Podcast production: Tips for every stage of making a podcast

Being a podcast creator can be exhilarating and rewarding. But the process of ideating topics and publishing an episode can sometimes feel like a tough trek. You might even fall into the trap of believing that you need a production manager, an audio editor, and a gold-plated microphone to have a quality show. 

In reality, all you need is your voice, your love of creating, and a little help from the experts to get you on the right track. Stevie Lane is the Supervising Podcast Producer at “Heavyweight,” Spotify Studio’s seasonal show with host Jonathan Goldstein. Bobby Lord is a Senior Audio Engineer and composer who’s worked on several hit podcasts. 

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Stevie and Bobby transformed the podcast production process into an art form, and now they're sharing their in-depth playbook with you, exploring everything from idea generation and scripting to audio production. 

First things first: Pre-production

If you’ve been publishing for a while, finding new topics to cover might feel impossible. How can creators stay fresh? “A good rule is to trust your own curiosity,” says Stevie. “Keep your ears out when talking to friends and family, when you read something compelling or see something strange on the internet. If you want to know more about something, chances are, other people will, too.”

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If you conduct interviews on your show, Stevie points out the importance of carefully considering your main character. “It’s important to look for someone that can be the conduit through which you explore that topic. Who is the best person to interview who can help tell this story? Why? Are they a good storyteller? Are they entertaining? These are good questions to ask [yourself].”

The research and outreach process

Research is a core component of pre-production that helps you prepare for the show, whether it’s generating topics or booking podcast guests. The latter might pose more challenges because you have to contact people, sometimes high-profile influencers or entrepreneurs, who might be tough to reach. Here, Stevie stresses the importance of not giving up.

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“It never ceases to surprise me how often the last ditch effort I try is the one that works,” she says. “You may be investigating a certain thing or trying to track down a certain person and feel you’ve hit a dead end or don’t know where to start. In those instances, just call. As many people as you can. Even if they’re not the right person, they might be able to point you towards someone else who is.” Don’t be afraid to reach out on social media, LinkedIn, or via email. You have nothing to lose, and the response might surprise you.

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When you nail down your sourcing strategy, Stevie is a big believer in pre-interviewing guests to make sure they’re the right fit. “It’s a great way to make sure that the person is a charismatic talker, a good storyteller, or even the right expert to be speaking on the subject at hand.”

The art of episode scripting

A podcast script gives you a through line to follow as you record your episode, so you avoid talking in circles or missing important points. 

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“You want to tell your story in the most compelling way. To that end, it can be helpful to think about the story as a series of questions you are creating in the mind of the listener, and which you answer as you go along,” Stevie explains. “It’s also good to think about the element of surprise. How can you leverage the beats in the story or roll out the information in a way that is most surprising to the listener? For example, is there something that you believed when you started reporting, which turned out not to be true? Was it surprising? Can you translate that in your story?”

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If you plan on conducting interviews, Stevie advises creating prep documents that outline questions in the specific order you’ll follow during the interview. “You want to ask questions in an order that complements the storytelling—that moves forward chronologically or encourages the subject to lay out each beat in a logical way. You also want to ask questions that will encourage your guest to elaborate.”

It’s showtime: The podcast recording process

According to Bobby, the first step should be defining your needs and budget. Different types of shows will affect the podcast equipment required for a successful, high-quality recording. 

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“If it's a roundtable chat show with four people, you might opt for a laptop with recording software, a small audio interface capable of plugging four mics into, and four microphones that you can place on stands around a table,” he explains. “You could also employ an omnidirectional microphone in the middle of the table to pick up everyone's voice equally. Alternatively, if you're recording a narrative podcast, hosted by yourself, with occasional music, archival, and interviews, it's possible that you could have a minimal setup with a microphone to record yourself and a few other pieces.”

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If you have a bigger budget, you can always consider a more sophisticated laptop, an audio interface, inputs, and outputs that allow you to record external phone calls, interviews, and video calls. But with how far technology has come, that isn’t strictly necessary.

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“There are apps on your phone that can record phone calls, great sounding mics that plug directly into your phone, and DAWs (digital audio workstations) that can work on your phone,” says Bobby. “In this way, it's conceivable that you could do a good-sounding podcast entirely on your phone.”

