My intention, proper right here, is that will help you to create a podcast within the shortest time doable.

And I’m not simply speaking about any outdated podcast. I imply a nice podcast. Your absolute best podcast!

As a result of that is the place so many individuals get caught out. It’s the place exhibits go to die. The podcaster spends an excessive amount of time making each episode. A lot that it simply would not match into their week and even their life. By that time, it simply drains all of the enjoyable and worth out of your entire present!

In fact, it’s value noting that various kinds of exhibits take completely different quantities of time to supply (go ask an audio drama producer how a lot time they spend on dialogue modifying alone!). And typically, spending extra time in your present can enhance the standard, or what you get out of it. However, that’s provided that you spend that point on the appropriate stuff. And I consider it’s doable to do these proper issues in far much less time than you suppose.

So that is what I’ll do on this article: present you the very best of these “proper issues” and assist you create the absolute best product within the least doable time.

Who I Am and What You’ll Study

By the use of a fast “who the heck’s this man?”: my identify is Colin Grey, and I’m a podcaster, author, trainer, and basic dogsbody at The Podcast Host. We create a community of our personal exhibits and assist 1000’s of others produce their very own by our content material.

Plus, we run a podcast maker device known as Alitu. The entire goal behind Alitu is to supply recording, modifying, and publishing instruments that automate and simplify, making it far faster and simpler to create your present. And a whole lot of that is predicated on the “proper methods” that I’ll speak about right here.

Over the previous ten years, I’ve gone from becoming a podcast round a totally completely different regular job (educating academics how you can educate — meta, huh?), to attempting to suit as many podcasts as doable into my present job and designing instruments to assist others do it faster!

It was all about chopping out the cruft and determining what’s actually worthwhile in making a high-quality, profitable present. I’ll speak about all these insights right here, together with:

• Find out how to plan content material within the minimal time, and in a approach that makes it straightforward to ship
• Find out how to get essentially the most from every little thing you do create
• Recording & modifying methods to save lots of time
• Find out how to discover and be taught the instruments that lower down on processing time

So, let’s get into it. Time to use a bit lightning to your podcast!

Why Seasons are Rocketfuel for You and your Viewers

Seasons-based podcasting is essentially the most underrated workflow hack within the business. And, even higher, it’s a large driver of listener success, loyalty, and viewers progress, too.

How? Effectively, there are three causes. 

Planning Nirvana

You realize if you flip up at your desk for recording time and suppose: “Alrighty … podcast time. I’ve bought an hour to get this child recorded! Soooo … what shall I speak about … ”

An hour later, you’re nonetheless solely midway by planning the episode. And even worse, you’re nonetheless gazing a clean display screen, attempting to consider an thought.

Effectively, right here’s a brand new tack: take an hour of your life and take into consideration your subsequent season as a substitute. 

Take a query you typically get out of your listeners, or a subject you already know you wish to cowl, after which break it down. One of many greatest errors we make as podcasters is attempting to suit an excessive amount of into an episode. We do it as a result of we care. We wish to give a whole lot of worth, however really, it’s shortchanging your listeners, typically lacking particulars, or giving them an excessive amount of to consider suddenly. As a substitute, break that matter down into its element elements. 

I did a season on podcast gear some time again. I may have simply lined it in a single episode nevertheless it’s higher to interrupt it down. One episode on microphones, one on mixers, one on recording software program, and one on modifying software program. 

Usually I can work this out in lower than ten minutes for a subject I do know properly. Perhaps 20 to 30 if I have to do a little bit of analysis. I’ll find yourself with an inventory of perhaps six or seven episodes, typically as much as 15 or 20. 

Then, I’ll take one other 20 minutes to place some meat on them bones, and do a set of 5 to 10 bullet factors inside every most important matter, outlining what I’ll cowl. 

By the top of the hour (or much less!) I’ve bought a plan for a complete season’s value of content material, typically two or three months lengthy, perhaps extra. 

So now, as a substitute of the same old, “Oh no! What do I speak about this week!”, subsequent time you open up that season plan, try the following episode’s script and hit file. Simple!

And sure, this may nonetheless work for interview exhibits. Do all the above, and solely THEN begin to consider friends. This makes for much higher content material. As a substitute of simply selecting out random pseudo-famous individuals in your area of interest, only for their identify, select based mostly on experience and data. 

