With improved technology, people found numerous ways to express themselves. Technology is a gift and so is Podcast to many businesses. As per research, 40 percent of Americans listen to podcast sessions while doing their work.
It’s easier than starting a blog or running a website as you don’t need any technical expertise to start podcasting. Just by going through this guide, you can start your first podcase within 30 minutes from now. We have covered what is a podcast and how does it work, secrets of creating a podcast including equipment needed for a podcast.
What is a Podcast
A podcast is a series of episodes recorded in a digital audio file format that a user needs to download in order to listen. Podcast business is based on a subscription model wherein a subscriber can download newly added podcasts on a regular basis. The success of a Podcast is calculated with the number of downloads.
“A PODCAST IS A GREAT WAY TO DEVELOP A RELATIONSHIP WITH HARD TO REACH PEOPLE”
History of Podcasts
The concept of Podcast was initially started in October 2000 by Tristan Louis and Dave Winer when they attached sound or video file formats with their RSS Feeds. Later on, the concept got a boom with recorded radio shows, news, discussion of problems and solutions, politics and more.
By the end of the year 2004-2005, many private companies like BBC, CBC Radio One, Public Radio International and more started podcasting on iTunes and iPods (originated from Podcasts). History of Podcast says that Podcasts got matured in early 2010 with the evolution of Facebook, General Electric, Microsoft, McDonald’s, and many such companies when they started podcasting their own products and services.
Also Read: Best Podcasts Worth Listening in 2020
How to Start a Podcast
Now that you know what is a podcast and how does it work, you must be eager starting a podcast. To start a podcast, you need to be ready with the bare minimum requirements. This is the right time to start a podcast series as it rarely cost a penny to host your creativity. You will not find competition in podcasting as not every digital marketer is into podcasting. Plus, if you look at the trend, podcast listeners are multiplying every hour. Here is what you need to do to become a successful podcaster. You can also make use of Podcast Apps for Android.
1. Clear Concept
The first step to start a podcast is to come up with a clear concept by identifying your niche. Chalk out a topic, name your project, format the versions and targeted duration of each podcast episode.
2. Content and Design
Create the best of content and design artwork so that you can start writing creative descriptions to market your podcast.
3. Record your Creativity
Now it’s time to record and edit your audio files in multilevel formats. Mostly the podcast files are recorded in MP3 file format. A regular microphone with an audio editor/cutter are more than enough to start with.
4. Find Platforms for Hosting
When you are done with your creative production, you will need a place to start hosting your creativity. The hosting property should be dedicated and specialized in podcast hosting. Libsyn or Pod-bean are a few of them to start with.
5. Consortium Your Production
Once you have created audio files, now its time to create your collective episodes so that they can be lined up for RSS feeds for distribution. The major distribution of your podcast is possible through iTunes as well as downloaded or streamed on gadgets or entertainment devices on-demand.
The Podcast is the future of blogging. As of now, there are around 450 million blogs in comparison to over 800K podcasts. Making a podcast is easier than drafting or publishing blogs. The podcasts are less crowded and competitive than Blogging.
Also Read: How To Merge Multiple Audio Files In Windows 10
Equipment Needed For a Podcast
If you just want to test it how it works, you can start with your smartphone and an earphone however if you are a professional and want to initiate a project with creating a podcast series, you’ll need some essential equipment needed for a podcast.
- Computer – Essential for recording & editing of your podcasts. This will work as the main centralized device to connect all your other equipment to enhance creativity.
- Microphone – A built-in microphone on a computer or smartphone will not just work. To record high-quality audio, you will need a professional microphone to pair with your computer.
- Pop Filter OR Windscreen – Pop filter will help you record quality audio with the greatest sound vocals. The Blue Yeti microphone is one of the best in its range.
- Mic Stand – Adjustable and affordable mic stand is required to adjust to your level.
- Shock Mount – Reduces the shock waves created while adjusting your microphone or typing in your keyboard. It reduces the abrupt noise created while making any adjustments.
- Headphones – Quality headphones are required to monitor your audio. It is essential to listen to your own voice before it goes public so that you can make necessary adjustments and editing.
- Headphone Amplifier – There are chances of more than one speaker at a time. To balance out the interviews and podcast recordings, there is a need for Headphone Amplifier.
- Audio Interface – This is an important piece of hardware required to convert the microphone’s audio signals into digital for playback, mixing, and upload.
- Audio Mixer – An audio mixer is necessary to control your input, output, and control sound levels for a perfect blending of sound mixing and master the art of handling multiple audios.
- Digital Audio Recorder – If majorly your shooting is outside the studio or you take interviews outside, you will need this device to capture and save high-quality audio and save it on SD cards.
- Memory Storage – The next major equipment is the memory storage that is required to record, save or backup all your creativity. You can’t just rely on the computer to save your precious creativity.
- Audio Editing Software – You will need one of the best audio editing software for pouring magic to your podcasts. GarageBand and Audacity are one of the most popular audio editing software popular worldwide.
How To Do A Podcast
6. Give it a Final Touch
Now that you have all the equipment ready, it’s time to create a podcast. Set up your hardware and start recording your podcast series. Once the recording is done, give it a final touch with Audio Editing Software. Save your projects with high-quality music format (MP3 Format with 256KBPS Bit-rate) and don’t forget to take precautionary backups.
7. Name your Project
After creating a podcast, give a name to your podcast with suitable titles and artwork. The name should be expressive enough to say it all about your podcast. Try to add keywords to make it visible enough on Google trending searches.
A suitable artwork for your project is equally important as this will be the first look of your work to attract the right audience to download and give an ear to your creativity. Generally, the cover page should contact the gist of the content in your podcast.
8. Line up Your Files With Proper Tagging
Collate and arrange all your audio files with proper names and tags so that it becomes easier for you to identify. You can also name it as episode one, two and so on. Adding proper audio information like the title, album, track number, name of the author or artist, album name, year, genre, comment, copyright, URL and cover image makes your job easy and error-free.
9. Get Your Podcast Hosted
There are a lot of platforms ready to showcase your podcast all for FREE. Starting from iTunes to SoundCloud, Fireside, Podomatic, Amazon S3, Podbean, Sitcher, Blubrry, Libsyn, and Miro. You will need to choose wisely depending on the popularity and reach of the hosting platform.
It may take up to 24 hours – 7 days to get your podcast live depending on your platform. You can also cast your creativity on multiple platforms with the same title and descriptions. Once you start getting download hits, you’ll get to know which hosting platform is working best for you. Count your money and remember to continue creating and adding up the series.
Summing Up
Here we have rounded up what is a podcast and how does it work. If you are looking for a prominent career in digital marketing, you should be aware of how to create a podcast and what are the equipment needed for a podcast. If your creativity is appreciated and liked by your audience, the sky is the limit!
If this article helped you in any means, or you know someone who can be benefitted from this information, please don’t hesitate to share this article. If you need more information on any of the equipment or need help in setting up your podcast for the first time, please share a comment in the comments section and we will be more than happy to assist you.
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