Briae Robillard
Contributing Writer
I have only been podcasting ‘Slay in Your Lane’ for two months, but it has over a thousand downloads on iTunes and GooglePlay. I even have listeners from France, Spain and the United Kingdom! And I do it all from my Keene State College residence hall!
So how do I do it? The first step is getting your equipment. All you need to start off is a laptop, recording software, microphone and a soundboard if you want to interview people! Preprogrammed software is free for MAC users while other laptop users can download Audacity for free. Next, is finding a microphone. There are plenty of cheap options available on Amazon, however the amount spent does determine the quality of the audio. Blue Ball is a great option for a microphone if you want to spend 70 dollars or less. Some microphones come with pop filters and stands to make recording even easier and have better quality. If you are new to podcasting, a soundboard isn’t required, especially due to their high cost. However, it is a great thing to have down the road.
What will your podcast be about? For a successful podcast, it is crucial that you find a theme that will fit a specific niche or solve a problem. Once that is done, outline an episode and record it! It is a lot easier recording if there is a set plan to follow. You can also record an intro by using royalty free music. There is plenty of Royalty free music online especially if the artist is credited in the description of the episode. The last step is editing. The editing process can get a bit tricky, but the more you play around with the software, the easier it is to learn.
Once your podcast is done, create an image cover that will meet iTunes’ guidelines and find a hosting site for your RSS feed. Your RSS feed is the link that all the hosting sites use to automate new podcasts to different websites and social platforms. Soundcloud is a great, free option for this. Once you submit your feed to iTunes and GooglePlay, you are ready to be a podcaster!
