Everything You Wanted to Know About Podcasting, But Were Afraid to Ask

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Everything you to know about podcasting (but were afraid to ask)

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Hello! I am Christina Warren You can find me at @film_girl on Twitter All resources and links are at github.com/filmgirl/podcasting-resources 2

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What we will cover All the stuff we’ll cover today

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● How to get started ● Audio Tips/What microphone to buy ● Where/How to Host a Podcast ● Finding/Dealing with Sponsors ● Practice hearing yourself ● Brainstorm ideas and concepts ● Being consistent ● How to get/be a guest ● Your Q&As 4

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What we won’t cover Stuff outside the scope of this workshop

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● Video podcasts ● Twitch and other code live broadcasts ● Podcast editing/advanced recording ● Advanced sponsorship talk 6

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About Me ● Senior Cloud Developer Advocate at Microsoft ● Former technology and business journalist (Mashable, Gizmodo) ● Professional* podcaster since 2007 * I’ve been getting paid to podcast on and off since 2009 7

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My current Podcasts Rocket 8 Overtired Behind the Tech with Kevin Scott

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My former Podcasts ● TUAW Talkcast (2007-2009) - Left TUAW, then TUAW died ● Flickcast (2009) - I was fired ● Briefly Awesome (2010 - 2011) ● MashTalk (2013-2016) - Left Mashable ● The Basic Bitch’s Guide to Life (2015 - 2016) - hiatus? ● Cartoon Cast (2015-2017) 9

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Getting Started Coming up with ideas, formats, and topics 1

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Why podcast? ● Helps build your personal brand and reach more people ● Makes you a better speaker, interviewer, and storyteller ● Great way to connect with new audiences and people ● It’s fun! ● Nerd cred ● It can become a nice side-hustle (money should not be the main motivator) ● We need more diverse podcasts and podcast hosts ● It’s a valuable skill for your resume 11

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Don’t Be Intimidated Starting a podcast can be scary, but you can do it! If I can do it, you can do it! 12

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Coming up with ideas ● What are you passionate about? ● Is there a type of podcast you want to hear that isn’t already in the market? (RESEARCH) ● What’s popular right now? Chasing trends can be good or bad. ● What types of podcasts do you like? Are there any you would like to emulate? 13

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Thinking about formats ● Rotating panel - one host with a rotating roster of guests. (TWiT) ● Consistent panel - two or more hosts each episode (can often include guests, but multiple hosts are consistent) (Rocket, ATP) ● Interview podcast - one host, different guest/subject matter expert each episode (Recode Decode, Internet History Podcast) ● Narrative/series based - telling one story/theme over x episodes (Serial, S-Town, The Wilderness) 14

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Thinking about formats ● Length. Aim for consistency. Whether it’s 5 minutes or 90 minutes, try to aim for consistency ● Weekly? Monthly? Daily? Aim for what you can deliver, adjust as the podcast develops. Starting less frequent is better. ● Series-based (set number of episodes, possibly reoccuring, possibly not) 15

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Exercise (5 minutes) ● Brainstorm some of your podcast ideas - doesn’t have to be set-in-stone, broad is fine ● Think about who you would like to have as guests (if you have guests), no limitations ● Think about format and length 16

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Exercise (10 minutes) ● Share your idea with a partner ● Solicit feedback on topic and work on refining the idea ● Swap 17

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Let’s Talk About Audio This matters almost as much as content! 2

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“ Audio quality is the most important part of a podcast. You can have the best content in the world, but if it sounds bad, it doesn’t matter. 19

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Audio quality matters ● Even the best editing cannot save bad audio ● Audio matters for hosts AND guests. Test with guests before recording. ● The microphone built-into your computer is not appropriate for podcasting ● iPhone headphones/AirPods should be for emergencies only ● You can get a complete microphone setup for ~$100. It’s worth it. 20

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The Blue Yeti microphone (~$120) For most podcasters, the Blue Yeti is the only microphone you’ll need. You can spend more (or less), but it’s all-in-one and relatively inexpensive. 21

