How to Start an Educational Podcast in 2020: Ten Tips

by Dominic Beaulieu

Podcasts are a progressive and very convenient way to gain new knowledge while spending a minimum of time on it. You can listen to audio broadcasts in the car, while walking around the city, in the gym - wherever your heart desires. So what could be better than creating educational podcasts that will always be in demand? Indeed, many people have a desire to develop themselves, but there is not enough time for this. Make a podcast and thus educate yourself and others. Development and education will always be in trend, so this is a good area for your creativity. If you are ready to start creating something interesting, then here are 10 tips for starting a podcast.

1.   To Get Started, Select a Podcast Theme

Try to identify the subject that you are going to talk about as accurately as possible. Be specific. For example, you shouldn’t talk about the psychology of humanity in general but may talk about the “Psychology of Hyperactive Children” or “Secrets of a Successful Relationship between a Man and a Woman”. Explore your competitors, listen to podcasts from the top Apple Podcasts, or CastBox: this way you will understand which podcasts on a similar topic already exist and how you can differ from them.

2.   Create an Original Name of Your Podcast

Surely, you already have several options for the name. Which one to choose? First of all, google and check if there is a podcast with the same name. When you are naming your podcast, remember that it should be original enough. So that your project can be easily found by searching, and not too pretentious for the audience to remember. For example, if there is a podcast for Spanish-learners, the cool name would be "Spicy tongue" or “Paella for your brain”.

3.   Always Prepare for Recording in Advance

When you are doing a podcast, do not read the full text. Why? Everything is simple. When you read, not tell, it is always audible and there is less naturalness in it. If you want the listener to feel after a couple of minutes that you are his best friend, then you should tell him exactly - from yourself. Have the full text before your eyes but do everything possible to sound natural and engaging.

4.   Buy a Quality Microphone

This is a banal sign of respect for the listener's audio channel. There are several types of microphones, but if you decide to do podcasts, you only need to know two of them. Microphones are divided into dynamic and condenser.

●      The condenser microphone is worth choosing if you want a more even and detailed sound of the voice. Also, such a microphone is suitable if you have a room with good sound insulation without overtones and reflections.

●      The dynamic microphone is the workhorse for all conditions. You get a less detailed sound of the voice, but you can record even in an unprepared room. For podcasts, such a microphone is more than enough.

5.   Always Leverage Your Skills and Knowledge

How to make your own podcast if you don`t know enough about your topic? Every day, monitor something new and original related to your topic. What is more, deep educational topics should be as accurate and relevant as possible. You must gain the trust of your listeners. They must be confident in the accuracy of the information that you bring to them. Therefore, teach others, but do not forget to constantly educate yourself first.

6.   Prepare a Release Plan

For podcasts, you need your content plan - the themes of the releases, format, length, number, text, the title for the audio file, music for the screen saver, background music. You can make a general plan, for example, for a week and a separate mini-plan for each issue. It is advisable to have a plan for at least 3 months in advance and make several entries at once before the official launch.

If you don’t always have time for quality content creation, you may Pick The Writer from the custom writing services reviews platform, ask him to research the topic, write the text, and then, your only task will be to transform the text into a podcast.

7.   Listen to Your Audience

The content of your podcast should be interesting and useful for your audience. No other options. It is so obvious that many entrepreneurs forget about it. And they begin to write, shoot, record what is interesting to them, or what they think will be useful to the audience. Your audience will willingly tell you what is interesting and what is not. Just listen carefully to them.

8.   Promote, Don't Expect a Miracle

It is not enough to create a podcast. It is necessary to promote and market it. Surely, the first places you may share your podcast are your blog and your social media profiles. What is more, there are special apps that may help you to post and publish your podcast, reach your audience, get votes, and other promotion tools. For example, Overcast, Stitcher, and Podcast Addict.

9.   Come up With Your Podcast Unique Feature

In addition to the subject and genre, it’s nice to think about some unusual podcast feed that could be a chip that makes people want to listen to this podcast. An interesting topic or niche is part of the chip, but there is still such a moment as an unusual approach to this topic. For example, the podcast “Art for Boys” explains about art in very simple words, not just understandable to anyone, but also interesting to people outside of art.

