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Guide to Podcasting: Hints, Tips and Tricks

General guidance on podcasting

Things to Remember

1. Get Organise

Figure out what you want to do and why you want to do it.  Focus on what you want to achieve and if the project is suitable for a podcast series or other media.  
 

2. Allocate Time

Podcast take time so allocate time for planning, recording and editing.  Creating a new series from scratch will take longer than you think.
 

3. Find a Podcast Platform

Looking for a suitable platform for hosting?  Don't forget this facility may be offered by your university.
 

4.  Promote

Engage with social media to promote your podcasts.  This will help build a following and assess the success of your podcast series. 

Tips and Tricks

Podcasts are easy to produce once you get the hang of it  

Production becomes quicker;  After the first podcast, you should have a structure, both of content and way of working which can be applied to subsequent podcasts.

Don’t underestimate the time 

A short screen capture can take hours to perfect; editing, an entire afternoon.  Don't underestimate the time it takes for production.  Try, if possible to delegate if a task takes you too long.  For example,  if you like the presenting and production but don’t like editing, ask someone else to edit (who of course is happy to do it).  

Sound quality is Important  

Drilling in the background never makes for a good recording. If sound is an issue, invest in a new microphone, or wait until you have a quieter moment. Alternatively find a quiet spot and experiment with some impromptu sound proofing using cushions, throws or even the odd cardboard box.

Storyboard so content flows

 It never works to podcast on the fly.  The result will be disjointed or hesitant.  Even if you know the content will be edited, take the time to work out what needs to be done before you begin the edit.

Make your podcast as accessible as possible

To make accessible: add captions, include a transcript of the text, give detailed explanations of images and screen casts.  Podcasts should be designed to be inclusive, not exclusive.