6 life hacks for those looking to make a popular podcast

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

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If you've been looking to podcast but have been waiting for a sign, this is it. We have collected tips to help you get started in this business.

We have collected even more useful tips for those who want to create a popular blog.

Podcasts are becoming an increasingly popular form of content around the world. In Europe and the USA, they collect tens and even hundreds of thousands of plays. Russian podcasters are also not far behind, but right now there are still a few vacant niches in this area.

If you were about to create your own podcast, but did not know where to start, this is the text for you. We will tell you how to make cool episodes, together with the author and host of the podcasts "Gossip", "Who Would Speak" and "Design Bureau" Rodion Scriabin and the manufacturer of audio equipment HARMAN.

1. Choose a niche

Rodion Scriabin

Podcasts are very popular right now, but there are still not many of them. Find a niche with fewer podcasts: it's easier to compete there.

Usually podcasts are interviews with invited guests, Q&A sessions, news or recommendations. Find Fact of the Day or Story of the Day podcasts, movie or album reviews, tips for travelers or pet owners.

These are all fairly broad topics in which it will not be easy to beat the competition. You can go to a popular podcast service like PodHunt or Sticher and see what ideas and trends are on the top right now. And once inspired, go to look for your own niche as narrow as possible.

You can move in different directions. For example, create a podcast for people who will only listen to it in the barber's chair or in the gym. Or you can suggest a topic in which you are well versed. Here are some ideas for inspiration.

• Vintage gadgets: how they work.
• What to talk about with cats when they look at you.
• We guess what the book is about, knowing only its title.
• A podcast that motivates you to get out of bed.
• Bedtime stories for those over 30.
• Strange holidays from around the world.
• Women inventors and their creations.

2. Provide quality sound

Rodion Scriabin

A podcast should not only be interesting, but also comfortable to listen to. Try to get the best out of your equipment.

A standard microphone in a smartphone or laptop has average capabilities. It distorts speech, does not convey the nuances of the sound of the voice, and the recording turns out to be quiet, "flat", it is difficult to remove noise from it. Making something comfortable for listening out of such material is very time-consuming, and still, the final result is unlikely to really suit you and your listeners.

Condenser microphone will help you record your speech cleanly and free of extraneous noise. Professional sound quality is ensured by an array of four capsules pointing in different directions. The built-in amplifier will allow you to record even a whisper from a distance of several meters or an ASMR track, which will cause unusual, but very pleasant sensations.

AKG Lyra supports various recording modes, which are switched by a button on the body:

• frontal only - for podcasts, blogs, letsplay, playing musical instruments near the microphone;
• Front & Back (front and rear recording) - for interviews or musical duets;
• classic stereo - for parallel interviews and group discussions, when you need to record separately the left and right channels;
• wide stereo - for recording multiple sound sources, conveying the width and volume of the soundstage, reports and events.

With a suitable mode, you get immersive audio. The microphone can be easily removed from the supplied stand and installed on the crane stand or pantograph. And with the built-in audio interface, you can connect monitor headphones for lag-free listening.

3. Make releases regularly

Rodion Scriabin

Come up with rules for publishing your podcast, tell your subscribers about them, and always stick to them. There is nothing worse than disappointed listeners.

It is better to go out strictly once a week on Fridays than to do 3-4 issues in a couple of days and then disappear for a month. Regularity is very important. After all, subscribers are waiting for new releases, and if they do not receive their "reward", they feel cheated and no longer come to listen to you.

In order for you to have enough time to record, process and post a podcast, you will have to finally clean up your schedule. One of the simplest methods is the Eisenhower matrix (the same Dwight Eisenhower, 34th President of the United States).

He divided his affairs of state importance and scale into four groups:

• important and urgent - it is imperative to do it as quickly as possible;
• important and not urgent - you definitely need to do it, but not right now;
• unimportant, but urgent - if these tasks are not completed now, then later they will be irrelevant;
• unimportant and non-urgent - can be done when all the others are over.

Try to divide tasks, tasks, and plans into these four groups, write it out on a piece of paper, and hang it somewhere in a prominent place. Don't forget to include podcast preparation there! If you try to follow the system, you will be surprised how much free time you have.

And a few more life hacks.

• Rule 5 minutes. If you remembered a task and it takes 5 minutes to complete it, do it right now, without hesitation and without delay.
• Regular routines. If you have a huge task that is scary (or too lazy!) To approach, devote 15 minutes to it every day.
• Plans for the day. Every morning, write yourself a to-do list, even if it's a little thing like watering flowers or going to the store for bread. Once done, cross it out happily. And move what remains on the list to the next day - if, of course, this is still important.
• From big to small. Great things are always scary. But if you break them down into small steps, everything becomes simpler and clearer.
• "Frogs". Almost every day there are tasks that you really don't want to do: they are called "frogs". Get rid of such an amphibian right after breakfast - and it will no longer oppress you.
• “No” and “Why do I need this? »Learn to refuse people who want to take advantage of your time, experience and knowledge, while not giving you anything in return. If you are asked, pushed or forced to do something, find out: "Why do I personally need this?" If you do not find a worthy answer in the first 5 seconds, refuse.

