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How to Avoid Copyright Infringement on a Podcast

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Podcast creators share a common goal: to make engaging episodes that inspire people to tell their friends the phrase we've all heard a million times, "Hey! I have a new podcast you should check out." But while you're worried about making great content, are you also paying attention to what elements of your podcast might be inadvertently infringing someone's copyright?

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If you plan on interviewing someone for your podcast, study this. Numbers 6 & 7 are the most important, in my opinion.

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Journalistic interviews can run the gamut from a casual conversation to light interrogation. The main purpose of all interviews-whether soft or hard journalism-is information mining and quote fishing. Interviews, as they say, are the mainstay of journalism. A good quote fleshes out an article, adds credibility, emphasizes the point or angle of a story, represents an opinion, provides important facts and information, or offers a counter argument.

Interviewing is a learned skill and takes many years to perfect, and most of us are still mastering the art. It's also a matter of style and how you come across in general. Are you pushy and stand offish or an empathetic listener? People pick up on these vibes.
(How To Become a Journalist)
But there are some basic steps that will ensure you'll not only get the quotes you need from every interview but learn to enjoy the process-even the dreaded phone interview. Here are 10 tips to get you started.

1. Know Your Goal: What's the story?

There are various types of interviews, including in-person, phone and Zoom interviews, on-camera (in-studio or on location), man on the street interviews (vox pops), and the doorstep interview. You can also send questions in an e-mail if you just need a couple of quick quotes to enhance a feature or blog.

Whatever the nature of the interview, always be prepared. This means choosing a quiet location if it's in-person (especially if you're recording), and a time when you won't be interrupted for phone interviews. Everything should be organized and checked beforehand so you can focus on your goal-making the interviewee comfortable so they'll speak openly and answer your questions.

The length and intensity of the interview depends on the nature of your story, and how the interviewee is involved-Are they the main source or one of many experts? If it's a profile or Q&A, then naturally it will require a longer and more in-depth interview. If it's a politician or public official, you'll probably have some time constraints. So, make sure you know exactly what you need from your interview and book enough time.

*****

The Writer's Digest Guide to Journalism is a practical, informative, and well-researched introduction to journalism and its best practices, with actionable advice, tips, techniques, explanations, and anecdotes straight from the field. In this digital guide, writers will learn how to write an effective news piece, skills need to be an effective journalist, outlets for publishing journalism, journalism associations, and so much more. Both inspirational and pragmatic, The Writer's Digest Guide to Journalism is packed with valuable resources for aspiring journalists.

Click to continue.

*****

2. Do Your Research

Thoroughly research the interviewee, learn everything you can about them and how they fit into the topic you're covering. Know beforehand how this person's knowledge, story, or viewpoint will contribute to the piece. From your research you should already have a sense of what they'll say, just make sure you tailor your questions accordingly to get the desired response.

3. Have a List of Questions Ready

Write a list of questions in a notebook or on a device, in the order you want to ask them. Start with softball questions just to ease in and break the tension. After all, both of you may be apprehensive. Be conversational but not too casual; you're conducting an interview, not gossiping.

Always remember-you are steering the ship. Those in an official role often try to control the conversation, especially with a rookie reporter. Don't let them. Be firm and take charge. If someone avoids the question, repeat it, and if they still don't answer, ask them why they refuse to answer? Put them on the spot. This is your job, and if they're a public official or politician, they have a duty to respond to your questions, however uncomfortable.

4. Don't Come Across as a Journalist!

The best compliment I received as a journalist was from a source who poured his heart out for over 30 minutes and then suddenly paused, saying, "Oops, I forgot you're a journalist, I shouldn't have told you that..." This was long before the famous Hagrid lines in Harry Potter.

So, the key to being a good interviewer is to be so approachable, down to earth, and attentive, that the person being interviewed forgets you're a journalist!

