Strategizing + Good Recording = Better Podcasts
 | 1. Interviews are interesting to listen to, monologues aren't. If you must use a single person speaking make certain that it is someone with verbal prowess and style. 2. Duration of episodes. There are at least two distinct flavors of business podcasts out there. There's the "get in, make your point, and get out" sort of business podcast. They typically run from 7 to 12 minutes. Then there are the 30 to 55-minute podcasts which are more like radio programs. Both podcast styles have their rightful place as they're each targeting a particular demo. There is no set mold; nevertheless, depending |
on the subject matter and your audience, give some thought to how long your episodes should actually be. We are available for further insight so do contact us during the planning stage of your podcast.
3. Even unscripted podcasts need structure. Don't 'wing it'. Keep episodes single subject. Get a road map down on paper and let ideas flow. Get input from all department managers. Plan for breaks between interviews. Cut up longer interviews with breaks as well. Record more than what you think you will ultimately need (rely on editing to save the day).
4. During the actual recording don't worry about coughs, flubs, dead air, and lip smacks. The Podcast Refinery slices out any and all unwanted sounds. Along the same line, if your subject will be reading from a prepared script it is not necessary for him/her to read it all the way through perfectly. When your speaker flubs a line, simply have them back up a sentence or two, pause a beat, and restart the narration. We remove false starts and fix all flubs at our end. The resulting podcast will have a professional flow your company will be proud of.
3. Even unscripted podcasts need structure. Don't 'wing it'. Keep episodes single subject. Get a road map down on paper and let ideas flow. Get input from all department managers. Plan for breaks between interviews. Cut up longer interviews with breaks as well. Record more than what you think you will ultimately need (rely on editing to save the day).
4. During the actual recording don't worry about coughs, flubs, dead air, and lip smacks. The Podcast Refinery slices out any and all unwanted sounds. Along the same line, if your subject will be reading from a prepared script it is not necessary for him/her to read it all the way through perfectly. When your speaker flubs a line, simply have them back up a sentence or two, pause a beat, and restart the narration. We remove false starts and fix all flubs at our end. The resulting podcast will have a professional flow your company will be proud of.
5. Equipment. A hand-held USB digital recorder works fine for recording single voices. Radio Shack has such a recorder for around $40. Such devices have built-in mics, which makes recording very easy. 6. When recording a voice, place the mic as close as possible to the subject's mouth. This eliminates a lot of the 'boxy room' sound which so often plagues corporate podcasts. Record in a room with numerous pieces of furniture. Walls with uneven surfaces (bookcases, drawn curtains, etc.) provide good makeshift recording |  |
environments. If you have a single subject at a mic, try placing a soft 'place mat' padding on the desk underneath the mic stand. If you have a blanket handy, even better. Cover as much of the flat surface around the mic as possible. This will stop the initial 'voice bounce' off the desk's hard surface, thereby reducing the dreaded 'boxy' sound.
7. Recorded SKYPE conversations can sometimes be an effective way to interview your subject. We say 'sometimes' because we at The Refinery have found that SKYPE connections vary from good to awful. The tonal quality (or non quality) is pretty much a roll of the dice. There is no way to monitor the input of a SKYPE recording. The occasional 'robot voice' of a SKYPE recording cannot be repaired at our end. We don't discourage SKYPE recordings but be aware that such recordings can be problematic. Here's a SKYPE tip: Interview participants should turn off all running programs on their computers during the recording process. Have only the SKYPE software running.
8. If you foresee a lot of podcasting in your future AND you have a budget for recording equipment, contact us before taking the plunge. We are available (free of charge) to give advice concerning hardware choices.
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7. Recorded SKYPE conversations can sometimes be an effective way to interview your subject. We say 'sometimes' because we at The Refinery have found that SKYPE connections vary from good to awful. The tonal quality (or non quality) is pretty much a roll of the dice. There is no way to monitor the input of a SKYPE recording. The occasional 'robot voice' of a SKYPE recording cannot be repaired at our end. We don't discourage SKYPE recordings but be aware that such recordings can be problematic. Here's a SKYPE tip: Interview participants should turn off all running programs on their computers during the recording process. Have only the SKYPE software running.
8. If you foresee a lot of podcasting in your future AND you have a budget for recording equipment, contact us before taking the plunge. We are available (free of charge) to give advice concerning hardware choices.
Top of the page Home Getting started Listen to a demo Pricing Contact FAQs
