Creating a high-quality show takes more than just recording your voice and hitting publish. This article is going to be about the tangibles. We are going to give you podcasting tips on how to improve certain aspects of your podcast. Even small things can make a difference and we will tell you how. No matter your experience level, these podcasting tips will help you deliver a quality show that keeps your listeners coming back for more.
Podcasting tips
Tip No. 1
Do not record your podcast in your office. Echo is the biggest problem when recording. A common mistake of podcasters is recording in their offices i.e. usually small rooms where there is very little furniture and nothing to absorb the echo. You have to record your content in a space that is well-furnished. We suggest recording in your living room or bedroom where there’s a lot of furniture, pillows/cushions and things. Having plenty of objects and textures in the room ensures reducing echo.
Tip No. 2
Prior to recording, eliminate all possible distractions. When doing audio editing, we often hear dogs barking in the background, traffic noise, mobiles ringing, children or dogs present in the recording room, etc. Be sure to close all windows and doors of the room and also turn off your mobile.
Tip No. 3
Your recording sound level must be OK. This means that it mustn’t be too strong nor too low. How can you tell? Every recording software has sound meters which show the sound level. If it is red, it’s peaking and you must avoid that. So, make sure you are just below the red line.
Tip No. 4
Before you start recording, you need to close all apps or software running in the background. This is very important because they can cause glitches during your recording. Basically, when you are good to go with recording, nothing else runs on your computer apart from the recording software. This will ensure no problems occur in that sense.
Tip No. 5
The microphone should be at a distance of 10 cm (approx. 4 inches) from your mouth. This is the best distance because if you’re too close to the mic, there will be a significant distortion of your voice as well as a lot of pops. On the other hand, if you’re further away from the mic, the volume of the voice will be lower and the background noise (atmosphere) will be almost as loud as the narration.
Tip No. 6
Always tell your audience at the very beginning of every episode what they will be listening to. Listeners shouldn’t be left in the dark regarding the topic of each episode. They shouldn’t be left to listen and then work out on their own what the conversation topic is along the way. Make sure you have this direct approach and clarity because that is what is being appreciated and expected.
Tip No. 7
Whenever there’s a mistake or an interruption during recording, stop talking, tell the editor that you are going to repeat that part and start over. Your show is not live, so if there’s something that shouldn’t be in the episode, feel free to stop and repeat. It will be easier for the editor to eliminate those sections.
Tip No. 8
Each of your episodes should end with the most important things for you and your business. By this, we mean that you should emphasize your line of business and tell people how to get in touch with you. If you have any upcoming events, webinars, courses or perhaps a book you have published, this is the time to announce that or tell your listeners where they can find more information.
Tip No. 9
Show notes should accompany each of your podcast episodes. This is important because your listeners will probably be interested in exploring the topic of your conversation in the episode further. They might want to see links to check out software that you mentioned, the price of something, somebody’s website, etc.
Tip No. 10
Make sure you are in the 25-40 minutes range when it comes to the length of your podcast episodes. Our experience has been that the attention span of people is within that range. All the content you have should be carefully planned to fit that time limit. If you, nevertheless, want your episode to be longer, say up to an hour, you must strategically organize your content into segments. What this means is that you will need to have variety in your episode in order to keep the listener interested and focused. For example, you can have a solo segment where you might read questions from your audience and answer them, then have some music, and then the interview.
Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule, and there are many podcasts today that last for 2 hours or more. They too have their audiences. So, it’s up to you to decide what the best format is for you.
Conclusion
In the end, remember that the two most important things for a successful podcast are great content and high-quality sound. Following these podcasting tips can significantly improve the quality of your show and listener experience. From recording in the right environment to avoiding distractions, each of the podcasting tips we’ve shared is meant to help you produce better episodes.