10.                Make Your Podcast Even More Visible and Accessible

So, here are some final ideas on how to improve the visibility and accessibility of your podcast. For example, you may transform your audio file into a video one to publish it on YouTube. Don’t be surprised - the video format is so popular that many users will be more willing to use YouTube and listen to something usefull, even if there is no video plot.

What is more, you may always transcribe your video file, fill it with the necessary keywords, and make it more visible for search engines in the “Video” section.

Conclusion

So if you have been thinking about podcasting for a long time, it's time to start. These podcasting tips should be a great start for you. What is more, it is not so difficult as it may seem - especially if you are well-versed in your topic. By the way, podcasting is not the only way to show your professional background  - deep-researched and SEO-optimized articles, as well as live interactions with your audience in social media, are also great ideas to stay in touch with it.

Dominic Beaulieu is an expert writer who specializes in creating various training and professional upgrade courses, materials and manuals. He mainly writes on development, digital marketing, design, business strategies, etc. This breadth of specialization allows him to write expert columns on the most pressing topics in today's society and to specialize in creating reviews in Writing Judge.

It's Just A Book: Publishing During COVID

by R. S. Mellette

I'm a Laker fan. It's one of the things in my life that has nothing to do with writing, filmmaking, theatre, or any of my other artistic pursuits. It's important to have a sanctuary like that or what else will you do when you need a break? So as I drove home from my day job on Wednesday, March 11th, I had ESPN on. I joined them as they waited for more news about the Utah Jazz vs. Oklahoma Thunder Game. Apparently, it had been postponed just before tip-off and no one knew why. The arena announcer told everyone they had to leave the building. "You're all safe," he said, "but you have to leave."

FYI – telling a stadium full of people, "You're all safe," does not make them feel that way.

I stopped to get gas. When I got back in the car, ESPN reported that Tom Hanks and his wife had tested positive for COVID-19. A few minutes later, they explained that the game had been cancelled because of COVID. The next day, the NBA shut down their season. Eight days later, California went on lockdown. That's how COVID started for me.

I'm kind of proud of the fact that I didn't think about my book right away. It was scheduled to come out later in 2020 – the year that has become an adjective, meaning "completely messed up crazy" – so I knew in the back of my mind it would probably be delayed. I was aggravated that it wasn't out already because lockdown seemed like the perfect time to sell books. But then again, I first wrote this story in 1996 or so. I turned it into a novel in 2008. Got an agent in 2010 – she sent it everywhere with some very near misses. It went on the self until 2016, when I got back with my agent to send it out again. Still didn't sell to one of the Big Five, so my agent dropped it and me (again). I decided to take it to Matt Sinclair at Elephant's Bookshelf Press. He offered to publish it and set 2020 as the year.

So, postponed by pandemic? Looking back, I should have expected it.

What to do? What to do?

Let's look at how I was preparing for publication prior to the lockdown.

I love EBP. Matt is the perfect release valve that all major leagues need. If you look at books like Battery Brothers, Lost Wings, or dare-I-say-it my own Billy Bobble series you'll find great (or, in my case, not bad) books that major publishers would never take. They are dark, or hard to pin to an age, or too difficult to sell – not to the public – but at the acquisition department. This is why small, traditional, publishing houses exist. They are the farm leagues of the majors, and Matt is one of the best team owners.

The trouble is, very few people go to minor league games, and even fewer people read small press books.

In going with EBP, I knew I'd have my work cut out for me in trying to turn the book, Kiya And The Morian Treasure, into something other than just another cover on Amazon. Matt and I were (are) planning on an old-fashioned, offset, hardcover, print run. I was (am) biting the bullet and hiring a publicist – knowing full well they don't sell books and that I'd have to do much of the work. My neighbor is a professional audio book narrator. I was (am) lining her and a sound editor up to make an audio book. I was in touch with podcast hosts services to do some cutting-edge tech stuff with the audio version. I was laying the groundwork in Facebook groups, posting for fun, but also to ready the members for when pre-orders opened. I'll need their help to create some buzz. I planned contests, give-a-ways, articles, networking opportunities through SCBWI. I was ready to storm the beaches of Normandy.