4. Listen to yourself

Rodion Scriabin

Always record your podcast with your headphones on so you can understand how you sound. After all, you hear yourself differently than the listeners - this is physiology.

Millions of people don't record podcasts yet because they don't like the sound of their own voices. This phenomenon even has a name - voice confrontation.

We are intimidated by the sound of our own voice, because it does not meet our expectations. You are used to hearing yourself differently: part of the sound is transmitted through the air to your ears, and the other part through the skull due to bone conduction. It makes the low frequencies richer, and your own voice sounds more pleasant to you. When you listen to yourself on the record, then it seems to you that this voice belongs to someone else. This is normal: very few people like their own sound. And analyzing your audio files is useful. So you can soberly assess the rate of speech, tone, emotionality and other important characteristics.

But you can't just record a podcast, put it online and forget about it. To create a really high-quality product, you have to work.

- professional monitor headphones that allow you to work effectively with sound and enjoy your music on the go. You can connect them with a cable to an audio interface and hear yourself while recording a podcast or a letsplay. Or you can pair the AKG 361BT with a smartphone via Bluetooth without any wires. This lets you enjoy studio quality sound wherever you are.

The headphones are equipped with advanced speakers with oxygen-free copper coils. The sound is balanced, all frequencies are transmitted smoothly, without distortion. Soft ear pads are made of high-quality leatherette, the headband can be adjusted, so that you can be comfortable all day long. This is a worthy choice for both productive work and a bright rest.

5. Don't overestimate the power of improvisation

Rodion Scriabin

Don't sit down and record a podcast until you have at least a rough outline.

How long will your podcast be? How long can you talk continuously without long pauses looking for the next phrase? Will you be able to stay on topic and not jump from one idea to another? Will you be able to stay interesting for your listeners throughout the entire podcast?

Improvisation is always great, especially if you're not hosting a podcast alone. But actors know how difficult it is to improvise to get the audience to believe you. Or, in your case, listeners.

Therefore, at first, you should definitely draw up a detailed plan and calculate by the minute what you will talk about. This will help you stay on top of your podcast throughout the entire podcast, without missing out on anything important, or getting into long thoughts.

When you sit down to write a plan, at the very beginning or after a dozen points are ready, all thoughts and ideas may fly out of your head. Fear of a blank slate may also arise, and the concepts that you were talking about with inspiration 5 minutes ago will no longer seem interesting and exciting.

In such situations, writing practices come in handy. They develop planning skills, put thoughts into words on paper, create interesting texts and podcasts, and help you believe in yourself. Here are some examples.

• Morning pages. Write a couple of pages each morning about your current concerns. There are exactly two rules: to sit down for this activity as early as possible and not stop, even if nothing comes to mind. Write about what surrounds you, what you think about - and be surprised how much you want to say.
• Dialogue with the cat. This practice helps you practice speaking for long enough without being listened to, interrupted, or asked clarifying questions as in normal communication. Sit next to your pet (a toy, poster, statue would work) and share what you would like to convey to your podcast listeners. If you have not yet decided on the topic, tell us how your day went, what you dream about, what was your childhood in the village in the summer. The topic does not matter - it is important not to stop talking and listen to yourself at the same time.
• List of 100. Write about 100 things you dream of. Or about 100 situations that you would like to find yourself in. Or about 100 people who would be great to meet at a bar. It gets tough at some point, but in the end you will probably want to include much more than 100 items on the list.

6. Don't expect to start making money from it

Rodion Scriabin

Don't turn your podcast into a business project. Do it because you are interested and because you enjoy it. Let the money (if it does come one day) be a pleasant surprise.

The most expensive and popular podcast to date is The Joe Rogan Experience by American comedian Joe Rogan. In May, streaming service Spotify bought the rights to it for $ 100 million - a tenth of the market.

There are several ways to monetize podcasts. For example, you can post episodes on Patreon and make them available only to your patrons. Access levels can be adjusted. For example, for one amount per month open all podcasts, for double money - also chat for communication, for five times - list such "patrons" by name at the end of the episode.

Podcasters also make money from advertising. They can directly promote products or review products and services. Conditions in each specific case are negotiated with advertisers. The main thing is not to frequent, so as not to annoy the listeners.

Good technology can help you achieve impressive results and enjoy podcast creation. Cutting-edge features inspire, and convenient gadgets help you focus on content, make it interesting and useful.

A starter setup for podcasts is a good microphone, comfortable headphones, monitor speakers with clear sound, and a mixer (audio interface) that will improve the quality of speech recording. All of these devices can be found in the arsenal of HARMAN, an American company that helps create good sound for amateurs and professionals around the world.

Reliable technology with broad capabilities, easy to set up and affordable. With it, you can create podcasts that your listeners will love.