July 5, 2023 • 22 mins
Are you itching to start your own podcast but feeling overwhelmed by the geeky tech stuff? In this episode of "Profitable Speaking," host Brad Hauck demystifies the process and shares practical tips on how to kickstart your podcasting journey. From recording and editing to choosing the right hosting platform, Brad breaks it down into bite-sized chunks that anyone can understand. Plus, he spills the beans on cool tools like Descript and Cast Magic that can take your podcast to the next level. If you're ready to make your voice heard and grow your business through podcasting, this episode is a must-listen!
Brace yourself for an enlightening journey where we simplify the technical side of creating a high-quality podcast. We're not just talking about the basics. From understanding the different types of microphones and sound mixes, to mastering the art of navigating editing software, we're breaking down every aspect of podcast production. We also discuss how you can amplify your personal brand, gain credibility, and connect with a larger audience.
Ever wondered how to choose the right podcast hosting platform? We're here to demystify that too. We'll be discussing standout features of various editing software such as Descript, and the advantages of using Audacity, Cast Magic, and Buzzsprout. We'll arm you with the knowledge you need to produce a podcast that holds its own alongside the industry's finest, and we'll also share some effective strategies to promote your work and reach listeners globally. Tune in, and let's turn your podcast vision into reality!
Get a copy of my latest book - Micro Course Profits: Build a 7 Figure Income with Bite Sized Courses! Click the Link below...
Brad Hauck
I help you optimise and accelerate your digital marketing using smart strategies and AI tools.
Proficlix.com.au
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to episode 34 of the Profitable Speaking
Podcast, where we providepractical tips and insights to
help you succeed as a publicspeaker.
In today's episode, we're goingto be looking into the
nitty-gritty of the technicalside of podcast production.
Whether you're a technical whizor a novice, just starting out
the technical elements ofpodcasting can seem like a
complex puzzle.
But don't worry, it's not justabout knowing the tech lingo.
(00:23):
It's about harnessing the powerof the right tools to create a
polished, captivating podcast.
From understanding microphonesand sound mixes to navigating
editing software and choosingthe right hosting platform,
we're here to break down thetech jargon and help you with
the knowledge to produce apodcast that rivals the best in
the business.
Podcasting is emerged as apowerful marketing tool for your
(00:45):
speaking business, offering aunique platform to showcase your
expertise, build your personalbrand and connect with a wider
audience.
It allows you to share yourinsights, experiences and
knowledge in a format that iseasily accessible and engaging
for your listeners.
Podcasts can be consumedanywhere, anytime, making them a
convenient way for potentialclients to get to know your
speaking style, your depth ofknowledge and your unique
(01:09):
perspective.
Moreover, they provide anopportunity for you to establish
a deeper connection withlisteners, who often feel the
personal bond with a host due tothe intimate nature of audio
content.
This can lead to increasedtrust and credibility, which are
crucial in your speakingbusiness.
Furthermore, podcasts caneasily share and have the
potential to reach a globalaudience, providing an effective
(01:32):
way to expand your reach andinfluence.
So how easy is it to produceand share one?
Well, in today's digital age,recording, producing and sharing
a podcast has become incrediblyaccessible.
You no longer need aprofessional recording studio or
high-end equipment to startyour podcast journey.
With a decent microphone andquite space on a computer, you
can record high-quality audioright from your home or your
(01:54):
office.
When it comes to production,there are numerous user-friendly
software options available,many of which are free or
relatively inexpensive.
These tools are there to edityour recordings, add musical
sound effects and fine-tune theaudio quality.
Even if you're a completebeginner, there are plenty of
online tutorials and resourcesto guide you through the process
(02:15):
, making it easier than ever toproduce polished and
professional sounding podcasts.
Promoting your podcast is alsoa breeze, thanks to the various
podcast hosting platforms.
These platforms not only hostyour podcast files, but they
also distribute your episodes topopular podcast directories
like Apple Podcasts, Spotify andGoogle Podcasts.
This means your podcast can beeasily accessed by listeners all
(02:38):
over the world.
Social media platforms provideexcellent avenue for promoting
your podcast and engaging withyour audience as well.
You can share episode teasers,behind the scenes content and
engage in discussions with yourlisteners, further enhancing
your podcast's reach and impact.
In essence, the barriers toentry into podcasting have been
significantly lowered, making ita viable and exciting option
(03:01):
for anyone looking to sharetheir voice or ideas with the
world.
So let's have a look at some ofthe things you need to produce a
podcast.
Number one is a computer.
Basically, anything with a USBinput or an audio input can be
used to record a podcast thesedays.
So it doesn't matter whetheryou've got a Chromebook, a Mac,
(03:21):
a PC, an iPad, a tablet or evena phone.
You can record a podcast.
There's either an app orsoftware that's built in or you
can download, or you can usethrough the browser in the case
of a Chromebook, to record apodcast, and I'm going to have a
look at a few of those alongthe way.
(03:42):
Once you've got your device,your computer, for recording,
then you need a microphone, andmy personal opinion is the
easiest microphone to use is aUSB microphone that pretty well
plug into anything And you canget adapters for different
devices.
