How to Podcast

Podcasts are a form of audio broadcasting on the Internet that allow listeners to subscribe to certain channels and download episodes. Content is often meant for very specific audiences across academia, entertainment, news, and more. If you’d like to start a podcast, here’s what you’ll need:

Content

Before anything else, you should ask yourself why you want to start a podcast.  What objectives do you hope to achieve with the content that you publish?  Along with knowing your topic, you should know your target audience.  Give that audience a reason to listen and come back for more.  Asking yourself if your target audience would like to listen to your content will keep you focused.  You should also plan several initial episodes before launching your podcast to keep your audience engaged. Read more about podcast content on the Teaching Hub.

Microphone

The more you invest in a microphone, the better quality audio you’ll produce.  While you can record straight from your smartphone, many condenser microphones used for podcasting require only a USB output for plug and play. Read about some of the best podcast microphones.  It’s also important to be aware of the quality of the room in which you’ll be recording.  There are several factors that could affect your audio quality, such as background noise and the amount of echo in the room.

Audio Recording/Editing Software

Software is necessary to record the audio, edit the recordings, and save them as .mp3 files.  There are different applications for Mac and PC, with varying prices. Here are a few examples:

  • Audacity (Mac/PC; free)
  • GarageBand (Mac; free)
  • Adobe Audition (Mac/PC; free via UA’s Adobe Creative Cloud license)

Where to Host

You will need a media host to upload and publish your content. Media hosts will differ on price, storage space, and bandwidth limits. Here are some of the most popular:

  • Soundcloud
  • Squarespace
  • Libsyn
  • Blubrry
  • Podbean

RSS Feed

Most media hosts, such as Soundcloud, provide an RSS feed. An RSS feed allows you to submit your content to podcast directories, such as iTunes and Google Play.  You only need to submit this feed once to a directory, and every time you upload a new episode to your media host, the feed is automatically updated on the directory.