How the Best Podcasters Do Their Work Faster – Smart Passive Income %

My goal, proper right here, is that can assist you to create a podcast within the shortest time potential.

And I’m not simply speaking about any outdated podcast.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 does not match into their week and even their life. By that time, it simply drains all of the enjoyable and worth out of your complete present!

After all, 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 enhancing 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 potential to do these proper issues in far much less time than you assume.

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 potential time.

Who I Am and What You’ll Be taught

By the use of a fast “who the heck’s this man?”: my title 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 via our content material.

Plus, we run a podcast maker software known as Alitu. The entire function behind Alitu is to supply recording, enhancing, and publishing instruments that automate and simplify, making it far faster and simpler to create your present. And quite a lot of that relies 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 very completely different regular job (educating lecturers find out how to train — meta, huh?), to making an attempt to suit as many podcasts as potential into my present job and designing instruments to assist others do it faster!

It was all about reducing 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:

• The best way to plan content material within the minimal time, and in a manner that makes it simple to ship
• The best way to get essentially the most from every little thing you do create
• Recording & enhancing methods to save lots of time
• The best way 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 trade. And, even higher, it’s an enormous driver of listener success, loyalty, and viewers progress, too.

How? Properly, there are three causes. 

Planning Nirvana

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

An hour later, you’re nonetheless solely midway via planning the episode. And even worse, you’re nonetheless watching a clean display, making an attempt to think of an idea.

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

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

I did a season on podcast gear some time again. I might have simply coated 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 enhancing software program. 

Usually I can work this out in lower than ten minutes for a subject I do know properly. Possibly 20 to 30 if I have to do a little bit of analysis. I’ll find yourself with a listing of possibly 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 primary subject, outlining what I’ll cowl. 

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

So now, as an alternative of the same old, “Oh no! What do I speak about this week!”, subsequent time you open up that season plan, take a look at the following episode’s script and hit document. Straightforward!

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

Search round for weblog posts masking the subjects you could have in your plan. Discover individuals with attention-grabbing angles on these subjects, after which invite them on the present. You’ll create much better, far more centered content material because of this.

Higher Batching

With a season plan, you may actually simply make the most of one other big timesaver: batch recording.

Matthew is my co-host on our “find out how to podcast” present, Podcraft. It’s a seasons-based present, and we’ve lengthy recorded it in batches. We co-host the podcast, so we will plan a season collectively, after which we’ll document two to 3 episodes at a time. 

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

Modifying might be batched, too. As anybody who has to do quite a lot of process switching is aware of, doing a number of of all of them collectively takes far much less time than three separate enhancing 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 big listener progress. However, it’s a giant time suck … monitoring emails, social media, and voicemails each single week might 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 would like 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 electronic mail, or (better of all) depart a voicemail at ..”

Then you definitely take a well-earned break! 

In direction of the tip of the break, you may 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’ll plan forward, together with all of the related questions in the appropriate episode. In that manner, you embrace 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, no less than for those who usually fly with a visitor! Recording alone is likely one of the greatest time-saving strikes you can also make, significantly in case 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 need to coordinate calendars to discover a time that fits everybody. Think about planning the episode your self, understanding that you simply don’t need to immediate your co-host or assume of some backup questions in case that interview goes awry. Think about having one hundred pc management over what’s stated (since you’re doing the saying!), so there are not any tangents, no fluff and no … enhancing? Think about simply deciding to document, off the cuff, and 20 minutes later, you could have an episode within the bag. 

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

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 may like to listen to what you assume, 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: enhancing. 

I nonetheless come throughout so many individuals who spend 2x or 3x the size of their present in enhancing. 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 enhancing, listening via the entire thing to search out and eradicate their errors. Painful! We’ll deal with that within the subsequent tactic. 

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

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

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 enhancing actually is low on the affect listing. There’s a lot extra worth in working in your presentation and content material design expertise. (Actually, you might lengthen this mindset to any podcaster at any stage.)

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

1. Trim
2. Normalize

Trim means trimming the beginning and the tip solely. Normally meaning reducing out the silence and the paper rustling after you hit document and earlier than you begin talking. Then, do the identical for the tip. 