So if you're using an iPad withan old lightning port, then you
can get an adapter to plug intothose.
Obviously, the most common youwould see is the desktop
(04:07):
microphone.
So this one is sitting in thestand or maybe in an arm
attached to the desktop, likethe one I'm currently using.
But also you've got wirelessmics and you have lapel mics,
all of which work just as well.
No-transcript, even if youdon't have the best quality mic,
if you can get a good soundlevel, the software these days
(04:28):
will make it sound really,really nice.
Personally, i like to use Broadmics RODE.
They're an Australian company.
They make exceptional goodequipment.
They have the Pod mic, which isone specifically podcasting.
Mine is the NT USB And it haslike a stand, a filter, has a
headphone jack and you can putit into an arm as well.
(04:49):
And I've had that NT USB for Ireckon it must be seven or eight
years or maybe longer.
I mean, a good mic is worth,you know, three to $400, i
suppose.
But they last forever if youbuy a good one.
And the good thing about USB isit's a standard, it's going to
be around for a long, long time.
And as we switch from USB A, b,etc to USB C, you just buy an
(05:14):
adapter.
So pretty simple, nothingreally changes there.
Some of the other brands you'vegot you know the Yeti brand, so
you got Blue Yeti and all ofthose you see.
Envato make one, so they guysthat do green screens and all
sorts of streaming software.
They also make a mic that youcan get now a really nice one,
samson.
I have a little tiny Samson onewhich is about five centimeters
(05:36):
high.
It's only little, perfect fortraveling.
And of course you have Shure,which make really high end mics.
Now you can pay top dollars fora mic and I mean top dollar,
thousands of dollars or you canstart out with something simple.
My recommendation is, you know,anywhere between $100 and $500,
(05:57):
depending on what your budgetis, what you can afford.
So, for example, if you wantedto just get a little lapel mic,
you can get a road lapel micthat plugs into the audio port
for around $60 or $70.
And that will more than do thejob for you.
Quite frankly, you can recordstraight into your phone these
days without a mic, because themics are so good on the phone.
(06:19):
But it's up to you Do yourresearch, read the reviews, work
out how much you're willing tospend.
If it's a new podcast, don't goout and spend thousands of
dollars.
Just start off with somethingsimple And then, once you get
into the swing of things andyou're recording regularly,
maybe then think about investingsome more money If you're
(06:40):
turning your podcast into astream of cash.
Now what about mixes?
We always see people talkingabout using a mixer with a
microphone.
Well, personally I don't useone.
A USB mic plugs straight intothe computer And with the
software you can mix it directlyon the computer.
But I am thinking about maybegetting the RodeStreamer X,
(07:02):
which is actually a little tinymixer.
It allows me to mix audio andvideo input straight into my
computer via USB.
So you know that's a $700investment roughly, and I'm
still not convinced that Ireally need it.
So for now I'm just going tokeep using my RodeMic, just
plugged into USB, and it's niceand simple.
(07:23):
If you've only got one person inyour podcast, you really don't
need to mix.
There's no need for it.
Mixing is normally done becauseyou're pre-amping, so you're
increasing the signal strengthfrom a mic that's plugged into
there so that then you can pushit into the computer.
But when you're using USB, youdon't need to do that.
Now, if you've got two peopleand you're doing a podcast the
(07:47):
Rode PodMics, you know you canbuy two, three, four in a set
and plug them all into thecomputer.
Okay, so you don't really needthat.
The other thing is toosometimes when you're doing two
people on a podcast, oneperson's at a different computer
in a different part of theworld, so you really still only
need one.
You just need to have goodrecording software.
(08:07):
Which brings us to the nextpart.
The recording software is somany options available to you
here.
I tend to keep it pretty simple.
I use GarageBand because I havea Mac and GarageBand is free.
It's a very high qualityprogram.
It's very simple to use.
It's really nothing to it.
You just choose a new audioinput and press record for voice
(08:28):
and then save it and export itas an MP3.
There's nothing difficult aboutthat And the instructions are
all over the web so you can findinstructions.
But there is a range of otherthings available.
So, from the app perspective,you've got Riverside FM.
It allows you to recorddirectly through the browser,
and also there's an appavailable for phone, tablet etc.
(08:49):
You've got the recorder app.
If you're using an Androidphone, the recorder app is
exceptionally good.
They even transcribe for you asyou speak.
Rode has Rode Reporter, whichis a free app for iOS and
Android, so you can downloadthat.
Use that for free.
Audacity is the one that's beenaround forever for editing audio
(09:12):
.
It is again free and you canput plugins in to do different
things if you want to, but Ilike Audacity.
I'll talk about that in alittle bit more in a few minutes
.
You can use Zoom even to recordit.
If you want to do aface-to-face with someone, come
together in Zoom and then editthe audio after that in, say,
audacity or GarageBand where youwant to import it into.
(09:36):
One that I'm particularlyenjoying is Descript.
So D-E-S-C-R-I-P-T.
Descript is growing really,really fast.
