How to Make a Podcast: My Podcasting Process From A to Z

The Podcast Gear I Use and Recommend: 2018: I will now update this again. Here you go: https://kit.com/thepodcastdude My second episode was a guide to gear for podcasting, but I’ve learned a lot in the past months, so I wanted to make an updated guide. I said back then that if you couldn’t afford good gear, you should wait and save up money. I was wrong about that. I still believe that great gear will give you better sound quality which will help your show be more successful, but I don’t believe you should wait to get started. There’s so much you need to learn when you’re first starting out; great gear isn’t going to magically make the process easier. It’s best to get started with what you have, or buy what you can afford and then upgrade later. So let’s talk about podcasting on a budget. I’m going to cover gear for those of you who have little-to-no money to spend, and also share what I think is the best podcasting gear so that you’ll know what to get in the future wh by Podcasting with Aaron

37 min listen

How to Outline a Podcast Episode: Today I’m sharing my process for writing outlines. If you've never written an outline for your podcast before, I'm going to teach you how today. What does a podcast outline do for you? It helps you stay focused. It helps to make sure you to hit all different angles and ask or answer the right questions. It also helps the show stay on track. by Podcasting with Aaron

35 min listen

Show Trailer: A Podcast About Podcasting, for Podcasters: Hi there! My name is Aaron Dowd. This show is for anyone who wants to make a great podcast. If you're interested in learning how to start a podcast, grow an audience, or improve at all the various skills that are a part of being a podcaster, this show is for you. In this trailer episode, I'm going to share my back-story and talk about why I decided to start this podcast, who this show is for, and what topics I’ll be covering in future episodes. by Podcasting with Aaron

15 min listen

Crafting the Perfect Podcast Intro So You Don’t Lose Listeners In the First Five Minutes: The introduction to your podcast is a critical part of the success of your show. If you don’t introduce yourself, new listeners will feel lost. If your intro is too long, people will get annoyed and start skipping. Listeners want to know what they’re going to get out of an episode. If you don't tell them that right away, they're going to start wondering if there's a better way to spend their time, and maybe go find a different podcast to listen to. I don't want you to lose listeners, so today I'm talking about how to craft the perfect podcast intro. by Podcasting with Aaron

25 min listen

Glenn Leibowitz’s Top 5 Writing Tips for Podcasters: Want to be a better podcaster and grow your audience? Something I've seen over and over again is that the best podcasters spend a lot of time writing. In this episode, Glenn shares his top tips for becoming a better writer, we discuss why outlines are critical for success, why you should edit after you're done writing, how to write great titles, and so much more. http://www.writewithimpact.com/ by Podcasting with Aaron

59 min listen

Where to Find the Best Music For Your Podcast: My friend Sean made the music for this show (thanks dude!) but AudioJungle.net is my favorite at the moment. Now I'm thinking about it, it'd be cool to get other musicians to share their music for shows. Talking music today! Where are the best places to find music for podcasts? Can you use copyrighted materials in your podcast if you keep the clip under 30 seconds? And is podcast music even necessary? by Podcasting with Aaron

22 min listen

Pros and Cons of Video Podcasting with Caleb Wojcik: Update: You can now add pictures and links to MP3 Chapters. It's awesome, check it out: https://medium.com/simplecast/forecast-by-marco-arment-what-it-is-how-it-works-and-why-podcasters-should-take-a-look-ba446ffa8a35 My guest this week is Caleb Wojcik, the DIY Video Guy. If you're anything like me, you've been interested in making video for awhile now, but you probably also worry that you'll look or sound dumb on camera. I get it. In this episode, I talk with Caleb about how he makes video podcasts for iTunes, but we also talk about what keeps people from getting started with producing videos, and share some practical tips to help you overcome your fear of being on camera. Enjoy! by Podcasting with Aaron

68 min listen

How to Make a Podcast: My Podcasting Process From A to Z: Couple quick updates to this episode: I now use MP3 chapters instead of writing time stamps for each paragraph. My show is also now hosted on Simplecast, so my workflow has gotten a lot faster/easier. https://thepodcastdude.simplecast.fm Have you ever wondered what it takes to make a podcast? What the steps are? This week, I’m going to walk you through my process, step by step. I'm going to give you a better understanding of what it takes to make a podcast, take some of the mystery and scariness out of podcasting, and give you actionable steps to follow to make your own podcast. I'm going to give you a better understanding of what it takes to make a podcast, take some of the mystery and scariness out of podcasting, and give you actionable steps to follow to make your own podcast. Also Simplecast for hosting, always. Don't listen to past Aaron if he says otherwise, he's wrong. by Podcasting with Aaron