Then New York shut down completely. Ain't nothing happens in publishing what don't go through New York City.

So… what to do?

Luckily, I haven't spent any money yet. Every 4 weeks or so, the publicist e-mails to see how it's going. She wants my business. I e-mail Matt to see how it's going. His plate is full thanks to schools being closed and a host of other things. I see my neighbor on occasion to say I still plan to hire her. I've sent the manuscript out to some people for final notes, possible film production companies, etc. Yeah, it's still good. No, I don't have a movie deal. I did a final pass on book 2 and stand at the foot of first-draft-mountain on book 3 – just in case.

I also spend a lot of time putting it in perspective. I'm healthy. Everyone in my life is healthy. I can do my day job from home, so I'm employed. I've learned that I actually miss the commute I used to hate so much. I never realized how I needed that 20 or 30 minutes to transition from the tedium of my job to the excitement of my imagination.  Like the man says, "I can't complain, but sometimes I still do."

Life will get back to normal. The Lakers will play again. Kiya And The Morian Treasure will, eventually, be in a store near you. My loved ones and I have our health. I hope you and yours do, too. Am I upset about the delay? Kinda, but in the end… it's just a book.

P.S. I've driven so little during the lockdown, that I'm still on the same tank of I bought on March 11th – which was before the crash in gas prices!

What do you remember about the beginning of the shut down? What was your last day of freedom?

R.S. Mellette, lives in Sherman Oaks, CA. He created and wrote The Xena Scrolls for Universal's New Media department. When an episode aired based on his characters, it became the first intellectual property to move from the internet to television. Mellette works and blogs for the film festival Dances With Films.

What I Learned the First Time I Self-Published a Book — and What I Did Differently the Second Time

by Jenn Gott

My debut novel came out in November 2014. It took me roughly two years to write and edit, and about six months to get together the cover, interior design, and formatting — but like many authors, this was a culmination of a lifelong dream.

We all like to think that our first book is going to be a smash success, but the truth is that for most of us, it turns out to be a learning experience more than anything else. This is true even if you already have a publisher or literary agent to sort out the nitty-gritty details, but it’s especially true if you’re self-publishing and have to do everything yourself.

No matter how much research you do, there’s simply no substitute for experience. And even if you know the best practices in the industry, chances are there’s going to be something you either overlook or arrogantly decide to ignore.

At least, there was for me.

Luckily, a book is just that: a book. One book in what will hopefully be a long and prolific career. The beauty of this is that early wobbles can easily be overcome — and even forgotten — with time. On that note, today I want to pull back the curtain and look at some of the initial mistakes I made, as well as the things I did differently when I launched my second series a few years later.

Lesson 1: Write to a niche market

For my debut novel, I wrote… a fantasy.

Not an urban fantasy, or a paranormal romance. Not a steampunk fantasy, or flintlock, or atompunk. Not a dystopian fantasy. Not grimdark fantasy. Just fantasy. Epic fantasy? That’s debatable, though really that’s not much — if any — narrower.

What’s wrong with this? In terms of story, nothing. The marketing, however, was another matter.

By writing something so broad, my potential audience felt like a vast sea, one I had no control of. It might sound like a great idea to write a book that will appeal to the largest possible group of readers... but in reality, when you’re marketing to everyone, you’re marketing to no one.

On top of that, suddenly the biggest names in the business became my competition. How was I, a brand-new author without a giant publisher behind me, supposed to compete against Tolkien, Sanderson, Martin, and more?

Now, this was the start of a series, so I couldn’t exactly jump ship to a new genre with the sequels. But as soon as I started looking outside that world I’d created, I knew I would be hunting for a true niche. Something that interested me, of course, and something with a broad enough appeal to attract readers. But a genre less vast and overcrowded, so my small voice wouldn’t be completely lost in the din.

Lesson 2: Zero in on the story’s “hook” as soon as possible

The first time I published a novel, my idea came from a snippet of character: I watched a movie where someone wore a particular pair of sunglasses, and I wanted to write a book that captured a similar aesthetic.

While I’m a firm believer that there’s no wrong way to spark and develop an idea, even I have to admit that mine made it a bit harder than it had to be. The plot development alone took a wild ride of twists and turns before landing on a story, but the biggest problem turned out to be describing my book to other people.