It started out as an editingsoftware for audio and then
video, and now it actuallyallows you to record straight
into it.
You pay a monthly fee and ithas all these facilities, but
(09:59):
they are constantly improving itAnd I love it because it even
will allow you to exportstraight to your podcast host.
One of the things that's justabout to come out is actually
the iFollowing software.
So you may have seen the videoshowing the software that no
matter where you look on yourscreen, it looks like you're
looking at the camera.
Well, descript has actuallybuilt their own version of that
that works on Mac or PC and it'spart of the software and it's
(10:23):
coming out soon.
It's part of the season fourrelease.
Also, with Descript, you've gotOverdub, where you can record
your own voice and it willcreate an AI voice of your voice
and replace words.
You can type a replacement wordand it will say it in your own
voice And there's all sorts ofother tools.
There's some very, very good AIintegration to allow you to do
(10:47):
things.
I highly recommend you go toYouTube and do a search for
Descript season four Nice andsimple, hey And watch the video.
Just get an idea of whatthey're doing.
And if you want to learn more,have a look at the rest of their
YouTube channel.
It's really good software.
It's 30 US dollars a month.
I'd highly recommend it.
I'd really recommend it becauseI want to end up switching over
to it to do everything soon,because I want to start doing
(11:08):
this podcast as a video andaudio podcast so that I can put
it up on YouTube.
So once we record it, we needto edit.
Okay, because there's all thosebits and pieces you want to pull
out of the software, or shouldI say pull out of the recording.
So the first one is Audacity.
As I said, it's free.
You can see the audio track andyou can see the sine wave of
(11:33):
your voice as it goes up anddown.
Where I really like it is.
There's lots of little tricks.
So one of the things I do is Ibreathe quite deeply.
It's just one of those things.
I think it comes from swimming.
I tend to hold my breath andspeak a lot and then breathe
again.
So on my podcast you'll hear mebreathing quite often and It
annoys me even when I'mlistening to my podcast, which I
(11:56):
do sometimes to make sure thatyou know I'm on the right track.
So, audacity, you can actuallyselect a bit of, you know, the
sound track where you can seethe breathing sign-wave and
Teach it under the noise removalsoftware that when it sees that
, to remove that or to turn itdown, and so You can
automatically do that throughthe whole of the audio.
(12:17):
There's lots of other things itdoes.
You can cut and paste and youcan cut out dead spots and you
know all that sort of stuff.
But for me, the the breathremoval thing is actually a
really, really cool trick, andso that's very good.
Obviously, d script, d script.
You actually take your MP3 thatyou might have recorded in
GarageBand, in my case andImport it into D script.
(12:40):
D script will thenautomatically transcribe it.
Then it has tools to remove allthe Rs So's and those sorts of
things for you automatically,and And also it can remove dead
spots in it.
So it does a lot of stuff usingAI and Then you can, once
that's done and you're satisfiedwith it, you can obviously edit
(13:02):
the, the transcript.
When you remove words from thetranscript, it actually removes
your voice from the podcast.
So you kind of edit that, thetext to remove the actual sound,
which is pretty cool, to behonest, with you and a lot of
software starting to do that now, like Adobe podcast and things
like that.
They all have that featurebuilt in.
But then you just export as anMP3 Well, sorry, as a wave file,
(13:26):
actually a higher quality fileor you can export directly to
your hosting.
Another piece of software I use, which is not quite for editing
but it's for the Transcriptions, is cast magic.
Now, cast magic was an app sumodeal, quite reasonable, and
What it does is you load yourMP3 up to there, it goes through
and it gives you a nicetranscription, tidies up
(13:48):
transcription, gives youpossible titles, it gives you
short little social media blurbs, does all sorts of things for
you because you want totranscript and you also want the
Timing breakdown to add to yourpodcast hosting.
And Finally there's buzz sprout, which is actually my podcast
(14:08):
hosting.
But you can do a range of thingsactually up on Buzz sprout.
So that brings me into thehosting side of it.
So once you record a podcast ithas to be hosted on the web.
You don't host it on yourwebsite because it's a large
file.
You can physically do that andset out an RSS feed that Apple
podcasts and people like thatcan you read.
(14:29):
But for $12 a month you canhave your own, you know, hosted
up on the web super fast forpodcast and, you know, not deal
with all that storage, which isquite a large amount, not to
mention all the band with this.
People download it Becauseevery time someone downloads a
copy of it you know it's two meg, three meg, whatever.
So I use buzz sprout.
(14:50):
There's a range of differenthosts.
I like buzz sprout because theyare actively involved in
improving their service.
They work closely with Spotifyand all those organizations.
They have an exceptionalpodcast called buzzcast Where
you can hear about, you know, asthey improve things or as
things change in the industry.
They're talking about it.
So it's really good.
As I said, 12 US dollars amonth, absolutely worth it.
(15:14):
Now, a couple of things I reallylove is that you can upload
your introduction and your outrothat go on the front and the
back of Your podcast saying hey,welcome to the profitable
speaking podcast and all thatsort of stuff and It.
All you need to do then isupload the actual bit of you
talking for this episode.
