28- “How to Start a Podcast for $0”

Millennial Playbook Podcast

This is a special episode of the Millennial Playbook Podcast, where hosts Alissa and Kate explain how to start a podcast for free.

Our sponsor for this episode is PiperWai. PiperWai is the FIRST natural deodorant to use activated charcoal to absorb odor and wetness! It’s formulated for sensitive skin, so you don’t have to choose between irritation and effectiveness. This 100-percent-natural deodorant forms an invisible, absorbent, pH-balanced shield on your underarms that neutralizes odor and protects your clothes from perspiration. (It’s also Kate’s newly found, secret weapon deodorant! The only thing that works!)

When we first launched this podcast project, we had a few typical hurdles to overcome: lack of audio recording technology, sub-par computers, very minimal audio editing skills, and over 70 miles between our homes. On top of that, we wanted to start a podcast without spending any money. What we did have: solid content, ambition, and a back-of-napkin business agreement to keep us both focused.

We started by searching the internet for “how to start a podcast for free”, but kept encountering a lot of caveats like having to have a Mac (we are both PC owners) or really complicated setups. So we revised our mission slightly: we want to start a podcast for free, and in a way that’s sustainable for two people in different cities who already have other full time jobs. We pressed on until we figured it out.

You can listen to the audio explanation of how we did it at one of these links, or keep reading for the visuals:

• Subscribe to the Millennial Playbook Podcast on iTunes.
• Subscribe to the Millennial Playbook Podcast on Stitcher.
• You can listen to just this episode via the built-in player at the very bottom of this post.

Equipment Required:

• 1 PC with Skype and Audacity installed. There’s a version of Audacity that doesn’t require an install (for those of you on a work computer like me).
• 2 iPhones with Skype app installed
• 2 Pairs of earbuds
• Whatever our guest decides to call in from. We encourage iPhone and earbuds for anyone that isn’t a regular podcast guest and doesn’t have their own mic setup. We seem to get better call quality via iPhone versus Android

Getting connected:

• You’ll actually need 3 Skype names for this setup, so make another one, like “Record Kate”.
• One person (Alissa) logs into her own skype name (alissa.carpenter) via her iPhone app.
• The other person (Kate) logs into her own Skype name (kate.athmer) via her iPhone app too.
• Then that same person (Kate) also logs into Skype on her PC via her other (Record.Kate) skype name. She opens Audacity after Skype loads (this helps the settings default to the correct options). She initiates a 3 way call with kate.athmer and alissa.carpenter. When applicable, the guest is added to this call, bringing the total participating Skype names to four. In theory, this could work with as many guests as Skype will permit.

Recording Tips:

• Set audacity to these settings in order to record the 4-way Skype call.
• Coach guests if they mess up to “pause, indicate your intention to restate, pause, and restate”. This just makes our editor’s job easier.
• Communicate with the other host via a google doc during the interview. The file should start as the outline for the interview, and by the end have the notes you need to create a summary recap for the blog posts. Just be mindful you’re on mute when typing so you don’t hear that.
• Conduct the interview first, then come back and record the intro, mentioning some of the highlights from the episode.
• You can record from anywhere. Try to avoid the car or noisy coffee shops- but the number one thing for us is just get it done.

Editing:

• You can do all your editing in Audacity if you don’t have access to other software. Recording on one track like we do greatly reduces editing time since you don’t have to combine tracks, but of course you will sacrifice some sound quality with that shortcut.
• Some of our most-used tricks in Audacity: insert silence, amplify/negative amplify, clip and move, overall noise reduction
• Searching “Audacity + whatever sound problem you have” will turn up better results than anything I could possibly write here.
• Consider hiring someone to do the editing of the audio. Their experience and focus in this area will make an enormous impact in both your sound quality, and your sanity. I suspect, based on experience, that editing is where 95% of podcasts crumble. It takes forever! +++ Special thanks to our amazing producer, Katie Lehner, for helping us make this season possible!

Hosting:

• We host the episodes on Kate’s pre-existing website right now because it has enough bandwidth for the current listener volume. This could also be a free option for you if you already have a personal site (btw, if you don’t…you should). Based on some testing, it seems like hosting the files on Google Drive would also work. If our listener volume goes up substantially, we will have to make the switch to a paid podcast hosting platform.
• Kate’s site is on WordPress which has a lot of plugins including Blubrry, which was really easy to setup. Blubrry has super clear training instructions on their website: https://create.blubrry.com/resources/powerpress/using-powerpress/creating-your-first-episode-with-powerpress/
• Blubrry will also explain clearly how to get your podcast listed on iTunes – note you’ll need the rss link from your website/wherever you’re hosting the podcast, a 1400 x 1400 pixel jpg, a unique name for your show, and an Apple ID. It can take up to 2 weeks for them to approve your show, so start this process early: https://create.blubrry.com/manual/podcast-promotion/submit-podcast-to-itunes/

Good luck! Feel free to send us a note if you have questions or get stuck in any of these areas.

The absolute, NUMBER ONE thing we learned in doing this was to make it as easy as possible on ourselves. Getting something started that’s half-decent is way better than over-committing and stalling out because you’re aiming for perfection. Get going! Make a winning play!

Thanks again to PiperWai for sponsoring this bonus post!

The post 28- “How to Start a Podcast for $0” appeared first on Millennial Reboot.