Podcasting 101
Thinking about starting a podcast at CEU? This guide covers the basics of planning, recording, editing, and publishing a podcast.
1. Start with your idea
Before you record, think about:
- What is the podcast about? Define a clear topic or theme.
- Who is it for? Your audience might be academics, students, policymakers, or the general public.
- What do you want listeners to take away? A strong podcast has a clear purpose.
- What format works best? Common formats include interviews, conversations, narrated episodes, lectures, and panel discussions.
You don't need an elaborate concept. A focused topic and a clear audience are usually more important than a complicated format.
2. Plan your episode
Decide on the basic structure before recording. For example:
Introduction → Main discussion → Conclusion
For interviews, prepare questions in advance, but avoid making the conversation sound overly scripted.
Keep episodes focused. A shorter, well-structured episode is generally more effective than a long conversation that loses its direction.
3. Record good audio
Good sound is more important than expensive equipment.
Whenever possible:
- Record in a quiet room with minimal background noise.
- Use a dedicated microphone or a good-quality headset rather than a laptop's built-in microphone.
- Avoid rooms with lots of echo or hard surfaces.
- Wear headphones while recording.
- Keep the microphone at a consistent distance from your mouth.
- If recording remotely, make sure every participant has a good microphone and a quiet environment.
Always listen to a short test recording before starting the full interview or discussion.
4. Edit your episode
Editing doesn't need to be complicated. At a minimum, consider removing:
- Long pauses
- Major mistakes or false starts
- Distracting background noise
- Technical problems
- Sections that don't contribute to the discussion
You can use software such as Audacity, Adobe Audition, or other audio-editing applications available at CEU.
Don't feel that every pause or imperfection needs to be removed. Natural conversation is often more engaging than highly polished audio.
5. Make it engaging
Academic podcasts work best when they communicate ideas clearly rather than simply reproducing an academic paper or lecture.
Try to:
- Explain specialized terms and concepts.
- Give listeners enough context to follow the discussion.
- Use examples and stories where appropriate.
- Avoid unnecessary jargon.
- Let your guests explain their ideas in their own words.
Remember that many listeners may not have a specialist background in your field.
6. Give listeners useful information
Each episode should have a clear title and description. Identify the people speaking and provide relevant links or references discussed in the episode.
Where possible, provide a transcript. Transcripts make podcasts more accessible and make the content easier to search, quote, and use as a scholarly resource.
7. Publish consistently
If you are creating a series, establish a realistic publishing schedule. You don't need to publish every week. A consistent schedule that you can maintain is better than an ambitious schedule that quickly becomes difficult to sustain.
Check out the Resources tab or click here for more extensive instructional guides on creating podcasts and other useful information.
Need help?
The CEU Podcast team can advise you on planning, recording, editing, and publishing your podcast.
If you're thinking about starting a new podcast at CEU, contact podcasts@ceu.edu before you begin recording.