There are over 2 million podcasts available today, bringing a lot of competition for audience attention. To compete in this immense pool of options, you must prioritize the quality of the recording as well as the content in your podcast to stand out from the crowd and gain a loyal following.
One way to engage an active audience is through guest appearances made possible by remote podcasting.
Ever wonder how to record a podcast with two hosts remotely? Or how to record a video podcast remotely? Many podcasters who are used to recording in person or are just starting want to know how to leverage the opportunities of remote recording to get their show to become more time-efficient and cross international barriers with guests from around the world.
At ZenCast, we will answer all of those questions and dive into:
What remote podcasting can offer
How to get a high-quality recording
What equipment you will need
What remote recording software can do for you
Best practices to implement in your podcasting process
Remote podcasting checklist
How ZenCast can bring your show to life
Why do remote podcasting?
Traditionally, podcasters have prioritized in-person recording, bringing guests and visitors to their studio to get the best possible conversation and sound quality. However, today, with extensive remote recording tools available, sitting in the same room as your guest is no longer a prerequisite for a successful episode.
For many podcasters, recording episodes remotely where the guests or hosts are not in the same physical location, is the new standard and offers unique opportunities that were otherwise impossible to achieve.
Some of the benefits of recording remote podcasts include:
Opportunities to speak to guests even if you can’t travel: Remote podcasting is a great way to add value and be creative within a budget. Limiting yourself to recording in-person will bring on a set of expenses that could push you out of budget. Speaking to guests remotely means that you can set the podcasting schedule you’d like without considering physical travel and eliminating financial barriers to entry.
Bring in a wider variety of guests: When guests from all over the world become an option, suddenly your podcast can get a lot more interesting. With remote recording, you can bring in a wider variety of guests from anywhere in the world to hear a range of perspectives, stories, and ideas. By hosting discussions with individuals from various countries or cities, you can develop more engaging and well-rounded conversations that bring unique perspectives that may not have otherwise intersected.
Coordinate group conversations with ease: Of course, podcasts can exceed the parameters of two-person shows. Many popular podcasts feature a group of hosts or hosts interviewing a series of individuals in each episode.
It is easier to schedule these logistics and secure these recordings across several people’s calendars when you can record remotely and slot sessions into each person’s day with ease. If you were to limit yourself to in-person recording, it would require the unlikely situation that a handful of guests are all in one city at the same time.
Capture video: To create an even more engaging piece of content, with opportunities for video distribution, remote recording platforms allow you to record videos and expand your potential reach and engagement to social media and video-sharing platforms like Twitter and YouTube.
How to make a high-quality recording
One of the reasons that podcasters historically prioritized in-person recording is because of the poor audio quality that remote recording provided.
Capturing high-quality audio is essential for any podcast to make it sound professional and prevent listeners from dropping out because of annoying background noise, static, unclear speaking, or blown out sound.
Equipment
When it comes to the physical equipment needed, a handful of tools and devices will transform your recording from a scratchy amateur audio track into a professional quality sound. For the sake of brevity, we’ll focus on podcast microphones here.
Microphone: The microphone is the most critical piece of physical equipment you will need to purchase, for it will determine the overall sound quality and effect of the entire recording. There are two types of microphones to consider, dynamic and condenser. The former is often ideal because it doesn’t pick up extensive background noise, whereas the latter works well in conditions where the podcaster is in a quiet studio.
Otherwise, you may wind up with extensive background noise and auditory distractions with a condenser mic. Some mics to include are the Rode Procaster, the Rode NT-USB Mini, and the Blue Yeti. All three are USB microphones that allow for plug-and-play.
Mic Stand: Make sure that your microphone comes with a stand, as you do not want to have your guest holding the mic.
Pop filter: Have you ever heard a sound recording where the ‘p’ and ‘b’ sounds are blown out and explode in the speaker? These are ‘plosives.’ A pop filter works to equalize the sound to tone down these loud noises, helping you get a better-quality recording that will keep your listeners engaged.
Headphones: It is essential that you use headphones to stop the mic from picking up any feedback sound from the recording. Plus, if they are noise-canceling, they will prevent the host and guest from being distracted by surrounding noises. Ultimately, any headphones can do the trick, including your typical AirPods.
Remote recording software
In order to actually capture the remote recording, you will need to use recording software. Thankfully, programs like Zencastr offer extensive features that allow you to record and edit with ease. Using a recording software allows you to:
Host up to 4 guests: You can host a conversation with a large group using remote recording software without any technical and logistical complexity.
Record unlimited episodes: Your account has no limit with the software, which makes it convenient for shows that publish one episode per month or shows that post an episode every single day.
