Podcasts can be an effective way to disseminate research to a wider audience. The casual, passive consumption of the podcast format can reach people outside of the academic sphere. For those interested in starting a podcast, the below links provide helpful guides to setting up and developing an effective podcast.
Here are a collection of our key findings:
- Make sure your podcast has a clear purpose. Ask yourself: What am I trying to achieve with this podcast? Having a cohesive vision for the podcast will make future decisions regarding the podcast easier.
- Make a schedule. Through establishing and committing to a schedule, your audience knows when to expect and tune in for an episode. Similarly, a schedule can act as a motivating force for the podcast creators to create episodes.
- Plan out each episode. A common pitfall of podcasts is the lack of cohesion and overarching ideas throughout an episode. Through careful preparation of an episode structure, the information in episodes are made easily digestible and accessible to your audience.
- Familiarise yourself with audio quality editing. Small investments in higher quality equipment can vastly improve podcast quality. All sources below recommend Audacity as a free editing software. Having a basic understanding on how to monitor sound levels and trim clips can go a long way to improving the production of podcasts.
- Platform and promotion. There are numerous platforms of podcasts, including iTunes, Spotify and Soundcloud. To maximise your audience, ensure your podcasts are available on as many platforms as possible. Similarly, make sure to promote your podcast through as many mediums as possible, utilising social media, newsletters and emails to increase awareness.
- Use other podcasts to inspire yourself. To gain a greater understanding of how to create a successful development podcast, it helps to be aware of other podcasts in the area. Linked below are compilations of notable international development podcasts to analyse. Figure out what you like and dislike about these podcasts and see how it influences your work.
Try 10 Podcasts Every International Development Student Should Listen To (5 min read, blog post) or 5 podcasts to try if you’re interested in global development issues | IWDA (5 min read, blog post) or Best 30 International Development Podcasts in 2021 (10 min read, blog post).
Links:
- Starting Your Podcast: A Guide For Students (10 min read, blog post)
- A beginner’s guide to academic podcasting (5 min read, blog post)
- Making a podcast about academic research (10 min read, blog post)
- 8 Production steps for creating your scholarly podcast episodes (5 min read, blog post)