It will automatically add theintro and the outro, which is
(15:38):
Sounds easy.
I mean, i can drag and dropthat on my editing software.
But What you can do with thisis if I change my outro and my
intro and I upload new ones, itautomatically merges it with all
my old Podcast episodes.
So just say I wanted to put anad in the first intro says hey,
welcome to the podcast.
(15:58):
You know, sign up for mynewsletter now and then in three
months time I want it to be hey, welcome to the podcast.
You know, join me for thiscourse.
I, when I upload the new intro,it changes every previous
episode.
So it says join me for thiscourse rather than say sign up
for my email downloads orwhatever.
(16:19):
So you don't have to re-mergeeverything and re-upload them.
So your front and back of yourpodcast are actually dynamic,
which is brilliant.
It's so smart.
One of the other things I nowadd is if your podcast is a
certain length, you can actuallyput inline ads, so you can
record an ad and it willautomatically insert it into
(16:39):
your podcast.
And then if you change the adand record a new one and upload
it, it will automatically insertthe new one.
So if you listen to podcastepisode 10 today and then in a
month's time I change the ad andyou go back and listen to 10
again, it'll have the new ad init.
So pretty cool stuff, reallyeasy to use.
(17:01):
Certainly, there's other toolsthat you can get, so you can pay
for an upgrade to MagicMastering, which is a tool that
actually improves the soundquality And, to be honest with
you, it's better than what youcan do yourself, even with the
right tools.
That's all done, and then I gota new one called Cohost AI,
which is a bit like Cast Magic.
It does transcriptions and allsorts of stuff for you
(17:22):
automatically within the podcastsoftware.
So while you pay a little bitextra to have access to these I
think it's $6 for MagicMastering and 10 for Cohost It
saves you going somewhere elseto do it.
It does it for you in the backend.
Now something else it does, andthere is a pile of things.
So go and have a look.
It's visual soundbites.
(17:44):
So it'll actually make a littlevisual soundbite of your actual
podcast for you And then youcan send that out via social
media as a little video, etcetera.
Now, descript also can do this,but you've got to do it
manually, whereas withBuzzsprout it does make one
completely automatically for you.
(18:06):
So once you've got your podcastup on the hosting, it's all
about sharing.
Now one thing I have learned isthat you should direct your
sharing links Whenever you shareyour podcast.
Send people to Spotify tolisten if you're on Spotify,
because Spotify one of theirmain ranking things is the
number of people who are goingto actually listen to the
(18:26):
podcast, not necessarily thenumber of subscribers.
So do that.
You can actually do the sharingfrom within your hosting.
They normally are linked upwith all the different places,
but you may need to manually addsome.
So, for example, with ApplePodcast, you've got to create an
account there to actually beable to add your podcast.
(18:47):
So think about that.
Again, most of the podcasthosting software places have
links to where you've got to goand instructions on how to do
that.
So, very, very simple.
Again, try and get it ontoevery podcast platform that you
can, because you want to reachas many people as possible, as
effectively as possible.
Now, the last thing I'd like totalk about is building a
(19:08):
separate website for yourpodcast, and I think this is a
separate thing to do.
I think it's important.
You don't have to.
You could always just add apodcast page and there's some
embed code, that kind of butchcast, and all of those have.
That displays all your podcastepisodes on your own website.
You just put the code on thepage and they all show up.
(19:30):
I'm building one for thispodcast at profitable speaking
dot co And I'm slowly putting itall up there and doing
different things.
So what I'm doing is I'mturning the transcriptions into
articles and then I'm addingepisodes with a short intro and
a player.
So basically, i'm able toleverage the content that I'm
creating here through thetranscription, so that I've got
(19:51):
a post about each episode of thepodcast and then a completely
separate article, which iscontains the information in the
transcription but written as anarticle.
So that helps me from an SEOperspective and it gives you an
SEO asset that you can link toyour main website.
Okay, also, because it'sspecifically focused to the
(20:11):
podcast, you can have coursesand sell books and etc.
On your website there.
As always, it's up to you whatyou do, but you know, i think
it's worth building a secondasset around that one particular
thing.
But it also depends on whetherthe podcast is part of your
business or whether your podcastis something entirely different
, about an entirely differenttopic.
(20:34):
For example, you know yourbusiness might be you know
something to do with leadership,but you actually have a podcast
about you know sport.
Well, in that case, why notmake a separate site?
In the world of podcasting,perfection is not the goal.
Okay, authenticity is.
Your podcast doesn't need tosound like it was recorded in
(20:56):
the high end studio or be freeof every minor flaw.
In fact, some of the mostpopular podcasts have a raw,
unfiltered quality thatlisteners find relatable and
engaging.
The most important thing is tostart to get your voice and your
ideas out there.
Don't let the pursuit ofperfection hinder your progress.
Instead, focus on improvingincrementally with each episode.
(21:17):
Listen to the feedback fromyour audience, learn from your
experience and continuallyrefine your processes.
Remember that every greatpodcast has started from scratch
and improved over time.
Embrace the journey of growthand learning that podcasting
offers and you'll find that youraudience appreciates your
authenticity and commitment todelivering value rather than a
flawless production.
