How to record an interview style podcast

In today’s world of media and technology, readers expect to see something more than just text in an article. One way to make an article more interactive is to add a podcast.

The Feather incorporates interview style podcasts in articles to help engage the audience. The reader can listen to the podcast without opening a different tab, thus allowing them to continue reading the article.

Podcasts immensely add to any publication, but that is not the only thing they can be used for. Some businesses are now requiring their employees to know how to record and post a podcast.

Even colleges are implementing podcasts into their lectures or assignments.

Podcasts also add to articles because the listener is able to hear the tone and voice inflections of the speakers. In this way, the article comes to life, as the reader/listener feels as though they were present when the event occurred.

Sam Cross, ‘19, one of the three editor-in-chiefs of The Feather this year, understands the importance of podcasting in modern journalism.

“Podcasts are important to any news article or news publication because it adds a new level of interaction with the reader and the author,” Cross said. “When you hear someone’s voice in an article, you hear their tone and you understand how they are describing a situation. We’re living in more of a digitalized world and as we progress further and further into developing new technologies, news publications need to keep up with that to stay relevant with all the new technologies coming out.”

However, to make a podcast worth listening to, it is important that they include several key features. While there are countless different ways to create one, this article will focus on the methods used when recording an interview-style podcast on a mobile phone.

If possible, do an audio check before beginning an interview. Every environment has different factors that could affect the audio of the podcast. When recording the podcast, hold the phone close to your mouth so your voice will be clearly recorded by the microphone.

It does not necessarily have to be quiet in the background when recording a podcast. In fact, in some cases it is even encouraged to include ambient noise. For example, if you interviewed the quarterback of the football team after the game, it would be appropriate to have the noise of a cheering crowd in the background. As long as the ambient noise does not affect the listeners ability to hear the speaker, it is fine to include in the podcast.

When recording an interview style podcast, introduce yourself, the person you are interviewing and the event that is being covered. In most cases, it is best to show the person who is being interviewed the questions beforehand, so that they do not stumble or say ‘um’ throughout the interview.

The Feather uploads podcast through SoundCloud before embedding them in articles. For more information on how to upload a podcast into SoundCloud, watch the video below.

Joshua Oakley, ’18, doesn’t listen to many podcasts on his free time, but enjoys listening to The Feather’s podcast as they make articles more interactive.

“I like how you can just listen to them when you are doing things,” Oakley said. “It is not as involved as television, so you don’t have to be watching it, you can just sit back and listen. It makes you feel like you are there with the people who are talking.”

What do you think about podcast? Do you think they add to the article? What would you like to see more of in our podcast? Let us know in the comment section below.

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