(upbeat music)
- Welcome to the Abu Show.
I'm your host, Abu.
What should we talk about today?
Well, first I want to apologize
for not releasing episodes recently,
life and stuff, you know how it gets.
Let's see, let's see, let's see.
Have you guys heard the one about the chicken and the egg?
Raise your hand if you know somebody with a podcast?
If you're watching this video, your hand is probably up.
That's kind of the amazing thing about podcasts,
they're new and accessible, and exciting,
and there aren't many rules yet.
But, that also means that there are a ton
of bad podcasts out there,
a lot of shows that sound like The Abu Show.
(crickets chirping)
Erm...
If you're thinking about starting a podcast,
you're watching the right video.
I'm going to teach you everything you need to know
to get started, and I've enlisted the help of some friends.
You might have heard some of them on your favorite shows.
- I love radio, it's my favorite medium of all time.
I think it just does something
that other forms can not do.
- You should be focusing on the content.
- They always say if you're truly passionate
about something, the rough parts of it
should also be exciting to you.
- Don't panic, that's the first thing.
- Do the thing you enjoy doing.
- And so, the closer you can get
to the person's voice, the better.
- In this two-part series, I'm gonna go over everything
from coming up with your show idea,
to recording and mixing, and sharing it with the world.
So, let's get started.
(upbeat music)
Through my own experience as a podcaster,
and my discussions with experts in this video,
I've come up with a checklist of five things
you should do before you ever
release a single episode of your podcast.
Let's start with the most important one.
So, first things first, you gotta do some soul-searching.
Why do you want to get into podcasting?
- I think, first, you have to ask yourself
why this thing should be a podcast.
Like, do you just want to be a podcaster?
Or, is the thing that you're trying to make
something that doesn't exist and should exist?
- [Abu] Misha made an amazing free resource
about how to make a podcast that I'll link below.
In it, she has this list of questions
you should ask yourself to really figure out
if your brilliant idea even makes sense as a podcast.
Ultimately, though, it comes down
to just being excited about your idea.
Podcasting is a labor of love,
and people do it because they're passionate about something,
or they have a story to tell.
And, those should be your reasons.
- One of the things about podcasting
is it's an infectious medium,
and if you care about it, it comes through,
and other people start to care, too.
- So, I think that's part of why we're able
to have an audience and maintain that audience.
It's because they hear our enthusiasm,
and they kind of want to be a part of that.
- [Abu] Your passion and expertise is what will bring
in listeners, and no one knows that
better than Nichole and Bim,
two of the most entertaining hosts I've ever listened to.
- [Bim] Let me tell you something, free of charge.
If you roll up your shirt sleeves,
and reveal to me a hairy forearm or two...well.
[Nichole] With a nice watch...
- [Abu] That level of charisma
doesn't always come naturally, and it takes a lot of work.
- For the seventh time...
Professional.
- So, once you've come to terms with why
you want to start a podcast,
you're ready to actually make it.
Okay, cool. We've established that you're not here
for the non-existent fame or money.
You have a story that you're itching to tell,
or you're passionate about a certain topic.
Time to grab a mic and start recording, right?
No.
- I think the first question that you really need
to answer, ask and answer,
is this a commitment you can keep up?
Because it is a commitment.
- And Josh Clark would know a thing or two about commitment.
His podcast "Stuff You Should Know"
has been in production for over 10 years,
and it's one of the first podcasts
to cross a billion downloads.
Like anything creative, podcasts are a lot of work.
You have to be ready to commit a large amount of time,
and effort, and potentially money.
So, be sure you're ready for it.
- It's actually a lot of work to prepare for an episode.
People think we just go in
and talk to each other, and leave,
but that is not the case at all.
I think that we could quantify it
and say that it is a part-time job, at least.
- All right, the existential stuff is out of the way.
You are stoked about your podcast idea,
and you are ready to put the time in. Now what?
- We sat down and had a couple meetings
about what is the show about, what are we doing.
- Jeffrey Cranor is the co-creator of shows
like "Welcome to Night Vale", or "Within the Wires",
some of my all-time favorite fiction podcasts.
He uses this analogy that I really, really love.
- I use a lot of cooking analogies when I talk about
making art, but I think it's very similar,
which is, there is no recipe like there is in baking,
for podcasting, but you do know the tools you need.
- And, that's what you have to figure out next:
the recipe for your podcast.
