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F.A.Q.
Frequently Asked Questions
“How did you start the podcast?”
After being a professional actor for over 10 years I became a bit jaded and missing the dearly departed Nerdifi podcast with my co-hosts Dan & Josh. I decided to bite the bullet and do it myself. I love cult movies and comics so why not combine the two!
To start a podcast you will need three things...
1. An idea or way to present your podcast that is interesting and original.
2. Recording equipment, if you’re going to take it seriously I would recommend splashing some serious cash on your first microphone. However if you’re not so sure you can record on your phone or buy a cheaper model to start off with.
3. A podcast host i.e. Anchor. A host is where you would upload your audio file to, they then create an RSS Feed which effectively IS the podcast as many other podcatchers & podcast directories will pull from this same feed. I would shop around for the best deal and see what services they offer that the others do not offer such things as audiograms & transcription. If you’re ever unhappy with your host you can easily move your RSS Feed to another host.
“How did you get your podacast on the various podcast apps etc?”
Again this will be down to your RSS Feed most hosts will try to make this easier for you by sending it out themselves. If not, once you have your feed on Apple Podcasts & Google Podcasts most apps & directories will pull it from there. However this is no guarantee the feed will appear everywhere, to ensure this you will have to copy/paste the feed to every app and directory you can find. This can be a little long winded and irritating but if you want a bigger audience cast a wide net. Try the links below to find all the directories... Here, Here & Here
“What’s the best equipment to use?”
If you want the best quality audio I would buy XLR microphones & an audio interface. Again you can use any form of recording devices such as a USB microphone or an IPad. But if you want better control of the quality and type of sound that your microphone picks up, I would recommend my current set up below but again shop around and see what is affordable for you personally.
www.audio-technica.com/en-gb/at2020
www.ikmultimedia.com/products/irigproduoio/
“Who is the best podcast hosting service?”
I personally use Anchor and I’ve been fairly happy with them, but again it depends on the cost and what they can offer you for the money.
“How do you edit the podcast?”
If you’re looking for a free editor just to help get your head around editing audio I would recommend Audacity. It’s not that user friendly however there are hundreds of YouTube videos advising how to use it. Personally I use alitu.com/ which is a paid service that improves your audio by doing the all the technical stuff for you, so all you have to do is edit it!
“What are the best kind of files to record in and export?”
Ideally you want to record in Stereo if there is more than one voice and if you can record it was a WAV file as this will make it easier to edit. When you’ve finished editing you will ideally want to export it as an MP3, you will also want the file to be exported as Mono so all sounds can be heard in both headphones.
“How do you promote the show?”
Put Hashtags everywhere! I’m serious! In your podcast notes especially. I’d advise to come up with a unique title and hashtag will assist in being more discoverable. When editing also be sure to fill out your ID3 Tag in full on your audio file. Finally use all the social media platforms you can like Twitter or Facebook (speaking of which I would share the podcast on relevant Facebook groups.)
“How do you do your research?”
Most people have done the type of research I would do already, just be specific on Google, YouTube etc.
“How do you come up with your ideas?”
I’ll be honest that is the easiest part for me, just keep doing the research and looking at other podcasts for inspiration it could strike at any time.
“How do you monetise a podcast?”
Unless you’re getting consistent downloads in the 1000s every episode advertisers simply will not look at you, even if you approach them. I’ve only just set up a Patreon and Ko-Fi and that was after a year and a half but even then it is mostly close only friends and fellow podcasters that donate. If you want to try with advertisers I would use https://podcorn.com to approach them.
After being a professional actor for over 10 years I became a bit jaded and missing the dearly departed Nerdifi podcast with my co-hosts Dan & Josh. I decided to bite the bullet and do it myself. I love cult movies and comics so why not combine the two!
To start a podcast you will need three things...
1. An idea or way to present your podcast that is interesting and original.
2. Recording equipment, if you’re going to take it seriously I would recommend splashing some serious cash on your first microphone. However if you’re not so sure you can record on your phone or buy a cheaper model to start off with.
3. A podcast host i.e. Anchor. A host is where you would upload your audio file to, they then create an RSS Feed which effectively IS the podcast as many other podcatchers & podcast directories will pull from this same feed. I would shop around for the best deal and see what services they offer that the others do not offer such things as audiograms & transcription. If you’re ever unhappy with your host you can easily move your RSS Feed to another host.
“How did you get your podacast on the various podcast apps etc?”
Again this will be down to your RSS Feed most hosts will try to make this easier for you by sending it out themselves. If not, once you have your feed on Apple Podcasts & Google Podcasts most apps & directories will pull it from there. However this is no guarantee the feed will appear everywhere, to ensure this you will have to copy/paste the feed to every app and directory you can find. This can be a little long winded and irritating but if you want a bigger audience cast a wide net. Try the links below to find all the directories... Here, Here & Here
“What’s the best equipment to use?”
If you want the best quality audio I would buy XLR microphones & an audio interface. Again you can use any form of recording devices such as a USB microphone or an IPad. But if you want better control of the quality and type of sound that your microphone picks up, I would recommend my current set up below but again shop around and see what is affordable for you personally.
www.audio-technica.com/en-gb/at2020
www.ikmultimedia.com/products/irigproduoio/
“Who is the best podcast hosting service?”
I personally use Anchor and I’ve been fairly happy with them, but again it depends on the cost and what they can offer you for the money.
“How do you edit the podcast?”
If you’re looking for a free editor just to help get your head around editing audio I would recommend Audacity. It’s not that user friendly however there are hundreds of YouTube videos advising how to use it. Personally I use alitu.com/ which is a paid service that improves your audio by doing the all the technical stuff for you, so all you have to do is edit it!
“What are the best kind of files to record in and export?”
Ideally you want to record in Stereo if there is more than one voice and if you can record it was a WAV file as this will make it easier to edit. When you’ve finished editing you will ideally want to export it as an MP3, you will also want the file to be exported as Mono so all sounds can be heard in both headphones.
“How do you promote the show?”
Put Hashtags everywhere! I’m serious! In your podcast notes especially. I’d advise to come up with a unique title and hashtag will assist in being more discoverable. When editing also be sure to fill out your ID3 Tag in full on your audio file. Finally use all the social media platforms you can like Twitter or Facebook (speaking of which I would share the podcast on relevant Facebook groups.)
“How do you do your research?”
Most people have done the type of research I would do already, just be specific on Google, YouTube etc.
“How do you come up with your ideas?”
I’ll be honest that is the easiest part for me, just keep doing the research and looking at other podcasts for inspiration it could strike at any time.
“How do you monetise a podcast?”
Unless you’re getting consistent downloads in the 1000s every episode advertisers simply will not look at you, even if you approach them. I’ve only just set up a Patreon and Ko-Fi and that was after a year and a half but even then it is mostly close only friends and fellow podcasters that donate. If you want to try with advertisers I would use https://podcorn.com to approach them.
