New Year, New Career! Start Your Own Podcast This 2020
Podcasts are becoming very popular nowadays.Seems like the old school way of being entertained is making a comeback! Before the Internet, and before the televisions, people listen to the radio to entertain themselves. Radio drama still exists but sadly, it is not as popular as it was. However, podcasts are reviving people’s interest in listening for entertainment. As a voice actor, having your own podcast can hone your skills, plus it can help you earn some money. Aside from having your own talk show, you can also create podcasts about anything under the sun, or teach people stuff like a new language, or how to be a minimalist. You can be anyone behind the mic. Sounds interesting? You better read on to learn more about podcasting.
What is a podcast and how does it work?
Ben Hammersley coined the word podcast from the combination of iPod and Broadcast. Unlike listening to radio stations where you have to tune in to listen to your favorite segment, podcasts can be downloaded in your computer or mobile. Podcasts are digital audio recordings that are usually downloaded in MP3 format. Podcasts are usually a series of audios that you can download per episode.It can be an audio about a lifestyle, an audio book, or even an audio of your favorite tv show. It can be downloaded from several websites, onto you phone, and listen to it anywhere, and everywhere.
What are the formats of podcast?
Interviews
Interview podcast is a classic. This type of podcast usually feature different guests per week, and usually talk about a specific niche, or sometimes, just random stuff. The Joe Rogan experience is one good example of a podcast that does interviews.
Conversational
A conversational podcast is a co-hosted podcast. This type usually has two host, or sometimes multiple hosts. Commonly, in this type of podcast, the host talk about a specific topic, sharing insights with each other, and talk about a different topic on the next episode.
Educational
Educational podcasts can also have multiple hosts but are more structured than conversational ones. Educators nowadays use podcasts as a tool in teaching.
Solo-casts
Solo-casts are monologues of a host. There are no co-hosts in this type of podcast. The episodes tend to be experience-based and could talk about anything.
Non-fiction storytelling and fiction storytelling
The non-fiction podcast format can be difficult to make. It requires extensive research and needs some audio clippings from interviews. Numerous people are needed to nail this format. On the other hand, the challenge in creating a fiction storytelling podcast is keeping your audience interested in your story. If you are a beginner, doing this format is not highly recommended.
Repurposed Content
Television shows repurpose their tv show into audio so fans can catch up later. This format requires a lot of editing
How to create your own podcast?
If you are going to listen to podcasts, you can easily determine what type of podcast you would like to listen to. However, if you are going to create your own, choosing what to talk about can be tricky. As a voice actor, you would want to showcase your talent and your knowledge in script writing. You may think that creating your podcast can be easy because everything nowadays, everything is digital, but no.
Starting your own podcast can be tough, especially if you want to create one that would attract listeners. After you have decided to start your podcast, you have to be very committed. Also, you have to be consistent, and creative. Creating your podcast requires careful planning.
Here are some of the things that you need to consider when you want to create your own podcast:
- Know your nichè and have a format that works for you
Aside from your amazingly awesome voice, the most important thing to know when you want to create your podcast is your topic. You have to choose a topic that you would be comfortable talking about. You have to know your target audience. You may jot down the topics that interest you and narrow it down to one. Focusing on one topic is better than trying to talk about a broad topic simultaneously. Choosing a broad topic can be a big problem, for you might not be able to give justice to it. For example, you may want to talk about Science. It has a very wide scope. You might have started talking about galaxies, then jumping into anatomy can be problematic because some of your listeners might have downloaded your podcast because they are interested on the first topic that you covered, then you might lose their interest once you jumped into another branch of Science. Choose one topic and flesh it out!
As mentioned above, there are several types of podcasts to choose from. Decide whether you would want to do format one, or two, or if you would want to do all of them. If you would do a conversational format, look for a partner that you have a chemistry with. If you have decided to go solo, then you have to consider creating an outline for your episodes.
Just like other shows, a podcast has its parts. If you are a professional VO actor, you might have already been hired to do a podcast intro or outro. You can do what you want to do since it is your podcast but a podcast has to have an intro, a brief summary of the episode, introductions of guests (if you have any), segues, the topic itself, of course ads when you already have sponsors,and finally, your conclusion. It would also be nice to give your listeners an overview of what you will be talking about on your next episode. It is also important to remember to create an outline, and it is important to practice before recording.
Do not forget to also put some jingle or some music in your podcasts. It is important to put some music to emphasize or highlight the important things that you are saying. Music can also serve as a segue, or an introduction to a new topic.
- Use the right equipment: microphones, recording software, editing tools.
Now that we are done talking about the content, we will now discuss the second most crucial thing to be considered in starting your own podcast. In the VO industry, it is known that the audio quality is critical.Using the right equipment and a quality recording software can help you produce quality digital audios. The Voice Realm has a list of recommended microphones, and The Voiceover Herald published an article about recording software that can help you produce outstanding podcasts.
When it comes to editing, as time goes by, you may have already established your brand, and have already pre-recorded your intros that can be edited into your audio before uploading it. Using a free software like Audacity, basic edits and music can be added.
- Find a media host
Once you are done with the recording and editing, you now need to find a media host that would make your audio available to your listeners. iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, and TuneIn are the media hosts that commonly cater podcasts, they can help you be found and listened to.
- Create a website dedicated to your podcast
Having a blog to advertise your podcast is a must. You can make your podcasts more accessible to your listeners, and you can also interact with them by doing this. You will get an idea on what they like, and don’t like on your episodes. Your website could include transcripts, show notes, and show highlights. This can boost your SEO, and can help your listeners share your works. Remember to always give your listeners a valuable and wonderful experiences. This can also be a way to promote your podcast.
What’s in it for you as a voice actor?
Truth be told, if you will start your own podcast, earning some money will not be as easy, compared to being hired to voice a company’s podcast. If you are a professional voice actor working from your home studio, creating your own podcast can be a good additional to your profile, also, it can help you earn some extra money. If you are an amateur, creating your podcasts can help you determine your weaknesses, and hone it for your skills to be better. Yes, the ROI can be slow, but if you become consistent with what you publish, and people began listening to you, you will eventually get sponsors. You will be able to create your own brand.
After all of these steps, what you need is determination and consistency to get more people to listen to you. All podcasters started from scratch. You may listen to other podcasters. Podcasting can be a promising career path for aspiring VO actors in the future. If you are a client looking for voice over actors for podcast, visit The Voice Realm, and talk to us!
What are your thoughts about podcasting? Share it with us!
