Podcasts. Nowadays, it seems that everyone has one. Your neighbour has one, your gym trainer has one, hell, your grandmother’s bridge partner’s hairdresser even has one.
While our eyes have been having all the fun consuming visually-focused content for the last decade, our ears are finally getting in on the action, with podcasting being touted as one of the fastest growing media channels.
Having launched How Two Live: The Podcast in early 2019 knowing very little about them, we’ve spent the last couple of years on a steep learning curve, landing guests from Janine Allis to Meg Ryan, getting our podcast featured on the entire Qantas fleet, and working out what the fudge plosives are and how to avoid them.
We’ve pulled together our top tips here to get you on your way to being a podcasting pro. Tell nan her bridge partner’s hairdresser better watch out!
Figure Out Your Concept
Are you a gardening guru? Love talking about sex? Think about that unique thing that you are always chatting about that people seem to want to hear more of. We’ve found that our most brilliant concepts come when we tune out what’s already out there and tune in to what we really love and want to share, so don’t worry too much about sussing out the competition or following trends, if you create content you’re passionate about then listeners will come.
Get Your Equipment Sorted
Shopping for podcasting equipment can be a little like trying to find a movie to watch on Netflix… the choices are endless and it can be pretty overwhelming! If you’re on a budget, starting with the voice recorder on your phone is a great option—we’ve released many episodes recorded on our iPhone 10s. If you’re ready to step it up a notch, head into a shop like Store DJ, where the staff are super knowledgeable and will be able to help you find something that will suit your needs.
Land Credible Guests
We’ve landed interviews with people like Erin Brockovich and Meg Ryan with a cold email. Yep, you read that right, all it takes to land big celebrities is a very persuasive email, oh—and a belief that you’ve got this! You can find pretty much anyone’s contact details on the internet through an app like RocketReach, then send a professional email laying out what you have to offer your guest. Proof read 10 times, and voila! We recorded a whole episode on our foolproof method to nailing that all important email, so check it out here.
Edit Your Audio
When it comes to editing, keep it simple to start. You can edit audio pretty easily on iMovie or Final Cut Pro, which you’d be familiar with if you’ve ever edited videos before. If you want to get a little more fancy, try out an audio platform like Ableton. There are heaps of tutorials available online, so we’d recommend you go forth and get your Google degree on this one. And if you won’t be in person with your guests, you can easily record audio on a platform like Squadcast or Zoom, just make sure you opt to record separate audio files.
Time To Upload
When your first episode is ready to go, you’ll need to join a podcast hosting platform, and there are lots of awesome ones you can use for free like Acast and Whooshka. We give a little giggle when people marvel at our podcast being on Spotify or Apple—once you’ve uploaded to your host platform, your episode will be whisked away to audio platforms around the globe with the click of a button! You’ll also get access to lots of helpful analytics.
Grow Your Listeners
So you’ve perfected your podcast, and now it’s time to get it in people’s ears. Get creative with it, and think about where you’ve learned about your favourite podcasts. Start a Facebook group with bonus content, post about it in other Facebook groups, network on audio platforms like Clubhouse, and of course—don’t be afraid to write to all your friends and family about it as a starting point. Nothing spreads a good podcast around like word of mouth!
If you want to ask us any questions, our inbox is always open. Slide into our DMs at @howtwolivethepodcast and join our Facebook group at facebook.com/groups/howtwolivethepodcast.
Want some more inspo? Check the out hottest new podcasts dropping this month.
Image Credit: TWOOBS