When covering a sensitive or controversial topic, sincerity, humility, and compassion go a very long way. People can see through bravado and ego and know when a journalist is just after a sensational soundbite. When interviewing those who have experienced trauma, you should be reassuring, explaining the larger purpose of your project, and make the person feel comfortable and safe so they can speak candidly. This is the only way to get honest, heartfelt answers rather than something rehearsed or guarded.

If an interviewee says something is off the record, then always honor that request. But still try and get to the crux of the story and gently ask how much they are willing to share publicly.

Of course, each type of interview requires a different approach. For example, you don't need to treat politicians with kid gloves. But always remember to be firm yet polite, you get more flies with honey than with vinegar, as the saying goes.

5. Avoid Talking About Yourself

Small talk to ease the tension is acceptable, but please avoid talking too much about yourself. Mention you're a mom if it helps build a rapport, but do it briefly, and then get back to the job.

Good journalism is often a quiet art-you must allow the interviewee to tell their story without interruption, especially if it's traumatic. Avoid talking over people and making comments during an interview or referring to things in your own life. A nod to indicate you're listening, and good eye contact is enough. Don't look down at your notes when they're talking, you can glance at them during a pause in the conversation. There's nothing worse than revealing your soul and realizing an interviewer is only half listening, and more interested in formulating the next question. People know instinctively if you really care, and if you're covering such a story, you should care.

6. Ask Open-Ended Questions

Ask open-ended questions and not questions with yes/no answers. Instead of: "Were you scared," ask, "How did you feel when that incident occurred?" You can always rephrase a question if you didn't get a complete answer. It's better to have many quotes to choose from than too little to work with.

7. Timing

Let people pause, don't feel you have to immediately fill the silence, as they may be on the brink of saying something profound. But do ask a follow-up question if an interesting and unexpected point comes up. Just remember to go back to your list of questions after to make sure you cover everything. If the person strays far off topic, then it's perfectly fine to briefly jump in and steer them back on course. And if there's something you don't understand, ask for clarification.

8. Tackle Controversy Towards the End

Tackle something controversial once you've covered the basics and have a few quotes, just in case they refuse to answer, become hostile, or even storm off. You could frame your question in many ways, such as, "Mr. Jones said you're overreacting, how would you respond to that?"

9. Record the Interview

It's a good idea to record your interview, whether in person or over the phone, and there's an abundance of apps and devices available. This way you can relax and listen instead of scribbling away frantically in undecipherable shorthand. You're also guaranteed accuracy, and able to quote verbatim. Just make sure the app is working before the interview, and tell the person being interviewed that you're recording.

10. Thank You!

End interviews with the question, "Is there anything else you'd like to add..." to give them the opportunity to reference something you may have overlooked. Check the interviewee's basic information, including the correct spelling of their name, official title, the name of their organization or business, and ask how they'd like to be referred to in the article.

And finally, don't forget to say thank you!

Click to continue.

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Interviewing subjects is an important and often unavoidable step when writing articles. Here, Alison Hill offers 10 interviewing tips for journalists.

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These tips are both practical and proven to draw your audience in.

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A couple of years ago, as a participant of a master's program in Denmark, I met a fellow journalist from Chile who gave me a lesson on storytelling that I will never forget.

I was in class, half-listening to the end of a monotonous PowerPoint presentation on the history of media, when the next presenter on the list-the Chilean journalist-was called to go up to the podium.

His name was Enrique Núñez, one of the quietest students in the class. All I knew about him was that he always sat in the very front row and, unlike the other students, paid the utmost attention to every word that was said.

As he prepared his notes behind the podium, everyone continued to type away behind their laptop screens. What happened next, however, caught everyone by surprise.

He confidently stepped out from behind the podium and said in a loud and animated voice, "Today, I'm going to tell you the story of a 16-year-old boy with a remarkable talent..."

The clicking of keyboards suddenly stopped and all eyes were fixed on him.

He showed a slide with a giant image of a newspaper vendor looking sadly at the headline 'Roosevelt Dead!'

