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Struggles With Editing, Structure and the Perfect Sound? – Episode 192
I recently asked my tribe about their podcast struggles and the one thing they are struggling with most. This week, we are going to answer the questions about editing time, the structure of your show and how to get the perfect sound. This will help you get over a few hurdles and conquer your struggles.
EDITING STRUGGLES
I struggle with the production details. Would love to job it out.
Jon Fugler, CEO
Recruit-Me Athletic Scholarship
I struggle with the time it takes to Edit!
Christopher Lewis
Thanks Erik. Enjoying your podcasts. Heard about you via Dave Jackson. Keep up the good work. For me, it’s a tie between editing my podcasts, nailing down interview appointments, and over-the-internet issues during interviews.
-Shawn
Host of the Stories of Starters Podcast
Helping you build your brand at Washburn Writer
Teaching you Excel at Your Excel Tutor
EKJ: Look for ways to make your editing easier. What can you do to eliminate repetition?
Create a shell for your podcast. This is a session in your software that includes your show open, show close and any other recorded elements you use to produce the show each week. This will save you time searching for and inserting the parts.
Make editing easy. If you or your guest messes up, and you know you will need to take it out, pause for ten seconds. I learned this trick from Dave Jackson at the School of Podcasting. When you go back to edit, the long silence will be easy to locate making it easy to remove.
Finally, don’t be so worried about removing every “um” and “uh”. A few of those help you sound natural. Simply work over time to remove them completely from your speech pattern. This will take time. Be aware of it. If you aren’t afraid of the silence, your “ums” will eventually go away.
If all else fails, find someone like Steve Stewart to do your show editing for you. Eliminate one of your memberships to pay for it.
STRUCTURE STRUGGLES
We did our first recording the other day and there were a few issues we are having to work out. Sound quality isn’t bad. Small issue with mic technique but the one thing that I can tell we are struggling with is the content. Having a single topic? Three segments? Just the interview? If we just do the interview the user just doesn’t get to know us. We can talk but containing it to say 15 minutes or less seems to be a challenge. Keeping it focused is the thing that seems to be something we are working on. We are going to be doing interviews and two other segments. No such thing as too long, just too boring right? Just want to make sure we do the latter. Thanks.
Jeremy Cox
Humble Pig Studios
@40 Podcast
EKJ: Which part do you enjoy most? Your show should be content that sparks your passion.
If you love interviewing people, interviews should be the biggest part of your show. It will be the best content you deliver, because you are passionate about it. You will continue to push yourself to be better.
With regard to the number of segments and the length of the show, let’s go back to your ideal listener. If you have completed the Target Listener Worksheet from PodcastTalentCoach.com, you have your ideal listener well-defined.
If we know how and why your listener is consuming your content, and what that individual likes most, we can begin to learn how to shape our content. As you mentioned, never too long – only too boring.
The structure of your show may ebb and flow at the beginning. As you get feedback from your audience and watch your download numbers, you will start to learn what they like and dislike.
The day you don’t do the “random thoughts” segment and your e-mail inbox fills with feedback, you’ll know whether or not to add it back in. When an episode gets twice as many downloads as your typical show, you know you may have hit on a hot topic or guest.
The podcast doesn’t need to be perfect right from the start. Launch and adjust as time goes on.
PERFECT SOUND STRUGGLES
I struggle with getting the recording space right to sound professional (I reluctantly ended up having to move into my bedroom as it was the only room in my house with a low ceiling) I had to put rugs on the floor and mattresses up against all the walls. Even still it is hot in my little room – I live in Queensland Australia and I am uncomfortable.
Annie Holden
Getting the levels exactly matched. Even though I know my way around VU meters and send the whole show through a cloud-based leveling service, sometimes my guest, appearing by phone, is not at the same level as me.
Scott Orr
Producer / Host, “Code 3” – The Firefighters’ Podcast
I struggle with getting started due to recording equipment.
Kyle Congleton
EKJ: Don’t let the equipment be the excuse for not launching. If you can use Microsoft Word and post to Facebook, chances are you can launch a podcast.
YouTube can be a great source for learning the equipment. Start simple. A USB mic like the Audiotechnica ATR-2100 connected straight into your computer will get you up and running.
Get a crash course on your recording software, like Audacity or Hindenburg.
Then, launch.
The audio doesn’t need to sound perfect. My buddy Kraig Mathias did a show from the park. He would go walking and record the show. It was about online business and money.
The content was great. Who cares that there are birds in the background?
Have you ever listened to the Marketing Secrets podcast with Russell Brunson? It was formerly called Marketing In Your Car, because he would just hit record before he started driving and record the whole podcast on the way to the office.
People will listen to great content with average audio. Great audio will never save poor content.
Here are a few tips. To minimize the background noise, make sure you are using a cardioid or directional microphone. This will do a great job picking up the audio source right in front of the mic without allowing much ambient noise to get through. Omnidirectional mics pick up sound from all directions.
You can also minimize background noise by being closer to the mic, even touching it. This will allow you to turn down your gain.
The entire room doesn’t necessarily need to be muffled by soundproofing. If you build some soundproofing right behind and close to your mic, the sound waves from you voice will be greatly absorbed without bouncing around the room.
To balance you and your guest, you can use some software like Skype Call Recorder that will allow you to record each person on a separate track. This setting is also available in some other conference software.
You can accomplish separate tracks by using multiple tracks through a sound board as well. This takes a little more set up and mix minus. This is higher level than beginners need to tackle.
Remember, most people are not listening to your podcast in ideal conditions. They are not in a perfectly quiet room wearing enclosed headphones. They are typically at the gym or in the car or mowing the lawn. Ideal sound quality isn’t critical in most situations.
Spend more time worrying about your content and having fun.
Do you need help with your podcast to conquer your struggles? E-mail me any time at Coach@PodcastTalentCoach.com. Let’s see what we can do.
You can find my podcast and other tools to help you create great content at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com.
Let’s turn your information into engaging entertainment.