Podcasting: Everyone does it, so do it right!

Our last event before the Coronavirus hit us all: The live-recording of episode #1 of the NMA Fireside Chat. Back then in March, it was our first attempt at podcasting: An intimate live-atmosphere with a room full of attentive listeners. Podcast-Pro Vincent Kittmann made a great premiere guest and die-hard podcast critic Nico Lumma was hosting a podcast. One couldn’t ask for better entertainment. 😉

During the corona crisis, both the demand for and the production of podcasts skyrocketed. More and more people are listening to new audio formats – be it for information or for distraction.

So, if you got something to say, now it might be a good time to start speaking it out loud. But which are the best tools and tricks for remote recording? We started by scratch, but we learned our lessons and improved with every recording. Reason enough to share with you:

Which gear do I need?

Most crucial: Microphones – sound quality is key. We built up a studio setting at our office with a Rode Procaster mic and a Zoom H6 Recorder, used as an Audio Interface. For home office recordings we are using Rode’s NT-USB Mini, which is an easy-to-use USB microphone that connects to your computer. It’s as simple as that!

Which software for remote podcasting?

There are multiple options: Zencastr, Reaper, Zoom – only to name a few of the options we’ve tested. Long story short, we found Squadcast.fm and Ringr to be the best fit for us. Squadcast.fm allows high-quality remote recording while having a video call with up to four guests. You download the audio tracks after the call from their cloud. And Ringr basically does the same without the video. But in addition, it offers a mobile app for smartphones and tablet computers.

#Countdown to remote #podcast recording with our guest Natascha of @newsaktuell.🎧 #NMAWeekly #15minutes pic.twitter.com/gQh6KhAf3u

— NextMediaAccelerator (@NMA_vc) April 6, 2020

How do I edit?

If you are planning on going super professional you can of course make use of the Adobe Creative Suite. But if you want to stick to the basic game (which is fully sufficient to our knowledge as well) you can go with the free version of the open-source tool Audacity. In order to finalize your audio post-production we recommend using Auphonic which basically does all the work with one click.

Where do I distribute?

If you don’t want to become a Spotify exclusive, it’s kind of important to be present on all the huge podcast platforms. Otherwise you won’t reach out to all the listeners you could. We decided to use a service called AudioBoom (comes with a 10 Euro monthly subscription fee). There you can distribute your podcast to all the relevant streaming platforms, like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Deezer, Google Podcasts and many more. The keyword is: Podcast Hosting Service.

Growth hacking – How do I do it for podcasts?

We’ve created a podcast section on our website and from the beginning we included the latest episodes in our monthly newsletter.

If you consider your own audio app and a professional way to integrate a web player on your website, you should have a look at Lytt.app. The tool helps you to take full control of your audio content.

If you want to enable your audience to listen to your podcasts with their smart speakers, we highly recommend to check out BotTalk. They found a way to create great and complex voice experiences fast.

Of course, we also use audio snippets, additional photos and text as Social Media content. We rely on cooperation with partners and guests as well as hosts with a big Social Media reach. It takes some time, but we think it’s worth it:

There is a bright future of podcasts ahead of us.

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🎧 You want to hear the results? Check out all our episodes on Audioboom and subscribe to our podcasts!

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