Today was my first experience ever recording an interview for a podcast. There was quite a bit of preliminary work that went into this, and I thought I would take a minute to just explain what I have done, what I recommend doing, and maybe even a little of what I recommend not doing.

First off, I know there is a ton on the web for podcast recording, so I can only guarantee that this will be yet another box of ideas. Truthfully, one of the biggest things I have realized is that you truly have to make it your own. Sure, listen to some podcasts, talk to some people who’ve done recording, do it as high of quality as you can, but don’t be afraid to make it your own.

It’s easy to think that yours needs to fit some sort of “podcast mold,” but one of the great things about podcasts is that there are no rules! However, there are some things that I highly recommend doing before going to record your first episode. Also, after another month of recording, I’m sure this list will change but I want to write this now so that you can get perspective from someone who is totally new to the game.

  • Do your research.

This is so important and I can’t stress it enough. You need to figure out what’s going to be the best fit for recording for you. Since my podcasts are interview style, talking to people in a different location, I have to use a program that can record calls. Personally, I use Zoom. I don’t want to get into technology too much though as there is already a ton out there from people much more experienced than I am about what to use.

Research programs for recording, research what mic to use, research the issues with not wearing headphone, if you’re interviewing people you don’t know well, research their background, what you want to talk to them about, etc.

There is so much that you can (and should) learn before taking even the first step towards recording, and I highly recommend you do this before taking that step. It will save you so much pain and heart-ache. In truth, it’s honestly not even that difficult, but there work you do ahead of time, the easier it will be on you.

  • When recording an interview, it’s okay to be nervous, and it’s okay to just have a conversation.

You don’t want to come out of recording an interview and say, “what on earth happened and what did I say?”

Go in and enjoy your conversation. If you can really focus in on the relational part of the interview, it becomes so much more interesting for listeners. Also, if you can get out of your “must get questions in” trance, you often lose a lot of that nervous anxiety, and your true personality can really shine through.

  • Be prepared for your call. Early.

(I am realizing that most of these things cater mostly to people who are doing interview style podcast. I would add insights into other podcast types, but currently, I only have one experience to draw from.)

Make sure you have 15-30 minutes before a call to make sure you are set-up and ready to go. You never know what technology mishaps or any other kind of mishaps can happen, especially if you are tight on time. It will help your nerves so much if you can just sit down with everything ready for 10 minutes before a call. You can really focus in on what’s about to happen.

  • For goodness sake, ask the person you’re interviewing to wear earbuds or headphones.

And you better be doing the same. I don’t know how many times I heard when researching podcasts about the necessity for both parties to wear headphones to avoid voice echoes, but I neglected to mention this on my first interview, so I had quite a bit of echo. It’s not the end of the world to fix, but it will save you a big headache if you can just both be wearing headphones.

I am afraid to say any more because these thoughts are all such new revelations for me. Today was my first podcast interview. It ended up working and sounding great (apart from a little echo due to lack of headphone)! As I go on in this podcasting journey, I can’t wait to share what I continue to learn in the process!

One down, and hopefully many more to go!

Keep your eyes open for updates on when this podcast comes out!