What Is Podcast? Everything You Need To Know: You want to set up the next great podcast, don’t you? Or you started already; you have a few episodes of your podcast on Spotify. Great. Now you’re one of the thousands flooding their Contact Lists on WhatsApp with sunny urges to ‘listen, like, and share.’
But you are itching for more, aren’t you? This surely is not how it can be done best. The GOATs of the industry, surely they don’t rake in thousands of listens by doing the digital equivalent of going door to door with their podcasts on their head like a hawker’s wares? Well, we asked them about it and if you stay till the end of this article we’d tell you what they said.
You already know the basics to setting up a podcast- picking a theme, branding, format- because you asked your chatbot about it once the idea bothered you long enough. In this article let us focus more on two things; how to make money making podcasts, and how to make podcasts great and hard to not listen to. At the end of the day, those are your two major fantasies for this, aren’t they?
Well then, let us set about polishing that which lies in your hands until it shines out until it becomes one of the names your core audience thinks about when anyone asks them if they know any great pods to listen to. Podcast is one of the surest ways of making money online in this contemplary age.
TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS WHILE MAKING A PODCAST GREAT
The making of a podcast demands as much from the technical side as it does from the creative side. The most unique, beautifully executed concepts would be lost in the tide if it is delivered in a less than pleasing way.
So it is the burden of the podcaster to check a few vital boxes here. Let’s talk about recording equipment, editing, and hosting.
It Pays to Invest in Quality Recording Equipment
There are a lot of gadgets that can be used to record audio; from the oldest model of the Android phone to a one million naira dynamic mike. What they all differ in is the quality of reproduction. A good microphone is one that controls how it captures voice and rejects unwanted noise, leaving a much richer output. It is advantageous in the long run to invest in such equipment.
However, your dreams are not dashed if you do not have 15,000 Naira budgeted for a microphone. You could very well start out using a smartphone sound recorder within a controlled environment. It might leave some more work to be done in editing though. But walk the fine line well, using the right apps (like Bandlab) and right settings and you’d be left with near studio-like reproduction without anyone being the wiser.
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Editing is Where the Magic Happens
Recording a podcast is one continuous smooth take. That is a layman’s thing to assume. Great creators know that it is a series of cuts and cues. During recording, you are at liberty to repeat lines until you feel comfortable with a take, and then keep that one. In editing, only the best make it to the final file, unwanted sounds are removed, the voices are fine tuned to radio standard. Again, in editing, you elevate your podcast to something like the work of a skilled sound engineer. In this stage, more than in others, you create that subsuming experience your audience would love to come back to over and over.
A note on voice filters; just as in their photography equivalent, it is advisable to use one consistently in all your episodes, as a branded sound that listeners can identify with your show.
What even is Hosting?
Now you have a finished file and you are flush with anticipation to see it go into the world and make waves. Save as mp3 and upload to a hosting service. The job of a hosting service is to distribute your recordings by publishing it in popular podcast directories. This is done by generating a public URL, or RSS feed which streaming platforms can use to gather show details from. They do the job of storing and sharing so you can focus on creating great content.
There are a dozen options to choose from; Spotify for Podcasters, Podbean, Hostinger, and Buzzsprout. Spend time researching options before carefully choosing what you can work seamlessly with.
EARNING FROM MAKING GREAT PODCASTS
As with all mass media ventures or businesses, monetizing a podcast first demands patience and a bit of time putting in consistent effort before the fruits begin to bud.
The major ways to make money from podcasts are; advertising and sponsorships. Now, it does take a while before advertising revenue starts to come in as companies must first be sure of your popularity among their target audience as well as your large following before approaching you for a deal.
So as a new podcaster, you can leverage on affiliate programmes. This involves sharing affiliate links through your podcasts. You would get a commission for every purchase made through your links.
When you get well reckoned with; you can begin to bid for and receive advertising agreements. This works in several ways; companies can pay you to mention their services on your show, or to break for an ad segment. Another popular method is sponsorships; where companies sponsor pods with similar content to their products. Like a phone producing company sponsoring an episode by a tech gadget reviewer, for instance. In return, the podcaster gives them credit for sponsoring that episode and also promotes their products on air.
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PRO ADVICE ON MAKING PODCASTS GREAT
We promised you some on-the-field tips on making consistently great stuff didn’t we?
We had a chat with a co-host of the Road to 30 podcast, Isaac Kanye (@isaackanye_on IG). His podcast has remained one of the top favorites in Nigeria in its five years of being on air. It has been streamed in at least 52 countries and was nominated for the African Podcast and Voice Awards in 2022.
“…understanding the why behind wanting to make a podcast because it will help you stay grounded and focused in terms of topics, delivery, what your audience needs, how to grow and keep them engaged,” Isaac says. He advises that the key to making shows the audience would resonate with is to always keep the focus on what the audience needs to hear, how they like to hear it, rather than on what you would get out of being a podcaster.
The Road to 30 podcasts is a weekly show that discusses the highs and lows, joys, and challenges of being a twenty-something-year-old living in Nigeria. You can find the podcast here (roadto30podcast – Listen on Spotify – Linktree), or wherever you get your podcasts from.
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Conclusion On What Is Podcast
It is not enough to know how a podcast is made, but also how to make podcasts great. An audience-centered show that keeps the standards high in terms of technical quality would stand out and generate a loyal following any day.
We’re rooting for you!