(21:37):
Take this podcast.
It's never going to be perfect,but I'm not so I can live with
that.
I just do my best to bring yougreat and helpful tips,
hopefully.
Well, i hope you found thisepisode of our podcast on the
technical side of podcastproduction Interesting.
If you did, i have a challengefor you.
Please hit the like button andsubscribe to the podcast right
(21:59):
now and then share this episodewith another speaker who could
use the tips and strategies I'veshared.
Let's help each other grow ourbusinesses and make an impact in
the speaking world.
Together, we can reach evenmore people and make a bigger
difference.
So don't wait.
Take action now and share thelove.
Thanks for tuning in and getready for more exciting business
building tips in our nextepisode.
Welcome to episode 34 of the Profitable Speaking
Podcast, where we providepractical tips and insights to
help you succeed as a publicspeaker.
In today's episode, we're goingto be looking into the
nitty-gritty of the technicalside of podcast production.
Whether you're a technical whizor a novice, just starting out
the technical elements ofpodcasting can seem like a
complex puzzle.
But don't worry, it's not justabout knowing the tech lingo.
(00:23):
It's about harnessing the powerof the right tools to create a
polished, captivating podcast.
From understanding microphonesand sound mixes to navigating
editing software and choosingthe right hosting platform,
we're here to break down thetech jargon and help you with
the knowledge to produce apodcast that rivals the best in
the business.
Podcasting is emerged as apowerful marketing tool for your
(00:45):
speaking business, offering aunique platform to showcase your
expertise, build your personalbrand and connect with a wider
audience.
It allows you to share yourinsights, experiences and
knowledge in a format that iseasily accessible and engaging
for your listeners.
Podcasts can be consumedanywhere, anytime, making them a
convenient way for potentialclients to get to know your
speaking style, your depth ofknowledge and your unique
(01:09):
perspective.
Moreover, they provide anopportunity for you to establish
a deeper connection withlisteners, who often feel the
personal bond with a host due tothe intimate nature of audio
content.
This can lead to increasedtrust and credibility, which are
crucial in your speakingbusiness.
Furthermore, podcasts caneasily share and have the
potential to reach a globalaudience, providing an effective
(01:32):
way to expand your reach andinfluence.
So how easy is it to produceand share one?
Well, in today's digital age,recording, producing and sharing
a podcast has become incrediblyaccessible.
You no longer need aprofessional recording studio or
high-end equipment to startyour podcast journey.
With a decent microphone andquite space on a computer, you
can record high-quality audioright from your home or your
(01:54):
office.
When it comes to production,there are numerous user-friendly
software options available,many of which are free or
relatively inexpensive.
These tools are there to edityour recordings, add musical
sound effects and fine-tune theaudio quality.
Even if you're a completebeginner, there are plenty of
online tutorials and resourcesto guide you through the process
(02:15):
, making it easier than ever toproduce polished and
professional sounding podcasts.
Promoting your podcast is alsoa breeze, thanks to the various
podcast hosting platforms.
These platforms not only hostyour podcast files, but they
also distribute your episodes topopular podcast directories
like Apple Podcasts, Spotify andGoogle Podcasts.
This means your podcast can beeasily accessed by listeners all
(02:38):
over the world.
Social media platforms provideexcellent avenue for promoting
your podcast and engaging withyour audience as well.
You can share episode teasers,behind the scenes content and
engage in discussions with yourlisteners, further enhancing
your podcast's reach and impact.
In essence, the barriers toentry into podcasting have been
significantly lowered, making ita viable and exciting option
(03:01):
for anyone looking to sharetheir voice or ideas with the
world.
So let's have a look at some ofthe things you need to produce a
podcast.
Number one is a computer.
Basically, anything with a USBinput or an audio input can be
used to record a podcast thesedays.
So it doesn't matter whetheryou've got a Chromebook, a Mac,
(03:21):
a PC, an iPad, a tablet or evena phone.
You can record a podcast.
There's either an app orsoftware that's built in or you
can download, or you can usethrough the browser in the case
of a Chromebook, to record apodcast, and I'm going to have a
look at a few of those alongthe way.
(03:42):
Once you've got your device,your computer, for recording,
then you need a microphone, andmy personal opinion is the
easiest microphone to use is aUSB microphone that pretty well
plug into anything And you canget adapters for different
devices.
So if you're using an iPad withan old lightning port, then you
can get an adapter to plug intothose.
Obviously, the most common youwould see is the desktop
(04:07):
microphone.
So this one is sitting in thestand or maybe in an arm
attached to the desktop, likethe one I'm currently using.
But also you've got wirelessmics and you have lapel mics,
all of which work just as well.
No-transcript, even if youdon't have the best quality mic,
if you can get a good soundlevel, the software these days
(04:28):
will make it sound really,really nice.
Personally, i like to use Broadmics RODE.
They're an Australian company.
They make exceptional goodequipment.
They have the Pod mic, which isone specifically podcasting.
Mine is the NT USB And it haslike a stand, a filter, has a
headphone jack and you can putit into an arm as well.