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● Audio Technica ATR2100 or ATR2500 - $65-$80 ● Rode Podcaster - $320 for kit ● Heil PR 40 - $330 microphone only (requires XLR interface) See github.com/filmgirl/podcasting-resources for links to reviews/buying guides Other microphones 22

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Audio Recording Tips Tips for getting the best audio out of your microphone and for your podcast. 23

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Don’t share microphones unless forced 24

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Record each person to a separate channel 25

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Use Skype for remote recordings *nothing better exists, sorry 26

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Use the multi-ender Skype record method 27

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On Mac, use QuickTime (free) or Call Recorder 28

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On Windows, use Audacity or MP3 Skype Recorder 29

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Use a quiet room if possible 30

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Speak directly into the microphone 31

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When using Audacity or QuickTime, record in mono not stereo 32

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Use headphones to hear your audio as you record 33

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Exercise (5 minutes) ● Using the voice notes app on your phone, use your phone’s earbuds to record your voice so that you can hear how you sound ● Remember, this is NOT what you should do for your actual podcasts, this is just for practice ● Don’t worry about what you say, just speak. 34

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Exercise (10 minutes) ● Listen back to your audio ● Make any notes about things you notice about how you sound, cadence, speed, etc. ● DO NOT BE TOO CRITICAL. THIS IS WEIRD, IT IS OK! ● If you can find any edit points (places where you would want to remove a word or section), try not note them. 35

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Audio editing is hard ● Check out the links on my GitHub for some good audio-editing guides ● YouTube has great resources for audio-editing ● Podcasts should be exported at 96kbps in mono (unless you’re recording music) in MP3 ● Forecast is a great, free, Mac utility for preparing your podcasts with tags and chapters 36

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Where/How to Publish a Podcast Pick a podcast hosting service or roll your own 3

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● Unlimited bandwidth for serving podcasts ● Spotify support ● Easy iTunes/Google submissions What to look for in a host ● Look at monthly upload quotas ● Analytics, if possible ● Some offer websites too 38

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● LibSyn ($15 a month for most users) ● Blubrry ($20 a month for most users -- includes website hosting) ● Anchor.fm (free, be aware of business model/startup realities) ● Simplecast ($12 a month, includes a website if you want it) ● WordPress.com (starts at $5 a month, includes website) Popular/reliable hosts 39

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Host yourself ● PowerPress - Great Podcast plugin for WordPress ● Seriously Simple Podcasting plugin for WordPress ● Use Azure or AWS to host if you don’t have bandwidth with your webhost ● XML feeds can be crafted for Hugo and Jekyll ● If you’re not using WordPress, the process of creating/updating the XML feed is a PITA so maybe pay for hosting ● If you DO host yourself, you own your own destiny ● It can often be cheaper than paying for hosting, but also more work 40

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Making Money with Podcasts The 411 on money and sponsors 4

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There is money in podcasts, but it shouldn’t be your primary goal 42

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● Use a podcasting network/ad service (The Midroll, PodcastOne) ● Sell directly or use a smaller service to sell your ads directly Podcast money opportunities ● Use Patreon or other donation services ● Find an existing podcasting network that does advertising to join 43

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Real Talk About $$$ The realities and pitfalls of making money. 44

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Don’t podcast for the money 45

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It won’t happen immediately 46

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You need certain metrics to get in the door 47

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Money can be inconsistent 48

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Most traditional sponsors are still male-focused 49

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Approach smaller companies for sponsorship 50

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Finding sponsors can become a real job 51

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Tips From a Podcast Lifer The biggest things I’ve learned over 11 years of podcasting 5

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Be consistent 53

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Be a podcast guest 54

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Don’t be afraid to ask someone else to guest 55

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Perfect is the enemy of good 56

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Your Questions Ask and share wtih the group 6

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58 Thanks! You can find me at @film_girl Listen to Rocket Consult the GitHub

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Credits Special thanks to all the people who made and released these awesome resources for free: ● Presentation template by SlidesCarnival ● Photographs by Unsplash 59