With people leaving YouTube because of censorship, they have found other options. One of the biggest and most lucrative options is podcasting. People on YouTube used to shun such a great service until they realized that podcasting is not owned by one company like youtube is, the idea is shared by many. It started back in the first days of the iPod and iTunes but quickly became a non-monopolistic service. MANY webhosts and music services carry podcasts. Even if you lose your main carrier, there is always another one available. Similar to webhosting.
So how do you podcast? You find a podhosting company that allows you to store mp3’s and then get some equipment that you may already have. Come up with a great idea in a niche that you love and just start talking. It’s really that easy. Of course, you should worry about quality and quantity, but that will come in time. The more experience you gain, the better your podcast will sound.
I recommend buying a condenser mic and dropping the webcam or the mic that came with your laptop. The cheap mics will have a hollow sound and the mic attached to your laptop will pick up the fan sound. At first, while you’re starting out and practicing, that might be fine but people will notice and maybe lead to bad reviews on iTunes. In fact, don’t even submit to iTunes until you have the sound you want and enough recordings behind you to make it look like you’ve been doing it for a while. You can buy a starter kit at Amazon. Rode is a great quality mic.
I simply use Audacity to record. It’s easy to use and has many different features that allow me to create sound effects or make the sound better. I also use voicemeeter banana which is a soft mixer that allows me to manipulate the incoming recording devices and record pc sounds. I can also use it to add external callers, skype, etc. I must use these items because my mic isn’t the greatest and I’m saving money for a good one.
Another way to get the perfect sound is to find the perfect time of day to record. Right now I live behind a major highway going into San Francisco and a frontage road. The City ripped down the old sound wall between my house and the freeway so I really have no options except to record late, late at night. It is sometimes perfect between 10 am to 11:30 am. Any other time is out of the question. So time for me is limited. I record between those hours and then edit and market during the other times of the day. Find your perfect time.
Start getting followers by using social media such as twitter and facebook. Do you tell your friends at first? That is up to you. I tell my friends because I have no shame. I love them, they love me. Sure, some don’t get it or they ridicule me, but that is their problem. If they don’t like it, they don’t have to listen. If you’re embarrassed, just tell them it’s a hobby. I personally can’t get my family to listen to my podcast, but they still know I have it available.
Figure out your goals. Do you just want a hobby? Do you want to make money? Are you an activist spreading a word? Do you love politics? You need a purpose. Personally, I love the paranormal and I love writing horror stories. I can’t write fast enough while I have a job to always write my own stories so I have permission to tell the stories of others. Some people like my voice and some don’t. I don’t care, I like to read horror stories so this is my fun. If you like it, welcome to the ride. If you like my writing then I will try to bring you my own work once per month if time (and my brain cloud) allows.
Once you have around 10 episodes saved, submit it to iTunes. If you find the right host then you can submit your podcast to Spotify and iHeartRadio as well. Other great places to check out include TuneIn and Stitcher.
One big note is to be consistent. Match your time to your episodes. Shorter episodes which are less than 20 minutes can be done daily. Longer episodes 30 minutes maybe once or twice per week. 2-hour episodes, once per week or per month. It really depends on the amount of time you have to record and edit. Don’t burn yourself out and keep it consistent. One of my problems is that I’m not consistent due to many various reasons and that turns people off. Your audience shrinks.
I guess the biggest hurdle is just getting started. Start with a free account at Spreaker. Test it out and most of all, have fun. As you grow you can get advertisers or sponsors if you wish to make money. Start a blog and offer your episodes on your blog. Use YouTube to personally entertain your audience to bring people to your podcast. I would never recommend youtube if you are trying to make money as they don’t like controversial topics and can (will) remove you at any time they please, but use them to build your audience with live shows and fun, just redirect them. Remember, you’re building a podcast, not a video.
Most imporant of all, ENJOY!