45 min listen

How to Sound Natural When Reading a Script: It seems like some people can get on a podcast or video and sound so effortless and natural. How is this possible? What's the secret? I got a question from a listener asking how they could improve their speaking voice when reading from a script. Since most of my episodes are scripted, I decided to share everything I've learned about improving my speaking voice and how I read from a script without sounding monotone or boring. by Podcasting with Aaron

31 min listen

Room Echo and Background Noise: Sound Proofing and Absorption for Podcasters: One of the ways to stand out from other podcasts is to pay attention to sound quality. One of the ways to get good sound quality is to have a great microphone and a quiet room to record in. Depending on the room you’re in, you may hear echos from your voice (either in the low-mid frequency range, or in the high end). Echo becomes especially apparent if you’re recording with a condenser microphone instead of a dynamic mic. Background noise and room echo creates a poor listening experience for your audience. They may get distracted from what you’re saying or annoyed by the constant reverb or background noises. You don't want listeners thinking about the noises in the background or the way your room sounds; you want them to focus on your message. Eliminating background noise and room echo will give your recording a more professional sound. It will be more pleasing to listen to. Your audience by Podcasting with Aaron

43 min listen

How Do I Build an Audience From Nothing?: I got this topic from a question that I read in Gary Vaynerchuk’s recent book, #AskGaryVee. The question was this: “What’s the best way to grow a following or community from nothing?” That’s a million dollar question. You'd love to have a following or audience, right? For some people, an audience means ad revenue. For some people, it means enough people to buy your product or work to support you. Some people just want the attention because they feel empty inside and need to feel like people love them. Hey, I get it, I’m not judging. I love feeling loved. So how do you grow a following from nothing? That’s what I'm exploring in this week's episode. You'll also want to check out this short class: https://www.creativelive.com/class/how-to-distribute-and-grow-your-podcast-brad-smith by Podcasting with Aaron

34 min listen

How to Be a Podcast Editor: Q&A with Sidney Evans: My guest this week is Sidney Evans Jr. Sidney is a podcast editor and producer from Durham, NC (recently moved to Atlanta), who found his first client after joining a podcast editor's group on Facebook. He joins me for a discussion about getting started with podcast editing and production, the challenges of working in this new industry, what clients really value and pay for, and more. by Podcasting with Aaron

35 min listen

Getting to 20,000 Subscribers with Charli Prangley: Charli Prangley is a designer by day and a content creator by... well, pretty much the rest of the time. In addition to her day job, she produces two high-quality Youtube videos and a podcast every week, and also runs an online apparel shop. https://charlimarie.com/ I was so impressed with the consistency and quality of her output that I knew I had to get her on the show to share how she creates so much while still working a full-time job. If you've ever struggled with creating consistently or trying to get everything 100% perfect before shipping, you need to listen to this episode. by Podcasting with Aaron

42 min listen

How to Turn a Podcast Interview Into a Story with Glenn Leibowitz: Glenn Leibowitz returns for part two of our three-part series about writing. This week, he shares how he turns podcast interviews into stories, why it's led to huge audience growth for both his podcast and his blog, and how you can use the power of story to reach a whole new audience. http://www.writewithimpact.com/ by Podcasting with Aaron

56 min listen

A Guide to LinkedIn Publishing for Podcasters by Glenn Leibowitz: How many of you have ever published anything on LinkedIn? If you're anything like me, you probably thought that LinkedIn is for the older generation or the corporate stooges who want to work 9-5 jobs in office buildings. http://www.writewithimpact.com/ Tonight, Glenn Leibowitz is back to explain why LinkedIn is such a powerful blogging platform for creative professionals (and not just somewhere to host a digital resume). Even if you're not interested in LinkedIn, you're still going to learn a ton about writing and publishing in this episode (I sure did). by Podcasting with Aaron

