Tips and Tricks for Podcasting

By Jasen Lee

Bio: Jasen Lee is an award-winning multimedia journalist who currently writes about business, technology, science, utilities and military issues for the Deseret News in Salt Lake City, Utah. He also co-hosts the Voices of Reason podcast with Deseret News colleague Amy Donaldson, which can be found on iTunes, Google Music and KSLNewsradio.com

A native of Chicago, he received a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from the University of Illinois — Urbana Champaign and studied radio broadcasting at Columbia College Chicago. He is currently enrolled in the Master of Professional Communication program at Weber State University.

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Podcasting: Personalized radio for the information age

In October 2001, Apple introduced a new device that would change the way people could consume all kinds of media, from listening to your favorite tunes or audiobooks, viewing pictures, videos and even listening to the radio. It was called the iPod, a portable digital music player that was a less cumbersome version of the popular mobile compact disc players in prevalent use at the time.

Among the cooler and more useful features of the new device was its ability to store large volumes of data in the various aforementioned forms. Much like the advent of the videocassette recorder in the latter part of the 20^th century changed how people watched television, iPods and similar mobile devices offered users freedom from slavishly having to listen only to terrestrial radio at an appointed time. Instead, you could now download programming directly to your digital player and listen at your convenience — welcome to the new world of “podcasting!”

At first, podcasting was just an obscure way to spread information, but today it has become an established medium for distributing audio content for various applications, including personal use. Similar to radio programs, podcasts are audio files that listeners can play, but at their leisure.

According to Wikipedia, the first application to make this process feasible was iPodderX, developed by August Trometer and Ray Slakinski. Over the past decade, audio podcasts have become one of the chief sources of audio consumption of news and information.

According to the Edison Research, as of last year, 21 percent of Americans age 12 or older said they had listened to a podcast in the past month, reflecting steady incremental growth over 2013 when the share was 12 percent.

The Pew Research Center stated there are no “widely accepted estimates” of the total number of podcasts produced in the country. However, in 2015, Libsyn — one of the largest commercial podcast hosting companies — reported hosting about 28,000 shows, a significant jump over the 22,000 shows hosted the year before and a 75 percent hike over the 16,000 shows hosted during 2013.

Correspondingly, Libsyn reported a dramatic uptick in the number of podcast downloads since 2012. In 2015, the company fielded 3.3 billion download requests, up from 2.6 billion in 2014, 1.9 billion in 2013 and 1.6 billion in 2012. The growth has been so significant that media ratings researcher Nielsen announced it would start measuring on-demand audio and podcasting in their Digital Audio Ratings Service.

So what does it take to produce a podcast and how do you create one that people want to listen to? Well, the answer is, “It depends” on a variety of factors, including audio quality, content quality and how interesting the listeners find the host(s).

And why do people choose launch a podcast in the first place? For many, it’s a great way to build their brand by getting their name out there with every episode. For others, it may be a way to express themselves and their ideas.

First things first, getting started

As I can personally attest, launching a successful podcast takes more than just a microphone and a voice. It helps to have a strategy for the type of show you’d like to create and that typically takes some thought and planning, along with an understanding of the medium.

You need to ask yourself, “What type of show do I want to produce? What kinds of topics will you discuss? How long will the episodes be? Do I want to conduct an extended monologue or have a partner? How do I establish and grow an audience?” There are plenty of things to consider before your ever turn on the mic.

Tip — Create a plan: This sounds intuitive, but many people become too concerned about actually doing the show and fail to create an outline for what steps are required to get the show ready to record. You’ll need a list of necessary production equipment like a good microphone to ensure the audio is broadcast quality. Few things are worse and will drive potential subscribers away than crappy sound. Invest in a decent microphone for yourself and any guests or co-hosts that may join you.

Write out bullet points to follow during the discussion. Even the best hosts have at least a skeleton script to follow for their shows, as would interviewers that chat with guests. You never want to find yourself struggling to maintain the flow of conversation during the recording because you lost your train of thought and had nothing to refer to.

System — Organization and preparation are key to creating any good, well-run program, whether it’s live television, radio, online streaming or recorded programming such as a podcast. You have to develop a system of steps to follow in order to prepare for each show. Without it you risk sounding unprofessional and haphazard, and likely losing any chance of developing a loyal audience.

Unless you’re a seasoned professional, (and even then) it’s pretty difficult to come up with an idea, then just open a mic and make a good show out of it. By the way, almost no show worth listening to is done that way. Improv may work great in comedy, but it is much tougher to pull off than it looks and sometimes it completely bombs.