The what, the when, the who.
What is your show about?
When and how often will you release episodes?
And, who's your audience?
- I think the first thing to think about
when you're starting a podcast is who's the audience?
And, from that question,
it'll point you in all these other interesting directions
about what kind of microphones you are gonna choose?
Or, what do I want the show editorially to sound like?
- You should also do some competitive analysis.
Poke around, and look for similar shows
in your space or your genre.
What's working for them?
What could they be doing better?
These are your fellow cooks in the kitchen,
and it's always a good idea to know your peers.
Now, once you know your recipe,
it's time to get cooking.
So, let's talk gear.
But first, a quick caveat from Brendon Baker,
who co-directed Marvel's Wolverine podcast,
and has been described to me as an audio engineering wizard.
- I think if you're just starting out,
you shouldn't let the tools
and the engineering get in the way of making the thing.
- Now, before you start blowing up the comments
about why one mic is better than another,
or why you need some expensive audio interface,
just keep in mind that it's not about the gear.
It's about making the thing you're passionate about.
- It's way more important to be good,
than to have good audio.
Like, I could listen to a lot of things.
If they have spark and life in them,
and they're telling me something,
they really can be recorded on tin cans.
- So, here's what I'll say about gear.
Buy a microphone you can afford,
buy some acoustic panels,
and get a nice pair of editing headphones.
Here is a list of some recommendations
that won't break the break.
That's all you really need.
And, honestly, the most important thing on this list
is the acoustic panels.
Choosing a space to record and making sure
that it's acoustically treated is way more important
than buying some fancy, expensive microphone.
- I think the first thing I learned
that you just don't think about
if you've never done audio before
is how different room sounds are.
- You want to find the space,
and you want to basically deck it out
with the best sound-baffling stuff you can afford.
- Okay, you're finally ready to record.
You got your gear, you did your homework,
and you have a game plan.
Now comes the fun part, making a bunch of bad episodes.
- You can't ever make it perfect,
or you'll drive yourself crazy.
So, you're gonna put out episodes
of things that are not good
until you get to a point where they are good.
Like, give yourself some time to get good at it.
Make pilots, make things you don't necessarily release.
- This is the part that so many people get wrong.
They put out into the world
the very first thing they record,
and it's bad. Of course it's bad.
No one nails it on their first try.
So, record some test episodes that no one but you
and your closest friends and family will ever hear.
Use these episodes to get feedback
and to practice and learn.
- Once you start recording,
you should probably go by the rule of thumb
that you need five to 10 episodes
because not all of them are going to be useful,
because you're kinda still figuring out the format
as you're going along, even as you are recording.
So, maybe say, if you record 10 of them,
half of them can be your first five episodes.
- [Abu] So, let's recap.
Say, for example, that I want to start a "Simpsons" podcast.
First, I should know why I want to make it.
The reason I need to make this show
is because I'm a Simpsons fan, named Abu,
and my show will be about the character Apu,
and how it ruined my life.
And, that's a story that needs to be told.
My plan is to fly around the world,
interviewing other people named Abu
who also have strong feelings about Apu.
Second, I should consider the commitment.
Flying around the world
will be expensive and time-consuming.
Let's say I just won the lottery and money isn't an issue.
And I work in media so I could lose my job any day now.
So, time isn't an issue, either.
Third, I need to figure out the recipe for my show.
I think I'll release an episode every week,
and it'll be an Abu on Abu interview-style show.
The audience will, of course, be Simpsons fans,
but really it'll be people who hate Apu.
Fourth, I'll need gear.
I need to make sure it's lightweight and sturdy
since I'll be doing a lot of traveling.
For the rest, I'll just sneak into our studio here.
At least, until I lose my job.
I'll cross that bridge when I get there.
And finally, I should do some pre-interviews,
and record some test episodes.
Maybe there aren't interesting Abus out there
with strong feelings about Apu.
Maybe an interview isn't the way to go,
and I should just have my subjects submit audio diaries.
I won't know until I try it.
So, that wraps up part one of this series.
In part two, I'll go over things like some advanced
recording techniques, how to work on your vocal performance,
and the importance of editing.
If you have any questions,
please drop a comment below and I'll do my best to answer.
And, keep an eye out for The Abu Show,
because It's coming to a podcast platform near you.
Any day now. I just got to do the things on the checklist,
all five of them, actually.
I gotta write shorter scripts.