dynamic. You can take ideas from other podcasters. Some what they do is divide the program into sections.

Training: If you are going to discuss a topic, be professional. You must study and learn the lesson well, and be up to date with the latest news on that. Think that the viewers are of all kinds, some may not have an idea about what you are talking about and try to learn, but others may have it. Therefore, do not discuss topics that you do not master.

Attend the comments: it is important to have feedback with your audience. Therefore, it is positive to read the comments, knowing how to filter the trolls that only seek to do harm and you should ignore. But if any user makes you a request, question, recommendation, or correction, you should take it into account.