Search round for weblog posts masking the matters you’ve gotten in your plan. Discover individuals with fascinating angles on these matters, after which invite them on the present. You’ll create much better, way more targeted content material because of this.

Higher Batching

With a season plan, you possibly can actually simply reap the benefits of one other enormous timesaver: batch recording.

Matthew is my co-host on our “how you can podcast” present, Podcraft. It’s a seasons-based present, and we’ve lengthy recorded it in batches. We co-host the podcast, so we are able to plan a season collectively, after which we’ll file two to a few episodes at a time. 

I do know individuals who can do 4 episodes in a single sitting, however we all the time discover we hit a wall round three. Nonetheless, which means we solely have to rearrange recording time each two or three weeks, quite than each single week.

Modifying may be batched, too. As anybody who has to do a whole lot of process switching is aware of, doing a number of of all of them collectively takes far much less time than three separate modifying periods.

Listener-Powered Content material

Each podcaster is aware of they need to be getting their listeners extra concerned with their present. It drives engagement, loyalty, and large listener progress. However, it’s a giant time suck … monitoring emails, social media, and voicemails each single week may be draining. 

Seasons put one thing model new in your toolbox: a break!

On the finish of the season, you say: “Okay, thanks for listening! We’ll be again in 6 weeks, on August 1st. Throughout that point, although, right here’s what I need you to do. We’re going to cowl podcast gear on the following season. Inform me, what gear are you utilizing proper now? What gear have you ever tried that was garbage? What are your greatest struggles or questions with gear that I can reply? Ship me a tweet,or an e mail, or (better of all) depart a voicemail at ..”

Then you definitely take a well-earned break! 

In the direction of the top of the break, you possibly can batch-process all of this. Take a day to gather all of it collectively, collate the tweets and the emails, and course of the audio recordings so it’s all prepared for the brand new season. That is a lot simpler and extra environment friendly than doing little drips and drabs each few days. 

Even higher, this may energy the planning we talked about above. The questions will direct your episodes, and you may plan forward, together with all of the related questions in the appropriate episode. In that approach, you embody and contain your listeners within the present and drive an enormous quantity of worth and loyalty. Plus, you create higher content material as a result of it’s based mostly on the ideas of actual individuals.

Fly Solo (At Least a Little)

This one makes individuals a bit nervous, not less than for people who usually fly with a visitor! Recording alone is likely one of the greatest time-saving strikes you may make, significantly should you’re an everyday interviewee on different exhibits.

In case you’ve by no means tried it, think about a world the place you don’t must coordinate calendars to discover a time that fits everybody. Think about planning the episode your self, figuring out that you just don’t must immediate your co-host or suppose of some backup questions in case that interview goes awry. Think about having 100% management over what’s mentioned (since you’re doing the saying!), so there are not any tangents, no fluff and no … modifying? Think about simply deciding to file, off the cuff, and 20 minutes later, you’ve gotten an episode within the bag. 

All of that’s doable with solo recording, plus the additional benefit of showcasing your individual data and expertise for a change, quite than your visitor (I’m speaking about interview exhibits particularly). 

In case you haven’t tried it, take one episode a month and fly solo. See how a lot time it saves you and the way your listeners would possibly like to listen to what you suppose, for a change. 

The Minimal Efficient Modifying Course of

Okay, we’ve deliberate it out and we’ve recorded an episode. Now comes essentially the most harmful of potential time-eaters: modifying. 

I nonetheless come throughout so many individuals who spend 2x or 3x the size of their present in modifying. For instance, taking two or three hours to edit a one-hour recording. I even meet individuals who spend 5x to 10x the size of their present in manufacturing! It’s simply unsustainable. 

A part of that’s dialogue modifying, listening by the entire thing to seek out and eradicate their errors. Painful! We’ll sort out that within the subsequent tactic. 

The opposite half is audio engineering; particularly audio cleanup, including music or adverts, layering tracks, and exporting the entire thing.

So, how will we make it straightforward? By including constraints. You are able to do a lot much less by making use of the appropriate mindset to your modifying. I’ve bought two processes right here so that you can strive. 

MEE (Minimal Efficient Modifying)

That is excellent for early-stage podcasters. I typically suggest following this to your first 10 to twenty episodes, at a minimal. There’s a lot you’re studying throughout these first months, and modifying actually is low on the affect listing. There’s a lot extra worth in working in your presentation and content material design abilities. (Actually, you may lengthen this mindset to any podcaster at any stage.)

