Your Quick Guide to Podcasting in 2022
When it comes to content creation, we're not just exclusively about videos. Video content is definitely at the heart of everything that we do but we know that with any content strategy, to cover all your bases and extend your reach, business owners must consider a multichannel approach. Beyond the visual mediums, the next best thing is audio, specifically, podcasting.
A podcast is an audio series shared online and accessible by streaming or downloading the file onto a user's device. A podcast can also be described as an audio version of a TV series. The theme or topic generally ranges between 20-60 minutes but it can be longer. What makes a podcast different to a TV series is that in most cases, a podcast will be led by a host who narrates the story or guides the listener through an episode.
If you're thinking about starting a podcast in the near future, we've whipped up this quick guide with keynotes and questions to help you plan and get it going.
What equipment do I need to record my podcast?
Surprisingly, it doesn't require much at all. At the bare minimum, you could use the voice memo app on your iPhone or even record your audio via Zoom. Similar to video production, you can get away with DIY'ing the production but remember that the user experience is key to keeping your audience engaged. If the sound quality is poor, people may not be too excited for the next episode. If you have access to a bigger budget and high-quality equipment, here are the essentials to get:
A microphone - As mentioned above, you can get away with your mobile or computer's in-built microphone but the optimise the sound quality, an XLR or USB mic will always be better. To level up from that, a condenser mic would be best.
Headphones - It's just as important to listen to the production during and after to monitor the levels and detect abnormal sounds to edit it out. If you can, get a noise-cancelling headphone
A soundproof room - Big rooms without soundproof will generally create echoes. You want a room that keeps ambient noises at a minimum as to not distract listeners.
Editing software - After recording your episode, there are elements like music, intros, outros and even ad spots that will need to be edited into the episode. Our go-to software is Adobe Audition because we already use the full Adobe Creative Suite but if you're looking for something free and user-friendly, Audacity is also a good option.
Subscription to a hosting platform - To give your podcast the best opportunity to reach the masses, you need a reliable hosting platform to help you do that. See the next point on how.
How to publish my podcast?
You need to find a podcast platform to host and distribute your series to all the popular publishers like Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The host platforms we recommend include Buzzsprout, PodBean and Casted. After signing up to one of these platforms, you upload your audio file, an RSS feed is created and your episodes are distributed to the publishers.
