July 4, 2020
Having created more than 90 episodes of my Scottish Business Network series (plus several podcast projects for clients), I’ve learnt quite a few things about podcasting – partly from my own blunders, and partly from speaking to other podcast hosts. If you’re thinking about launching a podcast, these 11 tips might help.
1 Content is more important than equipment…
When someone starts a podcast series, a lot of their attention can be consumed by the technology and the recording equipment. But by far the most important thing to think about is the content. What makes your podcast different to what’s already out there? Why should people listen to it? What will make your audience recommend it their peers?
If you create a podcast bursting with genuinely compelling content, people won’t mind if it’s recorded over a crackly telephone line. So think carefully about the format, themes and contributors that will bring the podcast to life. Get that right, and everything else will fall into place.
2 But you do need equipment too
The first time I was interviewed for a podcast was by Steve Watson for the excellent Stack indie magazine podcast. I was surprised that the recording process consisted of him simply turning his iPhone on. But it turns out that an iPhone (and possibly Android phones too) are excellent for recording podcasts. I used my iPhone for many episodes but did then upgrade to a Zoom H4N Pro voice recorder. Then, when lockdown hit and I couldn’t meet my interviewees in person, I switched to the Squadcast platform, which provides excellent sound quality, better than Teams or Zoom. Another good option is Zencastr which, together with my Zoom H4N, were recommended to me by Matt Alder, host of The Recruiting Future podcast, which has huge download stats, particularly in the US.
3 Turn the record button on
Often, the best advice is the simplest. Whatever you do, make sure you press the record button. I conducted a 30-minute interview with the fascinating Greenock-based entrepreneur Poonam Gupta before she gently pointed out that I didn’t seem to be recording our conversation. I was lucky – she graciously agreed to immediately do the whole thing again.
4 Help your interviewee
A lot of people feel anxious about being interviewed – a feeling I've had when the tables have been turned. I think it’s partly because the interview process is an unnatural way to have a conversation and partly because some of us worry that we'll ramble on, won't be able to answer a question or will say something we'll regret.
As a result I usually send the people that I interview my questions in advance. It makes them feel more comfortable when it comes to the recording and gives them time to come up with some thoughtful answers. But that doesn’t mean we necessarily stick to the script. There needs to be scope for spontaneity and, once they've hit their stride, I will also throw in any extra questions that spring to mind.
5 You’re part of the entertainment
I’ve spent my career interviewing people, so I’m comfortable with coming up with questions, putting interviewees at ease and encouraging interesting responses. But the big change for me when recording podcast interviews was the realisation that I had become part of the entertainment.
You can't just rely on your guests. You have to bring energy to the presentation, choose your words carefully, attempt to sound vaguely perceptive and possibly even amusing.
6 Don’t be annoying
When someone is talking to me, I have a habit of chipping in with a string of ‘yeah’, ‘right’, ‘aha’ etc. That’s okay in the course of a normal conversation but if you have to listen to someone do that throughout a podcast episode, it's annoying. In an early episode, I was so enthusiastic about what I was hearing that I simply wouldn’t shut up. I now try to remain quiet when the other person is talking. And another advantage with Zencastr and Squadcast is that you get a separate audio file for each person on the call, so it's easy to edit out
distractions.
7 Do it live?
Prior to lockdown, one in four of my podcasts was recorded live in London in front of an audience of anything up to 80 people. This undoubtedly adds an extra shot of adrenalin. And in my case, the interview was part of a programme of Scottish Business Network sessions so I had to stick to a strict timing of 40 minutes.
I kept one eye on the clock to ensure I covered everything I needed to, and sometimes gently interrupted my guest to keep things moving along. It can also be harder to concentrate with so many pairs of eyes looking on and I found my mind wandering on occasion. But a good live interview provides a wonderful buzz and, as well as being great entertainment for the audience, some of that atmosphere translates nicely into the finished recording.
Since the arrival of the pandemic crisis, these live events have been moved online to Zoom, with several of my episodes recorded in front of large numbers of people sitting at home on their sofas. It works really well, although the quality of audio on Zoom isn't always brilliant.
8 Edit out the bad stuff
Unless you and your interviewees are word-perfect geniuses, it’s likely that your content will benefit from a careful edit. I import my audio files to Garageband on my MacBook, but there are plenty of other audio edit packages you can use. I listen to the whole recording, editing out any awkward silences, excessive rambles, mistakes etc. I then record an intro and an outro, as well as adding my musical jingle (kindly created by the brilliant Scottish composer Chris Tolley), and two short clips from the Scottish voiceover artist Jenny Dunbar. I'm then ready to export the file as an MP4.
9 Find a good host
Podcasts are hosted on a platform that generates an RSS feed which, in turn is picked up by other podcast services – i.e. you can't simply load your podcasts up to iTunes, you need a host to create the RSS feed that iTunes then feeds off.
There’s been an explosion in platforms offering podcast hosting. Like many people
who weren't really sure how to go about it, I chose Soundcloud because I'd heard of
it and used it for posting and listening to music. It's worked fine for me after a bit of
initial fiddling around with the settings but is really better suited to musicians.
Prompted by a recommendation from fellow podcaster Sue Stockdale, I have since
used Spreaker for client podcasts I have produced, and find it a better option.
I upload each episode to my Soundcloud/Spreaker account which then distributes episodes across Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all the other platforms.
10 Get yourself a podcast buddy
I frequently talk to other podcast hosts to share ideas and I have a monthly call with the former athlete, explorer, motivational speaker and previously mentioned Sue Stockdale, who hosts the suitably inspiring Access To Inspiration. It always gees me up.
11 Keep going
There are a lot of podcasts out there. Unless you’re a celebrity or already have a massive social media following of relevant potential listeners, it's going to take a long time to build up an audience. The key is consistency and persistence. Choose a frequency (mine is fortnightly) and keep pushing them out there. Encourage anyone who contributes to the episodes to share them to their followers. And enjoy it. The best part of podcasting for me – far and away – has been listening to the extraordinary people that have shared their stories with me.
Postscript
I stepped back from the Scottish Business Network podcast series in 2023, but all the episodes are still available. For other examples of my podcast work, please see my Podcasts page.
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