M9//S2 P9.3 Podcast Info

Podcasts come in all shapes and sizes. That's good news for you, because it means that you have lots of room to be creative and make something you're excited about. Some podcasts, like This American Life Links to an external site., are long — sometimes an hour or more. Others, like Kind World Links to an external site., a podcast from WBUR, are less than 10 minutes. Some podcasts tell stories. Lots are funny. 

Think about sound. Your challenge is to work with sounds — interviews, narration and recorded sounds from the world around you.

Your Toolbox

Before you think too much about your podcast, you're going to want to think about how, exactly, you'll record the sounds you need.

A phone

If you carry a cellphone with you, chances are, you've got a recording device in your pocket. And if you use it the right way, you can record high-quality sounds that work just fine for your podcast.

You can record sounds, conversations or interviews with sound recording apps on your smartphone.

You can also use your phone's built-in recording app. If you've got an iPhone, go to your "utilities" folder and click on "voice memos" to begin recording.

You'll want to make sure you have enough storage on your phone to do this and that you can either email the sound file to yourself or plug your phone into the computer to upload the recording.

If you're recording a person speaking, hold the phone a few inches from their mouth. Not too close, but not more than a few inches away, either.

Listening

Have you ever listened to a podcast or radio show before?

If you've listened to podcasts before — take a minute to think about them. What keeps you listening? What bores you?

Take a few minutes to hear a few examples. As you listen, think about the different ways that these segments are structured. Is there a host? Is it an interview style — or is a narrator telling a story, with clips of interviews in between?

Kind World: So Chocolate BarLinks to an external site.

Kind World: A Different WindowLinks to an external site.

Morning Edition: Reporting Live From Miami: A Bunch Of Fourth-Graders Tell Their Teacher's StoryLinks to an external site.

Hidden Brain: The Haunting Effects of Going Days Without SleepLinks to an external site.

Hidden Brain: How Labels Can Affect People's Personalities and PotentialLinks to an external site.

 Links to an external site.How I Built This: Instagram: Kevin Systrom & Mike KriegerLinks to an external site.

Getting Your Ideas Together

Now that you've listened to a few examples, start to gather ideas. Here are a few prompts to get you thinking. They aren't required, but you may choose to use them.

1. Tell us a story about your school or community: about something that happened there — recently or in the past — that your audience should know about.
2. What is a moment in history that all students should learn about?
3. Show us both sides of a debate about an issue that's important to you.
4. What do you want to change about the world? What's a big change that students today will make in the future?
5. Explain something to us that kids understand and grown-ups don't.

Before you settle on one idea, take a few minutes to brainstorm. Try to come up with an idea that might work for each of these prompts. Be sure to think about how you might structure your podcast.

Would it be an interview with someone? Would one host narrate the podcast, using clips of interviews to tell a story? What sound would you use to give listeners a full idea of the story you're telling?

Before you settle on one idea for your podcast, ask yourself:

• Is this podcast idea realistic?
• If the idea involves traveling somewhere far away or interviewing someone famous, it might be difficult. Make sure you can do it before you settle on one idea.

Sounds Like You're Making a Podcast

OK, so you've settled on a topic or idea for your podcast.

Now it's time to start thinking about the sounds that you'll use. Regardless of how your project is structured, it helps to feature a variety of sounds.

Try to record sounds relevant to your story. If I'm telling a story about the mayor of my town, I'll try to go record him leading a town hall meeting, talking to his constituents, and even doing day-to-day activities, that I can play during my podcast.

Let's say you're heading to a protest in front of my local town hall. You're heading into a "scene" that you might want to describe — and include sound from — in your podcast. 

Compile a list of sounds you'd like to record — and bring that list with you when you go into the field.

What Makes A Good Interview?

There's a good chance that you're interviewing someone for your podcast. Maybe you're even talking to lots of different people. It's important to make the most out of the time you take to record them.

Before you get there ...

Do your research.

• Make sure you understand why you're interviewing this person. Read up on who the person is, what he or she does, and the subject you're making a podcast about.

Prepare questions.

• Come up with a list of open-ended questions you'd like to ask during your interview. It's OK to veer off course and good to ask follow-up questions that you haven't planned. But a list will help get things started.

Clarify the terms of the interview.

• Make sure your interviewee knows you're talking to him or her for the NPR Student Podcast Challenge. The person should understand that you're recording audio.

When you arrive ...

Meet somewhere quiet (unless you want to record the noise!).

• Don't choose to meet for an interview in a busy mall or a windy park. If you're indoors, head to a quiet room and close the door. If you're interviewing someone at an event, it's OK if there's some noise in the background — as long as it's the sound you want to have in the background. But try to avoid recording when there's music in the background — it's hard to edit around that sound.

When you start recording ...

Ask the interviewee to introduce himself or herself on tape.

• The person should give his or her name and job title (what he or she does). A student should give his or her age and grade.

Record your own questions.

• You'll want to hear these questions when you listen back to the tape later on.

Be curious.

• You'll have some questions prepared — but that doesn't mean you're following a script. If the person says something you're interested in, ask questions. That's why you're there.

Remember: It's normal to be nervous. The person you're interviewing is probably nervous, too. It helps to be prepared. The better you know your questions and the better you know your equipment, the better you'll feel.

Before You Record Sound ...

Make sure you set aside time to:

• Contact and reserve time to interview guests.
• Write out possible interview questions.
• Compile a list of sounds you'd like to include.

Whether this is your first podcast or you're an audio pro, some basic tips can make your project a lot easier.

• Test your equipment before you start.

Podcast Rubric