12 Powerful Podcast Tips For Beginners

  • Diana Aghumyan
  • January 26, 2022
  • 10 min read

Your podcast studio serves as your primary residence. It’s where your episodes come to life from your notes; it’s where your content takes shape and spreads around the world. If you are serious about starting a career as a podcaster, you’ll need a professional podcast studio setup.

Why? Because the number of podcast listeners worldwide is expected to reach 424.2 million by the end of this year. This lets us assume that podcasts are increasingly popular, and you need to make a real effort to stand out in the competition.

What are the benefits of having a good recording studio? As good podcast quality is key to your show’s success, you need to have a proper recording studio. People do not watch shows with poor audio quality. And if your studio is bad, your audio will be bad too.

But let’s be clear: you don’t need a state-of-the-art facility and invest thousands of dollars in podcast equipment. Some people can afford it, and you may someday, but if you’re just starting out with a podcast, your needs are simpler and basic.

While it is crucial to have a good podcast studio setup, it is not highly recommended to wait around until you find the time and money to create one. It is preferable to begin recording episodes sooner rather than later. The sooner you figure out what makes a fantastic episode, the faster your fan base will increase.

In today’s blog, we will walk you through some cost-friendly and effective podcast tips worth trying. So, let’s start.

12 Easy Podcast Tips to Try For Success

  1. Decide On A Podcast Type

It is essential to decide what kind of podcast you want to record. Whether it is a one-person show, multi-host talk show, or host-guest podcast, you need to choose a format that best suits a particular topic. Below you will find the features for any type of podcast. This can help you to understand which one to choose for your show. 

  • One-person show: You can create a podcast for a one-person or solo program. Consider it a storytelling podcast. Thus it must be well-scripted. As a result, you must hone your narrative abilities and deliver the highest quality audio possible. A one-person show can either leave the audience with a bad aftertaste or draw them in deeply and leave them wanting more. This form of the podcast is simple and inexpensive to put up.
  • Multi-host talk show: In each episode of a multi-host talk show, more than one host runs the show. In this podcast format, you and your co-host can talk about a variety of topics. You can also invite guests on occasion. For optimal audio quality, you’ll need two sets of microphones and headphones for each participant, just like the host-guest arrangement. Create a podcast for two individuals if you have a co-host or a guest. You can use headset splitters to connect numerous people’s headsets to the same recording device at the same time. They will be able to hear each other speak, making editing easier.
  • Host-guest podcast: Unlike a solo program, this podcast does not necessitate much writing. You only need to select a decent guest who is familiar with the topic of your podcast. The recording is particularly unique in that you must also record your guest. As a result, the setup for this type of podcast can be complicated.

2. Choose the Right Location

Once you have chosen the type for your podcast, it is high time to choose the right podcasting location. The space you choose to record podcasts will greatly affect the sound quality of your audio.

You may think you have the perfect space by using the basement or garage. Emptying a room that no one uses is not necessarily the right space. In reality, empty areas are often bad recording studios because they produce a lot of echoes. The best areas are generally full of stuff.

If you lack the resources to build your own recording space from scratch (most podcasters don’t, especially when they just get started), almost any room in your house can serve as a good recording place. Select rooms with a lot of soft surfaces, such as rugs, carpeting, and fabric furniture. Avoid hard-surfaced spaces, such as your kitchen or rooms with hard flooring.

You should also select a location that is least influenced by outside noise, such as rooms on the opposite side of a street or rooms that do not share walls with common parts of your home. Finished basements are ideal because they do not share walls with other rooms.

3. Get Rid of Any Distractions

Whether it is a certain item or noise that keeps you distracted all the time, you need to remove it. If you want to produce great quality for your podcasts, you need to eliminate all distractions. In this way, you can mainly focus on your recording and not worry about a neighbor who might talk in a loud tone which will be heard in your audio file.

4. Invest in Sound Treatment

Some people confuse sound treatment with soundproofing. However, they are not the same. Sound treatment is the process of improving the way sound sounds in a room. It’s all about acoustics and reverb.

The goal of sound treatment is to control the amount of sound that is reflected in your home studio. A room with a lot of soft and comfortable surfaces can prevent excessive reverb or echo, which means half your work is already done.

What should you do for better sound treatment? You can use:

  • Bass traps
  • Diffusers
  • Absorption

5. Sound Proof

Soundproofing a room implies separating it totally (or as much as possible) from outside noise.

One way to do this is by blocking off your rooms with thick, robust construction material and sealing any air gaps around windows and doors.

The best choices here are soundproof foam panels. Their function is to absorb sound so that it does not bounce around the room and hit your microphone. You may get them at online shops. Attach them to hard surfaces such as blank walls, cabinet doors, and the ceiling.

