Podcast tips

Limbsy1

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Apr 30, 2011
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My friends and I have worked up the desire and motivation to try our hands at making a podcast. We are thinking about starting with pretty general discussion topics ranging from games, movies, television etc to more abstract ideas we find ourselves thinking about. We dont want to put any limits on our discussion until we find our flow. Set up wise we are thinking about having an unoffical MC or host to have some prepared topics to get things going and to police conversation if we find ourselves talknig in circles. Format wise we think that it will be audio playing over a slideshow that we put together. Do you have any advice, tips, things you generally like to see or not see in podcasts so we can try to start off as stongly as possible?
 

MisterGobbles

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Nov 30, 2009
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First of all, you have to stay focused and practice speaking. You don't wanna be saying "um" every five seconds, and you wanna be filling up every second with something entertaining, so make sure you speak in a lively manner. When you feel like you've exhausted one topic, don't keep rambling, go one to the next one. Make sure you plan everything out so that you can stay focused like this. Knowing your opinions on the topics before going in is also a good idea. You don't wanna plan EVERYTHING out - spontaneity, or at least the illusion of it, is very important to a podcast - but enough of it to have a decent idea in your head about how the show will go.

I like to see longform discussion in podcasts, in depth conversations about one issue. And Jim Sterling's Dismal Jesters podcast is a great one to listen to if you want an example of how an absurdist comedy podcast should be done - they seamlessly move from topic to topic while sounding spontaneous and lively.

That's about it, I have no experience making podcasts myself but that's the advice I'd give.
 

SKBPinkie

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Oct 6, 2013
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No dead air.

Seriously, always keep the ball in the air. It may be hard initially, because people tend to fill in empty space with uninteresting fluff, but I think practice and knowledge of the subject will help you come up with thoughtful material.

Also, try and see if having "sections" (games, then movies, then TV shows, etc) helps you out, maybe even with music clips to segment them. I think it makes podcasts more organized and interesting to listen to, but I know folks who prefer to just listen to podcasts that simply flow freely in and out of random topics.
 

L. Declis

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Apr 19, 2012
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Honestly, get used to editing. Remember; every hour of talking is two hours of editing. Remove the umms, remove dead air. Have a list of topics, but don't feel like you MUST stick to them if it's going off topic but interesting. A good rule of thumb; listen to it again when you're done. Anything that isn't funny? Anything that isn't intelligent? Cut it.

Be constant. It doesn't matter if you do every week, every two weeks, every month, as long as you keep to the schedule.

May as well be honest:

If it's just you and your buddies making a podcast about gaming "stuff", don't bother. They are literally a dime per dozen. Get an angle. You're coming in late to the podcast scene, and the general nerd stuff is covered by everyone. If you don't have something unique to add, you may as well try getting into someone else's podcast.

If you think you're going to get rich off this, don't bother. Most podcasts are actively loosing money, and even the big ones don't make huge amounts of money (how big? Rooster Teeth, the 11th largest YouTube channel, barely covers the costs).

Most podcasts don't last beyond three months. Something to keep in mind. Make sure you have 10 weeks worth of topics before you start. If you can't think of ten topics, then you may as well call it.

Have you got a decent microphone? If it's a chore to listen to, no one will listen to it. There are literally ten others who are doing it right. You can't afford to be shit.

Advertise. No, just a Facebook page won't do. You need a Twitter. A website. An email. You need to start contacting other podcasts and getting onto them and then ask if some of them will do the same. You need to go to events. Those little business cards are great. Have a local friendly shop? Ask if you can leave some leaflets of your podcast there.

Get a good title. Something snappy. If the title is long-winded or just shit, no one will care. If it's not to the point, no one will know what the hell it is about.

Get a good description. Here is one for Fear the Boot; "A podcast about tabletop roleplaying and a little bit more".

Get artwork. No, not some paint made piece of crap. Get an actual artist to put together a podcast art cover. This is what people will judge you on when they look at your podcast.

Don't be wrong. If you're setting yourself up to be a factual podcast, be right on the facts.
 

Nadia Castle

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May 21, 2012
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Having made two unsuccessful podcast episodes I'd say the main thing is just make sure you're having fun with it and make sure your friends will commit. We actually made about five episodes but my podcasting partner couldn't be bothered to edit properly (no intro music or anything) so it was of lousy quality and the other three didn't even get put up because he put it off so long (They were all recorded at his place as he had the best recording equipment so I couldn't do anything about it).

Despite that it's still a lot of fun to make as long as you stay enthusiastic and have fun banter. Also be aware of the cost of uploading and things you might not think about (though youtube can be used if you're not bothered about it being downloaded). Suffice to say good luck and be prepared to cringe at your own voice a LOT.
 

Limbsy1

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Apr 30, 2011
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Thank you guys for being honest and helpful. My group just recorded this week and we got our first taste of the project. As first runs go, it wasnt great. I am hopful that we will be able to turn it into something worth listening to.
 

Frezzato

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Oct 17, 2012
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Limbsy1 said:
Thank you guys for being honest and helpful. My group just recorded this week and we got our first taste of the project. As first runs go, it wasnt great. I am hopful that we will be able to turn it into something worth listening to.
Is it online anywhere? If so, can you PM me a link to it?

I subscribe to 9 podcasts myself, all of them by comedians. My current tally is 2,883 episodes, or 31.21GB (all the file names and meta data correctly numbered, named, and dated). I cannibalized a 1.5TB external drive just so I wouldn't have to burn/delete my podcast collection.

I think a good example of an unsuccessful podcast is The Lavender Hour, which was hosted by some guy and his then-girlfriend, comedian Natasha Leggero. She broke up with him, he continued alone, and I stopped listening. He was always ranting and raving about his own opinions while other podcasts were constantly seeking out new viewpoints. The same could also be said about comedian Chelsea Peretti's podcast, which she uses to basically insult people who call in.

As for the podcasts I like, Chris Hardwick's The Nerdist got to the point where he and some friends got to sit down for two hours with Gabe Newell. The Nerdist has, by far, hosted the most famous people around, like William Shatner, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Conan O'Brien. The Indoor Kids, hosted by Kumail Nanjiani and his wife Emily V. Gordon, got Microsoft's attention and were sent a free Xbox One (Kumail and Emily are very fair about their discussions and don't cut MS any slack). The Dork Forest, by Jackie Kashian, will cover anything and everything from model trains to video games, comic books and even collectible stickers.

I think as long as you seek out new opinions (as in guests), and remain open to new points of view, not just your own or your friends', your efforts will pay off.