"This now-famous picture," he said, "was taken by this boy in 1945 and sold to a magazine for $25."

He then presented other images captured by this same boy: a beautiful picture of a shoe shiner gazing up at a flock of birds; another one of a showgirl putting on lipstick in the mirror.

After piquing our curiosity as to who this mystery photographer might be, he finally said:

"This boy grew up to be one of the most influential film directors of all time. Do you know who he was?"

We all waited eagerly.

"Who was he? His name was Stanley Kubrick."

Completely dashing our expectations of him, Enrique went on to give one of the most engaging presentations we had ever heard on the evolution of visual media.

That day, we all learned that presentations didn't have to be long and boring. They could be entertaining and informative at the same time.

The Reason Stories Fascinate Audiences

Why was Enrique's story so captivating?

Academics and marketers alike have found that our brains are hardwired to process and store information in the form of stories. So, when we hear that "once upon a time" there was a certain character in such and such place, our minds are immediately transported to this imaginary scene.

In fact, according to professional speaker Akash Karia, stories are irresistible to the human mind because they activate our imaginations and so we have no choice but to follow the mental movies created in our heads. As a result, they are used by many TED presenters who are some of the most inspirational speakers in the world.

This is further proven by a study I conducted on the evolution of longform multimedia stories published by the New York Times. I found that many of the storytelling techniques used thousands of years ago are still applicable today to a wide range of mediums besides the written word.

Not only are they indispensable tools for novelists, they are useful for presenters, business leaders, marketers, and journalists. They can come in all forms, from slide decks and infographics to videos and static images.

Based on some of my findings of what makes a story captivating, along with advice given by leading experts, here are several ways you can make your next presentation one your audience will never forget:

1 Immerse your audience in a story.

A well-told story is something that will stick in your audience's mind for years to come.

Take this simple yet exceptional TED talk as an example. In it, a 12-year-old Masai boy from Kenya named Richard Turere transports his audience to another world by telling a story about his experiences in his homeland.

With basic words and slides with large, graphic images, Richard weaves a captivating tale of how he invented a system of lights that was able to protect his family's livestock from lion attacks.

The reason this presentation was so successful was that every word and image presented helped to create a clear mental picture of the problem Richard and his family faced.

Also, it clearly followed a golden rule of presentation-giving which is to use visuals that supplement your story rather than repeat what has already been said.

Another way to immerse the audience in your story is to provide sensory details that will allow them to actually see, hear, feel, and smell the different stimuli in your storyworld.

According to Akash Karia, this will turn the presentation into a mental movie that the audience cannot help but engage in, as is done in this TED talk.

Unlike novels, though, presentations must make use of short but effective descriptions.

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2 Tell a personal story.

Few things are as captivating as a personal story, especially those of triumph over extreme adversity.

In his insightful book The Seven Basic Plots, author Christopher Booker finds that there are seven basic story plots that have universal appeal. These include the story of the hero defeating a monster, the rags-to-riches tale, the quest for a treasure, and the voyage of a hero who comes back a changed person.

These plots are clearly seen in some of the most popular and moving presentations ever given. Take, for example, this gripping and harrowing tale of a woman's escape from her home land of North Korea. Or this woman's equally powerful story of domestic violence and how she found the courage to leave her abusive spouse.

3 Create suspense.

Those who love to watch movies or read books know that a good story always has to have a conflict and a plot. These two elements are what make a good presentation into a roller coaster ride that keeps listeners/viewers at the edge of their seats, asking themselves, "What will happen next?"

There are several devices that can increase the level of suspense of your story. One way is to tell a story chronologically and build up to a climactic conclusion, as is done here in this story about a woman who was born without fibula bones and grew up to be an accomplished athlete, actress and model.

Another way is to plop the viewer/listener right in the middle of action and then go backwards in time to reveal how all of this occurred.

A good example of this is Zak Ibrahim's story, which begins with the revelation that his father was involved in the World Trade Center bombing. He then goes back in time to tell events from his childhood and how he grew up to choose a different path from his father's.

