What is a Podcast?

Podcasts are any online audio content that you cannot call music. Be it from your short stories, sports commentary, spiritual learning or even about the stock market. Share your stories & ideas with your very own podcast channel.

About Hubhopper

Hubhopper is India's leading podcast creation & distribution platform. Over 5000+ podcasters use Hubhopper to create & distribute their podcast across more then 15+ audio platforms. With our easy in-built creation tools and a vibrant creators community, podcasters can create & collaborate to run a successful podcast channel.

About the Course

Experts at the Hubhopper team will be taking you step by step on how youcan create & launch your very own podcast channel for free. From podcast topic ideation, to the technical aspects of recording & editing your audio file, we will be working on tackling all questions one step at a time. By the end of this course you will have a podcast channel live and available across multiple audio streaming platforms.

What is a Podcast?

Podcasts are audio shows and stories that are available on the internet. Podcasts are series of recorded content pieces, usually based around a specific idea, topic, or theme – just like your favorite shows on TV.

They are typically audio recordings of narratives or conversations, either between a host and a guest speaker, or monologues by a single person. These digital audios can be easily downloaded on mobile devices and listeners can consume them anytime, anywhere.

What kind of podcast can I make?

Laying down the foundations of your podcast are the first steps in starting your podcasting journey. There are three key questions a creator must ask herself/himself before starting a podcast.

Why am I starting a podcast?

There are various reasons why a creator would want to start their own podcast channel. It can be for business reasons, to use podcasts as a branding tool to connect with their audience/customers. Some podcasts help reach out to communities like the LGBTQ community and connect with them by sharing stories & discussions. While some creators simply do it as a hobby and to share their stories & ideas. To understand the start & end point of your journey is crucial for keeping you motivated in your podcasting journey.

What will my podcast be about?

If you are already creating content on other mediums, whether that is on Youtube, social media or even blogging, you can look at expanding your expertise onto your podcast channel. If you are in the creative field, you can look at sharing stories and poetries. Educational content is also a trending podcast topic where listeners tune in to learn new skill sets. Whether you are talking about fitness, business or simply ranting about the week gone by, ensure to choose a topic you are passionate about and most importantly, will have fun producing it.

For who is my podcast for?

From daily commuters, to students, to single fathers, understanding who your podcast makes a connection with is very important in setting up your podcast audience. This connection with your audience will allow you & motivate you to create custom content for your listeners. Build a feedback loop by mentioning your social handles or your email address, and connect with your listeners to know more about your audience.

Different Podcast formats

One of the first steps before starting a podcast is to figure out the format which you want to create in. Most podcasts are typically in any of the following formats:

• The Solo Podcast – A solo podcast is often made by podcasters who have expertise they want to share with an audience.

• The Interview Show – An interview show is one of the easiest to do in some respects. As opposed to just you trying to come up with something to talk about, here you can use a different person’s content each week.

• The Panel Show – A host and a number of rotating guests – this brings new outlooks and perspectives to your podcast.

• Conversational/Co-hosted podcast – Essentially this format is a group of people sitting around and having a conversation. If you can find a co-host, or even multiple co-hosts who you can have great chemistry with, your conversational podcast will do wonders.

• Non-Fictional Storytelling – Some examples of this type of podcast include ​Serial​ and ​The Teacher’s Pet​. A great Indian podcast of this format is ​Trial by Error | The Aarushi Files​, based around investigating the Aarushi Talwar case.

• Fiction Storytelling -If you are a good writer, fiction storytelling is a great way to create captivating podcasts.

• Repurposed Content – You’ll notice that many video shows, bloggers, vloggers, and content creators will repurpose their shows or existing content into a podcast. This also helps audiences catch up on these shows on-demand whenever they want, or consume the content passively through audio.

• Hybrid – You can go ahead and mix and match the different formats described above. Maybe you want to have guests on a few episodes, while telling stories and doing a solo show for the rest of the show? Go wild!

Deciding on a Podcast Name

Your podcast name should be something that relates to the podcast and is also interesting enough to catch the listeners’ attention. It should sum up the whole package of what your content will be about.

Keep it around 3-4 words so that the listener can discover it easily and make sure it’s unique. If there are too many podcasts with the same name, discovering your podcast could prove to be more challenging.