89 min listen

How to Invite Guests to Your Podcast: It's been said that in basketball, you miss 100% of the shots you don't take. The same is true for getting guests on your podcast or being a guest on other podcasts; if you don't ask, it's not going to happen. So getting over your fear of rejection is step one, but today I want to talk about things that you can do to increase your chances of landing the guests you want, and how you can ask to be on someone else's podcast without feeling awkward. by Podcasting with Aaron

30 min listen

How to Get Started as a Voice-over Artist with Special Guest Jay Britton: Ever wondered how to make a living with just your voice? Interested in becoming a professional voice-over artist? This week I'm joined by professional voice-over artist Jay Britton, who has done work for companies like HBO (Game of Thrones!), Marvel, Amazon, and more. He built his voice-over career from scratch in his late 20's, and in this episode, Jay shares everything you need to know if you want to be a professional voice-over artist too. We talked about how he got started, what gear he recommends for beginners, how to find work if you're just starting out, how to get your first agent, tips for improving your speaking voice, and so much more. by Podcasting with Aaron

53 min listen

Content Strategy and Growing an Audience with Shawn Blanc: Shawn Blanc is a writer, small-business owner, productivity coach, and creative entrepreneur living in Kansas City with his wife and their three sons. Shawn has been teaching and learning about creativity, diligence, and focus for over a decade, and his online courses have helped thousands of people do their best creative work while learning to thrive in the midst of life’s tensions. A while back, Shawn sent an email that caught my attention. He wrote about the importance of creating a customer avatar and developing a content strategy to connect with them and help them achieve their goals. I liked the email so much that I emailed him back and asked him to come on my show to talk about his journey to making a living through writing online and what he’s learned about growing an audience. Shawn also shares my passion for productivity and deep focus; so much so that he’s gathered 12 incredibly smart people for a free by Podcasting with Aaron

53 min listen

Portable Podcasting Setup: I got a question from a Community member about recording audio away from home, so I grabbed my Zoom H4N and a few mics and headed to a local Starbucks to test out the different mics in a real world setting. Full gear list is here: https://kit.com/thepodcastdude If you’d like to invest in an affordable, portable recording setup, this episode will help you get started. by Podcasting with Aaron

43 min listen

Creating a Radio Drama Podcast With Producer/Engineer Dan Powell: My guest this week is Dan Powell. Dan is one half of Dead Signals Production, creator of the popular Archive 81 and Deep Vault found sound, radio drama podcast. In this episode, we talk about his recording process, how he designs sound, and his editing process. He shares some of the hurdles he overcame while producing podcasts and what advice he’d give to anyone interested in making a modern radio drama. by Podcasting with Aaron

62 min listen

How (and When) to Find Sponsors for Your Podcast: Talking Sponsors, Podcorn, and More with Mathew Passy on Podcast Me Anything: In this episode, we discuss: When is the right time to start looking for sponsors for a podcast? How does having a niche audience help you with finding sponsors? 3 things you should include in a proposal to a sponsor. Why getting brands excited about sponsoring podcasts needs to be a community effort. Questions to ask yourself before you start looking for sponsors. What Podcorn is, how it works, and more. This episode was recorded and published by Mathew Passy for the Podcast Me Anything show. Shared with his permission. by Podcasting with Aaron

36 min listen

Improving Your Productivity and Creative Output Through Deep Focus with Shawn Blanc: Reading Cal Newport's Deep Work book is one of the best investments I've ever made. The focus and clarity I got from that book helped me produce two huge online courses this year while working full time as a podcast editor for seanwes, and it also helped me lose twenty pounds and get into the best shape of my life while training for an Ironman triathlon (still haven't done it but I haven't forgotten). This is the second part of my recent interview with Shawn Blanc where we talk about Deep Work and focus. We also discussed pricing your online products (you can charge more than you think you can), how to create a morning routine that will supercharge your daily productivity, the power of choosing a single area of your life to improve on, and more. by Podcasting with Aaron

36 min listen

How to Write a Better Podcast Description That Attracts New Listeners: Your podcast description is one of the first things people see when they come across your podcast online or in the iTunes directory. This is your chance to catch their attention and sell them on your show. It’s your opportunity to convince them to listen. The ideal podcast description answers two questions for your potential listener: 1. Is this show for me? 2. What am I going to get out of listening to this? When a potential audience member comes across your podcast and starts reading your description, they’re wondering, “What’s in it for me?” This is your chance to tell them why they should care about your show. Otherwise, they won’t. by Podcasting with Aaron

