I didn't think much before starting this podcast, Andrew Dobbie's one piece of advice was to start a podcast so I did it... Here we are thirteen episodes later. I didn't have a clue what I was doing, it's safe to say I still don't.
If you're considering doing the same, here's everything I have learnt so far:
- Record the Introduction Last It's good to have a plan but be prepared to throw it away when something more interesting presents itself. This has happened during the majority of my episodes. So, save yourself some time and record the introduction after the episode is complete.
- Audio is King (obviously) If you're serious about this then you may as well cough up a couple hundred quid for a decent mic setup. This is mine: RODE Podmic/XLR Cable/Focusrite 2i2 Audio Interface/Audio Technica ATHM20x Headphones + jack adapter
- Best Podcast Platform? Descript Initially, I was using Riverside but after several technical difficulties and near to no assistance from the team, I patched it for Descript. You can edit the video using the transcript feature. So, it's more like editing a document than a video.
- Don't Worry About Making The Same Point Again In all likelihood, the listener hasn't heard any of the other episodes. As a result, if you find yourself making the same point or telling the same story to a new guest then that's totally fine.
- Record One At a Time It's tough work actively listening, or at least it is for a guy who never shuts up. That said, avoid recording episodes back to back, you'll start flagging and be a poor presenter by the end of the second episode.
- Own a Camera? You Can Probably Use it As a Webcam I shoot my content on the Sony FX30 and with just a USBC cable I'm able to record with it as a webcam.
- Desk Mounts My Desk Setup has 4 Mounts: Light, monitor, camera, microphone. Every episode I'd tip my office upside down getting all the equipment ready. Now, I don't need any stands, everything stays exactly where it is and I can roll out of bed and straight into recording. It's worth it!
- FAQs As with anything, creating a "frequently asked questions" document will save you having to have the same conversation with every guest.
- Audio Backup Use the voice note app on your phone to record a backup. As great as Descript is, there's going to be technical difficulty at some point that leaves someone's auto pretty rough. Have a backup recording for yourself and the guest so in the worst case scenario you can have an audio only episode which still sounds good.
Podcasting is the no.1 way to network in 2025 and it is a platform that I hope to utilise for decades to come.
Did any of these surprise you?
