#aff
Since Christmas I’ve been Podcasting. At first it was just an experiment to see how to podcast but it has moved on quite a bit since then. If you are interested in doing your own podcast then this is the blog post for you.
The Start
There are millions of podcasts out there. Some of my favourites you can find on this blog post. If you fancy just doing a podcast then there is nothing to stop you. Don’t worry if you think someone already does a podcast with the same concept as yours – this is an infinite playing field and everyone is welcome.
In its simplest form there are 3 things you need for a podcast
- A Recording Device
- A Podcast Host
- An Idea
It doesn’t need to be expensive to have your own podcast but there are benefits to paying money out.
A Recording Device
Zero Cost Version
If you have a mobile phone you can record your podcast onto that! The sound quality will be a bit clearer if you have a headset plugged in (one with a microphone included). Thats it. Open up the sound recorder on there and use that to record your podcast. When you are finished you will have a recorded episode.
Higher Cost Version
Using a computer you can connect a USB Microphone (I use the Blue Yeti) install sound-editing software (I use Audacity) and I record/re-record to my hearts content. The Microphone gives a better sound quality than a mobile phone headset or just talking into a computer/phone. I also use a ‘pop-guard‘ to help stop the peaks on certain syllables.
A Podcast Host
Zero Cost Version
Surprisingly there are a number of free Podcast Hosts. They might have reduced functionality but they are able to host your podcast for a zero spend. I have used a free account at Acast that allows you to host 1 podcast series (with multiple episodes) for free. It also integrates to iTunes if you have an iTunes account and link them together.
Acast is its own hosting platform (think Youtube for podcasts) so you don’t need to link to iTunes but it might help your friends find it if they can easily get it from their standard podcast app. There is an RSS feed you can share with your friends/readers that they can add to their podcasting app of choice to access straight from Acast
Higher Cost Version
I’m going to recommend Acast again. They have an ‘influencer’ account which works out at $180 a year (if paid in one go) or $25 a month if paid monthly. Paying all in one go works out at £145-ish and is about £12 a month. For this you get everything from the free account but also unlimited episodes and downloads. They also distribute it to Youtube, Spotify and Soundcloud. If you want to do more than 1 podcast then you will need to upgrade to a paid account on Acast.
An Idea
These are ALL zero cost as they are down to you.
Think about a passion of yours. You can blog just on yourself talking about things you enjoy or just nothing really. The beauty of Podcasting is that you control it and it has nothing to do with anyone else.
I podcast about things I enjoy. Its just me, a microphone and a stream of consciousness going out of my mouth and down the internet.
Podcast Ideas To Throw Out There
- Record an audio commentary about your favourite film. Watch the film while wearing headphones so it doesn’t have film audio on your podcast. Invite people to watch the film with the podcast playing.
- Do a Song-By-Song album review of albums you like.
- Tell a Joke a Day.
- Read out short stories/poems you’ve written.
- Interview your pet.
- News Summary – Your take on the news of the day. How it makes you feel what is happening in the world.
- Describe a Book you’ve read.
- Talk about an area of your life no-one really knows about.
Any topic you want to talk about, talk about it. Think about what you’d like to listen to and talk about that. Even if 1 in 1,000,000 people might be interested in it, that’s still 7000 people who would find it interesting.
Feel free to ‘compete’ with other podcasts already out there but its not a competition. There is space for everyone – its the Internet!
The Reverend’s Final Thought
Podcasts are great to listen to. There are all the subjects you can think about already out there. If you like comedy podcasts then you probably subscribe to a few. If you enjoy podcasts about money then, again, you probably have a couple on your device to listen to. This is the reason you SHOULD create that podcast you’ve been thinking about. The fact that you can do it for free really means there is no barrier to getting your podcast out there.
There is a ‘next level’ to podcasting that I’ll cover on a future blog post. It involves creating Icons, ways to promote your podcast, and how to improve your podcast, as well as other hints & tips I can give.