The internet is full of videos of people trying to do things without a plan and those fails are usually cringe-worthy and painful to watch, right?

If you want your podcast to be successful, then a better strategy is to create a system to organize your thoughts for each episode. As a veteran of radio and fledgling podcaster, I can confirm that even a short outline with some topics of discussion is better than nothing. And even better would be a detailed outline with the main subjects, sub-topics, points of interest to bring up during the discussion as well as where to take breaks if you have advertisements to include.

If you’re doing an interview show, compile a list of questions to ask and make sure to have more than you need! You don’t want to be in a situation where you run out of things to talk about and have to fill time with inane banter. Depending on the guest, you may be able to make it work — occasionally. But, some guests — who are prone to short answers or nervous and less talkative — may not be well-suited for that kind of exchange and the audience WILL be able to tell your lack of preparation and structure.

The best approach is to over-prepare rather than risk inadequate planning.

Prepare to Launch — Once your put together a plan for your podcast, next you have to get ready to record some shows. That means assembling the necessary equipment — a quality microphone, an outline, episode notes, etc. You want to give your show as professional a sound, feel and look as you can.

While many good and popular podcasts are conducted in professional studios, like the Voices of Reason that I co-host, not everyone is so lucky. For the average person who wants to create a show, they have to use a more “domestic” setting like a room in their house. Those kinds of spaces can be entirely suitable if set up correctly. Lets examine how to get started.

Tips — As previously mentioned, you’ll need mics, headphones, an audio mixer and recording software as basic tools to begin recording, but in his July 2016 article titled “How to make a successful podcast,” author Brendan Hesse noted there are a few other pieces of equipment that be included in the initial setup to enhance the recording experience and offer better quality sound.

For those on a budget, there are free, open-source options for recording software like Audacity — a relatively easy editing and recording program that is compatible with most operating systems and could work well for newbies. He noted that Acoustica Basic Edition as another free option that offers audio recording and editing within a well-designed interface. But, you’ll have to pay more for multi-track editing and other advanced features. Mac users can use Garage Band, which often comes with Apple devices or the app can be obtained through the App store.

If you can afford to pay for software, Adobe Audition is a popular program that allows multichannel recording and editing. Many professionals use it. As a semi-luddite, even I find it relatively easy to understand and operate.

When it comes to sound, your mic can make all the difference. As has been mentioned before, if you’re going to podcast, be sure to invest in a quality microphone. This means a good external mic, not the one in your phone, tablet or laptop.

By the way, don’t fret about having a “voice for radio.” Use you normal voice, but be sure to speak up and be clear in your speech. As a rather fast talker, I had to become cognizant of my pacing so as not to jumble words or confuse with listener by having them wonder, “What did he say?” Don’t be too rushed or too slow and causal either. Ideally, you want to sound natural and authoritative, but easy to understand. Be sure to listen to your podcasts to get a feel for how you sound and make appropriate adjustments.

Back to equipment, Hesse mentioned CAD 37 and Fifine USB Plug & Play that plug directly into your computer and interface with your recording software. This offers better superior sound quality and more flexibility than most devices’ built-in microphones. Make sure to get enough mics for the number of people you plan to have on your show, so everyone can be heard loud and clear. Be sure to advise them about speaking naturally, but clearly during the recording session.

He warned, “If you’re going to be using a mixer, be sure to buy microphones that can plug into it! Not all mixers support USB mics, and not all mics will work with standard mic plugs.” Those are important points to keep in mind. Having incompatible equipment can cause headaches.

While mixers are not required equipment, they do allow users to record and store their voices as an audio file directly. Not to mention, mixers can be beneficial for including sound effects, audio clips or music into your podcast. Decent headphones are useful as well, particularly for post-production or if you’re using a mixer. They don’t have to be high-end, but not too cheap either. It’s a good idea to have headphones for each person appearing on the podcast so they can hear any production elements like audio clips or theme music.

Lastly, invest in a pop filter. It will help avoid the annoying loud “pops” heard when voices emphasize “P’s” or “B’s” during conversations.

System — Now it’s time “to get down to the nitty-gritty” and record your podcast. This is where all your preparation and hard work comes together. For newbies, don’t be overly concerned if your first shows aren’t perfect, few are.

New shows typically have lots of technical and creative adjustments to make before finding a comfortable rhythm. Once your first recording is complete, you’ll have an audio file for your pilot episode that you can post online for the public to consume. That will be quite an accomplishment!

