8 tips for those who want to start your podcast

Jan Semeshkina

Author of the popular podcast Fabula Rasa and the Speaker of the festival of creative industries G8.

Podcasts - a new type of storytelling on the Russian market. This regular audioblog that lets fall in love with the customer and to broadcast their own values. Podcasts not only entertain, but also to involve, so they are an excellent tool for the native PR and promotion.

Podcasts - it's evergreen product that does not lose relevance over time. In this case, it can be transformed into different types of content: from articles in social networks and ending books.

Only in the years 2018-2019 in Russia there are more new podcasts than in the past few years. So now is the time to start your podcast: the audience is constantly growing and at the same time there are still niches and the ability to quickly get to the ratings.

1. Select the appropriate genre

Podcasts are usually divided into four genres: interviews, talk shows, lectures, story.

Interview

• examples: "It will be done», Websarafan, «It is not easy," "Reader", "It is a failure," "Kritmysh», Fabula Rasa.
• Intermediate timing: From 40 to 120 minutes.

The most popular genre. The focus of this podcast is the speaker. It was he who sets the theme and style of conversation. The task of the interviewer - to disclose motivation guest, to show the audience what kind of man sitting at the microphone that is important to him, what attitudes and values ​​it carries.

If the interview is reduced to a specific topic, and not to an individual, a visiting expert can draw on himself the whole issue, podcast bring a new audience and provide unique content, even if the master is not well prepared.

The main advantage of the format - the dynamics of conversation and live drama. When the microphone two people, much easier to build conflict and intrigue, you can control the reader's attention, set the pace of the conversation rate issues.

Interview - a genre that is better than the other creates a sense of presence and intimate conversation.

Talk show

• examples: "Coven Dur", "Book Bazaar", "shelves".
• Average Duration: from 20 to 90 minutes.

The next type of podcasts - a talk show. leading group discussing a given topic, and usually does so witty and funny.

Tasks in this podcast can be different: to engage or entertain. Talk shows are good when their record company of friends, then they are quite easy to turn into a friendly stand up. For example, a podcast of four young-adult-writers "Coven Dur" - a classic stand-okololiteraturnye, while the "Book Bazaar" Galina Yuzefovich and Anastasia Zavozovoy or podcast "Shelves" - this is talk show.

Lecture

• examples: Layfhakera podcast lectures "Arzamas".
• Average Duration: from 20 to 60 minutes.

This is no less popular genre. Podcasts, listen to people who are different awareness and discard the useless content. Popular science lectures best fit into the concept of conscious consumption.

Story

• examples: "Polyarinov says," "Hot trendiness", "brew business", "The Life of Man", "Lotchitsy".
• Average Duration: from 20 to 60 minutes.

And finally, the stories. This genre involves one or more of the leading multi-dimensional and complex installation. Podcast constructed as audiofilm with sound effects. The goal - to tell the story so that the listener can immerse themselves in it.

2. Prepare well

If you prepare for the interview, read what they write about the future of the interlocutor in other sources. Invent or pull out of the speaker of the interesting and useful topic. Write an example scenario, building a plan of issues to conduct the visitor from point A to point B.

Be sure to look at or listen to an interview with your hero to get his rate of speech, the average length of the answer to the question and the way it behaves in front of a camera and a microphone. Then you realize how many questions you can ask in the framework of the podcast. During an interview to "shake" the speaker, and this first "shake" themselves: for example, Tony Robbins before the show jumping on a trampoline. We need to create a podcast in a state of ecstasy, and negative mood to leave behind.

Do not forget to ask questions from the perspective of your target audience, asked to explain the terms, even if they know them.

To talk show enough to prepare abstracts, you are going to discuss, and advance to distribute roles between participants. The main thing - to develop a conflict. In no case do not agree with your counterparts, find points of contention - it will help keep intrigue and the attention of the audience until the end of the episode. For example, Galina Yuzefovich and Anastasia Zavozova distribute in advance between a point of view: academic philology vs. books "for patsanchika". Although the life they have similar views on literature in the podcast "Book Bazaar", they deliberately choose discussion topics and disagree with each other. Authors Podcast "Coven Dur" tell us that in the preparation of issues never discuss jokes and rehearse, because otherwise the energy and spontaneity disappear - and because of them the students love this podcast.

If you write a story, lecture, or audio diaries, you need a script. This is the most difficult stage of the work, with a script by 80% determines the quality of the podcast. Your task - to make history tangible. Appeal to all the senses listening: hearing, sight, touch, smell. Finish the episode kliffhengerom Artistic techniques, in which the narrative breaks off in a tense moment of the plot, leaving open isolation. - Approx. Ed. , Turn it into a story in the series.

3. Take care of equipment

You will need to create a podcast:

• Skype - for remote recording interviews;
• program calls for fixing, for example, Call Recorder, Zoom, Zencastr, Cast, Ringr, Anchor App;
• microphone;
• a program for editing, you can take Audacity, Garage Band.

Selecting the microphone depends on your budget. The easiest-to-use and cheap option - microphone petlichka Boya BY M-1 (about 1400 rubles). It is especially useful while traveling and on the road, do not take up much space, provides good sound quality. The alternative with the best parameters of recording - petlichka for iPhone Rode SmartLav +. If you are going to write an interview, buy the several microphones or dual model Boya BY-M1DM.

Professional microphones provide a more voluminous and clear sound, remove background noise. Prices for these microphones range from 4 to 30 thousand rubles. A good microphone can be purchased within 6-7 thousand.