For my second series, I was determined not to let that happen. Again, the spark of my idea was pretty vague: I really just wanted to write a superhero story. But this time, I made sure to consider my “hook” even in the early planning stages.

I cannot stress enough the difference this made. From the writing to the marketing, the process was so much smoother and more enjoyable. I was able to create a book description without any hassle, and whenever I wanted to “pitch” my work directly to readers or reviewers, I had a simple line ready to go.

The way I articulated my hook changed, of course, as I wrote more of the book and discovered different angles. But this refining process also meant that I became well-practiced at coming up with different ways to describe the same hook. Turns out, that’s almost more valuable than the hook itself, especially when you need to write ad copy that fits within a certain character limit.

Lesson 3: Market early, market often

In November 2014, I launched with no pre-release marketing. Literally none — I didn’t even have a cover reveal. I hadn’t even announced the title of my book. In part, I figured that I had no fans yet, so who was I announcing things to?

But I was also just unthinkingly optimistic: I had visions of dropping my book on Amazon, having reviews pile in from readers who’d randomly stumbled upon my new release and fallen in love. Fame and fortune would surely follow, because that’s how this works, right?

I mean, maybe back during the Amazon “gold rush,” when Kindles were first coming onto the scene — I wouldn’t really know, because I’d missed that by years. Still, I clung to the delusion I’d gathered from those heady early success stories, as if merely hoping it still worked that way would make it so.

It hurt to have reality slam me so hard in the face, but it also meant that there was no way I would let my second series suffer the same fate: this time, I would market to the max.

Right from the beginning, I started making noise about my book. Telling my fans a bit about what I was up to, offering teasers when it got closer to release. I had a cover reveal and put the first chapter online. I talked about it all the time.

I’m sure there was still more I could have done, and will do the next time around — there’s always more you can do, especially if you set up preorders. But it worked, and I will never wait until release to start marketing again.

Lesson 4: Start with a sale

It took me a while to get over myself and accept the idea of a 99-cent sale, but it wasn’t until the release of my second series that I really embraced it.

I knew I wanted to start strong, but I also knew that I was still a fairly unknown author, branching into a new genre. Readers weren’t necessarily going to take a chance on me, no matter how enticing my book was — not at full price, anyway. But put the book on sale, and suddenly it’s a lot less of a gamble. After all, they’re only spending a dollar.

So I set my new release at 99 cents, and I booked a series of promotion services spanning a two-week window. Not all of these “email blast” services will accept new books or books without a certain number of reviews, but I managed to find a handful, each with different requirements and audiences. I tried to put the ones I thought would perform the best at the beginning and the end of the sale, for an early boost and a last hurrah.

I don’t do this when I release a sequel — there’s already built-in interest in those — but it is absolutely something I will do again when I release my next new work. I cannot stress enough how important it was to get those early reviews, and I would never have gotten there fast enough without launching at a discount.

Lesson 5: Don’t wait on the paperbacks

This one isn’t an absolute must for publishing success, but I thought I’d tack it on to the end anyway, just because it’s important to me personally.

From a business perspective, there’s room to argue that paperbacks don’t matter for self-publishers. They do, after all, incur extra costs to produce, and most indie authors won’t make a significant portion of their sales through paperbacks.

But I want the paperback. For me, as for many of us, the physicality of books has always held a special place in my heart. The accomplishment of becoming a published author doesn’t feel quite real without being able to hold one in my hands and say, “I made this.”

So while I did get paperbacks for my first book, I made sure to have them ready to go at release from the second book on. And you know what? For me, it’s been worth it. My paperbacks sell at a slow but steady clip, and there are always paperback purchases in the first wave of sales from loyal readers (love you guys!). They allow me to participate in signings and other in-person events, as well as just being able to hand a copy to someone else to thumb through.

Besides, if someone loves my work enough to want to display them on their shelves, who am I to tell them they have to wait?

Jenn Gott is an indie author, as well as a writer for Reedsy, where she posts about books, craft, and publishing. So basically, she’s writing all the time. On her few breaks, you can find her snuggling with her cats, watching superhero movies, or designing houses in The Sims.