What is a podcast?
How do I listen to podcasts?
How are podcasts made?
How do podcasts work?
Can I estart my own podcast?
How hard is it to start my own podcast?
I heard that everybody and their dog has a podcast, is that true?
In this video, I will answer all these questions for you.
Hello and welcome to the Pod Sound School.
If this is your first time here, we are content creators and podcast and video nerds on a
mission to teach you all the skills you need so you can start creating outstanding audio
and video content online.
And if you’re ready to learn more about the world of podcasting and content creation
hit the subscribe button.
This video is long overdue.
In fact, it should’ve been one of the first videos posted on our channel.
Pero mejor es tarde que nunca.
How do you say it in English….
It’s undeniable that podcasts are growing in popularity and that the industry has been
booming the last few years.
According to a report published by Statista, in 2021, 78% of the US population, 12 years
or older, are aware of podcasting.
I still remember back in 2015 during my second year of law school how I pretended to know
what a podcast was so I wouldn’t look stupid when all of my classmates were ranting and
raving about Serial.
You guys remember Serial?!
It’s the journalistic/ investigated podcast with millions of downloads and the reason
why podcasting started to become popular
I finally had to ask a friend who showed me the podcast app on my phone and helped me
find Serial… and the rest is history.
I became a fan.
Podcasts became part of my commute, my guilty pleasure after a long day, and my companion
on sleepless nights.
So if you’re part of the 22% of people who don’t know what a podcast is or maybe you’re
vaguely aware of podcasting and are curious to know how they work.
Let me be your trusted friend and get you up to speed with this video.
Or maybe you’re interested in starting your own podcast and for that, you’re in the
right place.
Here’s my quick answer to what a podcast is:
Podcasts are like radio talk shows on demand.
The way that most people listen to podcasts is by using apps on their smartphones that
allow them to download these shows on demand.
There are other ways you can listen to podcasts like YouTube or using a computer and access
the podcast players from a browser.
You can even access a podcast as easy as typing what you’re interested in on Google and
typing the word podcast.
Like radio, there are many networks and big companies that produce podcast shows, but
the majority of podcasts are independently produced by people like you and me recording
from their kitchens, closets, home offices, or even their cars.
There are so many great shows produced by amazingly talented, smart, and dedicated podcasters
about any topic you can think of from personal development, finance, health, current topics,
news…and you can access those shows at any time for free.
So, first and foremost, If you don’t even know where to find podcasts to start listening..it’s
easy.
If you have an iPhone, you can easily access the Apple Podcast app which is the purple
app that comes with your phone.
You don’t have to download it!
If you have an android phone, look for the Google podcast app if you don’t have it
on your phone download it from the app store.
There are other apps you can use to listen to podcasts too like Spotify, Stitcher, and
Audible.
You can search for podcasts on these players, by topic or show title.
For example, using Apple Podcast if you type in pod sound school, you’ll find our podcast.
And here if you want to get updated every time we post an episode, you can click the
follow button.
This is why podcasts have become so popular because there are so many interesting shows
that you can listen to while you’re doing other things like walking your dog, working
in the yard, or driving.
There are a variety of shows you can subscribe to for free.
So, how did podcasts come about?
Podcasts came about because of iTunes, Apple, and iPods.
In 2005 Apple introduced podcasts to the world.
During the press release where Apple introduced podcasts, Steve Jobs said that the word podcasting
was a combination between the word iPod and broadcasting.
Unlike radio, where you had to listen to unwanted ads, rigid programming, and limited content,
podcasting came to revolutionize the way we consume audio content by making shows of any
subject you may be interested in, accessible on demand.
But what exactly is a podcast?
Now let’s get a little more technical and see how podcasts work.
A podcast is a digital audio file available on the internet or the different podcast players
like Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google podcast via RSS which stands for Real Simple Syndication.
Wow, that got technical!
What the heck is RSS?
Let’s understand how RSS works.
Syndication means sharing.
After you record and edit your podcast episodes, they are ready for your audience to enjoy.
Podcasts episodes are distributed in real-time via RSS which is a code that contains the
link to the audio file and any other relevant information like episode notes and episode
art.
This RSS is shared with Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, and other podcast apps so
listeners can access podcast episodes in real-time.
Imagine the RSS feed as la tia chismosa always bringing you the latest chisme as it happens.
You don’t have to go walk to her house and knock on the door, and wait for her to get
ready to tell you the chisme.
She’s always at your house with the latest.
The easiest way to get an RSS code generated and to distribute your podcast is by signing
up for a web host service.
Our favorite web host is Buzzsprout, but there are a number of these services out there.
Web hosts allow you to upload MP3 files, add show notes, and podcast and episode artwork.
They also take care of podcast distribution by generating an RSS code and guiding users
through the steps of sharing the RSS with the podcast players.
