Let’s Make a Podcast!
So, you’ve been thinking about creating a podcast for your business but aren’t sure exactly where to begin. Let’s start with the “why?”, why would you want to make a podcast? Podcasts can be a wonderful opportunity for you to establish your expertise in a chosen field and create a niche marketing opportunity.
Creating a podcast could prompt you to research current trends in your vocation, leading to inspiration. One thing that millennials aren’t cancelling these days is podcasts. Many individuals in this age demographic heavily interact with the social media accounts of their favorite podcasts, and remain interested in them over time.
Use your decisions on why you want to make a podcast as a guide for planning and goal setting. Setting goals for your podcast will make it easy to determine your target audience and episode lengths. Some find the most difficult part of planning is deciding on topics to be covered in the episode. I think it’s a wonderful opportunity to create the core voice of your podcast, that can be used as a map to know where your story is going.
Now that you know where your podcast is headed, it’s time to start writing scripts for your episodes. You might be saying, “But Sara, do I have to?” Yes, yes you do. Having a script saves you time in the long run since you won’t have to re-record the mistakes or try and edit them out. Once you have your script, you’ll need to decide what music or sound effects are going to be included in your podcast.
SoundTrap (a web platform for podcasting which we will explain a bit more, later) has royalty-free music, sounds, and loops- as well as the ability to create your own jingle. When it comes to designing cover art for your podcast episodes, we recommend Canva and its seemingly endless resources. If you’re going to have guests on your podcast, invite them with a link, and send them a copy of the script so they can be prepared for recording. Look at you, you’re finally ready to set up your equipment!
CoLab members can reserve either of our two Sound Booths in the OfficeRnD app and sign-out the podcast recording equipment from the front desk. Yes, you could use the mic on your iPhone earbuds, but why would you sacrifice quality when you have access to a Blue Yeti microphone, and a sound cage to absorb reverb? Once you have your equipment set up, it’s time to record.
After recording you’ll want to edit and publish your podcast. We’ve used a web platform that Spotify created, called SoundTrap, which is free and very user friendly! While this is what we recommend, there are countless other editing and publishing platforms out there that could be more suited to your individual and creative needs.
Congrats! You’ve done it! You’ve made a podcast. Wash, rinse, and repeat as often as your schedule allows. Happy podcasting!
