I have a big stack of books that I never have time to read. As a working mom, my day is packed—and when I go to bed, my eyes are too tired from staring at the screen all day.
Then a friend told me that one of my favorite authors had a podcast. She would read excerpts from her book, and then talk about that chapter. From there, I found many other podcasts for book lovers: interviews with authors, commentaries on classics or award-winning novels. Some of them even had theater actors read poetry and short fiction. It was a whole new world!
Listen, laugh and learn
Podcasts are like radio-on-demand. You choose an episode, and stream or download it so you can listen whenever you feel like it. For a busy working mom like me, it’s an easy way to learn or be entertained while I’m doing other things—cooking lunch, driving to a meeting, etc.
There are millions of podcast channels to choose from, and most of them are free.
Want to escape and be entertained? There’s stand-up comedy, and short mystery, crime or horror stories. Miss making chika with your friends? Tune in to a talk show or a panel discussion. There are podcasts on parenting, dating, career and entrepreneurship, and other life advice.
And if you’re obsessed with a particular hobby or topic—whether it’s gardening, yoga, dogs, Kdrama, or the Royals—you’ll definitely find a podcast that’s devoted to just that.
And there are also podcasts that are like free lectures or classes. One of my friends who started a baking home business follows podcasts run by culinary academies and artisan breadmakers. “Videos are good for learning specific recipes, but the podcasts can go deep into a topic, like the different kinds of flour or frequently asked questions.”
You can create your own podcast, too!
Podcasts are a big opportunity to share your knowledge or promote your business. It’s actually easier than creating a Youtube and Facebook video, since you don’t need to worry about a camera, lights, or finding a good background. if you find it easier to talk about something than to write about it, you’ll enjoy podcasting more than blogging.
Who may want to start a podcast? I can think of many—teachers, pastors or church leaders, motivational speakers. But anyone can do it! If you have a hobby, cause, or experience that you can talk passionately about, then do it!
To help you launch your first podcast, I invited Ce Mercado-Mojica and Eloisa Almondico—founders of Valuepod Productions, which helps develop, roll out and promote the podcasts of brands and professionals—to share easy tips to launching a personal podcast.
Get the tools
- Recording. You don’t need fancy equipment! You can actually use your phone or even Zoom, and a simple microphone. Just find a quiet room that won’t pick up background noise.
- Editing. Some people will broadcast the entire recording without any editing, while others like to clean up any mistakes, add music or teasers, or adjust the sound quality. You can find audio editing apps and software (and simple tutorials too).
- Hosting. Podcasts hosts are like “warehouses” where you store all your podcasts. They will provide you with a list of episodes (or RSS feed) which you submit to podcast directories like Apple or Spotify. You can sign-up with a free hosting service like Anchor.fm, or invest in paid hosting services that have more features or space. Prices range from $9 to $17 a month.
Think of content
Now, you have to think about what your podcast is going to be about, and make a list of topics you’ll tackle in your episodes.
Experts recommend keeping episodes to about 20 to 30 minutes. Some of the most popular podcasts, like HeadSpace, are actually just five minutes long! There are some longer podcasts that run to an hour or more, but they’ve got more information, an engaging script, a guest panel, etc. In other words, the longer your podcast is, the harder you have to work to give people a reason to keep listening.
As a content creator myself, with daily shows on my Facebook, YouTube and FYE-Kumu channels, my main criterion in choosing a topic is its usefulness to the public. Will the information empower them? Will the discussion help them make intelligent choices for themselves and for their families?
Share your voice and your story
I love how technology is making it easier for anyone to start a blog, vlog or podcast. Thirty years ago, you would have had to rent a sound studio to record and mix your audio. That still left the problem of how to broadcast whatever you taped. You couldn’t exactly knock on the doors of radio stations and ask them to air your personal thoughts. The Internet and computer technology democratized creation and access of content. Your phone is your recording and editing studio. Your biggest capital is time, desire, and (more importantly) willingness to learn.
I admit that even I had to go through a shift in mindset after the ABS-CBN shutdown. I was used to working with a full production and editing team—could I still continue to produce content on my own, with just my laptop?
The answer was a resounding YES. Today, I have my online shows, which are aired on Facebook , Youtube , FYE on KUMU, and My Personal KUMU Account. And after learning about podcasts, now I’m thinking about launching one myself. And to think that just a few years ago, I didn’t even take my social media accounts seriously!
So, if you want to start a podcast, do it! Share your voice and your story (Watch my full interview on Podcast 101 on PamilyaTalk.).
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I’d love to hear from you! Share your stories and tips or suggest topics at jingcastaneda21@gmail.com. You can also follow my social media accounts: Instagram,Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, and Kumu.