DIY Podcast

by Meghan

​Have you ever been listening to your favorite podcast and thought “Hey, I want to do that! I’ve got opinions/stories/jokes!” Well, believe it or not, it’s incredibly easy to get started recording yourself, your friends, or anyone else you can think of and broadcast it to a worldwide audience. I recently attended a panel by the guys at Shedless, a funny, pop-culture based (and rather geeky) podcast, about how YOU can easily create your own podcast, too! 

One of the myths they busted is one I hear many times from my friends: “every topic has already been covered by tons of people!” Sure, there are already plenty of podcasts out there, but what really matters is a unique perspective. Last I checked, you were all pretty unique, so I’m sure you can bring something to the table that no one else has. Another roadblock is putting off the actual creation of the show - the guys admitted easily to their problems with procrastination. Be sure you have someone to keep you accountable, and a reliable schedule to keep you on track.

All you truly need to start creating your own show is a recording device with a microphone; if you own a smartphone, you probably already have this covered. Everything else is just gravy - if anything, getting a better microphone is all you need to sound great. 

If you want to edit your recording, Audacity is a free and simple-to-use way to make sure any mistakes are cut out of the final piece. If you want to share your wonderful podcast with the world, there are plenty of free or affordable sites specializing in podcast distribution. Shedless uses PodBean, but they also recommended the popular podcast site Stitcher.

There was plenty more covered in their panel, but luckily they recorded the whole thing: have a listen at ShedlessPodcast.com and look for “Greetings from Atlanta!” You can also hear them heckle me quite a bit - what can I say? I like sitting in the front row.

Now that I’m inspired, is a Geek Girls, Inc. podcast in our future?