I’m doing it! I’m creating a podcast. I read that most authors don’t podcast. (There’s probably a reason for that. Hmm…) Anyway, I’m doing it! And I will take you along on the journey.
The question of the day: Should authors have a podcast?
Perhaps that the question of the month. I’ll be going over everything it takes to set up my podcast, along with the pros an cons that I experience. If you’ve ever considered starting your own podcast, perhaps this will help you decide.
First Things First
What I’ve pulled together to start my podcast:
- A laptop with Garageband. I have a MacBook Air and am using Garageband to record my voice for the podcast. The program came with the computer, so it’s free. (I love free!) And it’s easy to work. (I love easy!) I found a great Youtube video to get me started on Garageband. It’s by Pat Flynn called “How to Record & Edit a Podcast in Garageband.” Pat has a ton of useful videos to get you started with podcasting. He’ll be my go-to guy on Youtube during this process.
- A microphone. I already had a Yeti microphone, so I’m using that. Having done research before about using my laptop’s built-in microphone or an external one that you plug into your laptop’s USB, the sound quality is MUCH better with the external mic. And the Yeti is affordable and simple to use.
The only thing you need to make certain when using the Yeti is that you turn it on, or off mute. Otherwise, it doesn’t record and you spend ten minutes trying to figure out why you’ve recorded no sound. (I’m not saying that’s what happened to me, but I’ve warned you.) This is very close to what my setup looks like: - A logo. You’ll need an image or logo to use when you finally put your podcast on iTunes or a similar service. I use Canva, which is free and excellent. It’s very drop and click. If you have any experience with creative programs like Photoshop or even making a flyer in Word, this will be easy. I have an iStock account, so I found my logo artwork there, but Pixabay is a site for free artwork that I use a lot when blogging. And Canva has several designs for logos that you can also use. Here’s what I came up with for now:
If any of the above sounds hard, you’ll need to find someone that can help you. Do you have a ten-year-old niece? Turns out, I’ve been developing these skills for years, while I was goofing around. Who knew?
Okay, that’s all the things I did to get started. Next up, creating the content of my podcast seems soooo easy, but is it???