58 min listen

Creating a Radio Drama Podcast Part 1 (With Writer Marc Sollinger): My guest this week is Marc Sollinger. Marc is one half of Dead Signals, a podcast production company that produces the modern radio drama podcasts Archive 81 and Deep Vault. In this episode, we’re going to take a deep dive into what it takes to plan, write, and produce a modern radio drama. This is part one of a two part series; next week I’ll be interviewing Dan Powell, who handles a lot of the editing, sound design, and music for Dead Signals. by Podcasting with Aaron

45 min listen

Dealing With Haters: If you podcast long enough, you're going to get criticism or negativity. You can't create work and share it with the world without experiencing it. I say you haven't really made it until you've got haters. If people feel strongly enough about what you're doing to love it, then someone is going to feel strongly enough to hate it, or at least severely dislike it. I'm still pretty unknown, and I know that because I've only ever received negative feedback once. I could say that I just brushed it off, but it did affect me. Instead of letting it get me down, I sat with it. I thought about it. I analyzed why it made me feel the way it did, and I asked myself why. I want to share what I've learned about feedback and criticism to help you learn how to process it when it comes to you (and it will), but also to help you give feedback more effectively and waste less time engaging with people or on feedback that doesn't really matter. by Podcasting with Aaron

31 min listen

Streamlining Your Podcast Workflow (with Martine Ellis): This week seanwes Community member Martine Ellis joins me to share her podcasting journey and how she created a detailed checklist to help streamline her podcast workflow. We discuss how niching down can help you attract a dedicated audience and how to spend less time creating a podcast without sacrificing quality. We also walk through Martine’s 9 step podcast workflow checklist and discuss our favorite podcast tools and tricks. by Podcasting with Aaron

50 min listen

Professional Podcast Production Q&A with Steph Colbourn (Founder of Edit Audio): My guest today is Steph Colbourn, founder of Edit Audio, a podcast consultation and production company whose clients include Harpers Baazar, Stack Overflow, Element AI, Cosmopolitan, If These Ovaries Could Talk, Glossier, Postlight, Tinder, and more. In this episode, we discuss how she got into podcast editing and production, how she connects with clients, her process for working with them and helping them be successful, what she's learned about launching and marketing shows, how she manages money and scheduling, why she's optimistic about the future of podcasting, and much more. by Podcasting with Aaron

48 min listen

Juleyka Lantigua-Williams | Grow Your Audience By Knowing Your Ideal Listener: This episode is about audience growth and how to get more listeners for your show. My special guest Juleyka Lantigua-Williams shares her strategy for audience growth and how it's helped her shows get over half a million podcast downloads so far and put them on the path to reach 1 million downloads by the end of the year. Here's what I learned in this episode: audience growth isn't something that magically happens once you start publishing episodes. If you want to grow your audience and get more listeners and fans, there's three important questions to ask yourself. These questions are important regardless of how long you've been podcasting. The three questions are: 1. Who is the ideal listener for my show? 2. What needs do they have that I'm trying to address and fulfill with my show? 3. Where is my ideal listener spending their time and attention, and what's my plan for getting their attention? by Podcasting with Aaron

26 min listen

RSS Feeds Explained Simply: I wanted to make this episode to explain the basics of podcast RSS feeds: What an RSS feed is, why you need one, and a few other important things you need to know about them. My hope is that I can clear up a lot of the confusion and mystery around them so you can gain a better understanding of the relationship between podcast RSS feeds and the podcast apps and directories. by Podcasting with Aaron

12 min listen

Do You Need Expensive Headphones to Mix a Podcast?: I’ve been watching an online audio mastering course on Creative Live called DIY Mastering (by Jesse Cannon). In it, he was talking about how he always checks his work on cheap speakers and Apple earbuds, since that’s what most people use to listen to music. It got me thinking about the importance of good headphones, and how much they really matter. Are expensive headphones really necessary for mixing podcasts? Do you really need the best gear to make great work, or are you just procrastinating? My goal for this episode is to encourage you to do more with what you have and not fall into the trap of believing that better gear is the secret to success. Full gear list is here: https://kit.com/thepodcastdude by Podcasting with Aaron

25 min listen

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How to Make a Podcast: My Podcasting Process From A to Z

How to Make a Podcast: My Podcasting Process From A to Z

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