How to Start a Podcast Your Ultimate Guide

How to Start a Podcast Your Ultimate Guide Wondering how to start a podcast and get yourself famous on itunes podcast directories? Podcast hosting isnt necessarily an easy or cheap hobby, and starting a podcast can be quite time consuming. But youre in luck, because weve got a step-by-step guide for you so you can see your own name and the cover art for your podcast among your itunes podcast feed soon.The podcast landscape is big and broad and continues to grow so much so that Hollywood talent agencies are looking to bring creators on as clients. Apple Podcasts, which serves as one of the major listening platforms, offers mora than half a million active shows in more than 100 languages. Half of all American homes consider themselves podcast fans, and 17 percent of the U.S. population 48 million people listens to podcasts on a weekly basis. The percentage of Americans who listen to podcasts more than doubled between 2008 and 2016.Podcasting sounds simple You have a theme, perhaps a co-host, and a recording app on your smart phone. In theory, this is all thats required to get going but producing a high-quality show that attracts an audience takes a few extra pieces of equipment and a lot of time. Heres what you need to know.To Succeed, You Have to CommitThink about your favorite podcast. While it may sound like a well-rehearsed monologue or a natural, organic conversation between hosts and guests completed in one take, its more likely that each finished episode has been carefully curated from more raw audio than the published version you downloaded. An hour-long show may have required two or three hours of recorded content plus an hour or two of planning and another few for editing and publishing. Even quick-hit podcasts that zulauf five or 15 minutes in length demand planning and production time.Podcasting requires an investment not only of time, but also of money. While many tools used to record, edit and publish are free, upgraded equipment and software can make a big difference in the quality of your show and, in turn, the size of your audience. If you want to start a podcast thats going to succeed, you have to commit to it.Before I started, I wish Id known how much time, money, and energy it takes to keep a podcast going, says Sally Mercedes, co-host of A Year Ago Today. I had an idea of it, but it still felt like a lot once we were actually doing it.Define Your PurposeThe first thing you need to start a podcast is an idea of what you want to create right after that, find someone who will hold you accountable to your commitment to get the energy moving and the wheels turning, Mercedes says.Next, youll need to iron out the logistics the structure, frequency, and purpose of your show. Do you want to inform your audience on specific topics? Will you have a co-host? Is the podcast based on interviews with guests? How often do you want to record and publish? If the show is based on current events, do you need to record and release weekly shows as the news comes along, or can you create a handful of episodes at once and publish them over time? Are you committed to a limited number, a multi-season show with breaks in between, or an indefinite groe nachfrage?To build an audience, and certainly to monetize your podcast, consistency is key. It comes back to your purpose if you are just in it to experiment, you have more flexibility than if you are hoping to create a top-rated show.Buy Your Recording EquipmentYou can certainly start a podcast without spending any money using the Voice Memos app on your iPhone and your headphone mic, for example but a small investment in better equipment will go a long way toward improving sound quality. There are some ways to upgrade...Recorders MicsAccording toOSTrainings Beginners Guide to Podcasting Equipment, buying equipment for podcasting is an area that can be incredibly frustrating and many podcasters suggest poor equipment, software and set-ups.There are two primary ways yo u can record, according to the guide either straight to your computer or by using external devices like a digital recorder and a mixer.Plus, howyou record will determine your pre-production (what you do before recording) and deutsche post ag-production (what you do after the recording) workload. The guide recommends recording into an external device like a digital recorder andnot into your computer.If you want to move beyond your smart phones voice app, consider a portable digital recorder. An XLR recorder can capture quality sound with or without external analog mics and allows you to record multiple tracks and store your files on a separate external memory card. These can be reasonably priced or very expensive a device like theIf you do want to plug your analog mics directly into your computer, youll also need anaudio interface to convert the audio to digital.Some recorders the guide suggests include the followingThen youll need a mic. Heres what the guide suggestsEntry-levelStan dardHigh-endHave as many microphones as there are people on the podcast, says Robert Patterson, co-host of All We Got. This is easier than passing a mic around the table and simplifies the process of separating and cleaning up voice tracks to cut out people talking over one another, coughing or sneezing, and background noise.You can record on your phone sitting on a table with one or two or five having a conversation, Patterson says. You can capture and edit that, but it wont sound very good, it gives you limited editing freedom, and the production quality is low. Its definitely one of those things where the more money you spend, the better its going to sound.There are several types of microphones, each with a range of prices. USB mics tend to be less expensive, but analog XLR options used in studio recording generally produce a cleaner, higher quality sound. Dynamic mics tend to work well for outdoor environments, while the more sensitive condenser mics produce quality sound in