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Internet
March 2008
EmPodiment: What makes a slick Podcast?
By Chris Miller
Broadcasting with HAM radio or even commercial broadcasting is nothing new. However changes in technology have made it possible for nearly anyone with a microphone and a computer to make their own. Podcasts range from educational and informative to editorial and opinion-based. They aid businesses, support commercial broadcasts and accompany entertainment sites. Add the popularity of hard-drive based portable music players such as the iPod and computer-based downloads and you have a full-fledged movement.
So what is a podcast? Podcasts are technological-based broadcasts capable of reaching hundreds or thousands for virtually no money. They can be downloaded once or subscribed so that new podcasts will be automatically downloaded. The original term “Podcast” was used through itunes to disseminate their recordings. “Pod”-casting came from the word iPod. However podcasting has evolved into much more than just one application or one broadcasting medium could contain. The word podcast has become the household replacement for the generic word just like Band-aids and Kleenex replaced bandages and tissue.
This new medium has been adopted by many modern churches and ministries as an inexpensive way to regularly share the message. And just like the secular world of podcasts, there are some good church-based ones, and there are a lot of bad ones too. This article series intends to explain the difference, and gives analysis and review so that the reader may learn to make theirs more professional and more attractive to the subscriber.
In this first article I will do a little more explanation and less review. Here are the components of a professional podcast. Some of the examples listed below are high budget and some are not. It doesn’t take a lot of money to attract subscribers but it does take content and form.
Here is a common form for a basic podcast.
Introduction
Introduce yourself. Don’t assume that you are known. Assume that people need a quick reminder of who you are and what the podcast is about. Many people who have subscribed to your podcast may have forgotten what they subscribed to and may just be seeing the name of the podcast on a small music player. Make your introduction short and concise and then get to the content. Music is often used underneath the speaker and then faded out as the speaker gets to the content.
Content
The content is important in both quality and consideration for your audience. The quality of content means preparing in advance an outline on which to speak. Definitely don’t write out your subject matter word-for-word but rather have a loose draft so you don’t lose track of your thoughts and ramble on and on and on much like this sentence.
If your ideas are more free-flowing it will be necessary to practice some good speaking habits that will aid you in editing later on. When you speak, it’s better to leave space between your sentences or paragraphs. Just a second or two of space gives the listener a chance to think about what the speaker just said. The space also gives you an indication of where your sentence or paragraph ends when you’re editing. If you misspeak once, it’s ok. But if you make multiple mistakes in a short time, just pause about two seconds, gather your thoughts, and repeat the whole idea. Editing spoken words that are close together makes a recording sound choppy and less natural sounding.
Consideration of your audience requires asking some important questions. Will this podcast hold my audience’s attention? Is it too long? I once saw a podcast that was four hours long. If you have that much content, it should be separated into bite-sized chunks that people can digest.
Another consideration is whether you give any references that the audience can look into when the podcast is done. Give people your research materials online or in the form of a blog with links to articles that support your podcast. Support other podcasts. Support the ministry that supports you.
Wrap Up
Finally, we speak of the wrap up. Did you fulfill the purpose you set out to do? Did you stay on topic and hold the listener’s attention? Did you make your points and back them up with additional material? Did you present the opportunity for feedback and interaction with the listener?
Edit
Editing is done after you’ve recorded your work. At this point it’s time to cut the unwanted portions of the audio out of the final product. You may spend a lot of time taking the ‘uhs’ and ‘ums’ out of your work, so make a point of stopping this habit as best you can. No one likes to hear unkempt thought. No one. If you don’t believe me, record yourself with all the uhs and ums you like, and then go back and count them all. It will drive you nuts. If it doesn’t bother you at that point, you’re hopeless. It’s better to pause than to fill the space with a nonsensical word, both for the podcast and for editing. If you have space in your recording you can always cut that space shorter. If you have a word thrown in there, you have limited options on how much space you can take out.
To properly record, edit and otherwise tweak your recorded audio, you’ll need some gear: an application that will record and edit, a microphone, a short mic stand and headphones to hear yourself. An audio workstation software will work fine, like Logic Pro, Sonar, Pro Tools, if you already have one of those. But don’t go out and buy one of those products if you are only going to use it for podcasting. Go to versiontracker.com and search for “audio edit” (without the quotation marks of course) and find software that is highly rated and is either free or inexpensive. You should be able to find something for under $75. Wiretap Studio is very popular on the Mac side, and Cool Record Edit Deluxe if you are on XP and Vista. These are not the only ones that will work, by far. There is a lot of software out there, so read reviews before buying anything. Even if you don’t buy the software from Amazon or Cnet, go to their websites and read the reviews.
Microphones are important but don’t spend a ton on it. Blue makes a microphone called the snowball for $99. You can also get a kit that includes a mic. Some podcast kits include a mic, mic stand and the audio editing software, but they vary. Here are a couple you can find online to purchase: Alesis USB Podcast Microphone Kit, Behringer Podcastudio, and M-Audio Podcast Factory, just to name a few.
Post
It’s time to post your recording to the web. Posting just means you’re going to upload or place your audio file onto a website that specializes in podcasts. There are places that charge money depending on the amount of content you have, and some will help with production or the promotion. There are free services like podbean.com that is free for a limited amount of content, and then beyond that is a minimal fee $5-10 per month. Once it’s posted, you are given a URL which can be linked to websites that host for free. Websites like myspace, facebook, livejournal, itunes, etc. Any of these sites have instructions on how to link a podcast to the site. You can also google search “how to post your podcast” and a bunch of answers will come up.
Finally, to better your podcasts, listen to other podcasts. Search google for “Christian Podcast” or other podcasts you find interesting.
You don’t have to spend a bunch of money to start podcasting. In fact, given this budget you really shouldn’t have to spend more than around $150 plus a monthly fee to host your content.
4 Dos
•Turn off every appliance that would make noise. Put pets outside. Every little sound is heard on a good microphone.
•Introduce yourself, explain your purpose, and tell people where to find your podcasts on every podcast you do. Some people will listen out of order or even listen to your most recent podcast first, depending on whichever topic interests them.
•Mention your website or blog, and mention some way to continue the hype of your podcast even after it’s done. Announce what the next podcast is going to be about. Mention other podcasters who share your views or opinions. The more excitement there is about your subject, the more listeners you are prone to get. Contact another podcaster and tell them that their podcast was mentioned. It’s not a competition, it’s a community.
•If promoting a church or a ministry, mention the contact info and give directions with service times or at the very least, list the website so people can check it out.
4 Don’ts
•Don’t move the mic while you’re recording.
•Don’t say Uh and Um, instead leave dead air and edit it later.
•Write a loose script ahead of time with points you want to cover.
•Record with a plan. Even if you decide to make most of it up as you go, having a loose outline or a few points you want to hit always saves you from running out of things to say.
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