The more generic your podcast name is, the more competition you will have with other podcasts with the same keywords in the search result across other podcast listening platforms.

Points to keep in mind:

• Add specific keywords that best describe your podcast and your episodes

• Ensure to add these keywords to your podcast and episode descriptions as well

• Keeping your podcast name unique allows it to be segregated from the general phrases

Creating a Podcast cover art

Just like most people judge a book by its cover, listeners who will stumble upon your podcast will also form an opinion about your content based on how impressive your cover art is. Always remember to create your podcast cover art in a 1:1 ratio, a square, and save it in a JPG or PNG format. If you wish to start designing your cover art.

Ensure to write your podcast name bold & clear on your cover art. Using solid bold colours helps in making your podcast stand out, but do not overdo it by adding too many elements to your cover art. Simple, bold & crisp works best!

Recording a podcast is very simple and does not necessarily require you to purchase any new equipment. As compared to its counterpart, video, audio content creation is way easier and of no cost at all.

Let's break down the devices & software you can use to record a professional-sounding podcast. Keeping in mind the etiquettes of audio recording is also crucial in capturing high-quality audio. Ensure you are in a quiet space before hitting that record button.

Device to use to record?

Desktop/laptop

We recommend using your desktop/laptop to record & edit your podcast on the Hubhopper Studio editor tool. This way you don't have to download & learn any new audio software and can create a professional-sounding podcast within your dashboard itself.

Recommended using an external microphone like your earphone with an in-built microphone.

Mobile Phone

If you wish to record on the go, you can also look at using your mobile phone. Smartphones these days come with great inbuilt microphones to capture quality audio. You can use a mobile recorder app or your mobile phone's default audio recorder tool to simply record your episode on the go. Once recorded you can transfer the file to your desktop to start editing using the Hubhopper Studio Editor.

Using your mobile phone to record is very convenient, however, it does come with a few technical challenges when it comes to the audio format, quality & extension in which it is being recorded by your recorder app.

Recommended using an external microphone like your earphone with an in-built microphone.

External Microphone

Ensure to the plugin in your handsfree earphone with mic onto your desktop/mobile phone to record to capture good quality audio. These days all earphones come with an in-built microphone and are readily available. A great alternative to professional microphones to start your podcasting journey.

You always have the option to invest in a microphone to up your podcasting game. But it is not necessary to purchase one at the initial stages of your podcasting journey. Microphones do not come cheap. However, if you're using a professional microphone, ensure to add in a 'pop filter' to capture crisp audio quality.

How to record my podcast?

Rather than investing in high-end equipment, there are plenty of other ways you can ensure that high audio quality is maintained while recording.

• To begin with, make sure you are recording in a closed and quiet space with no noise or disturbance. Even some episodes of ​the ‘Serial‘ podcast were recorded inside a closet!

• Pronounce every word properly and ensure your script is crisp and engaging. You can use headphones to hear yourself as you record (recording software will allow you to do this).

• If you fumble or stammer while recording, don’t worry. Leave a pause and start again where you had made the mistake. These mistakes can be edited out later.

• You can record your content in parts, rather than trying to complete it in one take. This will allow you to be able to revise and maintain flow quality.

• Use a pop filter to cut out the pop sound from the ​P’s and T’s in your speech.

There you go, all that you need to start recording your podcast! We recommend that you go and hit that record button and start recording.

How do I structure my podcast?

There are many different structures your podcast can take, but the most basic structure is: intro – body – outro.

• Intro – a short and simple description of you as the host, the podcast and/or episode, giving listeners an idea of who you are and what you’re going to be talking about.

• Body – the main portion of your podcast.

• Outro – a short summary of the episode, sometimes with a short preview of or promo of the next episode.

• Background music – many podcasters choose to have background music during at least the intro and outro sections; a great source for this music is YouTube’s Audio Library – they even have sound effects

• Duration – podcast episodes actually range from being 2-120 minutes long! When starting a podcast, aim for not more than 15 minutes and go from there. You may find that you have lots more to say, or not so much…

How to Write a Podcast Script

Getting started with podcasting starts with deciding on a format for your podcast. You can always look at mix matching different types of formats to see which format works best for your content and for your audience.

