How to create a podcast

Photo by Jonathan Velasquez on Unsplash

Preparation

Come up with a topic.

Find guest(s) to interview.

Write a script:

• A detailed script leaves less room for error and nervousness, but the conversation will be less organic and spontaneous
• Use an outline for more improvised discussions
• Don’t forget that mistakes can be edited out

Remember to:

• Tell a story
• Keep it informative
• Stay consistent with your style

Tools

Get a good microphone (headset or USB microphone).

Download Audacity:

Audacity 2.2.0 in default Light theme running on Windows 10

Pick an online voice provider:

• Zoom
• Google
• Slack
• Skype

Record

Find a good time and place to record. Make sure there are no background noises (machines are off, window is shut, etc.).

Perform a test recording. Play it back for quality control.

Double ender:

• Host and guest record audio separately
• Expect latency on the web
• Clap at the beginning to sync the audio

Editing

Audio cleaning:

• Trim unnecessary pauses
• Cut out fillers like “uhs” and “ums”
• Remove background noise
• Delete clicks with iZotope RX De-click
• Normalize audio

Review audio:

• Make sure flow and delivery is good
• Listen on multiple devices to verify quality (cheap/expensive headphones and speakers)
• Playback at low audio as a litmus test

Publish

See article “How to publish a podcast for free”.

For podcast discoverability:

• Use social media
• Publish a written article (there are free and paid transcription tools that can convert your audio into text)
• Upload videos

This article was originally published on remarkablemark.org on September 16, 2020.