A third way is to begin by telling a predictable story and then surprise the audience by taking a completely different turn from what was expected.

For example, this TED talk begins with a presenter who leads his audience to believe he doesn't speak English, only to surprise them in order to make a point about how we construct identity.

4 Bring characters to life.

Characters are at the heart of any story. Their fortunes and misfortunes are what make people want to laugh, cry or rejoice.

The most successful stories, I found, were those that created three-dimensional characters who were easy to identify and, at the same time, had an uncommon characteristic.

In order to do this, you must provide enough detail to bring the character to life in the minds of those in the audience.

For example, master storyteller Malcolm Gladwell creates a vivid picture of Howard in this presentation by describing his physical appearance and mentioning his hobbies and obsessions.

5 Show. Don't tell.

Instead of telling your audience about a certain event in a story, try showing them by transporting them to a scene.

For example, in the introduction to this article, I could have simply told you that I had an introverted classmate who one day wowed the whole class with an awesome presentation. This, however, would not have had the same effect as using descriptions of setting and conversations to take you to the middle of a scene.

So, whenever you deliver a story, try scene-by-scene construction of events and use dialogue instead of narration, as seen in this presentation which won the 2014 World Championship of Public Speaking.

6 Build up to a S.T.A.R. moment.

Similar to a climax, a S.T.A.R. moment is a "Something They'll Always Remember" event that is so dramatic that your audience will be talking about it weeks later.

According to presentation expert Nancy Duarte in her book Resonate, this can come in the form of a dramatization, provocative images, or shocking statistics.

Bill Gates resorted to this technique in a 2009 TED talk when he made the case for increasing investment in eradicating malaria. He gave statistics to prove how serious the problem was and then shocked the room by opening a jar full of mosquitos, saying "There's no reason only poor people should have the experience."

7 End with a positive takeaway.

After analyzing 200 of the best TED talks, presentation expert Akash Karia found that the most effective presentations not only had a conflict and a climax, but also a positive resolution.

On the path to triumph, most characters in these stories received what he calls a "spark," a key piece of wisdom or advice that helped them overcome their obstacles and change for the better.

This key takeaway message was then packaged into a short, memorable phrase or sound bite that could easily become viral on social media platforms like Twitter.

For example, in the previously mentioned talk on domestic abuse, the presenter concluded that instead of blaming victims, we should "recast survivors as wonderful, loveable people with full futures."

So, now that we have plenty of examples of how to give a memorable presentation, what are the key takeaways of this post?
Remember to:

1. Immerse your audience in the story.

2. Tell a personal story.

3. Create suspense.

4. Bring characters to life.

5. Show. Don't tell.

6. Build up to S.T.A.R. moment.

7. End with a positive takeaway.

"A successful talk is a little miracle-people see the world differently afterward."

-TED curator Chris Anderson

Your Turn

We share all our secrets on how to deliver an unforgettable presentation (as well as how to create visual slides with impact) in our free e-book below. And if you want to share your own visual slide deck and storytelling experiences, we would love to hear about them in the comments section below!

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7 Storytelling Techniques Used by the Most Inspiring TED Presenters

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A guide to giving inspirational presentations and talks, based on tried-and-true effective storytelling techniques used by the most influential speakers in the world.

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Designed by Samual J. Stroud, this template is a strong resource for an interview-based podcast.

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The script templates midway through this article are helpful. The text also explores the difference between scripted and ad-libbed podcasts.

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How to Plan Your Podcast with Scripts and Templates [2022] | Voices

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Learn how to plan your podcast, write a podcast script, plan your segments & start producing quality podcast episodes today.

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Learn the basic tools within Audacity.

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A great place to start to learn Audition tools. Also, considering using the built in tutorials. Open Audition. Click Help. Click Audition Learn for learning options.

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Mix, edit, and create audio content in Adobe Audition audio recording software with a comprehensive toolset that includes multitrack, waveform, and spectral display.

