What makes a great podcast? While content and originality make “greatness” a matter of interest and opinion, two things are constant: quality and professionalism. Luckily, both of those can be achieved with a few simple pieces of gear, some software, and your environment. The Basics of a Good Podcast

To create a professional feeling, you’ll want to include some industry trends:

1. Time: Most successful podcasts are less than 45 minutes, with a growing trend towards 20 minutes or even less. The idea is to keep the listener for a full episode in one sitting, and many people listen while on a commute or while doing another task like making dinner. Keep it short, and you’ll keep more listeners.
2. Music: Find some sort of intro and outro music, which you can source for free on websites like Mixkit. You only need a few seconds just to add some character behind your “Welcome to…” message, and you’ll add a professional feeling behind every cast.
3. Theme: Why are people going to select your podcast? They want to know what they are getting into each time. Do you interview people from a particular field? Do you cover news snippets with a funny undertone? Do you just describe what weird thing your cat is doing right now? Your theme is your “brand”—brainstorm to develop your theme, and then stick to it.
4. Quality: Focus on quality. This includes sound, clarity, scripts, etc. If you have guests, ensure they have a reason to be there… listen to a few podcasts on similar topics to yours and see what you like, and what makes it attractive.

Get Your Gear

People won’t listen to a podcast that has crackling mics or construction in the background. There are no visuals to distract someone, so all you have is the sound.

There is no editing that can make up for a good recording; if you record your podcast on your phone, it’ll sound like you used your phone. Here are a few ways to create a quality sound (on the cheap):

1. Microphones: You want a mic that you can get close to in order to reduce background noise, so try to avoid using an open mic such as a laptop’s built-in mic. Since it is often easier to edit from your computer, you may want to get a compatible setup to plug in. A decent USB microphone for your computer will run about $60, and of course, you can check with the Baruch library to see if they have one you can borrow. You can also use headsets and a mic on your computer, which is also good for making sure you don’t record the other person’s voice through a speaker. If you are using your phone, at a minimum, use a headset with a microphone that is close to your mouth and test it a few times in a few configurations. When testing either setup, listen for background noise and try different places to clip the mic closer and further from your mouth to find the sweet spot for sound.
2. Recording: Keep in mind that because laptop and desktop computers have more storage, recording on your phone is not suggested unless you can store directly to the cloud. When recording with a guest, you’ll need two-way recording. You can use Zoom on your Baruch account to record audio only, just be sure it is updated to the latest version. If you are using Skype on mobile, there is a recording plug-in called Skype Recorder which runs about $15. On Android, you can use the free plug-in Pamela
3. Editing: You’ll need to get software so you can add your intro and outro, take out long bits of silence, mistakes, and other bits and pieces of editing. The good news is there is a fair amount of free software for sound editing. Shotcut (mentioned in the Makerhub video editing section, complete with quick tutorial) lets you combine and overlay files to create your theme music and intro section. Audacity is also a great option for Android and Windows, and Garageband is a good choice for iPhone users.

Set the Stage

Just because you are only recording audio doesn’t mean your environment won’t affect the quality of your podcast. Setting up your space and encouraging your guests to do the same is helpful in making great sound:

1. Quiet: Your mic, especially a good one, will pick up everything from your neighbor’s air conditioner dripping to your cat(s) crying for treats in the background. Find an area without distractions and interruptions. Sure, you can edit out interruptions like the random siren, but it’s never the same so you’ll need to minimize what you can. Close the door if you can, and if you live with others hang a sign that says “Recording” so they don’t pop in during your podcast. Another option is recording while sitting in a closet or small space with a lot of fabric, which would also resolve issue #2…
2. Echo: (echo… echo….). It’s very hard to find a spot without echo outside of a recording studio, so you’ll probably need to make some adjustments to your space. Put a blanket over tables and curtains on the windows, and if your walls are bare you may need to pin a blanket or sheet up during your sessions. You can try putting a blanket over you and your recording equipment, though if you are on a video call with a guest it might look a little strange.
3. Comfort: Relax and be comfortable. Have a comfortable chair, good posture, coffee cup next to you, everything you need to feel like you are set up. This will reflect in your voice and you will come across as more confident. Try to smile while talking, as well, to add a friendly and relatable tone which adds to giving a quality podcast and professional impression.
4. Record: Don’t forget to hit that record button, especially when with a guest. It’s easy to start the conversation and forget to record any of it! Also among the basics, make sure to charge all devices before sitting down to record so you don’t cut out mid-sentence.

Edit, Format, and Publish

The hardest part of podcasting is behind you: you planned it, set it up, and recorded it. Now it’s just a few final steps:

1. Finalize: Editing in a podcast is mostly to take out extra conversation at the beginning and end, or if there’s a spot in the middle where your cat knocked over your mic and you started the segment over. It’s also for adding in dynamics like sound and fades, and later to balance different speaker voices and other advanced techniques. You can do all of this with your selected software. Remember to always save the raw file in case your edit goes haywire, and be sure to give it a final listen all the way through before calling it a finished product.
2. Format: Don’t forget the trend of podcasts to have the same general format: Intro with a general “welcome to [podcast name]”, music or break, introduce the episode theme and any guests, outro.
3. Launch: Save your final file in mp3 or mp4 format, whatever your podcast host specifies. Check the file one more time, and upload your voice for the masses.

Have fun! We can’t wait to see what you make. — The MakerHub Team

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