Once you have your podcast format & script ready, you can visit the Hubhopper studio website to launch & distribute your podcast for free.

Podcast Formats:-

Solo Show Podcast script:

A solo format is where there is a single host to the podcast. The thing to keep in mind for this format is that it should be interactive. Which means the script should be written like as if you are interacting with someone; in this case, your listener.

Like a two way conversation. You have to draw people’s attention by making them engage in your talk even if you are talking alone. It will help your listeners picture your conversation properly. Attached is a simple but effective template for writing your first solo podcast. Let's talk in brief about its components. In this script template there are three categories.

First, is the ‘Section’ in which we define the segments of your podcast. How the flow will be from start to finish. This will include a flow like 'Introduction - Sponsor message - discussion - Call to action - conclusion'. You can always restructure the flow according to your content & audience.

Second, is the ‘voice’ in which we add the name of the individuals who is going to do the voiceovers. However, in this format, there will be only one narrator.

Lastly, but not the least, a ‘dialogue’ column where you add your lines & paragraphs that you will be narrating during the different segments of your podcast.

This is a basic structure for podcast scripting that gives you a sense of idea on the flow of how to go about your episode.

Interview Show Podcast script:

An interview podcast is where you have a guest on the show. This means change in the dynamics of flow of content and as well as the share of narrative control with your guest.

These types of scripts require extra preparation in comparison with other shows for both the interviewer and the interviewee. Being the host, it's important to know exactly what you’ll ask your guest.

Since, as we know time is very important for everyone so preparing all the questions and making a script help you keep your interview precise in terms of both content and time span.

If your guest does not have any podcast experience, what you can do to help them ease the process is by doing a mock interview before the actual recording. This will help the guest settle down and get use to the flow of conversation.

You can also write down a list of questions and topics that you want to address on your show. Send them to your guest a few days before the recording so they have some time to prepare their thoughts and as well as share their answers briefly with you. This will help manage your flow and content.

Attached is an 'interview podcast script template'. While working on the script, leave the interviewee part blank and once you get their brief answers, you can accordingly add & organize the content to work on the flow of your podcast content.

Co-Host Show Podcast script:

Co-Hosting a podcast means hosting jointly with another. Where the conversations between the two hosts is what makes this format unique. & interesting. 

However, people often get caught up with issues like ‘whom’ and ‘when to stop’. To solve this confusion, a template is a great tool in this format to keep the conversation interesting & precise.

There are some things you should keep in mind while writing for the co-host podcast script, like making a basic outline on who will take which side about a certain topic; for & against. This helps keep the conversation interesting.

Add some supporting points, data and some sketch/tale with each host segments to support each others' arguments. You can also add questions or queues for smooth transitions. As you wouldn't want to overlap conversations with your co-host.

For example :

Host A -Today we are going to talk about a very talented Bollywood actress who has recently worked in the movie, ‘A Call to Spy’ which created quite a buzz in Hollywood as well. Tell me ‘Host B’ what do you think? Can you guess our secret superstar’s name?

Host B - Ah yes! I know exactly who you're talking about. Is it Radhika Apte?

These are the transitions which helps your host to easily pick up the pace you are in. Questions are the easiest way to interview each other also for the obvious reasons. Attached is a common template for a Co-Host podcast show.

Editing your audio allows you to customize how you want your listeners to immerse themselves with your content. Whether that's through sound effects or simple sound cues to signal the start & end of a segment in your episode; podcast editing can help take your content to the next level.

How do I add music/sound effects to my podcast?

To add music/sound effects to your podcast, we first must find music that is copyright-free. The performing arts industry works on licensing, so be careful not to use somebody else’s work without due credit to them, sometimes through attribution, other times monetarily.

To start off, we can simply use music that does not have copyrights. One such source we recommend is the ‘YouTube Audio Library, which has a variety of amazing music and sound effects, and is always updated. Besides, you’ll find they can also be filtered according to the genre, mood, instruments, etc. to help you find that best piece of music that goes best with your podcast!

What software to use

To edit your audio file, you can use the Hubhopper Studio Editor, on your desktop/laptop which is a free audio editor tool provided by Hubhopper. Here are some basic tools:

• Split Tool: The split tool allows you to cut your audio file into multiple sections. You can use this to isolate sections that you want to delete or duplicate. This tool is very important for selecting specific parts that you wish to work on or edit out.

