Thank you for attending my session at BlogPaws 2018!
Below you’ll find a summary of resources discussed during my presentation as well as links to the slides.
How to Connect with Me
Fadra Nally [email protected]
Twitter: @allthingsfadra
Instagram: instagram.com/allthingsfadra
Facebook: facebook.com/allthingsfadra
What You Need to Know About Podcasting
The latest research in consumer consumption of podcasts can be found at Edison Research.
How to Structure a Podcast
My best advice is to listen to many podcasts and get a feel for the format. Some of my current favorites include:
How Much is This Going to Cost You?
This is an excerpt from my post, From Blogger to Podcaster – What You Need to Know. There are affiliate links included below.
For recording, you need good equipment. You’ll read about top of the line mics and “make do” ear pods. Just trust me. People don’t have much of a tolerance for poor audio. Invest in a decent mic. We both use one that was recommended to us.
Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB Dynamic Microphone – easy to use, plugs into your computer via USB, includes a stand
Foam Ball-Type Mic Windscreen – you’re going to need this to keep you consonants from ‘popping’ when you speak; order it as an add-on item when you order your mic (it’s super cheap that way!)
Audio Technica ATH-MX20 – I started with ancient headphones but ended up winning this in a Facebook contest with Blubrry!
You’ll also need recording software. If you are recording with anyone that is not physically sitting next to you, you’ll need software to record your audio tracks. Everyone has an opinion and there are plenty of free options. But we’ve opted to use Cast for a few reasons. At $10 a month for our level of usage, it’s an affordable option.
But mainly I love that it records my voice and Shannon’s voice as two separate tracks. Something that’s very handy when editing.
For editing, I can only speak to the Mac users out there. Cast does have the ability to record, edit, and publish all from their interface. I prefer to download the tracks and do it locally on my computer so I use Garageband – a free app that’s part of the Apple operating system.
There’s definitely a learning curve and I purchased a nice tutorial that gives you the basics if that’s something you need. (In fact, you’ll find a lot of great podcasting tutorials here if you’re looking for some resources to get you started).
Audacity is another free software download that many people use in podcasting but I don’t have any experience with it.
For publishing, we’ve been absolutely thrilled with Blubrry Podcast Hosting. You’ll hear of others, primarily Libsyn, but we liked how easily Blubrry integrated with Wordpress and made the distribution of our podcast episodes, once published, super easy.
How Do You Make It All Work?
Below are some of our favorite podcasting groups on Facebook:
Podcast Movement Community – For Podcasters
Also, find hashtags of podcasters that support each other, like #PodernFamily on Twitter.
Finally…
The best way to learn is to roll up your sleeves, dig in, and LEARN. Join communities, ask questions, and learn from the mistakes others have made.
Podcasting is mostly a labor of love so if you enjoy, keep doing it!
And, if you’re passionate about something in entertainment, we’d love to have you as a guest. Please reach out!
Link to presentation (click on image below)