(04:49):
And I've had that NT USB for Ireckon it must be seven or eight
years or maybe longer.
I mean, a good mic is worth,you know, three to $400, i
suppose.
But they last forever if youbuy a good one.
And the good thing about USB isit's a standard, it's going to
be around for a long, long time.
And as we switch from USB A, b,etc to USB C, you just buy an
(05:14):
adapter.
So pretty simple, nothingreally changes there.
Some of the other brands you'vegot you know the Yeti brand, so
you got Blue Yeti and all ofthose you see.
Envato make one, so they guysthat do green screens and all
sorts of streaming software.
They also make a mic that youcan get now a really nice one,
samson.
I have a little tiny Samson onewhich is about five centimeters
(05:36):
high.
It's only little, perfect fortraveling.
And of course you have Shure,which make really high end mics.
Now you can pay top dollars fora mic and I mean top dollar,
thousands of dollars or you canstart out with something simple.
My recommendation is, you know,anywhere between $100 and $500,
(05:57):
depending on what your budgetis, what you can afford.
So, for example, if you wantedto just get a little lapel mic,
you can get a road lapel micthat plugs into the audio port
for around $60 or $70.
And that will more than do thejob for you.
Quite frankly, you can recordstraight into your phone these
days without a mic, because themics are so good on the phone.
(06:19):
But it's up to you Do yourresearch, read the reviews, work
out how much you're willing tospend.
If it's a new podcast, don't goout and spend thousands of
dollars.
Just start off with somethingsimple And then, once you get
into the swing of things andyou're recording regularly,
maybe then think about investingsome more money If you're
(06:40):
turning your podcast into astream of cash.
Now what about mixes?
We always see people talkingabout using a mixer with a
microphone.
Well, personally I don't useone.
A USB mic plugs straight intothe computer And with the
software you can mix it directlyon the computer.
But I am thinking about maybegetting the RodeStreamer X,
(07:02):
which is actually a little tinymixer.
It allows me to mix audio andvideo input straight into my
computer via USB.
So you know that's a $700investment roughly, and I'm
still not convinced that Ireally need it.
So for now I'm just going tokeep using my RodeMic, just
plugged into USB, and it's niceand simple.
(07:23):
If you've only got one person inyour podcast, you really don't
need to mix.
There's no need for it.
Mixing is normally done becauseyou're pre-amping, so you're
increasing the signal strengthfrom a mic that's plugged into
there so that then you can pushit into the computer.
But when you're using USB, youdon't need to do that.
Now, if you've got two peopleand you're doing a podcast the
(07:47):
Rode PodMics, you know you canbuy two, three, four in a set
and plug them all into thecomputer.
Okay, so you don't really needthat.
The other thing is toosometimes when you're doing two
people on a podcast, oneperson's at a different computer
in a different part of theworld, so you really still only
need one.
You just need to have goodrecording software.
(08:07):
Which brings us to the nextpart.
The recording software is somany options available to you
here.
I tend to keep it pretty simple.
I use GarageBand because I havea Mac and GarageBand is free.
It's a very high qualityprogram.
It's very simple to use.
It's really nothing to it.
You just choose a new audioinput and press record for voice
(08:28):
and then save it and export itas an MP3.
There's nothing difficult aboutthat And the instructions are
all over the web so you can findinstructions.
But there is a range of otherthings available.
So, from the app perspective,you've got Riverside FM.
It allows you to recorddirectly through the browser,
and also there's an appavailable for phone, tablet etc.
(08:49):
You've got the recorder app.
If you're using an Androidphone, the recorder app is
exceptionally good.
They even transcribe for you asyou speak.
Rode has Rode Reporter, whichis a free app for iOS and
Android, so you can downloadthat.
Use that for free.
Audacity is the one that's beenaround forever for editing audio
(09:12):
.
It is again free and you canput plugins in to do different
things if you want to, but Ilike Audacity.
I'll talk about that in alittle bit more in a few minutes
.
You can use Zoom even to recordit.
If you want to do aface-to-face with someone, come
together in Zoom and then editthe audio after that in, say,
audacity or GarageBand where youwant to import it into.
(09:36):
One that I'm particularlyenjoying is Descript.
So D-E-S-C-R-I-P-T.
Descript is growing really,really fast.
It started out as an editingsoftware for audio and then
video, and now it actuallyallows you to record straight
into it.
You pay a monthly fee and ithas all these facilities, but
(09:59):
they are constantly improving itAnd I love it because it even
will allow you to exportstraight to your podcast host.
One of the things that's justabout to come out is actually
the iFollowing software.
So you may have seen the videoshowing the software that no
matter where you look on yourscreen, it looks like you're
looking at the camera.
Well, descript has actuallybuilt their own version of that
that works on Mac or PC and it'spart of the software and it's
(10:23):
coming out soon.
It's part of the season fourrelease.
Also, with Descript, you've gotOverdub, where you can record
your own voice and it willcreate an AI voice of your voice
and replace words.
You can type a replacement wordand it will say it in your own
voice And there's all sorts ofother tools.