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Check out this informative local podcast produced by Laura Miller.

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Have you ever had a question about the Derby City that you just can't answer? That's where Curious Louisville comes in. Listeners submit their questions, the public votes on which questions to investigate, and 89.3 WFPL finds the answers.

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Have you ever had a question about the Derby City that you just can't answer? That's where Curious Louisville comes in. Listeners submit their questions, the public votes on which questions to investigate, and 89.3 WFPL finds the answers.

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Mysterious sci-fi shorts tell the story of a girl who is also a weapon.

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Thank you for subscribing!Enjoy listening ad-free. Want to listen ad-free? Already have subscription to GZM? Head over to our Subscribers page to find out more or login. Thank you for being a GZM subscriber. To listen to this podcast ad-free you must upgrade your plan.

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A show for kids focused on strange but true phenomena on planet Earth.

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Radiolab for Kids Presents: Terrestrials | Terrestrials | WNYC Studios

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A show where we uncover the strangeness right here on Earth

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Family friendly science, technology, & innovation topics.

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Send us a message Share videos, audio, and photos Join our mailing list Teachers that WOW Contest

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Family friendly debate show shorts

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Smash Boom Best is a debate show for kids and families from the makers of the award-winning podcast, Brains On! Every episode takes two cool things, smashes them together and lets you decide which is best. Our debaters use facts and passion to make their case -- teaching listeners how to defend their own opinions along the way.

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Consider Adobe Audition - a professional grade audio editing solution. Eminence pays for your subscription for now - ask Ms. Waddell for access if you don't have it!

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Learn about Audition, the professional tool for precision audio editing, mixing, and sound effects.

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Consider Audacity - an free, open-source audio recording and editing software.

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Audacity ® | Free Audio editor, recorder, music making and more!

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Article explores the basics of editing once your podcast is recorded.

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Podcast Production Services | Lower Street

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We can't dig too deep into the topic of how to edit podcast audio without acknowledging that there are two distinct disciplines at play. First of all, there's how to edit your podcast in terms of controlling the software and 'physically' going through the editing process. Secondly, there's the more creative side which involves choosing when to edit, what to cut, where to take breaks or add music or effects (AKA sound design), and so on.

Editing a podcast is both an art and a science

Both the scientific and the artistic sides of the brain are put to use in the podcast editing process. We're going to be giving them both their time in the spotlight. Our goal is to help someone who has never edited a podcast before while still providing a useful resource for anyone who is already editing their podcast but might not be getting the results they hope for.

The podcast post-production process

Post-production - or all the work that happens after you hit record - can be split into a few stages:

Our focus today is editing (technique and style), but before we dig into the technical side of things, let's think about writing for just a moment.

Editing a podcast: the initial steps

If you're wondering how much to edit down the length of a podcast, the answer is "it depends." It depends on how much audio you have recorded and how much needs to be cut out or cleaned up. Some of the most popular podcasts can go for 2 or 3 hours, but with business podcasts, it's usually a better idea to keep it concise. If your episodes run somewhere in the 20-30 minute range, it's something people can listen to during their commute in the car, while they ride the train or bus, during a workout, etc.

What you'll need

Which DAW should you use to edit a podcast?

This is where you'll often find Audacity recommendations, but this popular piece of free software is not ideal. It's simple to use and lets you record and edit in one place. But it's a destructive editor, which means that you can lose the things that you edit out - which can make it tough (or impossible) to add them back in later if you decide to revise your edit. With a non-destructive editor, you can go back multiple steps to make changes.

We use Pro Tools to edit podcasts professionally for our clients. It's the industry standard for broadcast, not to mention most of your favorite music albums. It's a very powerful platform but comes with the appropriate learning curve and price tag, so might not be the best place to get started.

Editing basics: what to look for, what to remove

If you have a rough outline or plan that you've written ahead of time, you'll be able to edit out any tangents in the conversation that don't contribute to whatever it is that you're trying to get across.