But before it’s ready for the public, there’s the matter of post-production. Depending on how you recorded the episode, there may be editing and sound adjustments that may need to be made prior to distribution. Proper editing is a critical ingredient in creating a quality sounding recording. It’s a skill that takes time and patience to master, especially if the podcast has sound effects or other elements to be included. For the neophyte podcaster, most of this can be done using the abovementioned recording software.

Then there is the matter of uploading the content to a host site. These days there are numerous ways to go about hosting your podcast, Hesse notes though that some outshine others.

Websites such as WordPress and Blogger offer an easy means for hosting audio files, but have limited in terms flexibility little control, according to Hesse. Comparatively, HostGator, is more complicated, but includes more advanced features as well a domain at a relatively low cost. SoundCloud and Libsyn are also popular choices that provide similar features and usefulness for lower or no cost.

However, Hesse noted that if you choose WordPress, the site automatically adds the RSS2 enclosure when you add a link to your audio file, which makes it possible to use as a podcast. Uploading your audio file will make the necessary RSS2 enclosure tag and can generate your XML feed.

RSS — Rich Site Summary or Really Simple Syndication — is a format for delivering regularly changing web content. Many news-related sites other online publishers syndicate their content as an RSS Feed to whoever wants it. RSS2 is the latest version of the system that succeeded RSS.

Lastly, there is indexing. As Hesse explained, “Technically, podcasts are XML files that index the MP3 files and metadata that represent each episode. Content management systems like Squarespace and the aforementioned WordPress, with a plugin like podPress, can generate a podcast XML feed.”

No matter how you source the podcast’s XML file, be sure to follow Apple’s podcast specifications for the best results, he said. Once the XML file is posted online, use an RSS validator like feedvalidator.org to make sure there were no errors before submitting your feed to the iTunes store. Also, remember to submit your show to other podcast platforms, including Google Music, Podcast Addict, Stitcher and Soundcloud.

Finding an audience — While recording a podcast is a milestone, it won’t mean much if you don’t get at least a few people of listen to it. And even if you develop a small following, growing an audience can take time and perseverance. With so many available options for content on a litany of topics and sub-topics, establishing and increasing your listenership is no easy task. That’s why it’s so important to learn the steps necessary to give your podcast the greatest chance at success.

Once you’ve submitted and had your podcast accepted by Apple and listed in the iTunes store and the Google Play store, other podcast apps will begin to pick it up as well. This helps develop a larger pool of sources for people to find your content.

According to Jon Accarrino, executive director for business development for Bonneville International Salt Lake City — which owns KSL television and KSL Newsradio, along with two music format stations — promoting subscriptions for your podcast is critical for growing your audience.

“Ask your audience to subscribe to your podcast. Once someone finds your podcast in iTunes, there are two ways for them to enjoy your show: download a single episode or subscribe,” he said. “You want subscribers. iTunes places more value on subscribers and the better your ratio of subscribers versus episode sampling is, the better your show will rank.”

He suggests reminding your audience to subscribe at the end of each episode.

“Thank them for listening/watching and ask them to subscribe if they haven’t already,” he said.

Tips — Among the best ways to tell an audience about your podcast is through various social media channels. That means posting notifications with links whenever new episodes become available to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and other networks.

Make sure to have a regular schedule for posting new episodes so listeners know when to expect new content. Also, try to keep show lengths “tight.” According to podcast hosting website PodOmatic, research indicates people tend to prefer shows that are between 15 and 20 minutes long. But, some listeners may tune in during their daily commutes, which are typically around 30 minutes.

Because of the vast array of subject matter available from a variety of podcasters, episode times can vary widely. Just be considerate of the your target audience. Try to figure out when and how they’ll consume your content, as well as how much time they will have to listen. If necessary, break subjects into multiple episodes to allow for natural breaks in listening.

Accarrino strongly encouraged using social media by sharing links to the new episode on all of your social media channels after publishing your podcast.

“Each episode should have its own blog post,” Accarrino said. “Include both an embedded version of your podcast episode in the post and a link where people can subscribe.” In addition, organize all show notes and post them on your website, he said.

Posting show descriptions is also key to growth. Notes on the individual episodes are a great resource for people who want to know more about what is on that particular show. Those show notes also end up in each site’s search engine so people can find your podcast based upon the contents of the notes.

Accarrino noted that taking the time to add a few keywords would quickly boost your podcast SEO or search engine optimization. SEO is a methodology of strategies and techniques used to increase the amount of visitors to a website by attaining a high-ranking placement in the search results page of a search engine, such as Google, Bing or Yahoo.

He also suggests researching important keywords and phrases to use in the metadata for both your podcast show description and for each episode. Metadata is a set of data that describes and gives information about other data.

