I have a show called the Sylvie Soul Writing Podcast.
Every month I post new content, sometimes pertaining to writing, oftentimes relating to how creativity within fandom elevates our world.
Lately I’ve been trying my hand at interviews. And while I’m no newbie, it’s the act of interviewing guests that still gets me to break into a cold sweat. But I know I won’t get any better unless I keep doing it, so here we are.
Though the show is fairly new, I’ve been at the podcasting game for a few years now, and have some advice I can share with anyone interested in joining the community
Don’t Do it for the Money
There’s nothing wrong with creating a podcast with the intent of making money. But understand that it takes a long time for a podcast to become profitable, and if you don’t go in with that mindset from the start, you’ll never see a dime from your efforts.
A lot of people make money through ads they run during their program. Other people start a patreon page and request listeners donate if they are enjoying the content. But that still requires that you have a large enough audience for fans to follow your work. In fact, you won’t get ad opportunities unless your download count is in the tens of thousands.
You Don’t Need Fancy Equipment
When I first started listening to podcasts, I assumed you needed a studio and expensive audio equipment. And yes, while this may be true for a heavily produced show such as Serial, most podcasts aren’t that sophisticated.
In theory, all you need is the recording component of your smartphone. I say ‘in theory’, as while a microphone is the bare minimum requirement, it helps to shell out for something better than what’s built into your phone or laptop. For example, I use a Blue Yeti microphone to record my podcasts, and while yes, I did spend money on the item, you don’t have to break the bank to produce decent audio quality.
PREPARE
That said, you can get all the fancy equipment money can buy: if your podcast is garbage, then it will stay garbage no matter how nice it sounds.
Content is the most important component when it comes to podcasting, which is why it is so crucial to prepare before getting in front of the microphone.
I always have an outline in front of me of what I want to say and I try to follow it, otherwise I’m just rambling with no cohesive structure and offer no value to my audience.
Preparation is also vital with podcast interviews. If I go in with no notes or no pre-arranged questions for my guests, the interview will suffer as a result. A candid interview can be spontaneous, but it’s not always very interesting, and it’s my number one goal to keep my audience engaged and entertained.
Learn How to Edit
Those ahhs and umms, dead air and irrelevant content? Drop ‘em. This is why software such as Audacity exists. If you have the opportunity to make your podcast better, why not do it?
The Keys to Success: Time Management and Consistency
Podcasts take a lot of time and energy to create. There’s the recording, the editing, the promoting….
At the same time, in order for podcasts to gain traction, they need to be released on a regular basis.
Weekly is a popular schedule; I update monthly, but I hope to rev up my content creation so that I can release an episode at least bimonthly.
What about do? Do you podcast? Have you thought about podcasting? What other advice can you can you give about podcasting? Leave your thoughts in the comments!