Currently there are many ways by which we can transmit a message to a specific public niche. The medium choice depends a lot on the audience you are targeting and in the same way it depends on how easy or accessible it is for you to produce the specific material for this medium.
There is no doubt, one of the most accessible and user-friendly media for content creators is the podcast. This is largely because it allows the creator to focus more on their content, as the barriers to distributing it are significantly lower.
However, this ease has caused the quality parameters that make up a good podcast to be neglected and many creators have fallen into errors or oversights that can be detrimental to obtaining a large audience and even cause losses in their listening base.
But don’t worry, the Ib-Aural team shares the following points so that you can maintain your podcast with professional standards, without having to make a large investment of time and money:
Not investing in audio quality
The fact that the podcast is more accessible than other media in terms of its production does not mean that it lacks quality. One of the main reasons that, as a listener, makes me abandon a podcast is its poor audio quality. And it is something really essential since any technical detail in the audio is one more distraction that takes the listener away from your message. There are some important points to take care of in this area:
Not investing in audio quality
The Location
It doesn't matter if you have the most expensive audio equipment in the world, if you record in the wrong place you will sound bad. Essentially it is best to record in a small, acoustically absorbent (no echo) location. For example, you can record in a closet or in a room with a high presence of carpets and curtains, basically make sure that there are no sound reflective materials. This will help you have better intelligibility. Be careful not to record external sounds, your audience will find it extremely strange to hear the neighbor's dog or the traffic horns outside your house. Make sure you don't speak too close to the microphone, keep at least one palm distance, and keep the microphone off-axis from your mouth. This will be very helpful in avoiding the problems caused by "s", "p" and "b" also known as "plosive pops".
Not investing in audio quality
The Hardware
Since you have the location covered, now it's time to invest in your recording equipment. There are many inexpensive options available for microphones (Shure is a good example of value for money) and audio interfaces (M-Audio, Steinberg, Focusrite, Presonus, etc) as well as dedicated audio programs that allow you to record and do basic editing. without any problem, even free ones like Audacity which is compatible on both Mac and PC or even Linux. Another element that can help solve the “plosive pops” problems that we talked about earlier is the anti-pop filter.
Not investing in audio quality
Your podcast Post-production
You can be the main responsible for the two previous points but let's be honest, you cannot be in charge of everything and also expect to be an expert in audio editing and post-production. This is where we can be of special help to you, so that you only worry about the creation and quality of your content and we take care of leaving it ready for you to release it.
How can we help?
Select the area you want to know more
This is where we eliminate some errors from the audio clips, apply equalization to improve the tonal balance of all the recorded material, and filter out each and every problem that may have been sneaked in through the precautionary measures in the previous points.
Whether you are doing an “Audio Drama” or a business or technology podcast, sound effects are a great tool at your disposal to be even clearer and more direct in your messages, so don’t hesitate to take them into account. For example, SFXs can help separate sections of your podcast to make it more dynamic.
Like SFX, Foleys can be of great help, especially in Audio Dramas, since lacking visual references, foleys such as footsteps or movements can help the listener to imagine the world you have created for him.
A key element in building the unique identity of your podcast is original music. Many podcasters choose not to invest in original music for cost reasons and use stock music for their inception curtains. However, what they don’t take into account is that anyone else could use the same song, which detracts from your podcast’s originality and identity.
As for “Background music, it can be very useful to generate dynamism and rhythm in the podcast, helping at the same time to generate an environment related to the topic or situation that is being dealt with at that moment. This element can be considered as an extra, especially if we are talking about opinion podcasts for example. However, in audio drama podcasts it is a fundamental tool that can help strengthen your storytelling.
There is nothing more frustrating than listening to that episode of the podcast that promised to share that information that you want so much and that just when they talk about it, the background music is heard more than the main voice or that some voices or sounds are so loud that You have to lower the volume in certain parts and then raise it because you don’t hear the rest. All these details make for a frustrating and unpleasant listening experience.
Once we have a good mix we can master your podcast, which guarantees that it does not matter if you listen to it in your car, on your cell phone’s headphones or on your laptop, the gain levels and the equalization must be appropriate for it to work. listen properly on any of them.
Other Mistakes
"Twin voices"
If your podcast is an “Audio Drama”, when casting voices you must make sure that the voices of the characters are sufficiently different from each other, since if there are voices that are too similar, it will be very difficult for the listeners to be able to distinguish who is speaking at a certain moment, which translates into confusion and loss of thread in the story.
The same goes for other types of podcasts so make sure the voices of the participating talent are different enough from each other. If for some reason this is not possible then they can indirectly indicate who is speaking at the time. For example, if we have Jim and John talking about a topic and it is time for John to speak, he can start his intervention with the following phrase “That's right Jim...” to indicate to the listener that John is the one who is speaking now.
Other Mistakes
Test rounds
Once you have your episodes ready, it is a good idea to do a test round with trusted people who can help you with constructive criticism and above all, fresh ears to be able to improve any areas of opportunity that they help you detect.
Other Mistakes
Uploads, Duration and Tone consistency.
Consistency gives your podcast credibility, makes the listener feel confident that they can come back for more of your content periodically. If you stop uploading podcasts on regular release dates, it is very likely that your audience will start to forget about you.
In the same way, the tone you give to your podcast must be consistent, which does not prohibit you from varying it (for example, if your podcast has a serious tone it may be that some other episode is a little more relaxed and fun) but it is important that you inform your audience of the change in tone before they notice it. Remember that your audience is most comfortable knowing what to expect from you.
The length of your podcast is somewhat ambiguous. Normally the rule to follow is "the podcast should last as long as it should last" in order for you to successfully convey your message. However, it is advisable to maintain an average duration.
The same goes for other types of podcasts so make sure the voices of the participating talent are different enough from each other. If for some reason this is not possible then they can indirectly indicate who is speaking at the time. For example, if we have Jim and John talking about a topic and it is time for John to speak, he can start his intervention with the following phrase “That's right Jim...” to indicate to the listener that John is the one who is speaking now.