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And the same goes for visuals—plenty of creators use their phones or computers to record their video shows, to great effect. With the Spotify for Creators’ Riverside integration, you can record your audio or video show directly in your web experience. You’ll get crystal-clear sound and visuals without the need to invest in expensive software.

The importance of a good recording space

Your recording space takes precedence over uber-expensive gear. Say you do have a professional-grade podcast microphone. If the space you’re recording in is ripe with background noise and uncontrolled, Bobby likens it to “drinking a $200 bottle of red wine out of a sippy cup.”

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A podcast studio with acoustic treatment is the ideal scenario, but there are plenty of budget-friendly solutions. “If your podcast format allows you to record in a closet full of clothes, a small room with a big rug and a couch, or even under your bed covers, that might be the best way to reduce room reflections,” says Bobby. If you have guests on or you’ll be showing up on camera and don’t want them all under your duvet, you can opt for dynamic or shotgun microphones. 

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At the end of the day, the best way to figure out what combination of spaces and gear produces the best sound and video quality is to experiment until you find what works. 

Final touches: Post-production

You nailed the recording, and now it’s time to bring it all together, add your intro, outro, voiceovers, and other sound effects. As far as audio editing software goes, there are a large number of options that range in sophistication. “You could use an online service that will level the podcast for you,” explains Bobby. With Spotify for Creators integration with Riverside, you can arrange your audio segments, add transitions, sound effects, and audio enhancement, all in one place. You can also edit the visual portion of your show—change the layout, add your branding, include captions, and enhance the experience with media clips from Riverside’s library or your own recordings.

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Alternatively, you can look into a DAW “that will score, sound design, mix, and master your podcast using a variety of professional mixing techniques to achieve polished and professional audio quality.” Much like recording equipment and setup, the choice of podcast editing and video editing tools comes down to preference, budget, and what you feel comfortable using.

Cut, splice, keep: How to bring the episode together

Not all the audio files (and footage, if you’re editing a video podcast) you capture will make it to the final episode. To keep the flow of your podcast episodes pleasant, you have to decide what to keep and what to leave on the cutting room floor. 

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“On the editorial front, we talk a lot about good tape,” says Stevie. “What makes parts of the recording good and other parts less important? It can be a number of things, like when you hear genuine emotion in your subject’s voice, when something funny or entertaining happens, or when you and your guest are connecting or demonstrating rapport. Those are all moments to consider keeping. Pay attention to the parts in the interview when your ears perk up and when your attention wanders or your interest wanes. And think about what parts of the story are best coming directly from your subject’s mouth and what parts are better summarized in your own writing, instead.”

Research and experiment with different editing techniques

Bobby stresses that post-production is an umbrella term that involves a wide range of tools and techniques. You have to zero in on what your specific needs are, research and experiment with editing methods that will help you achieve your goals. “If you need to tightly edit an interview full of stumbles, umms, ahs, and irrelevant content, there are many videos and articles out there about best practices for editing the voice in an efficient and seamless way,” he says.

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But maybe post-production is different for you. Maybe your show is a freewheeling chat that doesn't require a lot of editing, but there’s bleed between microphones or room reflections you want to reduce. “In that case, you could look up videos or articles about gates, expanders, de-reverbs, or just tips on how to checker-board (mute the regions of audio that contain bleed) your session,” explains Bobby. 

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For a narrative podcast that weaves your voice with music and other sound effects, “look up videos or articles about how to route your various elements to their own audio bus for maximum flexibility and manipulation. You might want to learn about using sidechain compression or dynamic EQ to automatically and transparently help duck music out of the way,” he adds. 

Make podcast production your own

Bobby and Stevie’s suggestions come from a place of experience and love for podcasting. You don’t need to implement every single piece of advice, but you can identify the tips that make the most sense for your show and will help elevate your content and your process.

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Maybe you can follow Stevie’s lead and keep trying to book that one guest you thought would be impossible to reach. Or you can play around with the interview scripts you’ve been using and find a new rhythm for the storytelling in your episodes. You can also look around at your current recording space and find ways to maximize it according to Bobby’s insights, whether that’s by adding a big rug or bed covers.

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Remember that as your show evolves, so will your production process. Experiment with topics, guests, gear, and editing styles to find what works best for you and keeps your audience excited to tune in.