#30 - Should You Start a Podcast?

I listened to my first podcast in my final year of high school, and honestly, my first reaction was this was a more niche radio broadcast. But during university, I started listening to basketball podcasts on the train ride to keep me occupied. Slowly but surely, my tastes expanded to include more than just dribbling an orange ball. Slowly but surely, other topics like politics, religion and philosophy started to appear on my feed and podcasts became a staple of my life. However, the first time that I legitimately considered creating a podcast was because of a homework activity I set as a teacher. The term was ending, and I was tired, so I kept the task as simple as possible, pick a period of history that interests you and then submit your research through whatever medium you want. Thankfully, one extremely bright student chose an audio recording. Not only was it informative, but they also included jokes and humour as well. And after that, the idea took root, and for a few months the thought of “why don’t you start a podcast” would just randomly appear in my thoughts at random parts of the day. “Oh, I’m eating ice-cream? How about a podcast on the development of ice-cream into its current stage?” “Oh, I love films like Before Sunrise and YiYi? Well, how about I explain why I love them so much?” “Oh, Pokemon’s new designs seem to be decreasing in quality, why is that?” And, if you haven’t noticed, I have an opinion on everything. So, that’s how we ended up here. A podcast about starting a podcast, I don’t know how this can get anymore meta. And joining is me is another fellow podcaster, Srijay Chatterjee from the Only Up podcast where we try to answer the million-dollar question. Should you, yes you, the person listening to this, start your own podcast? In such a saturated market, what are ours hints and tips? Should your podcast have a particular niche, or should it talk about anything and everything like mine? Can podcasting help with insecurities and anxieties? What kind of gear do we recommend newcomers buy? Should you record with friends or by yourself? If you’ve got questions, then we’ve got answers. So, if you’ve ever considered sharing your thoughts and opinions on the air, if you feel like you’ve got insights that deserve to be heard then stick around. This is part 1 of 2 episodes, with the second episode heavily focused on anime and manga. TIMESTAMP: (7:24) – Podcasting as therapy (12:19) – Becoming a renaissance man (14:37) – Should you start podcasting? (18:24) – Editing podcasts & descript (20:34) – What traits are best suited to being a podcaster? (26:20) – Podcasting with friends or by yourself? (30:27) – My hints and tips for podcasting? (34:28) – The Vagabond podcast (36:32) – Learning to transition with Dave Chappelle (39:25) – Investing in your equipment (41:48) – Microphones (46:34) – Niche audiences (47:44) – Naming podcasts (50:46) – Adding timestamps (52:55) – Being politically correct (55:15) – Out upcoming episodes (1:02:04) – Inviting friends as guests (1:05:40) – Srijay and I’s first interaction (1:09:58) – Reaching out to other people