There are four parts to a mobile-friendly message.
On the communication side there is content and presentation.
- Content is what you say.
- Presentation is how you say it.
I believe content and presentation are equally important, especially when making your message mobile with a podcast.
On the technical side there is technology and technique.
- Technology is what you use
- Technique is how you use it
Technology and technique are NOT equal in importance.
Which is why Rule 6 in podcasting is
Technique is more important than technology
Many new podcasters invest heavily in the technology side long before they start their first podcast, spending several hundred dollars (or thousands) on professional recording studio equipment.
- Microphones
- Mixers
- Preamps
- Soundproofing
This is a mistake.
Why?
If you’ve never created a podcast before, there’s a learning curve you’re not ready for.
If you invest heavily in professional studio technology, you’ll only be amplifying what you don’t know about podcasting.
And you might discover the growth in popularity of your show is much slower than you thought it was supposed to be. That can make you more likely to podfade.
You might also find it much more difficult to produce a podcast.
Recording and editing are challenging skills. It’s not as easy as you think.
In fact, some people make a living just editing podcasts.
Start small and focus on technique
There are a few things you can do right now to get really good at podcasting without spending much money.
Learn good mic technique
You can do this on a 60 to 80 dollar microphone.
Practice with this until you’ve mastered the skill of using a microphone.
If you’re podcasting solo, skip the mixer. You don’t need one. Record straight into a computer or your smartphone. There are adapters that make the connection between your mic and your device. Study that until you understand how to record on the go or in your closet.
The classic closet studio
Yes, forget building a studio for now. Your closet is a great place to record because the clothes dampen the audio reflections you get when recording in your dining room. Some professional radio broadcasters covering stories on location actually record under a blanket. Do what they do until you’ve mastered the skill of recording.
Edit for free
Use a free audio editor like Audacity.
Learn the basics of trimming, cutting, copying, pasting, and mixing. Learn some things about compression, normalization, and avoiding distorted audio.
Keep practicing until you’ve mastered the free audio editor.
If you really want to improve your sound quality after trying all that, then use Auphonic. It’s a technology that levels your sound, increases the loudness to generally accepted standards, and will even get rid of hiss and low rumbles in your recording.
Auphonic is free for up to 2 hours each month. If you need more, you can buy extra time for not much money.
Once you’ve mastered the skills of recording and editing, you will sound much better than anyone else who bought expensive equipment without putting in the work to learn how to use it.
Technique is more important than technology.
So start small.
And practice.
My Rules for Podcasting
Rule 1: Your podcast. Your choice.
Rule 2: Your choice. Your consequences.
Rule 3: Start with what you know. Learn as you go.
Rule 4: Start with what you have. Upgrade as you go.
Rule 5: Your podcast needs editing.
Rule 6: Technique is more important than technology.
Rule 7: Presentation is just as important as content.
Rule 8: “It depends” is the answer to your question.
Rule 9: Don’t talk about the weather!
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