Welcome to the wonderful world of podcasting! Now that you’re here and you’ve decided to create a full podcast of your very own, maybe you’re looking for some advice on where to begin. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!
Create a Full Podcast by Planning Your Shows
First comes planning your podcast out. This is a crucial step that a lot of people don’t see as being very important. It’s actually crucial. If you don’t plan out your podcast it will likely become a jumbled mess of ideas very quickly. Take the time to put some decent thought into the planning of your podcast.
Here are a few things for you to focus on:
- Topic: First pick a large topic, like music or news. Then narrow it down and find a niche for your podcast. Want to do a music podcast? Pick a particular genre you love to hone in on, the more focused the better!
- Name: It needs to be something that tells your audience what your podcast is about right away, but ideally without it being too niche. Picking a name isn’t easy, but with time, you'll get it! If you have a name related to a broader topic, you have an excuse to talk about more stuff once you’ve grown an audience instead of staying in your niche.
- Length: How long will your episodes be? We usually advise people to stay within 30-40 minutes, as usually listeners start dropping out around then. Find what feels right for your podcast and go with it!
- Format: What goes into each episode? Is it just you talking or are there interviews? Is there a co-host? Are there different sections in episodes? Have a think and plan this bit out on paper or using a mind mapping service online.
Prepare Your Show's Structure
After you’ve planned out your podcast and you have a clear idea of what you want it to be, you need to start getting the different elements together. This is the point where everything starts getting pretty real and exciting!
Here’s another checklist. Have you got everything sorted?
- Artwork: If you’re a Photoshop whizz, you can sort this yourself. If not, check out online services and freelancers that can design you a beautiful, professional logo!
- Intro (Optional): Some podcasters like having a super professional sounding intro. There are plenty of places online where you can get professional voice artists to record a snazzy intro for you!
- Microphone: Get a decent microphone. It’ll make your podcast a lot easier to listen to if your audio is good quality. You don’t have to fork out loads either! Get a decent USB mic!
- Guests: Create a list of potential guests. Who would you like to appear on your show? Start contacting a few different people to see who you can get in. You never know!
Record and Edit Your Audio🎙
Now it’s time to start creating your podcast and making it sound amazing! Some popular options for recording and editing software are Audacity (which is totally free and beginner-friendly!) and Adobe Audition (which is a bit more professional and has more features to play around with!).
Here are a few tips for Recording:
- Peaking: Watch out for peaking! This is when your audio waves go off the track at the top and/or bottom because you’re too loud or the mic is too sensitive. Mess around with the mic gain until you get it hitting about -9db maximum.
- Distance: Stretch out your thumb and little finger on your hand. Kind of like this emoji:🤙
Try to stay this distance away from your microphone for the best sound. It may feel a little up close and personal at first, but you’ll soon get used to it!
And a few Editing tips too:
- Breaths: Watch out for breaths! Some people don’t pay attention to breaths when editing and it ends up sounding like people are taking 2 breaths before speaking, or none at all and they have the biggest lungs in the world! Keep an ear out and edit accordingly.
- Filter Magic: There are plenty of snazzy filters out there to play around with and find one that gives you that perfect broadcast voice. On Adobe Audition, there’s actually a compressor preset called “Broadcast” which is perfect for giving you that seasoned radio presenter vibe!
- Silence: A radio presenters worst nightmare, but actually silence has its place. If you’re wanting to make an important statement for the audience to think about, it might work to leave some silence after it so they can digest what they’ve heard. Use silence well and it can become a very powerful tool!
Upload and Manage Shows with Podcast.co
Once you have your podcast episode nicely edited exactly how you want it, you’ll need to find it a new home. No, don’t open up that Zoopla app! We mean a hosting site for your podcast. There are plenty out there to choose from, and they all offer different things. So have a good look around and while you’re at it, why not check out our hosting platform too?
Distribute Your Podcast
Get your podcast submitted to all the different directories you can think of! Make sure your listeners can access your podcast easily using whatever podcast app they may have on their phones; Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, get on them all.
How did everyone enjoy episode 1? Any favorite characters? Lines that seem suspiciously foreshadowy? Lines that could mean nothing but now you're overthinking them?
— The Insomnia Project (@InsomniaProj) April 2, 2019
We all know how this ends. Gonsanto Industries makes the world a better place and we live happily ever after.
Once they’re out and about, show off on social media! Let your community know that your podcast is live, and give them links to go and find your first episode. Maybe ask them to share their thoughts and feedback? Make a hashtag related to your podcast? Create ways for your audience to be more engaged in the podcast and they will appreciate it and be more inclined to stick around.
If you need a hand or have any questions on how to create a full podcast, then leave us a comment below 👇