People are humans - let them sound like it! Of course, we want to remove any obvious blunders or annoying 'ya knows' that can be taken away while retaining the natural flow of speech. But your time and energy is far better spent on removing or reordering entire sections of the discussion to tell a more compelling and engaging story in a shorter space of time than nit-picking over every little in-breath.

Remove noise, plosive pops, and any background sounds as much as you can. Be careful if you're editing out any loud breathing, it can sound unnatural if you don't hear people taking any breaths at all while speaking. Edit out any interruptions where you can, too.

You don't want to be too precious with your content. Does it add value for your listeners? If not, cut it. Your definition of adding value will depend on what it is that your listeners are looking for. We're aiming for a smooth, cohesive listening experience that flows naturally. That's how to edit podcast content in a way that respects your listener's time.

9 quick podcast editing tips

1. Listen to your interview once before editing

If you don't know where to start, we recommend listening to other shows that you enjoy or that are doing a good job of appealing to the same target audience as you. You can find inspiration from the musical choices they make and select tracks that have a similar style or project the same emotion.

If your podcast is already out in the wild, a useful hack is to look at your Spotify podcaster analytics dashboard. If you head into the 'Audience' tab of your show and scroll down to 'Artists they're listening to', you are given an insight into the most popular artists streamed by your audience in the last 28 days.

Hiring a podcast editor or producer

Now that you know the basic ins and outs of editing a podcast, you'll have a much easier time hiring an editor, producer, or podcast editing service if you don't intend to do it yourself.

If you have any questions about editing or any other part of podcasting for your business, you can reach out to chat to us.

This can be a great place to get ideas of the kind of music your listeners enjoy so that you can find (or commission from a composer) something stylistically similar. But keep in mind you'll almost certainly want it to be instrumental - on lyrics to distract from your narrative!

If you start slicing out chunks of conversations before remembering the rest of the podcast, you could remove things that are referenced later on and creating a lot of extra work and potential for mishaps.

2. Take notes of things to edit using timestamps

As you listen, take notes of edits you want to make and include the timestamp of where this edit will take place in your recording.

3. Keep the blank space while editing

If you edit out short pauses in the conversation or long sections of dialogue, don't smush the rest of the conversation together yet - leave the blank space. Otherwise, none of your timestamps will make sense anymore. Or, another handy trick is to work through your timestamped edits in reverse order.

4. Listen at regular speed

It can be tempting to listen to your podcast at a quicker speed to get through your edit faster. But this makes it difficult to edit pauses or lulls in the conversation and to get a feel for the overall pacing.

5. How to edit a podcast if one person is a lot quieter

Depending on how much quieter the recording is, this is something you may want to fix during the recording process by ensuring your guest's microphone has a strong signal. If the level is too low then increasing the gain (or volume) in the editing process will result in a lot of background hiss which can be hard to remove. It's always best to start with a good recording level in the first place.

But the easiest way to manage this issue in post is to increase the gain of the lower-level speaker before you begin editing. You can do this by normalizing the audio (a function available in all DAWs) or by adding some compression with makeup gain to increase the loudness.

6. How to edit a podcast trailer

Aim for something under 2.5 minutes. Pick the best quotes from your episodes to tease what is to come and compile them together in a way that whets the appetite of your potential listener. Tie it together with narration, but keep it short and sweet.

7. How to use sound effects tastefully

Using sound effects or sound design can make a huge change to the emotional impact of your podcast. It can help guide the attention of your listener and keep them engaged over the course of an episode.

But be careful - it's a fine line between creative genius and just plain cheesy. And too much sound design and your narrative will be lost in the soundscape you've created.If in doubt, leave it out. But when used correctly, sound design can turn a good podcast into an amazing one.

8. Give it one last listen

Give your podcast one final listen before uploading it. Make sure you've cut out everything you can, and that there aren't any editing, mixing, or mastering errors. Is it engaging and interesting to listen to from start to finish?

