According to Edison Research, 24% of Americans have listened to a podcast in the last month and the popularity of podcasts continues to rise. To say that podcasts are having a moment would be a huge understatement.
67 million Americans age 12 and older will listen to a podcast on a monthly basis, and 15 percent of the U.S. population will tune in weekly. Podcast devotees will listen to five shows per week, and 85 percent of listeners will hear all, or at least most of, each episode.
Podcasts aren't just for promoting a business endeavor either. Some of the most popular podcasts involve story telling, news commentary, comedy and so much more. Entrepreneurs and hobbyists of all kinds have popular podcasts and some even create a revenue stream for their host. We're going to simplify podcast creation and hopefully spark your interest starting your own!
A quality podcast will mean quality equipment. Sure, you can get started with a bare minimum setup. You can record a podcast with nothing more than your smartphone, but it’ll sound like just that—a phone call recorded on a phone. We asked local recording engineer Jason Eichel, who owns Higher Ground Studios in Fort Collins to give us a few inside tips.
"Audio quality begins the microphone. The better microphone you buy, the sharper your podcast will sound." Advises Jason.
"Your surroundings are also incredibly important when it comes to recording your podcast, in a studio environment like Higher Ground, we make sure that the reverberation is short and the "white noise" in the room is as minimal as possible". He continues.
Finding the perfect length of each episode is also an important part of planning your podcast. The science of attention spans supports this number, too. TED Talks have an 18-minute maximum because scientists believe we can’t hold our attention on a single presenter for any longer before we tune out.
Even seasoned pros require some editing. Editing your podcast may, in some cases be the most important step! If you have a chatty guest, or need to pause for any reason, you'll need some editing. You could hire an engineer to take the workload off of your hands and free up time or you can dive in and do it DIY style.
If you’re not put off by the challenge of editing then here are a few option to consider for digital audio workstations or DAWs for short.
Audacity is an open-source software project meaning that anyone can contribute to its development. The only extra you’ll need to download is the MP3 exporter which is not included but you’ll definitely need it! Another free resource is GarageBand -it’s preinstalled on all Mac computers and is a free download for iOS devices meaning that you can sync projects between your iPad and Mac. What’s more is that GarageBand includes a number of software synths and royalty-free music loops that you can use to compose your own music or include as jingles to add a little pizazz to your episodes.
After you’ve finished recording, editing, and producing your podcast, you can upload it to hosting sites like Libsyn, Anchor, and Transistor. They’ll generate your RSS feed for you, so you can submit it to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other players.
Once your podcast is launched and out in the world, promoting your podcast begins! If you can consistently deliver great content for your audience, then you’ll eventually be in a position to think about monetizing your podcast too. Just like any other business, you'll need a digital landscape for your podcast promotion as well.
They’ll generate your RSS feed for you, so you can submit it to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other players. Here’s what’s involved in getting your podcast onto Apple Podcasts.
Step 1: Create an RSS feed for your podcasts. If you upload your files to a site like Libsyn, Anchor, or Transistor, the feed creation is done automatically for you.
Step 2: Log in to Apple Podcasts Connect. Using your Apple ID, log in at podcastsconnect.apple.com
Step 3: Enter your feed URL and then click “Validate.” Apple will pull your podcast’s feed details (Title, Artwork, Description, etc.)
Step 4: Click submit.
Apple will give you a confirmation message and has a review period typically within 24 to 48 hours, but can take as long as five days. You will receive an email letting you know if you’re approved. After that, people will be able to find your podcast in the Apple Podcasts app.
Once your podcast is launched and out in the world, promoting your podcast begins! If you can consistently deliver great content for your audience, then you’ll eventually be in a position to think about monetizing your podcast too. Just like any other business, you'll need a digital landscape for your podcast promotion as well.
For promotion and sharing of your podcast, a lot will depend on the site where you upload. Places like Transistor, for instance, offer a robust set of sharing options and allow you to share directly to Twitter, Facebook, and more.
We can't wait to hear you ON AIR!
