You’ve got the intro and outro recorded. You have edited down your interview. Now it’s time to put everything together into a podcast episode for distribution.
If your editing software has a multitrack section then you’re good to go. This is where you will do all the work to make your show interesting.
Step 1 Add music beds under different sections
Music makes a difference for a podcast. From the introduction, breaks between sections and at the end. It sets the mode for what is about to come.
What you do is play a couple of seconds of the instrumental then fade it under the voice over. You can fade it out after a while or up when you’re finished with that section.
NPR’s How I built this podcast uses this production element to great effect. To add drama to the stories being shared, they use various sounds and instrumentals while the story is being shared. It makes the podcast interesting and fun to listen to and move the episode along quite nicely.
If you want to add drama to your podcast episodes, then use music and sound effects throughout your show.
Step 2 insert sponsored messages
The next part of the production process is adding sponsored messages. These are 30 – 45 seconds ads from a business who sponsor your show. When packaging the show, you can insert these messages if you have recorded them from before. This will save time as you can add them in later.
Step 3 Keep final levels consistent
It is also important to keep your levels consistent. Meaning that the sponsored messages, the interviews and the music is on the same level. This helps the listening experience.
Check the volume on each channel to manage your levels. You can use a compressor / a limiter on the master channel to keep things consistent when you’re ready to export the final episode.
The last thing to do is export your show for distribution. If your editing software allows you to insert the episode title and other information, do so during that time. This will ensure when the episode is being played people see what they are listening to, and what the show is all about.