There's some very, very good AIintegration to allow you to do
(10:47):
things.
I highly recommend you go toYouTube and do a search for
Descript season four Nice andsimple, hey And watch the video.
Just get an idea of whatthey're doing.
And if you want to learn more,have a look at the rest of their
YouTube channel.
It's really good software.
It's 30 US dollars a month.
I'd highly recommend it.
I'd really recommend it becauseI want to end up switching over
to it to do everything soon,because I want to start doing
(11:08):
this podcast as a video andaudio podcast so that I can put
it up on YouTube.
So once we record it, we needto edit.
Okay, because there's all thosebits and pieces you want to pull
out of the software, or shouldI say pull out of the recording.
So the first one is Audacity.
As I said, it's free.
You can see the audio track andyou can see the sine wave of
(11:33):
your voice as it goes up anddown.
Where I really like it is.
There's lots of little tricks.
So one of the things I do is Ibreathe quite deeply.
It's just one of those things.
I think it comes from swimming.
I tend to hold my breath andspeak a lot and then breathe
again.
So on my podcast you'll hear mebreathing quite often and It
annoys me even when I'mlistening to my podcast, which I
(11:56):
do sometimes to make sure thatyou know I'm on the right track.
So, audacity, you can actuallyselect a bit of, you know, the
sound track where you can seethe breathing sign-wave and
Teach it under the noise removalsoftware that when it sees that
, to remove that or to turn itdown, and so You can
automatically do that throughthe whole of the audio.
(12:17):
There's lots of other things itdoes.
You can cut and paste and youcan cut out dead spots and you
know all that sort of stuff.
But for me, the the breathremoval thing is actually a
really, really cool trick, andso that's very good.
Obviously, d script, d script.
You actually take your MP3 thatyou might have recorded in
GarageBand, in my case andImport it into D script.
(12:40):
D script will thenautomatically transcribe it.
Then it has tools to remove allthe Rs So's and those sorts of
things for you automatically,and And also it can remove dead
spots in it.
So it does a lot of stuff usingAI and Then you can, once
that's done and you're satisfiedwith it, you can obviously edit
(13:02):
the, the transcript.
When you remove words from thetranscript, it actually removes
your voice from the podcast.
So you kind of edit that, thetext to remove the actual sound,
which is pretty cool, to behonest, with you and a lot of
software starting to do that now, like Adobe podcast and things
like that.
They all have that featurebuilt in.
But then you just export as anMP3 Well, sorry, as a wave file,
(13:26):
actually a higher quality fileor you can export directly to
your hosting.
Another piece of software I use, which is not quite for editing
but it's for the Transcriptions, is cast magic.
Now, cast magic was an app sumodeal, quite reasonable, and
What it does is you load yourMP3 up to there, it goes through
and it gives you a nicetranscription, tidies up
(13:48):
transcription, gives youpossible titles, it gives you
short little social media blurbs, does all sorts of things for
you because you want totranscript and you also want the
Timing breakdown to add to yourpodcast hosting.
And Finally there's buzz sprout, which is actually my podcast
(14:08):
hosting.
But you can do a range of thingsactually up on Buzz sprout.
So that brings me into thehosting side of it.
So once you record a podcast ithas to be hosted on the web.
You don't host it on yourwebsite because it's a large
file.
You can physically do that andset out an RSS feed that Apple
podcasts and people like thatcan you read.
(14:29):
But for $12 a month you canhave your own, you know, hosted
up on the web super fast forpodcast and, you know, not deal
with all that storage, which isquite a large amount, not to
mention all the band with this.
People download it Becauseevery time someone downloads a
copy of it you know it's two meg, three meg, whatever.
So I use buzz sprout.
(14:50):
There's a range of differenthosts.
I like buzz sprout because theyare actively involved in
improving their service.
They work closely with Spotifyand all those organizations.
They have an exceptionalpodcast called buzzcast Where
you can hear about, you know, asthey improve things or as
things change in the industry.
They're talking about it.
So it's really good.
As I said, 12 US dollars amonth, absolutely worth it.
(15:14):
Now, a couple of things I reallylove is that you can upload
your introduction and your outrothat go on the front and the
back of Your podcast saying hey,welcome to the profitable
speaking podcast and all thatsort of stuff and It.
All you need to do then isupload the actual bit of you
talking for this episode.
It will automatically add theintro and the outro, which is
(15:38):
Sounds easy.
I mean, i can drag and dropthat on my editing software.
But What you can do with thisis if I change my outro and my
intro and I upload new ones, itautomatically merges it with all
my old Podcast episodes.
So just say I wanted to put anad in the first intro says hey,
welcome to the podcast.
(15:58):
You know, sign up for mynewsletter now and then in three
months time I want it to be hey, welcome to the podcast.
You know, join me for thiscourse.
I, when I upload the new intro,it changes every previous
episode.
So it says join me for thiscourse rather than say sign up
for my email downloads orwhatever.
(16:19):
So you don't have to re-mergeeverything and re-upload them.
So your front and back of yourpodcast are actually dynamic,
which is brilliant.
It's so smart.