From the podcast players, listeners can subscribe to shows and get episode releases automatically
posted on their feed.
So how are podcasts made?
To make a podcast you need two things: a recording device and an app or software to edit your
audio.
And you may be thinking “editing”?
Aren’t podcasts unedited conversations?!
No.
The majority of the podcasts we listen to are edited.
Editing is an essential part of podcast production.
It adds to the listeners' experience.
The magic of podcasting happens in post-production where voices are enhanced so they sound more
rich and intimate, music is added to immerse the listener into the story or the topic,
and unwanted or unnecessary information is removed for clarity and conciseness.
So whether you use an app on your phone or recording and editing software on your computer,
editing will become your best friend.
But going back to how you can make a podcast.
You can start as simple as recording your voice into an app on your phone.
The most popular app for this is Spotify’s Anchor app.
We have a really fun tutorial showing you exactly HOW to do this, here in our channel.
The traditional way is recording your podcast using professional equipment like a high-quality
microphone, an audio interface, in an acoustically treated environment to get excellent quality
raw files that are ready to be edited.
You can edit these files yourself, it's not that difficult or you can hire a podcast editor
to edit these files for you.
There are also other aspects of podcast production besides the technical stuff, like planning,
researching, and writing episodes.
The time you will spend planning your shows sometimes is even longer than the actual recording
of the podcast.
I can guarantee that the podcast you enjoy listening to has a dedicated host or a team
of people working on scheduling guests, researching topics, writing scripts or outlines.
So what do you think so far, Is this easier sounding or more difficult than you thought?
Let me know in the comments below
This takes me to the next question, How hard is it to produce a podcast?
So if you’re interested in making a podcast, which route should you go?
Should you just use an app on your phone or learn how professional podcasters do it?
Well, the decision comes down to your WHY ( or the reason why you want to make a podcast),
and your budget.
If you want to make a podcast to test whether or not it can be your thing and you don’t
want to spend money on equipment, in that scenario you can use the Anchor app on your
phone and start recording.
Anchor is a recording app with some limited editing features and Anchor is also a web
host, which we already learned that web hosts facilitate the distribution of your podcast
to the different podcast players.
Anchor is free so you don’t have to pay any fees to download the app or for the distribution
of your podcast.
If you want to have even more fun with podcasting you can purchase a USB microphone, or an XLR
microphone, and an audio interface.
We have a video showing you how you can create a podcast from start to finish.
I’m adding the link to the video in the description below.
But if you have specific goals you want to achieve with your podcast like generating
more leads for your business, using your podcast as a platform to interview people in your
industry or networking, informing and educating your potential customers and clients about
your services or products, or growing a community of loyal fans…
in that case, I’d recommend you invest in professional podcast equipment, spend more
time on learning about your audience and developing your podcast idea, and also the different
ways you can maintain a steady audience growth.
A lot goes into producing a podcast, how to choose the right equipment, how to record
and edit audio, not to mention the marketing and promotion of the podcast which goes hand
in hand with creating a great podcast.
The podcast industry is not what it was ten years ago or even five years ago.
Podcast listeners have more options nowadays.
This is why we teach here on our channel and also to our students and clients marketing
strategies they can use when they’re working on launching a podcast.
We have a FREE training teaching you the strategy that goes behind launching a podcast so you
can start getting more downloads from the moment you launch.
You don’t want to invest time and money in creating a podcast masterpiece and only
have a handful of downloads when you launch.
At the end of the training we introduce you to our podcasting program where we teach you
audio production, content strategy, and marketing for podcasts.
You can sign up for the FREEtraining by going to podcasting smart dot com.
I also added the link in the description box below.
Now let’s answer the last question : which is should you even bother launching a podcast?
Maybe you’ve heard people saying “everybody and their grandma has a podcast”
If we’re going to be ruled by this premise in every decision we make then maybe we shouldn’t
start our own businesses because everybody and their grandma are creating business.
I won’t write a book because there are millions of books out there.
I won’t start blogging because there are millions of blogs.
Why do I even bother starting a YouTube channel when there are millions of creators on YouTube.
Podcasting is no different than any other platform.
Creating quality content, being consistent, having a strategy, and being driven by your
purpose will get you the results you so desire.
And yes there are over two million podcasts out there.
And this is why it is important that you learn about the industry and learn from experts
so you don’t waste time and accelerate your growth.
But I can also tell you that out of those 2 million podcasts not even half are worth
listening to and standing out is not that hard.
So don’t wait any longer and make this the year you start your podcast.
As always we’re here with the latest in podcasting and content creation.
If you have any questions leave in the comments below.
We’ll try to answer as quickly as we can.
Also come and find us on social media at pod sounds school.
And before you go two things.
No olviden hacer la tarea and don’t forget to subscribe and like this video.
See you in the next video.