mor e controlled settings. There are great options for both, so research whats available within your budget. Patterson recommends buying the best microphone you can afford that makes sense for your recording environment.Your Computer MixersYoull need your computer to edit and publish your podcast and record if you dont have a separate device. You probably dont need to upgrade your computer just to create your podcast, but you do need to ensure it has all the ports required for any equipment you plan to plug in or that you can purchase the necessary adapters.Youll also need a mixer for audio editing, and heres what the guide suggests? to audio cableRCA to 3.5mm audio cableXLR mic cables speaker cable Y cableQuiet SpaceYou dont need a full sound studio for your podcast, but its best to record in a quiet room a basement, a bedroom, or even a car parked in a remote spot to avoid echoes and distracting background noise. If your microphones and recorder arent high quality, your space mat ters even more.HeadphonesAnd youll need headphones, likethissuggestion from the guidePlan AheadOf course, once you have your recording equipment, you need something to talk about and an outline for each show. The amount of preparation you do will depend on the format and how much editing you expect to undertake. Generally, more preparation means more efficient recording sessions and less effort spent producing the final episode.Decide what type of podcast you want to have a loose conversation, something structured and semi-scripted, an interview style, or storytelling, Patterson says. If its more casual and you are just interviewing or talking you might not need to do a whole lot of work, but if you want it to sound produced will have to learn sound effects, how to structure a story, and how to write so what you say isnt punctuated by filler words.In plus-rechnen to any required research and scripting, Patterson recommends practicing speaking into a microphone before you record. Ev en though podcasts arent live, which allows you to do as many takes as you want, its easier to edit down if you are comfortable with volume, phrasing, and cadence. Try emulating patterns of established podcast hosts. RecordThis is the fun part. Turn on your recorder and go for it A few things to keep in mindIn general, its easier to have more audio and to record until you get the content you really want than it is to spend time editing something thats not quite right.You can record and re-record or simply record your entire conversation from start to finish and keep notes about when you completed the audio take you want to use. This is also important if you arent editing each episode yourself.You may consider recording multiple episodes at once, especially as you are getting started, so you have content to last you for longer.Edit and PublishYou can edit your show yourself using software on your computer. If you have a Mac, GarageBand is a built-in sound editor. Audacity is a free, open source program that allows for multi-track recording and editing. Avid zum besten von Tools and Adobe Audition are subscription-based editing and audio mixing software options. Another option is to hire a sound editor. This will save you time especially if your episodes are long and you dont already know how to use editing software but will certainly add to your costs. Mercedes says shes seen editors charge anywhere from $25 to $500 per hour of work.If youre hiring an editor, I recommend having them do some sort of edit test beforehand because quality ranges quite a bit also, she adds. This is something we discovered only after interviewing several editors and having them each edit about 5 minutes of audio.Check out sites like Upwork to post editing gigs and find freelancers. You can also check out services like We Edit Podcasts and Podcast Press like recording equipment and editing software, the options you have will depend on your budget and your priorities.Once your podca st is edited and ready for consumption, youll need a way to publish an RSS feed and a place to store your episode files. There are many platforms for this. Mercedes uses Cast for their show because it is affordable about $10 per month and allows she and her co-host to record and edit multiple audio tracks from opposite sides of the country.Simplecast, Libsyn, and Buzzsprout are just a few of the other hosting sites available. Most will interface with popular directories like Apple Podcasts and Stitcher and will also provide analytics so you can keep track of what your audience is listening to on various platforms.Market Your ShowOnce your podcast is ready for publishing, you need an audience. Make your hard work worthwhile by growing your listener base. Of course, an easy way to start is to share via social media or by personally reaching out to family and friends and asking them to write a review or a blog post or also to share on their social media platforms, too. You can crea te a website for your show, ask other similar shows to partner with and promote you, request that listeners subscribe, and work on optimizing both your website and podcast listings with relevant keywords.Like with any content, the more you can appeal to what your audience cares about, the easier it will be to attract and retain listeners. But your show also has to be a project you (and your co-hosts and guests) are passionate about. If you dont love what you are doing, recording and producing your show will feel like a burden.Having a podcast is like any major creative project, except that theres no clear end in sight, unless you know youre doing a limited run, Mercedes says. Its really important to focus on having fun and enjoying the process. If its not working for you, its not going to work.So, you want to start a podcast? You are not aloneStarting a podcast isnt easy, but if you followthe above guide, you should be able to get going on your very own entrepreneurial journey and s ubmit your podcast to itunes in no time.