One of the other things I nowadd is if your podcast is a
certain length, you can actuallyput inline ads, so you can
record an ad and it willautomatically insert it into
(16:39):
your podcast.
And then if you change the adand record a new one and upload
it, it will automatically insertthe new one.
So if you listen to podcastepisode 10 today and then in a
month's time I change the ad andyou go back and listen to 10
again, it'll have the new ad init.
So pretty cool stuff, reallyeasy to use.
(17:01):
Certainly, there's other toolsthat you can get, so you can pay
for an upgrade to MagicMastering, which is a tool that
actually improves the soundquality And, to be honest with
you, it's better than what youcan do yourself, even with the
right tools.
That's all done, and then I gota new one called Cohost AI,
which is a bit like Cast Magic.
It does transcriptions and allsorts of stuff for you
(17:22):
automatically within the podcastsoftware.
So while you pay a little bitextra to have access to these I
think it's $6 for MagicMastering and 10 for Cohost It
saves you going somewhere elseto do it.
It does it for you in the backend.
Now something else it does, andthere is a pile of things.
So go and have a look.
It's visual soundbites.
(17:44):
So it'll actually make a littlevisual soundbite of your actual
podcast for you And then youcan send that out via social
media as a little video, etcetera.
Now, descript also can do this,but you've got to do it
manually, whereas withBuzzsprout it does make one
completely automatically for you.
(18:06):
So once you've got your podcastup on the hosting, it's all
about sharing.
Now one thing I have learned isthat you should direct your
sharing links Whenever you shareyour podcast.
Send people to Spotify tolisten if you're on Spotify,
because Spotify one of theirmain ranking things is the
number of people who are goingto actually listen to the
(18:26):
podcast, not necessarily thenumber of subscribers.
So do that.
You can actually do the sharingfrom within your hosting.
They normally are linked upwith all the different places,
but you may need to manually addsome.
So, for example, with ApplePodcast, you've got to create an
account there to actually beable to add your podcast.
(18:47):
So think about that.
Again, most of the podcasthosting software places have
links to where you've got to goand instructions on how to do
that.
So, very, very simple.
Again, try and get it ontoevery podcast platform that you
can, because you want to reachas many people as possible, as
effectively as possible.
Now, the last thing I'd like totalk about is building a
(19:08):
separate website for yourpodcast, and I think this is a
separate thing to do.
I think it's important.
You don't have to.
You could always just add apodcast page and there's some
embed code, that kind of butchcast, and all of those have.
That displays all your podcastepisodes on your own website.
You just put the code on thepage and they all show up.
(19:30):
I'm building one for thispodcast at profitable speaking
dot co And I'm slowly putting itall up there and doing
different things.
So what I'm doing is I'mturning the transcriptions into
articles and then I'm addingepisodes with a short intro and
a player.
So basically, i'm able toleverage the content that I'm
creating here through thetranscription, so that I've got
(19:51):
a post about each episode of thepodcast and then a completely
separate article, which iscontains the information in the
transcription but written as anarticle.
So that helps me from an SEOperspective and it gives you an
SEO asset that you can link toyour main website.
Okay, also, because it'sspecifically focused to the
(20:11):
podcast, you can have coursesand sell books and etc.
On your website there.
As always, it's up to you whatyou do, but you know, i think
it's worth building a secondasset around that one particular
thing.
But it also depends on whetherthe podcast is part of your
business or whether your podcastis something entirely different
, about an entirely differenttopic.
(20:34):
For example, you know yourbusiness might be you know
something to do with leadership,but you actually have a podcast
about you know sport.
Well, in that case, why notmake a separate site?
In the world of podcasting,perfection is not the goal.
Okay, authenticity is.
Your podcast doesn't need tosound like it was recorded in
(20:56):
the high end studio or be freeof every minor flaw.
In fact, some of the mostpopular podcasts have a raw,
unfiltered quality thatlisteners find relatable and
engaging.
The most important thing is tostart to get your voice and your
ideas out there.
Don't let the pursuit ofperfection hinder your progress.
Instead, focus on improvingincrementally with each episode.
(21:17):
Listen to the feedback fromyour audience, learn from your
experience and continuallyrefine your processes.
Remember that every greatpodcast has started from scratch
and improved over time.
Embrace the journey of growthand learning that podcasting
offers and you'll find that youraudience appreciates your
authenticity and commitment todelivering value rather than a
flawless production.
(21:37):
Take this podcast.
It's never going to be perfect,but I'm not so I can live with
that.
I just do my best to bring yougreat and helpful tips,
hopefully.
Well, i hope you found thisepisode of our podcast on the
technical side of podcastproduction Interesting.
If you did, i have a challengefor you.
Please hit the like button andsubscribe to the podcast right
(21:59):
now and then share this episodewith another speaker who could
use the tips and strategies I'veshared.
Let's help each other grow ourbusinesses and make an impact in
the speaking world.
Together, we can reach evenmore people and make a bigger
difference.
So don't wait.
Take action now and share thelove.
Thanks for tuning in and getready for more exciting business
building tips in our nextepisode.
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