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 gained’t be too quiet, and the quantity of the completely different audio system needs to be comparatively even so that you don’t have your listeners reaching for his or her quantity management each time the speaker adjustments.

Most enhancing instruments have normalization options included, such as Audacity.

Discover that this doesn’t embrace dialogue enhancing in any respect. So, you may’t lower out errors! That’s a constraint that has a number of advantages:

• You may’t use enhancing as a crutch, so that you be taught to enhance the way in which you communicate, quick! Be taught 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 enhancing.
• You sound extra human. “Oh, sorry, that’s not what I meant! <chortle> Let me say that once more.” That is sincere. Open. Relatable. Individuals determine with you extra carefully.

As an alternative, document with a “stay broadcast” mindset. Fake you’re stay on air, the present has to go on. There’s an opportunity you’ve completed 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 may determine you do need to add a bit extra polish. Whether or not that’s episode 20 or 200, right here’s the 2nd stage: 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 hard limit helps to enhance your audio leveling, and noise reduction is a giant assist for many of us who’re recording in bog-standard rooms moderately than recording studios. 

We’re not delving into quite a lot of the audio engineering that you simply’ll discover across the podcasting net, comparable to EQ, compression, de-essing, or plosive removing. 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 may take away a number of errors out of your audio. However solely the massive ones that actually can’t keep in! We nonetheless need 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 risk right here. You may 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 enhancing. However, even then, it was nonetheless a process that dragged exhibits underneath. 

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

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

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

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

Click on Modifying

Now, to click on enhancing!

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

As an alternative, with click on enhancing, I’d 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 thrice. You may as well clap, or snap your fingers. All of them work. The objective is to create one thing that’s very easy to see on the waveform whenever you get into your enhancing package deal. 

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 an additional few seconds. Then you definitely begin talking once more. 

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

Meaning, whenever you get to enhancing, you simply get all the way down to an inexpensive zoom stage and scan the waveform, in search of these alerts. 

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

Professional Tip: You may 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 after I discover a mistake in enhancing, I take heed 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 start out 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 underneath the class of “time saver,” each in recording and enhancing, but in addition bleeds into “improved content material.” It’s the easy idea of taking possession of your present, and your content material.

The factor is, interview shows are great when done well. However, they’re typically not completed 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 document as a result of the visitor goes off on tangents. Or they don’t keep on level and fail to reply questions. That every one means extra time enhancing, making an attempt to chop the fluff, and elevating the standard.

As an alternative, 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 very well, and I’ve discovered that these will help you come throughout in the absolute best manner 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 in regards to 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 unhealthy, however as a result of I do know what my viewers needs and I’ll hold us monitoring with that. 

Maintain emphasizing that that is of their finest pursuits. This makes them look good! your viewers, and if the visitor needs to make an ideal impression, then you may 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 whenever you point out it earlier than you begin).

I’ve additionally discovered that #4 is a extremely attention-grabbing 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 moderately than monologue-mode. (It additionally helps keep away from the 5-minute solo tangents which might be the bane of any interviewer’s life!)

How Will You Lower Your Manufacturing Time?

To me, there are two huge concepts to this. 

First, easy routines and purposeful instruments. Meaning: 

• Maintain your weekly routine as easy and as common as potential.
• Use seasons to simplify your planning.
• Go solo to simplify the logistics.
• Report as in case you’re stay and commit to actually easy enhancing.

Make it your objective to search out these routines that repeat with the intention to match your complete workflow simply into your week. 

Secondly, it means utilizing instruments with actual function. As podcasters, we might be responsible of including in on-trend instruments or techniques that take up extra time, moderately than put it aside. As an alternative, choose fewer, higher instruments, and go deep with them.

The press trick is a software, use it to save lots of hours in enhancing. Alitu is a software that works nice alongside it, and provides extra options to annihilate the time spent enhancing and engineering. In the event that they don’t be just right for you, although, there are dozens of selections. Discover just some that suit you, personally, and go deep.

Above all, use these techniques to hone your private routine, discover the strategies that be just right for you, 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 massive distinction. Not an additional cross of compression, or a jot of noise discount. As an alternative, get easy, get tooled up, after which you may actually begin thriving as a podcaster.