Merely lower modifying down to 2 issues, and two issues solely:

1. Trim
2. Normalize

Trim means trimming the beginning and the top solely. Normally which means chopping out the silence and the paper rustling after you hit file and earlier than you begin talking. Then, do the identical for the top. 

Normalize means leveling out the quantity of your present. That is the one and solely “audio engineering” process that’s important. It means your present received’t be too quiet, and the quantity of the completely different audio system must be comparatively even so that you don’t have your listeners reaching for his or her quantity management each time the speaker modifications.

Most modifying instruments have normalization options included, equivalent to Audacity.

Discover that this doesn’t embody dialogue modifying in any respect. So, you possibly can’t lower out errors! That’s a constraint that has a number of advantages:

• You possibly can’t use modifying as a crutch, so that you be taught to enhance the best way you communicate, quick! Study to drop the ums and ahs whereas you communicate, not afterward.
• You keep away from this time-warp rabbit gap altogether as a result of even a bit “Oh I’ll simply take away that one factor” can flip into an hour of modifying.
• You sound extra human. “Oh, sorry, that’s not what I meant! <giggle> Let me say that once more.” That is trustworthy. Open. Relatable. Individuals establish with you extra intently.

As a substitute, file with a “stay broadcast” mindset. Faux you’re stay on air, the present has to go on. There’s an opportunity you’ve finished that very factor — Fb, YouTube, Instagram — and survived! So take it into your podcasting, and reap the time-saving advantages. even when simply to your first few episodes.  

MEE-V2

Later in your podcasting profession, you would possibly resolve you do wish to add a bit extra polish. Whether or not that’s episode 20 or 200, right here’s the 2nd degree: MEE-V2.

1. Trim
2. Click on Edit
3. Noise Discount
4. Restrict and Normalize
5. Add Music
6. Overlap and Fades

That polish comes primarily within the type of music: including your individual audio branding, and placing in some pro-sounding overlaps and fades.

MEE-V2 additionally contains an additional couple of audio engineering steps. A laborious restrict helps to enhance your audio leveling, and noise discount is a giant assist for many of us who’re recording in bog-standard rooms quite than recording studios. 

We’re not delving into a whole lot of the audio engineering that you just’ll discover across the podcasting net, equivalent to EQ, compression, de-essing, or plosive elimination. These are helpful of their place, positive, polish to your audio — however they’re non-essential.

Lastly, you’ll discover the point out of a click on edit. Sure, I hear you breathe a sigh of reduction: now you possibly can take away a number of errors out of your audio. However solely the large ones that basically can’t keep in! We nonetheless wish to keep that live-recording mindset to remain human, and we’ll use a click-edit course of that slashes the time required to finish. You’ll see that within the subsequent tactic.

MEE-V3?

Earlier than we transfer on, I’ll point out one other chance right here. You possibly can automate an entire lot of MEE-2 and add much more polish utilizing the appropriate instruments. 

I got here up with MEE years in the past in an try to assist our readers defeat the monster that’s modifying. However, even then, it was nonetheless a process that dragged exhibits beneath. 

So, we constructed our personal device, Alitu, to automate MEE-2, after which so as to add an entire lot extra polish and help on high. 

For instance, inside Alitu you possibly can file a solo episode, or use our name recorder to usher in a visitor. That recording is then robotically cleaned up — noise discount, limiting, normalization, EQ, de-essing, plosive elimination, the entire 9 yards. Then it’s popped into the episode builder, which provides your music, overlaps and fades robotically. You possibly can add in any intros or outros required there, too, or any adverts or inserts for the episode. 

All that’s left is to make use of Alitu’s audio editor to go looking out your clicks with 2x pace management (extra on this beneath), spotlight the edits, after which hit publish. You possibly can even publish to Alitu’s in-built internet hosting should you don’t have internet hosting arrange but, so it’s multi functional place.

 Alitu affords a week-long free trial to check out the platform earlier than buying.

Click on Modifying

Now, to click on modifying!

It’s a basic, however all the time value together with because it’s a revelation to anybody who hasn’t heard it. It tackles the dreaded process of combing by a podcast episode, minute by minute, to trace down these errors that you already know must be eliminated. 

