Ask HN: Have you ever tried to start a podcast? What did you learn?
10 comments
Couldn't agree more with the: just publish the darned thing.
That's it.
That's it.
There's a balance really. Don't overthink it, but don't just ignore the main issues. For example I unsubscribed from a few podcasts just because they had a lot of static, or completely unbalanced speakers' volumes. You don't need the latest and greatest software/hardware to deal with that, but do go with Audacity at least.
There's a very low threshold where whatever the content is, you can't concentrate on it. Do the minimum to not sound terrible at the beginning.
There's a very low threshold where whatever the content is, you can't concentrate on it. Do the minimum to not sound terrible at the beginning.
Yes, it was pretty good too. I got +150 downloads (or subscribers, I can't remember) the after 2 or 3 weeks AFAIK. This number is huge if you consider that it was in Greek.
The problem that I needed ~ 6-10 hours per week in order to create a 45min content that didn't suck using GarageBand and another podcast tool (can't recall names now). The best had 3 sections: Weekly news (just referencing quick), Commentary on some of these news, Interviews.
What I found interesting is how easy is to get someone to talk about something he is working on. I recall finding Greek guys working in major corps (Nokia, Google, etc.) and get them to talk and I had many great ideas on how to improve it, create a community around it, etc.
So although, the idea was good I wanted to spend 2-3 hours per week, but that's not possible if you want to create quality content. At least wasn't for me.
ps. It is something that I'd like to re-do at some point, but still I don't want to spend so many hours on this. Probably if I could find someone to help with editing / publishing and split the tasks would be a lot easier. Ideally, should be a team of 3.
The problem that I needed ~ 6-10 hours per week in order to create a 45min content that didn't suck using GarageBand and another podcast tool (can't recall names now). The best had 3 sections: Weekly news (just referencing quick), Commentary on some of these news, Interviews.
What I found interesting is how easy is to get someone to talk about something he is working on. I recall finding Greek guys working in major corps (Nokia, Google, etc.) and get them to talk and I had many great ideas on how to improve it, create a community around it, etc.
So although, the idea was good I wanted to spend 2-3 hours per week, but that's not possible if you want to create quality content. At least wasn't for me.
ps. It is something that I'd like to re-do at some point, but still I don't want to spend so many hours on this. Probably if I could find someone to help with editing / publishing and split the tasks would be a lot easier. Ideally, should be a team of 3.
For over two years I helped co-host a science/comedy podcast at Stanford called Goggles Optional (http://gogglesoptional.com/). We never hit hockey stick growth, but kept plugging away week after week. When I left, I think we had somewhere between 50,000-100,000 cumulative downloads from around ~90 countries. It's still going today.
I learned a lot from doing the podcast. Consistent, deliberate practice where you get feedback from others and from your own listening is a terrific way to improve over the years. As a result of the podcast, I became a more engaging speaker, a punchier writer, and even a better scientist. Spending hours thinking about how to best tell a story around a scientific concept really builds fluency, even if you think you already know the concept well.
If anyone is thinking about doing a podcast, feel free to email me. We found that having a big team with specialized roles and work rotation helped make the work sustainable and enjoyable. And as others highlight, content matters far more than tools or editing.
I learned a lot from doing the podcast. Consistent, deliberate practice where you get feedback from others and from your own listening is a terrific way to improve over the years. As a result of the podcast, I became a more engaging speaker, a punchier writer, and even a better scientist. Spending hours thinking about how to best tell a story around a scientific concept really builds fluency, even if you think you already know the concept well.
If anyone is thinking about doing a podcast, feel free to email me. We found that having a big team with specialized roles and work rotation helped make the work sustainable and enjoyable. And as others highlight, content matters far more than tools or editing.
First, it's going to be slow to start unless you're either really good at advertising, already have a following etc. Getting a podcast going, like and project, is hard.
Second, it's going to be weird listening to your own voice recorded. Again and again as you edit. You'll probably think you sound stupid and pick out all your flubs, but you'll have to get used to it.
Lastly, it is extremely difficult to do a one-man podcast. Two people is the bare minimum to keep the conversation going, three is (in my personal experience listening and creating podcasts) the perfect number. Four is great if you can find a good diverse cast (e.g the Rooster Teeth podcast). So get a couple of your friends and make sure to make talking points, either written down or in your head, so that there's little dead air.
Second, it's going to be weird listening to your own voice recorded. Again and again as you edit. You'll probably think you sound stupid and pick out all your flubs, but you'll have to get used to it.
Lastly, it is extremely difficult to do a one-man podcast. Two people is the bare minimum to keep the conversation going, three is (in my personal experience listening and creating podcasts) the perfect number. Four is great if you can find a good diverse cast (e.g the Rooster Teeth podcast). So get a couple of your friends and make sure to make talking points, either written down or in your head, so that there's little dead air.
why do you consider 3 to be the perfect number?
I got to the point where I had a microphone (got it from amazon after a couple days of research), I had my software (I didn't think much about it, I had Garage Band preinstalled) and I recorded one audio.
After hearing it, I found it so bad I never did more.
I used the microphone for recording other stuff though.
What I learned is that you should first record yourself somewhere and listen to yourself before committing.
After hearing it, I found it so bad I never did more.
I used the microphone for recording other stuff though.
What I learned is that you should first record yourself somewhere and listen to yourself before committing.
Like others have mentioned, I found the time required quickly had me burning out & questioning the time investment. 5 - 10x the final length of the podcast seemed a good rule of thumb, even when you've managed to automate some of your process. For that reason, you might want to consider hiring someone to do your editing & uploading - the fresh pair of ears will probably help too.
