How to Create Professional Podcasts

If you have researched podcasting and determined it would be a beneficial investment for your online business you may wonder where to begin with your new endeavor. To achieve favorable results you must create podcasts that are professional.  Poorly produced podcasts do not attract subscribers. In fact, they can have the opposite effect and ultimately hurt your image.

Invest in Good Equipment
The most important equipment investment you can make is in a good quality microphone, preferably one that is directional. If you are just beginning your endeavor it isn’t necessary to buy a high end model. However, you will want to avoid the low end models that are included with the purchase of a computer or are integrated in laptops.

Record with Minimal Distraction
A directional microphone will help reduce background noise. However, you should ensure that all background noise is kept to a minimum during recording. Turn off telephones or other electronic devices that may cause a sudden interruption. Also be aware of barking dogs, traffic or other white noise that may ruin your podcast.

Add Creative Touches
You may want to include sound effects or music within your podcast but make sure you meet copyright requirements on any additional media. You may want to design a custom intro and outro for your program. Make sure your creative touches do not become a distraction. You may loose your listeners’ attention if your additional media is too long or excessive.

Normalize and Compress
Your podcast is not complete at the conclusion of recording.  A good post production process can go a long way in adding to the professionalism of your program. By both compressing and normalizing your recording you will balance the overall volume and improve the quality.

Provide Regular Content
As with any content, listeners will only subscribe if it is both useful and regularly updated. Be realistic about how often you can produce a quality podcast. It isn’t necessary to provide a new podcast everyday. In fact, unless you are providing very short daily update, listeners will not be able to keep up. Whether you choose to provide podcasts weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly, try to hold to this schedule.

Listen Objectively
No matter how you choose to produce your podcast make sure you listen to your program in its entirety before posting it. Or even better, pass it to a trusted resource who can give you an honest opinion of your effort.