The easiest option - devices that connect to a computer via USB-port: Samson Q2U, Audio-Technica ATR2100, Blue Yeti, Rode NT-USB. Another type of microphones - the ones that are connected via special XLR-cable. They provide a higher quality surround sound and are used in professional recording studios. To connect these microphones to the computer, you need a sound card (for example, Behringer Audio Interfaces). Or you can buy a recording device (such as Zoom H4n) and connect a microphone to him. Podkasterskie popular gadgets of such a plan - a Shure SM58, Audio-Technica AT2020, Blue Blackout Spark SL, Rode Procaster.

To record a podcast with several participants is required for different microphones in multiple tracks. As a rule, all sides say with unequal volume, sometimes pronounced parasite wordsWhich will need to be removed. To do so within one track is very difficult, to the same volume level should be adjusted so that it matches all the speakers. Then listen to the podcast will be much nicer.

4. correctly mount

Free and easy to use program to handle podcasts - Audacity, it can be installed on iOS and Windows. If you are an active user of MacBook, use Enclosing all Apple GarageBand software products.

Installation podcast consists of three stages:

• Removing extraneous noise.
• Cleaning the audio from unnecessary words and clauses.
• Adding entry and conclusion. For each issue needs its own eyeliner, which includes cutting the key issue of the episodes, a small teaser threads dossier guest, if you are writing an interview. Finally, sum up: What are the main ideas of the episode, as well as Speak clear call-to-action: how to give feedback to the podcast, how to deliver an opinion as to talk about it in social networks.

Published podcast usually in MP3 format. Sound - mono, quality - from 64 to 128 kbit / c.

If you do not want to delve into the issues Productions - recording, sound processing and editing - you can delegate this part of the work to professionals. You only need to think about the content.

5. Properly pack

The most important in the packaging of the podcast - a header. Come up with 10 options, perform A / B-test and select the best. You have only a couple of seconds to get Attention reader, and a few more to keep him.

In a text description to highlight key thoughts and tell us what benefit will receive listener. If you record the interview, bring the story of his hero.

Add links to useful resources: for example, ask the speaker of the material that can be useful and interesting for the audience. Prepare a lead magnet for all who leave comments about your podcast.

6. Choose a user-friendly Hosting

There are several hosting services to publish podcasts:

• SoundCloud;
• Podbean;
• Simplecast;
• Blubrry;
• Libsyn.

On all of these hosting a monthly fee for hosting the content is about 15 dollars. In this case, your podcast gets into many popular platforms.

To get to the other, for example, "Yandex. Music "," VKontakte "and Bookmate, need to independently apply for registration of the podcast at these sites, and connect the RSS-feed - all new releases will appear there automatically. Also, be sure to register in iTunes.

7. Think about promotion

The market podcasts huge potential. The main task for the beginner - to bring audioblog in the iTunes top. This will increase the number of plays dozens of times. To get to the top, you need to collect feedback and assessment of students as well as to replicate their work through contextual advertising, email-newsletters and social networks.

On the promotion of podcasts also affects mediality guests. experts inflyuenseryBloggers can bring the podcast to the top very quickly, the most important thing - to choose the top ten strategic reviews, which will help to raise the position.

The exact output of the algorithm in the iTunes top are not registered anywhere, but there are clear criteria that are taken into account in it:

• regularity of the release of new episodes;
• quality useful content that is relevant to the target audience;
• reviews and assessment of students;
• the number of subscribers;
• the total number of plays;
• the number of read until the end of the release.

In the podcast has just eight weeksITunes podcast rankings: how does it work?To fly up the iTunes ranking. Later, it will be harder to do. Therefore, make a detailed plan for the promotion of the next two months.

1. Record podcasts in advance pool, preparing content for the next eight weeks to publish editions on time.
2. For each issue, prepare a trailer - a three-minute cutting of the most interesting moments of the next episode. In the preview call an exact release date (3-4 days after the publication of the preview). This will help increase the number of read to the end of issues and the number of new subscribers, who do not want to miss the new episode.
3. Make a support group - this is 15-20 people from your environment, which immediately write positive comments about the podcast after its release and put the channel five stars.
4. Add a clear call-to-action. In the release, in the description, in social networks, in the email-newsletter to publish clear instructions on how to leave a review in iTunes.
5. Convert feedback listeners reviews on iTunes. How can actively communicate with their audience, to answer the questions. Your task - to make the students and the evangelicals Ambassador project.
6. Make a list of media that your audience is reading. Write these publications to the proposal to prepare the material for podcasts. Media influence on improving your expertise and recognition, but most importantly - they will bring a new loyal audience.

8. Do not make the common mistakes

Here are the reasons because of which podcasts do not take off:

• The problem with the positioning. When the podcast concept can be explained in one sentence, it is stored and released from a number of others.
• Boring presenter. Podcast - a special genre, it involves close contact with the listener. Steep podcasts that we love, charisma attracted leading. Today, instead of the traditional methods of advertising focused on emotional storytelling. In a good history of the brand is not necessarily the main characters, they transmit your voice to real people: celebrities, public intellectuals or mikroinflyuenseram. If you bet on the right people, they give life and meaning to the philosophy brandHis values ​​and beliefs.
• Irregular output episodes. Users who subscribe to a podcast, expect regular content updates. If you disappear from the audience forget about you. People are bound to the schedule, and if the time of the release of new episodes begins to "float", it causes negative from listeners.
• Misleading "cool content sells itself." Many podcasters believe that quality content does not need to advance, he attracts the right audience. This is not true. In all applications, through which students receive access to podcasts, weak and uncomfortable recommendation engine (exception - YouTube). Useful, engaging content is not a guarantee of popularity. It is important to constantly keep this in mind and apply marketing tools.
• The view that the grateful audience estimate podcast. People are inert and do not like to do extra activities. In this case, users are much more likely put negative ratings than positive. That is why many podcasters are advised, as mentioned above, to prepare a support group, which is precisely to leave positive feedback and high ratings under the releases. During the startup phase of the podcast it is very important.