Resource:How to start a podcast series

Anybody can start a podcast series. It really takes three main things to get started; equipment, content, and a podcasting platform. That’s it! To give a better understanding of how each works we will break each main ingredient into it’s own section and discuss your options.

Section 1: Equipment

You can’t start a podcast without first having the equipment to record the content. For all intents and purposes, anything that can record sound digitally can make you a podcast. However, it is nice to have a list of equipment necessary for the task. So here is your list.

• Microphone
• Computer
• Audio Editing Software
• Speakers and/or Headphones

This simple list can essentially get anybody started in creating a podcast. Let's break it down a bit further:

Microphone:

A good microphone is an important part of your recording. Since a podcaster’s intent is to reach a mass audience, high quality sound should be a big priority. A microphone like “Blue Yeti” works great because it is a USB microphone that connects directly into your computer to record sound digitally. If you are recording your podcast in a room this should work great. The only thing you would need to worry about is avoiding echo. This can be done by recording in a small room or a big room with furniture to absorb the sound waves. If you are recording outdoors, make sure you use a microphone with a windsock could help prevent wind-shearing in your audio recording. It is important to do your research when selecting a microphone, because your purpose should be to get one that allows you to get the quality of sound necessary for your podcast based on how you plan on producing your content.

Computer:

Any modern computer you have should work fine. Most modern computers have the capacity to handle the storage and playback of audio data. However, depending on the software you use, certain minimum requirements will be required of your machine. Depending on how you plan to store your raw data of the audio and how long you plan on keeping it, an external hard drive may also be beneficial to keep your computers hard drive free of unnecessary data storage. The computer to your podcast series is like the workbench to the craftsman. Your productivity and quality of final product can all be affected by the one you use.

Software:

This almost goes hand-in-hand with your computer selection. There are a number of free online audio editing softwares such as Audacity, but its disadvantage is that it crashes often, sometimes resulting in the loss of valuable audio files. We believe a software application such as Adobe Audition will work the best. It does come with an individual monthly cost of around $20 per month, but can grow along with your podcast series. IF you're a student, Adobe has a student discount on all of their Creative Cloud plans, which could be incentive to give their program a shot. If there is a worry about adding an additional monthly cost, software such as WavePad is a one-time cost of about $95 that can also grow with your podcast series. However, as new updates are implemented to WavePad, the updated software would need to be newly purchased whereas Adobe Audition will always be up to date with your monthly app subscription.

Speakers and/or Headphones:

Listening to, editing, or even knowing your podcast the way your users do is predicated on your ability to listen and fine tune it yourself first. It would be extremely beneficial to you to edit audio while wearing headphones. Not only will this give you a great idea of what your sound quality is like, but it will also assisnt in blocking out any other sound that may prevent you from hearing correctly or distract you. However, if some of your audience will be utilizing better quality speakers and/or headphones than you, it would be prudent to at least match that quality through your editing and reviewing process. This will be the empathetic part of your process. Hearing your content in the same manor as the audience.

Section 2: Content

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Section 3: Platform

After you have your completed podcast, you’ll have to determine how you want to distribute it and which platform(s) will work best for you. There are a variety of platforms to choose from, each with their own benefits.

You should select your platform(s) based on:

• Your budget
• The subject of your podcast
• The size/demographic of your target audience

If you are familiar with Wordpress, Blubrry might be the place for you. Similarly to Wordpress, Blubrry is a hosting company, although this one specializes in all things audio or video. Blubrry is capable of processing your high-data media files and will host and promote your podcast. A page for your podcast is easily established and maintained. However, the disadvantage of Blubrryis that it can be quite pricey, sometimes costing you $10/GB per month, which tends to be higher than average.

Alternatively, you could make a Soundcloud, which has many of its own advantages. For one thing, the basic version which is still very good, is completely free and really simple to use. You can also upgrade to Soundcloud Pro or Pro Unlimited for a very fair price and acquire even more features and/or control over your podcast. An additional and extremely useful benefit of Soundcloud is that has an RSS Feed that enables you to pull your data to many apps or websites. This is also an easy way to go about adding your podcasts to huge platforms like iTunes or Android Music.

Another option for you could be Stitcher Radio, which is essentially a curation platform. Think of it as Pandora Radio for podcasts; you select a topic and it generates a list of podcasts based on that, much like Pandora does with music. You can apply with Stitcher to become a content provider, or you can use the RSS Feed on your Soundcloud account to distribute it to Stitcher.

Depending on the topic of your podcast, you can sometimes find popular websites that feature a similar subject or genre and that will let you post your podcast on their sites to gain a larger following. Similarly, you can sometimes partner with local radio stations. If they are interested in your content and it is somehow related to your community, you may be able to work out a deal where they host your podcast on their website once a week, and advertise it a few times throughout the rest of the week on air.

Creating a Podcast Series: The Roadmap

Written by Keeyana Kian, Char'nae Davis, and Brian Hensley