Everything you need to know about creating your own successful show.

Podcasting is one of the most unambiguously positive things to emerge from the internet age. It hasn’t been overrun by bullies and trolls, or taken a bite out of teenagers’ attention spans, or put any taxi drivers out of business, or started to look like something from Mr George Orwell’s 1984.

Instead, the medium has given millions of listeners from around the world free access to a vibrant, ever-expanding library of audio content, made by devoted amateurs and venerable media companies alike — while, on the makers’ end, it has enabled anyone with a microphone, an internet connection and a good idea to join the party.

I’ve been writing about podcasts for five years, and helping other people to make them for the last two; and can assure prospective podcasters that now is an excellent time to get started. Audiences are burgeoning, media coverage of the medium is up, and the benefits of making a show – both creative and professional – are more obvious than ever.

Here are seven key pieces of advice on how to make your own podcast.

Whether it’s 1980s pop music, political analysis or post-apocalyptic drama, make something that plays to your passions — rather than what you think might attract the biggest audience. In the words of Mr Dan Quick, head of UK content at audioBoom: “Passion is the most important thing to see in a pitch. Podcasts, more than any other medium, can find a niche audience if the hosts are knowledgeable and passionate about the subject”. Conversely, listeners can smell fakery a mile off. So be honest.

Podcasting doesn’t require much kit, but two essential components are a decent microphone for each presenter and a digital audio interface so that you can run the sound into a computer. I use Røde Procaster microphones (about £150 each) which I run through an Allen & Heath USB mixing desk (£200) – but there are options for almost every budget. Then take time to familiarise yourself with your chosen audio software. Don’t be daunted: you can pick up the basics of GarageBand, Audacity or Reason in a day by following YouTube tutorial videos. After that, it’s simply a question of getting your hands dirty – and making mistakes.

The “three men sit around a table discussing X” format is really showing its age. Consider the different ingredients available to you: music, sound effects, outside interviews, correspondence from listeners, etc. And keep it snappy. As Ms Eleanor McDowall, a senior producer at Falling Tree Productions, observes: “A lot of podcasts would be 100 per cent better for embracing an editor”. There’s no fixed rule for episode length – but in my experience, anything over 40 minutes is usually in need of some judicious editing.

It takes time to find a voice and hone a format. Record at least two demo episodes before you launch, paying close attention to what’s going wrong – as well as what’s good. But don’t worry about getting every kink ironed out straight away. “People fixate on perfecting the first episode,” says Ms Helen Zaltzman – host of the hugely successful podcasts The Allusionist and Answer Me This, “but the first episode is not so important once you’ve done a few more.”

With thousands of series competing for listeners’ attention, you have to be savvy about marketing your wares. Use social media to engage with people who might be interested in what you’re making. Appear on other podcasts. Write to journalists and enter podcast awards. Encourage your listeners to leave reviews on iTunes (it helps with ranking). Distribute your podcast on multiple platforms (iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, to name a few) to maximise exposure. Tell everyone you know. Rinse and repeat.

You may decide to make weekly, fortnightly or monthly episodes, to do a limited run of six instalments, or a series with no end date in sight. The key thing is to set realistic production goals and then meet them. Your listeners will love you for it.

The medium is growing. The chances for a popular show to pay for itself – via advertising, listener donations, or a combination of the two – are going up by the month. However, as on YouTube and in the blogging world, most content-makers still don’t get paid. If you persist, and enjoy what you’re doing, then good things are likely to come of it either way. Ms Helen Zaltzman explains the fringe benefits: “Before podcasting was my full-time occupation, it got me different jobs – radio, TV appearances and writing, video work, a book deal, live gigs. It found me an audience for other forms, and it brought me a lot of professional connections I never would have made otherwise.”

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