“Sites like Keywordtool and Ubersuggest are great places to start,” he said. “Don’t worry about long-tail keywords. iTunes users don’t enter lengthy searches into the program when searching for podcasts. Think about one or two word phrases and include keywords like famous names, movie titles, characters, companies, associated projects, etc.”

To give your show higher visibility, upload images or art with the link to your newest episode will ensure that your update will be seen and not dismissed.

Christina Baldassarre, wrote in Entrepreneur Magazine that an eye-catching image will draw attention to your page and help gain more listeners. She noted that the images could be photos of guests speaker or the hosts recording the podcast or one with the guests, or even an important quote from the podcast. Just something that will make a potential listen take notice.

At the end of every episode, be sure to ask for listener feedback. Getting honest criticism from our audience can only improve the quality of your podcast, and when you make changes be sure to mention it and credit the comments from your listeners. They'll appreciate you even more for it.

Lastly, while creating and producing a podcast can be hard work, but for the most part it should be a “labor of love.” Be sure to enjoy the experience as much as possible. Your audience will know if you’re truly enthusiastic or not, and will lose interest if they feel like you’re not totally committed. Anyone who goes through the trouble creating a vehicle to express their views and researching topics in order to spend their free time talking about it into a microphone should be proud of their work. Every episode should give the audience a little glimpse into the passion the host(s) and any other team members feel about their creation.

That creation should be something the audience can always tell means a great deal to those who have poured their hearts and souls into producing. Whether the audience is a few dedicated listeners that enjoy “geeking out” on a particular niche topic or a large contingent of people who enjoy learning new information or hearing new viewpoints on old topics, the podcast has given everyone a place to find what their searching for.

Interview with a Professional

Jon Accarrino has spent two decades studying and working in numerous genres of media, mostly in marketing and communications. Over the years, he developed strategies to help build brands for companies such as cable TV giant HBO, legal and business research firm LexisNexis, as well as global beverage maker Coca-Cola.

During his career, he became a respected marketing executive and was among the early adopters of digital marketing strategies, specializing in new technologies, promotional development, niche targeting, viral marketing and brand expansion. He was involved in launching several digital marketing initiatives for NBC Universal, including podcasting, blogging, on-air talent training and news promotion integration. In that role from 2005-2010, he helped grow and manage the social media presence of NBC News from its infancy a combined community of more than of 10 million followers for programs such as the Today Show, Rachel Maddow and David Gregory.

For the past year, he has been the executive director for business development at Bonneville International — Salt Lake City, the company that runs KSL television, KSL Newsradio and two other local FM music stations. Among his duties these days involves helping to build an audience for the fledgling digital and social media properties of some of Utah’s most respected broadcast entities. That means advising veteran broadcasters on developing new podcasts and blogs to engage a potentially untapped audience, as well as counseling would-be podcasters — like yours truly — who are trying to branch out beyond their print-oriented roots.

His advice for new podcasters is to be sure you know what you’re getting yourself into because commitment is critical.

“Podcasting is a passion,” Accarrino said. “The last thing you want to do is put in all the effort into launching a show and then find yourself trapped in a hobby you’re not really going to enjoy.”

He said people often believe they have a great idea for something that may be good for a “one off,” but is not truly viable as a regular program or show. Mentioning the success of the National Public Radio podcast, Serial — a weekly program that chronicles a nonfiction story over multiple episodes — he said to make sure your idea is something that can work for an extended period.

“In podcasting, your idea needs to sustain itself … at the very least for a full season like a TV show,” he said. The amount of episodes can vary somewhat, but the key is to engage your audience so they will want to keep coming back for more content over a prolonged period of time.

He said for those considering launching a podcast or who may be in the early stages of their own endeavor, look into a long-running podcast that was successful and recently concluded. Those programs could be good sources for the type of content the may be needed to “fill the void” left by the recently ended show, he noted.

“The TV networks do that all the time,” Accarrino said. “When a show ends and runs its natural course, you’ll see other TV networks scramble to capture that audience.”

Often times, offering a “fresh take” on topics that people care about can be the beginning of a new show that could gain traction relatively quickly, he said.

Lastly, learning to maximize search engine optimization — the methodology of strategies and techniques used to increase the amount of online visitors to a website. Studying how to make your podcast more noticeable to more people is a key component of growing your audience.

“At the end of the day, your podcast is invisible to the search engines,” Accarrino explained. “You might have just wrapped up one of the greatest pieces of media in history, but no one will ever know or be able to find it unless you really concentrate on creating some fantastic metadata for your podcast.”

He said the final step before publishing your podcast should be to “polish up the SEO and make it easy for the audience to find it.”

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