Setting Up Your Podcast For Success

Podcasting is not as simple as turning on a microphone and letting out your guts. Many people think that it’s a simple task to get through, but it’s not exactly easy. When you start to work with professional level audio options, you’ll realize that this can become a time consuming, difficult process. That’s not to say it can’t be fun, or rewarding, but it can become increasingly difficult to work through. Setting up a podcast initially could be easy enough, but as you turn the corner from novice to expert, things are going to become a bit more complicated.

If you want to hit the ground running with your show, or perhaps you want to streamline your existing solution, the following will help. These are tips that can help you set up your podcast space, as well as align your schedule. These can help you keep things budgeted right, working with the right tools, and organized properly as well.

The Budgeting Aspect

Initially, you will have to spend a little money to get started. If you absolutely have no money, and you can’t get any surplus, don’t worry. You can get started with a smartphone. If you have a smartphone, then you have a microphone to start recording. Your initial podcasts may be raw, with hiss, static, pops, and noise. However, as you build an audience, you can start to upgrade your equipment, and even get better quality microphones, and post production elements.

The initial budget to start a podcast can be as little as $100 to get a kit. Or you could spend more on different pieces. Professional grade condenser mics, soundboards, and other equipment can easily run you upwards of $1,000 if you’re not careful. Budgeting can help you with costs, especially if you don’t have a lot to spend.

Spending money on equipment is one thing, but you could also find yourself spending on other things. For instance, some podcast guests require a fee to be on the show. Artists and musicians charge licensing fees to use their music, and you may have to pay for web hosting, bandwidth overages, and distribution. Either way, you should set up a simple budget for your show so you’re not losing money each week trying to do something that you’re giving away to others.

Create a Schedule For Podcast Production

You should have a timeline in place that helps you with your podcast. A simple timeline from recording to publishing should be made. Your audience will expect you to be on schedule with updating your podcast. If you want to publish once a week, stick a schedule and let people know. Once you commit to the schedule, record one day, mix another, or outsource the production to someone else and create a deadline that’s not too strict. Without a timeline, you could very well have a podcast that no one listens to because it’s not organized properly.

Where To Record

Perhaps one of the hardest things to decide is where to record. Will you be doing this in your home? Think about the noises that you don’t really pay attention to overall. The sound of fans, air conditioning starting and stopping, outside noises, pets, doors slamming, neighbors arguing, and street sounds. Your home may have a lot of noise that gets picked up on a condenser mic, so you may not want to work from home.

You could rent studio time, record at a friend’s house, or find a closet to get your show going. Whatever the case may be, you are going to need to set a budget for this. Low cost studio time can be at least $100 an hour, or more. If you’re lucky, you can find space that is not going to cost you a lot, or share it with others and split the costs.

Podcast Post Production

For those who are busy, and can’t really spend a lot of time editing, changing levels, and rendering audio that is compact and without errors, there is still hope. You could hire someone to do the post production of your audio for cheap. This can fall under the budgeting category, but honestly, it’s a matter of production more than just budget. You can find this to be low cost in some arenas, or you could learn how to do this on your own. Either way, you’ll want to focus on post production to ensure you get high quality audio. Think about these elements as you set up a podcasting space, and you’ll no doubt move forward in time.

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