What is a podcast

A Podcast is like a radio programme that you can create yourself and that you can distribute  on any number of platforms. People are hungry for podcasts right now but they are also choosy. You have to make yours as engaging and interesting and  high quality as you possibly can. No one wants to listen to scratchy or muffled content especially if it is boring. There are ways to make sure that your podcast gets a following by following some simple tricks. We can help you craft yours.

The beauty of a podcast is that you can easily create your own personal radio show. You don’t have to go through the filter of a broadcaster, because you can broadcast it to the world yourself through one of the online platforms like Spotify iTunes Acast or Blubrry. People make podcasts about everything. They come in all sorts of formats  the same way that radio and TV programmes do.  There are different production values and that is what makes the difference.

You can make a high quality podcast at a fraction of the cost of a making a video or film. People love podcasts over videos because they can do other things while listening to your podcast. People listen in their cars on journeys. They listen when they are out for a walk or a cycle or when they in the kitchen preparing a sandwich. You have to engage their interest from the first 5 seconds and always remember your podcast goes to individuals ears so it is very intimate medium

Why Do I Want To Make One?

Make it if you are passionate about something and you want to share with others. You may be an expert in something like banking law and want to talk with other experts to illustrate your knowledge or your company’s expertise on the topic . This way you generate discussion on issues that matter to you. Maybe you are interested in behavioural economics and want to  learn from others or to influence debate on the best ways of tackling climate change or COVID19 adherence to guidelines. Maybe you want to influence children’s diets and learn from the experience of experts in other countries. You can record a Zoom Call, a teams meeting interview or a Skype call using eCam Movie tools software. These files can be saved and downloaded for editing by Ocarina.

What Do I Need to Start?

If you have expertise and you want to illustrate it by making a podcast the process is straightforward but you will need some basics.

1. A good idea. Ask yourself what is the theme of my podcast. What is it about and why will people want to hear more.
2. A Format. What will the listener hear at the beginning middle and end? Think about the soundscape.
3. A Sound. As well as spoken voices you will need an audio signature tune or sound effect. This is your audio branding.
4. A Plan. Do you want a six week series, a weekly or monthly edition or a theme based series perhaps on nutrition or sustainability?
5. Think about the Audience. What is in it for them. What will they get from listening to your podcast and what will make them want to hear more?
6. Good listening Ears. If you are recording interviews you have to focus your attention on listening. You will hear things when you play back the interview that did not land with you during recording. There is always the joy of editing to help with this.
7. Recording Equipment. You can start with recording on a smartphone iPhone or Android if you want to record simple sound file interviews. You need to use the sound recording app sometimes called a memo record. These soundfiles mp3 may be good enough to get you started and to get some practice in. For quality recording you need to invest in a professional recording device like a Zoom h4 or Zoom h5 or h6. If you are recording on your computer on a laptop or desktop it is worth investing in a USB Mic like a Rode NT USB. You will need to change the settings on your computer but that is easy enough and we can talk your through it.

How Long Should My Podcast Be?

It depends on what you want it to do. A good guideline is minimum 10 to 15 minutes. Anything over 40 minutes and you are likely to lose people. Good commuting time listening is about 20 to 25 minutes.

Pulling It Together in Editing

This is where you need the expert Editing Hand. Mixing the sound tracks cutting out the gaps and hiccups and mastering the sound levels is what will make the difference to your podcast and is a job for the professionals.

Putting it out there.

When the podcast is polished and sounds fantastic you need to get it out there on a platform and then you need to promote it like crazy anywhere you can.

Ocarina’s Production Team can help you will all aspects of production from initial concept to final launch. Call us to talk through your idea and to see what is involved.