How To Start A Podcast In 4 Days – Day 2
Previously on How To Start A Podcast In 4 Days – Day 1
So you’ve ordered your mic and you’ve decided who you will do your show with, if anyone.
We are on to Day 2
Day 2
Day 2 might be the easiest day of all. Step 1 is another “thinking” step and step 2 is just downloading programs. Not even using them! You really could have done all this in Day 1, but it’s whatever.
Steps:
- Decide on a theme for your podcast
- Download recording software
Deciding On A Theme
Here is my advice on picking a theme: think small. As in, a small, tight niche that fewer people (or nobody) is covering.
Now, obviously there needs to be some balance here. You can’t just do a movie podcast, or a hockey podcast anymore. Great versions of those are already out there and it’s going to be tough to steal any market share (feel free to ignore this if you are so awesome at your topic that you think you can do better than everyone else already out there. Self confidence is a beautiful thing!) But… you also can’t do a show on something no one can relate to. Ok… nowadays thanks to the internet someone can relate to almost anything, but it’s not gonna be easy if you are doing a show on obscure Japanese anime cartoons from the 1980s (or maybe it’s not. Maybe that has a huge passionate market that I don’t know about)
So anyway, think small, but spin it big. If you want do do hockey, consider doing minor league hockey instead of NHL. Make the best possible, most interesting minor league hockey podcast, then spin it to NHL every once in a while. BOOM! Best of both worlds.
If you want to do TV don’t cover ALL of TV. Pick a specific show (NOT Game of Thrones, everyone is doing that already) and crush that. Of course you are going to be allowed to talk about other shows. Podcasts tend to branch out, especially after a few weeks of consistently putting out episodes. But to start, my recommendation is to pick a focus and stick to it and do that very well, then spin-off into more general topics.
What NOT to do: a podcast where you and your buddies just shoot the shit.
Womp Womp. I know. Sucks right? That was your big idea. That was why you tagged your buddy in a tweet or IG post about #HowToStartAPodcast. You guys are soooooo funny, right?
Alright listen, I’m not trying to shatter your dreams. Maybe you still are going to be the next Big Cat, like you thought you were until you read that last paragraph. If you are that funny, my advice probably isn’t going to make that much or a difference. I’m just saying, there was a time to start a podcast of nonsensical idiocy and rambling and that time was 2012. Here’s an idea: start TWO podcasts. One where you just shoot the shit, but also one where you have some kind of a theme.
Software
Since your trusty Blue Yeti USB mic will soon be arriving, you are gonna need somewhere to plug it in and some software to run it. Full disclosure: I am an Apple stan. I haven’t even considered using a PC in 10 years. I definitely wouldn’t have gotten into podcasting if it wasn’t for Garage Band. If you have a Mac, great. Garage Band is free, start there. If you don’t, Audacity is comparable for a PC, although I have used that very little. Just get a Mac alright? Everybody just get a Mac.
Personally, I now edit on Adobe Audition, but that is more expensive and you don’t need to it to get started. Although they do have a great student discount so if you have a .edu account, consider getting the Adobe Creative Cloud at a bargain price.
Another program I HIGHLY recommend is Ecamm’s Skype Recorder. Back when we started KFC Radio (download, subscribe, Rate, review) we started on Google Hangouts. Hangouts is still a viable option, but we made the switch over to Ecamm and it was A LOT easier.
Also Screenflow. But that’s more for video editing.
Ok so your mic is on the way, you’ve got your partner in crime, you’ve decided what your podcast will be, and you’ve got all the software you need. Time to start recording, right? Not so fast my friend! Day 3 will get a few more logistics out of the way and THEN you get to show the world you mic skills.