Capture video: The split-screen view allows you to capture videos for all of your participants to easily film reactions, expressions, and nonverbal behavior that help to tell the story of your conversation. Plus, you can post the video recording on YouTube or publish it to accompany your audio recording across several platforms. With video, you have the option to make your podcast more accessible to a broader audience, reach more viewers, and increase monetization opportunities.
Create English transcripts: Transcripts are a great way to make your podcast more accessible, and they allow users to engage in spaces where they might not have access to sound or volume. Our program automatically creates the transcripts for you, saving you hours of work.
Recording technique
In order to achieve the highest possible sound quality, you will want to consider using double-ender recording. What is this method? Essentially, with double-ender recording, each side of the conversation is recorded on that participant’s computer, and then the tracks are merged for a unified singular recording.
This just means that the recording retains the integrity of the sound from all parties, rather than one side getting a recording from listening to the other.
Using remote recording software that is specifically catered to podcasting allows you to record in this manner, which is why it guarantees you a better-quality recording than using a program like Zoom or Skype which typically result in poorer quality sound overall.
Editing your podcast
Once you’re done with recording the podcast, it’s time to edit it! If you’re just beginning in your podcasting journey and only need basic editing features that allow you to publish your episodes within a tight schedule, consider using an online platform like Descript to quickly edit your podcast.
Not a newbie but still want to make the process of sound editing faster? Cleanvoice uses AI tools to eliminate filler noise in seconds.
Distribute your podcast show across all platforms!
Finally, you can use ZenCast to automatically host and publish your podcast across different platforms. This saves you precious time previously spent on manually adding your podcast episode in every single podcast hosting website out there.
Best practices
So, if you were to make a guide of the essential tricks to remember, what would be on it? Here is a list of best practices that you and your guest should keep in mind when considering how to record a podcast with someone remotely. Try to organize your equipment, schedule, and workflow around these critical ideas to keep your recording smooth, professional, and free of disruptions.
Wear headphones: As we already discussed, headphones are essential to preserving the sound quality of your recording. They will prevent your audio from recording what you are hearing and will keep you, as a participant, focused on the conversation in front of you.
Quiet room with insulation: Set yourself up in a room that has cushioning and fabric, for example, carpeting, a couch, a bed with blankets, or throw pillows. Avoid an empty and cold space like a basement or unfurnished dining room. These open spaces increase the echo and will reduce the sound quality. You definitely don’t need to soundproof an entire room with foam or padding, but simply setting yourself up in a room with the amount of sound absorbency of a typical bedroom is key to keeping the audio quality rich.
Eliminate background noises: Keep yourself away from windows with traffic and sirens, guests, roommates, children, or conversations that may be happening in your home or office. You will want a private room, and you should let everyone around you know that you are recording to avoid any interruptions.
Silence notifications and set devices to “do not disturb”: Make sure that you aren’t getting phone calls, texts, and calendar alerts with a ‘ping’ sound throughout the recording. It is distracting to guests and listeners and downgrades your overall production quality.
Coordinate with your guest or lend equipment: Make sure that guests on the show have what they need to produce a quality podcast on their end. This might mean you ship out a microphone and set of headphones to ensure that they are able to record up to your standard. Have a conversation with them and walk them through the technicalities to ensure that the time you spend talking is worth it.
Remote podcasting checklist
If you’ve reached the end of the article, congratulations! You’re on your way to creating damn good podcast shows recorded remotely and with the most interesting people all over the world. Feeling a bit overwhelmed? No worries! Here’s a checklist on things to consider when recording a podcast remotely.
Podcasting setup for you and your guest(s)/co-host(s)
Equipment is properly working.
Great wifi connection.
Computer completely charged/plugged.
In a quiet place.
Microphone is recording sounds effectively.
Podcast recording software is working for all of you.
You’ve done a group mic test to make sure that everything is working and recording.
Podcast outlining
You know the time limit.
You know the format.
You’ve recorded and identified your “hooks” (engaging soundbites to share on social media).
You have topics and questions to discuss.
You’ve done your research on the guests and/or the topic(s) you want to discuss.
Podcast distribution
You’ve published the episode across all major podcast hosting platforms in a few clicks using ZenCast 😉.
You have the right soundbites for social media and other channels.
You’ve asked the guests to share your podcast episode. Write a PR copy for them if they don’t know how to properly share your content.
Write a post on social media to encourage sharing (e.g., Tweet thread, LinkedIn post, etc.)
Write some key takeaways to share on relevant forums (e.g., Reddit, Indie Hackers, Facebook Groups, etc.).
Start elevating the quality of your remote podcast
Let your podcast benefit from the vast opportunities present in the remote podcasting world. Start reaching out to guests who aren’t in your immediate network, set yourself up for increased outreach with video recordings, and make your process seamless by completing all of your editing and post-production in one place.
Explore ZenCast distribute and instantly publish your podcasts across all major hosting platforms.