As a substitute, with click on modifying, I might usually edit our 30-minute common Podcraft episode in lower than 5 minutes. Right here’s the way it works:

Once I make a mistake in my present, I create a visible marker within the waveform by clicking my tongue 3 times. You can even clap, or snap your fingers. All of them work. The purpose is to create one thing that’s very easy to see on the waveform if you get into your modifying bundle. 

You’re talking. You make a mistake or journey over your tongue, or have to cough. So, you cease. You pause for a number of seconds. Click on. Click on. Click on. You pause for one more few seconds. Then you definitely begin talking once more. 

That is very seen on the waveform, as proven highlighted in purple. 

Which means, if you get to modifying, you simply get right down to an affordable zoom degree and scan the waveform, on the lookout for these indicators. 

Then you definitely spotlight the top of the sentence earlier than the error, proper by to the purpose earlier than you restart, and delete. Mistake eradicated!

Professional Tip: You possibly can fairly simply get within the behavior of remembering the beginning of the sentence earlier than you made your mistake, after which restarting with the identical first few phrases. Which means that after I discover a mistake in modifying, I hearken to the re-start first, after which return a bit and discover the identical few phrases earlier than the error. I do know that’s the place I’ve to begin the edit. That saves one other few seconds, each time!

Take Management of Errant Interviewees

Let’s end up with a tactic that not solely comes beneath the class of “time saver,” each in recording and modifying, but additionally bleeds into “improved content material.” It’s the easy idea of taking possession of your present, and your content material.

The factor is, interview exhibits are nice when finished properly. However, they’re typically not finished properly. That may result in sub-par content material, positive, however even worse, it results in an entire lot of additional time in your course of. 

It takes extra time to file as a result of the visitor goes off on tangents. Or they don’t keep on level and fail to reply questions. That each one means extra time modifying, attempting to chop the fluff, and elevating the standard.

As a substitute, take management, and provides some pointers earlier than you begin. Listed here are a number of of the issues I’d say:

1. I’d like to share a number of bits of steering. I do know my viewers rather well, and I’ve discovered that these might help you come throughout in the absolute best approach with them. 
2. We wish to hold this present actually conversational. So, attempt to hold solutions quick and sharp, lower than a minute, two at most. 
3. Don’t fear, we’ll get into element, however I’ll ask concerning the elements I do know my viewers loves. 
4. At all times be happy to ask me questions again, so we’re each concerned, and it flows properly. 
5. I will interrupt you occasionally. Not as a result of your content material’s dangerous, however as a result of I do know what my viewers desires and I’ll hold us monitoring with that. 

Maintain emphasizing that that is of their finest pursuits. This makes them look good! You realize your viewers, and if the visitor desires to make an ideal impression, then you possibly can assist them try this. However, provided that they work with you, and allow you to information the dialog (#3).

That primarily means shorter solutions (#2), and being ready to be interrupted (#5 — and that is a lot simpler if you point out it earlier than you begin).

I’ve additionally discovered that #4 is a extremely fascinating hack, for 2 causes. First, conversations are a lot better when it’s two methods. And second, asking questions simply places individuals into conversation-mode quite than monologue-mode. (It additionally helps keep away from the 5-minute solo tangents which can be the bane of any interviewer’s life!)

How Will You Reduce Your Manufacturing Time?

To me, there are two large concepts to this. 

First, easy routines and purposeful instruments. Which means: 

• Maintain your weekly routine as easy and as common as doable.
• Use seasons to simplify your planning.
• Go solo to simplify the logistics.
• File as should you’re stay and commit to essentially easy modifying.

Make it your purpose to seek out these routines that repeat in an effort to match your entire workflow simply into your week. 

Secondly, it means utilizing instruments with actual goal. As podcasters, we may be responsible of including in on-trend instruments or ways that take up extra time, quite than reserve it. As a substitute, decide fewer, higher instruments, and go deep with them.

The press trick is a device, use it to save lots of hours in modifying. Alitu is a device that works nice alongside it, and provides extra options to annihilate the time spent modifying and engineering. In the event that they don’t give you the results you want, although, there are dozens of decisions. Discover just some that fit your needs, personally, and go deep.

Above all, use these ways to hone your private routine, discover the strategies that give you the results you want, and provide up all that further time to the content material itself. Use it to speak to your listeners. What do they like? What do they not like? Discover out what they actually need from you. That’s what makes the large distinction. Not an additional move of compression, or a jot of noise discount. As a substitute, get easy, get tooled up, after which you possibly can actually begin thriving as a podcaster.