9. How to choose podcast music

The theme music that opens and closes your show will be a listener's first impression. It sets the tone of your show and gives listeners an idea of what to expect. Good theme music will fit right in and may go unnoticed, which is okay because that means it's a great fit. Bad theme music will stick out and instantly give people the wrong impression about your podcast.

Topping and tailing is the process of cutting out any chit-chat that takes place before the start of your show, and anything that comes afterwards. You don't want to release anything that your guest says if they're under the impression that you're 'off the air', but these moments can sometimes contain gems that are worth asking your guest's permission to use.

Look for stand-out moments that could be used for promotions on other platforms. Short clips or hooks from your interviews can be used to create audiograms on social - something we covered in our article on podcast promotion.

Listen to the podcast and take note of any long pauses that could be jarring to a listener. A brief moment of dead air can feel like an eternity. Although, for the same reason, it can be a very powerful tool in the right circumstances.

Be merciless with your editing and don't be afraid to cut, cut, and then cut some more. 20-30 minutes is a great length for a business podcast, we don't all have to be Dan Carlin and release 5-hour long episodes of Hardcore History that take months to produce. Approach every sentence with the question: Is this adding to the story? If not, it can go.

On ums and uhs

A lot of focus in the podcasting blogosphere is put on the fanatical removal of every stutter, repetition, or crutch word ('like', 'sorta', 'kinda' etc). Sure, taking out 100 of them over the course of an hour-long interview can cut your episode length down some, but it's a hugely time-consuming process that tends to end in unnatural-sounding dialogue.

Another option used by many professional podcast producers is Reaper. It's a powerful platform for podcasting or music production with a small price tag. But similar to Pro Tools, it'll take a little while to get proficient with it.

Hindenburg Broadcaster is tailored for audio publishers, with an easy-to-learn interface and a simple workflow that can help speed up your process. It's a good middle-ground between the free apps and the more complex tools like Reaper and Pro Tools and is used by lots of podcast professionals.

If you're looking for something free and you're on a Mac, check out the classic GarageBand. It's great for podcast editing, especially if you're just looking for some default settings that'll get the job done without having to get too bogged down in the details.

A DAW (digital audio workstation) is the software that you'll use to edit your podcast. You can either record it using this software, or import an audio file that's been recorded elsewhere.

A microphone that isn't built-in to your cellphone or laptop is a huge upgrade in audio quality. You don't need to get something super high-end for thousands of dollars. The sweet spot for most business podcasters is a microphone and digital recorder from a reputable brand in the $200-$600 range. You'll want to grab a pop-filter for your mic, too. We'll cover gear in another post, but starting points are a Zoom H6 recorder and SM58 mic, or an SM7B combined with a Cloudlifter and Scarlett 2i2 audio interface, or at the low end an ATR2100 USB mic which you can plug directly into your computer.

A quiet place to record without background noise is going to make the editing process much easier because there will be less background noise to try to work around. Also, a space with lots of soft furniture to absorb the sound is a huge help. As unsexy as it might sound, a closet full of clothes makes a great recording booth, where a cold boardroom sounds like an echo chamber that will result in super reverberant recordings!

A plan will ensure that you aren't just going in blindly. A bit of planning and research can be the difference between being able to tell a compelling story to your audience, or having a really tricky time editing your audio into something interesting.

If you're conducting an interview with a guest, doing some research and writing down some notes can have a much more profound impact on the quality of your podcast than getting it perfectly mixed down and mastered. It's easy to edit out "umms" and "uhhs" but it's impossible to edit in interesting questions, insights, or research that's lacking from your recordings.

Still, that's no reason not to get your mixing and mastering as close to perfect as you can.

1. Editing: This is our focus in this article. To really understand the role editing plays in how to produce a podcast we need to look at the bigger picture and how each stage in the production process contributes to a final episode. That includes the very important and very underrated steps of research and planning before you get behind the mic, writing your script, then recording it, then editing those recordings together to tell a compelling story. We'll touch on all these points here.