6. Place Plants

It is no coincidence that residential buildings are shielded from roads by trees. According to the research, plants are good at absorbing and diffusing sound. Croton, monstera, ficus, palms, and citrus fruits like lemon and tangerine are all ideal plants to place in your room. Large succulents in the corner of the room will also work well as a bass trap.

Beautiful green potted plants

Plants add warmth and make any room look visually appealing. The essential thing is not to overdo it with the dampness in the room so as not to disable the podcast equipment.

7. Use Thick Curtains

Using thick curtains is among the list of our podcasting tips. Huge windows that span the entire wall are appealing to the eye but not to the ear when the goal is to generate outstanding sound in the room. You do not need to use wooden shutters to close them. Ordinary thick curtains are more than enough.

8. Grab the Right Recording Equipment and Software

You need to purchase good recording equipment if you want to achieve success. Based on research, 67% of podcasters use computer software to record their episodes. So, even if you have a small budget, don’t worry. You can purchase both recording software and equipment at affordable prices. Luckily, there are many options available. Especially if you are just starting out, you do not need to invest a lot of money in advanced software and equipment.

So you can begin with a simple microphone and PC. When your podcast audience grows and you start making money from it, you can invest in higher-quality and more complex recording equipment.

9. Pick Your Podcast Editing Software

If you’re wondering how to edit a podcast efficiently, you should utilize a DAW (digital audio workstation). It is hardware or software that allows you to convert recorded audio into a readable format on your computer and gives you tools for editing these audio files. A DAW is an excellent choice for more precise podcast editing. However, if you are a beginner, working with DAW software may appear sophisticated and difficult to you. Famous DAW software includes Audacity, Reaper, Pro Tools, and GarageBand.

A man editing his podcast with software

Before deciding on a DAW program for podcast editing, you should ask yourself certain questions.

  • First, ensure that your operating system (PC or Mac) is compatible with the software you intend to use.
  • Next, you must consider how much you are willing to spend on software. If you want the highest quality for your podcasts, you need to spend a little more money. However, if you have a limited budget, you might begin with software that meets your needs.
  • Finally, you must assess your editing abilities and experience. Not all editing software is user-friendly. Some have complicated features that require time to learn. If you have prior experience editing, mixing, and mastering, you will have no trouble utilizing any editing software. Purchasing complex software, on the other hand, would be pointless if you are a beginner with no basic editing skills.

10. Choose a Podcast Hosting Service

Finding a podcast hosting provider is an important step to take. Podcasts hosted elsewhere can be uploaded to streaming sites such as Spotify and Soundcloud.

Spotify, for instance, has a hosting platform called Anchor.fm that allows you to record, upload, and submit podcasts to Spotify. There are also additional hosting platforms, such as Buzzsprout and Castos. Before deciding on a hosting platform, conduct research to discover more about each one. You may check that the program fulfills your needs and specifications in this manner.

11. Prepare For Launching Your First Podcast

Once you are done with all the podcast tips mentioned above, it is time to start recording.

If it is your first time recording a podcast, you should not worry about anything. Try to relax and enjoy the moment. The first episode should not be perfect, after all. Do your best and try to edit your show properly to achieve the best possible results.

Since it is the first episode, you can write an outline and use it if you suddenly forget about something. In this way, you can structure your thoughts well and make sure you cover the most important points.

Additionally, if you are going to invite any guests to your podcast, make sure to do enough research about other speakers. This will allow you to prepare some interesting questions in advance and have a more natural conversation with them.

12. Improve

You might follow all the podcast tips mentioned in this article, but if you do not improve your podcasts on a regular basis, there is no sense in dreaming of having a loyal fan base and developing your podcasting career. Quality is what makes a good podcast. You can achieve good quality only when you constantly improve your podcasts.

Regardless of whether you are a beginner or an experienced podcaster, you should always seek opportunities for growth. If you have pain points and do not improve them on time, you cannot expect to have great success.

If you want to improve your podcasts, you can ask your audience. They will always tell the truth. Conduct a survey and ask your listeners to leave their unbiased opinions. For instance, they might suggest you change the format of your podcast or choose other topics.

Summary

Starting a podcast is not an easy task. However, brainstorming and talking to your friends or family might be helpful. They can suggest podcast tips you might have overlooked.

The most important thing is to decide whether any of their recommended solutions are suitable to your needs and requirements.

We hope our article was helpful and our podcasting tips will help you to succeed.

SEO Content Writer

Diana Aghumyan

 

Diana is an experienced creative SEO content writer at SayNine. She is passionate about writing and giving value to people with her articles. Her blogs revolve around advertising, digital marketing, and other similar topics.