How to start podcasting
In our last post on podcasting, we talked about the power of podcasting.
In this one, we’re going to tell you how to get started with your own.
Let’s dive in.
Research
Before anything else, do your homework.
Find out what else is out there in your niche.
If you can’t find anything, great.
If your niche is crowded, research will help you figure out how to position your podcast in a way that sets you apart.
Format
By ‘format’ we’re referring to the way your podcast is structured.
This infographic from Buzzsprout outlines some of the most common formats.
Choose whatever format suits your subject matter best. But once you’ve settled on one, stick to it, to create consistency for your listeners.
Frequency
You also need to decide how often you’ll publish your pod. Daily? Once a week? Monthly?
Consistency is key to building an audience, so choose a frequency that you can sustain.
Length
Some podcasts are less than five minutes. Others are two hours or more.
The advice is to make your episodes as long as they need to be, and no longer.
As a guide, these are the most common episode durations:
less than 10 minutes (14%)
10—20 minutes (15%)
20—40 minutes (31%)
40—60 minutes (22%)
Over 60 minutes (7%)
Branding
You’ll need to put some thought into your branding as it’s the first impression people will have of your podcast.
Here are a few things to mull over.
Name: Don’t underestimate the power of a name. Your listeners should know what the podcast is about from the name alone.
Here are a few best practice tips:
Keep it to four words or less.
Make it intriguing.
Make it easy to spell and pronounce.
Check it’s not taken by another charity
Cover art: Your podcast cover art is the image that represents your podcast.
It doesn’t need to be fancy but it should reflect your brand. So be sure to incorporate your brand colours and logo.
Jingle: A jingle isn’t essential, but most podcasts have one.
How you tackle it depends on whether you want to pay for one or go down the free route (if it’s the latter, YouTube’s ‘royalty free’ music is a good place to start.
Equipment
You don’t need top-of-the-range equipment to get started with a podcast.
All you need is an iPhone and an app like Riverside.fm or Anchor, which will turn your phone into a podcast recorder (if you want to go all out and invest in a microphone, The Samson Q2u USB, is a good option).
As for editing, Audacity is a good bet, as it’s free and easy to use.
Script
Don’t ‘wing’ your podcast. It’ll end in tears, or at the very least, hours of editing.
Creating an episode script before you hit ‘record’ will ensure you get your message across clearly and concisely.
It’ll also:
make your recording and editing more efficient
reduce excessive rambling or pauses
ensure guest interviews go smoothly
The script doesn’t need to be a word-for-word transcript. It just needs to highlight the key themes/talking points to stop you from going off on tangents.
Riverside FM has some handy script templates here.
Recording
To record, you’ll need a quiet room. Ideally, it’ll be filled with furniture, carpets, and other objects so your voice doesn’t bounce off hard surfaces.
Before recording a full episode, do a trial run to test the equipment and sound levels.
Once you’re happy, go for it.
Don’t stop recording if you stammer, make mistakes, or someone interrupts you. It can all be sorted in the edit.
Share the love
Once you’ve recorded and edited your first episode, it’s time to share it with the world.
You can host it on your website, or a third-party platform such as Apple, Spotify, or Google podcasts.
The second option isn’t essential, but it’ll maximise the reach of your content.
If you go down this route, you’ll need to create an account on your platform of choice and submit your RSS feed details.
Final Word
Have we inspired you to dip your toe into the podcasting pool? Let us know how you get on.
Looking for a tech-savvy fundraiser to get you up and running? We can help. Give us a call on 0203 750 3111 or email info@bamboofundraising.co.uk to get started.