• Move Tool: This tool allows you to move sections of your audio file to the left, right, or to a new layer. This becomes important when you wish to stitch different parts of audio together in series. One such use case would be to play the intro music first before starting with your main content.

• Duplicate Tool: With this tool, you can make a copy of any section in your project. This can be used for duplicating sound effects to use throughout your podcast.

• Remove Tool: This tool will allow you to remove any section of your audio file. This is typically used with the split tool where you can first split the section you want to remove, select the remove tool and finally select the section you want to remove. This is very useful in cases where you make a mistake while recording.

• Pinch Feature: Another important tool is the volume adjustment tool. This tool is used to control the volume of your audio file. You can simply make points and pinch down the volume of a specific part in your audio file. This tool will allow you to manually add in your fade-in & fade-out effects.

Audio formats supported

Here are the audio format requirements that most podcast hosting platform support:-

• Audio formats: MP3, MPEG, MP4, M4A.

• Audio size limit: 200MB

• Audio bit rate range: 64 to 320 kbps

We recommend exporting your audio files in MP3 format to meet all these requirements.

Audio editing structure

There are many different structures your podcast can take, but the most basic structure is intro – body – outro. You can also record these segments separately and have it stitched together later in the post-production stage.

• Intro – a short and simple description of you as the host, the podcast, and/or episode, giving listeners an idea of who you are and what you’re going to be talking about. You can start your episode with a short intro soundtrack

• Body – the main portion of your podcast.

• Outro – a short summary of the episode, sometimes with a short preview of or promo of the next episode. You can end your episode with a short intro soundtrack

• Background music – many podcasters choose to have background music during at least the intro and outro sections; a great source for this music is YouTube’s Audio Library – they even have sound effects.

Once you have your finished audio file ready, simply upload your episode onto your podcast channel and add in your episode details.

Episode Details

Your episode details keywords work like SEO for your podcast on the internet. When a user searches for a podcast with a specific topic on Google or their podcast listening app, the search engine will try to match their 'query' with relevant keywords in your podcast & episode details.

1. Episode Name: Keep your 'episode name' crisp and directly related to your episode topic. If you have a guest on the episode, make sure to showcase the name of your guest.

2. Episode description: Give a quick summary of what can the listener expect in this episode. If you want to share links to a page, sponsor, or channel, you can add those links in your description for listeners to click and visit those pages.

Podcast distribution

Once your podcast is published live, your podcast hosting platform will automatically distribute your podcast across its podcast distribution network. Hubhopper studio distributes your podcast across more than 15 audio streaming platforms!

You can also choose to manually distribute your podcast yourself to certain desired audio platforms. Each platform will have its own submission process & requirements. Hence, ensure to check them before submission.

How to Promote Podcast

Knowing how to promote your podcast after finally launching it live, is crucial in the initial stages of building your audience. With all the hard work & creativity put into your amazing new podcast, publishing it and keeping it under the shelf does not do justice to your efforts. Hence, we have compiled some pretty neat ways on how you can promote your podcast without spending a penny! Here are some interesting ways to promote your podcast

• Audiograms tool: An audiogram is the best tool to share your podcast on social media. Hubhopper studio audiogram tool enables you to create a social video for your podcast in seconds - Just choose an image, caption, and audio file, and Voila! Your audiogram is ready to be downloaded and shared with the world.

• Manual RSS feed distribution: While Hubhopper has distributed you to most major platforms there are a few that require creator intervention. Use this RSS to add your podcast to the following platforms

• Twitter Video cards: Just take the episode URL from your podcast on Hubhopper, add it to Twitter and your fans will be able to stream it directly from there.

• Facebook & Instagram: Find your podcast on Spotify and share it directly to your Facebook or Instagram story where your fans can play it directly. Make sure your handles are connected.

• Embed player: if you have a website, you can embed your podcast into your website for your visitors to directly listen to your podcast. If you do not have a website, You can create your own website through Hubhopper studio and promote it on platforms such as Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, and more. This website not only has all your episodes, but it also has all your social media handles to enable listeners to connect with you.