Podcasting is helping to revolutionize the world of entertainment by empowering millions of people with the ability to create and distribute their own comedy podcast online. Popular comedians like Adam Carolla, Greg Fitzsimmons, and Jim Jefferies have already started podcasting as a way to expand their reach as performers and help spread their unique style of comedy. Through podcasting, comedians who may have been stuck in a small market and never discovered, now have access to a global audience. Podcasts come in a variety of formats and genres, but the comedy podcast seems to be one of the most popular. Creating a comedy podcast can be divided into three broad steps, planning your podcast, recording your podcast, and distributing your podcast.
When it comes to planning your comedy podcast, the format is one of the most important decisions and should be the first one you make when creating your comedy radio show. Some comedians choose to choose a specific topic for their podcast, like Doug Benson and his I Love Movies podcast. Other comedians like Adam Carolla opt for a format similar to a traditional morning show, complete with a news girl, sound effects, and interview segments. The minimalist approach has worked for some comedians like Bill Burr and his Monday Morning Podcast, which features only the comedian speaking into a microphone. Successful comedy podcasts often have recurring parts, which help create structure for the show and help build loyalty. If you are not an experienced comedian, or are just starting out in broadcasting, I would recommend that you choose a genre in which you have some experience or at least a lot of strong opinions. Starting a comedy podcast that doesn’t focus on a specific topic can be too overwhelming for someone just starting out.
Recording your comedy podcast can be done in a number of ways, but the easiest way is to set up some microphones and connect them to a recording device or computer. You’ll want a room that is not only quiet, but also provides solid acoustics for your comedy radio recording. You will need to ensure that the microphones are properly spaced to avoid feedback and that the microphones are placed on a stand to facilitate conversation. The microphones can be mixed using a simple mixer, and that signal can be sent to the computer to be recorded using a software program. It is also important to have someone monitor the podcast while it is being recorded. You don’t want to waste an entire hour doing a comedy radio show, only to find that the audio is unusable. Garage Band is a popular program that many people use to record their podcasts. Once you have finished recording, you can edit it if you want with an audio program, I recommend the GoldWave program.
Now that you have planned and recorded your comedy podcast, the next step is to distribute it. First, your comedy radio show needs to be uploaded to a central location for download, be it your personal website or a free file server, there are plenty of options when it comes to hosting your podcast. To advertise your comedy podcast, there are a multitude of options, Facebook, Twitter, and iTunes are great ways to get people to watch your podcast. There are even podcasts that review other podcasts, you can submit your show to them for review and a great way to gain more exposure. Posting your comedy podcast to iTunes requires a separate tutorial which can be found on Apple.com. Also, a great way to make your comedy radio show stand out is to be a guest on other people’s podcasts or post on forums to generate listeners for your podcast.
Now that you have planned, recorded, and distributed your comedy podcast, you can repeat the same formula for the next episode. Or if the formula needs to be tweaked, make adjustments, but the goal of a successful comedy podcast is consistency. People get used to enjoying a show and you want them to come back and keep listening. As for monetizing the podcast, look to advertisers or affiliate programs as a way to generate income. Many comedy podcasts are not yet profitable, however, with the radical shift towards online advertising, those days could be few and far between, so strike while the iron is hot and start your own comedy podcast.