2. Sound design: This is the creative process of adding music and sound effects to embelish the story, evoke emotion, give the story momentum and keep the listener engaged.

3. Mixing/mastering: This is where you'll adjust the levels of the various parts of your recording so they all sit well together. This includes making adjustments when people are speaking at different volumes, and where you'll compress, EQ and process your audio to improve the sound of your recordings and create a final, polished product.

4. Syndication and promotion: After your podcast is ready to hit the airwaves, this step involves finding an audience and getting your podcast onto their devices. We've covered promoting a podcast in great depth here.

Podcast editing: the how and the why

The average commute in the US is 25 minutes, for branded podcasts that's often a good length to aim for

At Lower Street, we edit podcasts using the industry standard, Pro Tools

Don't over-analyze and over-edit your podcast interview

Before opening up your editor, listen to your interview and make notes on what should go and what should stay

Choosing music for your podcast

Spotify for podcasters audience insights

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How to Edit a Podcast: Audio Levels, Content, Tips, Trailers & More | Lower Street

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Editing is possibly the most important part of making a podcast. We talk through how some simple steps can transform your recorded interview into a compelling episode. Don't start before reading this - here's everything you need to know to get started the right way.

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This is almost too overwhelming to post. Check out sounds embedded within your software before spending too much time searching here.

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See also: Commons:File types#Sound and Category:Commons audio resources

Below is a list of sites containing free audio files. Please note that not all the files on these websites are free. Notably non-commercial (NC) and no derivatives (ND) clauses are common, but not accepted on Commons and will lead to your file being deleted.

Audiocité - French project recording audiobooks.

Audionautix.com

ccMixter.org - Music under Creative Commons Licenses. Important: Only music under Attribution, Attribution-Share alike and CC0 can be used. Note: Be careful some users may not license their work properly, because they remix work under other non compatible licenses or they may play copyrighted work. Creative Commons sampling licenses are not free enough to upload to Wikimedia Commons.

cctrax

Raita is a collection of digitized early Finnish sound recordings provided by the Library of the National Library of Finland. All music files are under public domain (over 50 year old recordings of public domain music).

freemusicarchive - published under various CC licenses, just passed 100,000 tracks in 2016; more information here

Filmmusic

FreePD

Free Sound Effects

Freesound.org. Collaborative database of Creative Commons licensed sounds. Freesound focuses only on sound, not songs.

ibeat.org

Jamendo

LibriVox - Project to record books in the public domain.

provides music in the public domain by major composers: music recordings, sheet music and a music textbook. Completed in 2012. See also: https://archive.org/details/musopen.

The Mutopia Project. Free sheet music for everyone. "Most of our music is distributed under Creative Commons licenses. Each piece clearly lists what license it is distributed under."

Opsound - Sounds and music under "Creative Commons Share Alike license".

Public Domain Project is a growing collection of digitized gramophone records (78 rpm), all of them nowadays belonging to the public domain.

SampleSwap

Soundcloud

TeknoAXE

Videvo Royalty Free Music - A selection of royalty free music, with free tracks available.

Videvo Royalty Free Sound Effects - A wide selection of royalty free sound effects, with free sounds available.

YouTube audio library is a collection offered by YouTube to their content creators. Only the "Attribution required" songs are free. You can select them from the "Attribution" drop-down on the top of the list.

Sound Designers.Org

Soundbible.com

Open Game Art - Media repository for software / game projects. Contains many kinds of media, including sound effects, under various free licenses.

Kenney.nl - Website offering assets for video game projects under a public domain (CC0) license. Contains many kinds of media, including sound effects.

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Commons:Free media resources/Sound - Wikimedia Commons

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
See also: Commons:File types#Sound and Category:Commons audio resources Below is a list of sites containing free audio files. Please note that not all the files on these websites are free. Notably non-commercial (NC) and no derivatives (ND) clauses are common, but not accepted on Commons and will lead to your file being deleted.