Some of my time was spent being fussy about audio quality, but I still think it's important - I've unsubscribed from a lot of podcasts because the audio was unbearable. At the very least, learn a little about dynamics/compression, so that your podcast is a steady volume and not too loud or soft compared to others. Look at something like The Levelator [1] as a bare minimum.
Personally, I used iZotope RX [2] for noise reduction when necessary, and iZotope Ozone [3] for controlling dynamics and applying EQ. Ozone has a feature where you can analyze the EQ of a recording - say, Leo Laporte's TWIT podcasts - and apply that EQ curve to your own recording. That together with Ozone's dynamics compression helped get a much more professional sound.
Lastly: you might want to look at Christopher Hawkins book Record & Release [4] about every step of the podcasting process.
[1] http://www.conversationsnetwork.org/levelator
[2] https://www.izotope.com/en/products/repair-and-edit/rx.html
[3] https://www.izotope.com/en/products/master-and-deliver/ozone...
[4] http://www.record-and-release.com/
Some of my time was spent being fussy about audio quality, but I still think it's important - I've unsubscribed from a lot of podcasts because the audio was unbearable. At the very least, learn a little about dynamics/compression, so that your podcast is a steady volume and not too loud or soft compared to others. Look at something like The Levelator [1] as a bare minimum.
Personally, I used iZotope RX [2] for noise reduction when necessary, and iZotope Ozone [3] for controlling dynamics and applying EQ. Ozone has a feature where you can analyze the EQ of a recording - say, Leo Laporte's TWIT podcasts - and apply that EQ curve to your own recording. That together with Ozone's dynamics compression helped get a much more professional sound.
Lastly: you might want to look at Christopher Hawkins book Record & Release [4] about every step of the podcasting process.
[1] http://www.conversationsnetwork.org/levelator
[2] https://www.izotope.com/en/products/repair-and-edit/rx.html
[3] https://www.izotope.com/en/products/master-and-deliver/ozone...
[4] http://www.record-and-release.com/
Thanks for mentioning my book! I'm glad you found it useful.
To answer the OP, I learned tons doing my first podcast: - It was the first time I'd used WordPress to build a site - It was the first time I'd edited audio with Audacity - It was the first time I'd used any kind of opt-in form to build a mailing list - It was the first time I did any kind of automated social media marketing - It was the first time I'd done long-form interviews with people - Etc
GREAT experience. The best thing was making friends with all my guests. I was bummed when the podcast ended, but it was time.
I'm gearing up to start a new podcast right now, for freelancers and consultants. It should be launching next month & I'm pretty excited about it.
To answer the OP, I learned tons doing my first podcast: - It was the first time I'd used WordPress to build a site - It was the first time I'd edited audio with Audacity - It was the first time I'd used any kind of opt-in form to build a mailing list - It was the first time I did any kind of automated social media marketing - It was the first time I'd done long-form interviews with people - Etc
GREAT experience. The best thing was making friends with all my guests. I was bummed when the podcast ended, but it was time.
I'm gearing up to start a new podcast right now, for freelancers and consultants. It should be launching next month & I'm pretty excited about it.
Thanks Chris for writing such wonderful content! Me and my friend are super excited to get started, and we're glad we have so many great resources, both from you and from everyone else on HN!
Good luck for the next one, I can't wait to check it out!
Good luck for the next one, I can't wait to check it out!
I've done three. All were wrapped up or abandoned within a dozen episodes. I learned that the prospect of an on-going podcast is daunting. It seems many others have learned the same thing, as "seasons" and story arcs seem to be gaining in popularity. I'm starting another podcast soon, but with a distinct curriculum in mind, so I can stop after 6 episodes and still have a complete topic arc that I can release. I'm hoping that will make the difference.
I've started/participated in two podcast projects. One was recordings of a series of RPG sessions that was never published. And the other was an informational, science-type podcast. I learned it's very difficult to be spontaneous and keep up a conversation especially with more than 3 people. Also if someone says they'll do all the sound mixing be skeptical.
As a listener I want ok audio, this means:
- low noise enviroment
- mic placed as close as you can without pops or much change in the distance. (just try it a bit to find what soudns best). For multiple people: make sure they are all the same distance and angle to the mic.
- run it through a modest compressor once
I guess the kind of mic etc is not even that important.
- low noise enviroment
- mic placed as close as you can without pops or much change in the distance. (just try it a bit to find what soudns best). For multiple people: make sure they are all the same distance and angle to the mic.
- run it through a modest compressor once
I guess the kind of mic etc is not even that important.
I tried this years ago, when podcasting was maybe two years into being a thing. The one lesson I learned is that it's a huge time investment. All of the other costs pale in comparison, so you should be ready to make that commitment.
* What's the best microphone to use? (There goes at least 20 hours of research and reading and listening to comparisons, etc.)
* What should I use to record the podcast? Audacity? Logic Pro X? Reaper (which I haven't upgraded to 5.43 yet)?
* What about intro music? (More weeks pass as I reinstall and upgrade my digital audio workstation, the synth and drum plugins, my guitar interface, which oh, needs a driver upgrade...)
* How should I clean up the noise? (More time passes installing and upgrading my compression plugins. Do I need to buy the latest Waves plugins? Didn't I buy that set years ago, maybe I can upgrade? Check out KVR Audio for freeware plugins...)
* Where should I store the podcast? Which service? Is libsyn still good? What about podbean?
* Oh, now I need a website. Spend time resurrecting an old blog. Think: maybe I should convert over to one of those newer static sites (Hugo, et al)? Hey, maybe I'll write something in Go, which I've been trying to learn! (Weeks later...)
So, it's months later and I've clearly shaved far too many yaks. I don't have a podcast, but I've learned that I should just record one with whatever mic I've got, using Audacity, or whatever, and just publish the darned thing.