Tips for starting your podcast
If you’re considering starting podcast, there’s a lot to do and figure out before hitting “record” for the first time.
Most of what’s on that list is technical in nature. What equipment do I need? How do I edit my audio? How do I get my finished product on the internet and in front of my audience?
The nuts and bolts of podcasting are important because it’s true that no one will listen to your podcast if they can’t find it, or even worse, the sound quality is bad when they do come across it. Thankfully, there’s a plenty of resources available to help you navigate around these hurdles and potential pitfalls. Alternatively, you could just ask us to handle that stuff for you.
However, there’s another part of this to be figured out that’s entirely on you.
The best podcasts are the ones that sound effortless, and the keys to achieving that start with answering a few simple questions.
What do I really want to talk about? Seems like an obvious question to consider, but too many probably don’t take the time. What are your interests? What can you talk passionately about? What are you curious about? Consider these sorts of questions before doing anything else. Most importantly, don’t make the mistake of starting a podcast just for the sake of having a podcast, because if you’re not interested, the listener won’t be either.
Who do I want to talk about it with? Do you want to meet and interview new people on a regular basis? Or would you rather dig in on a specific topic with the same person week after week? There is no wrong answer but consider these questions and the kind of format you’d most enjoy.
Answer these questions before doing anything else and then work around the framework you’ve created.
The nuts and bolts of podcasting are important. Those details do matters, because it’s true that no one will listen to your podcast if the sound quality is bad. But really those are just mechanical details. Remember that the best podcasts are the one that sound effortless, and achieving that quality has nothing to do with microphones and mixers.