Tips for Starting a Podcast: Kristi Lee

Written By Lindsay Eldridge


Please note: We do not recommend that anyone start a true crime podcast unless you are already in or close to the industry and/or understand a trauma-informed approach.

Why? The market is saturated with unethical true crime content creators who enter the space to gain fame and make money by sensationalizing crimes. There has been untold damage done to victims and survivors—and often, the efforts of law enforcement is undermined.

I often get messages asking for tips on starting a podcast - so I thought I would put some info here to direct people.

Firstly, the best advice I can give to any potential new podcaster is to read, read, read and watch youtube tutorials on starting a podcast. There is no one correct answer or one way to do things. You have to find what works for you.

A few personal tips from my experience:

  • BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING
    Search for other podcasts that might be similar to the one you’re thinking about starting. Make sure no one has the name you’re thinking of, or a similar name! I’ve seen many podcasts start that didn’t do this initial research, and it’s created a lot of headaches.

    Here's a good resource to get started: 
    https://www.thepodcasthost.com/planning/how-to-start-a-podcast/

  • RECORDING SPACE - VERY IMPORTANT
    Listeners don’t enjoy hearing someone talk in a room with a lot of echo. I recommend recording in a small room or create a "blanket fort" to record in - it reduces the echo and you'll sound better. I used to record in my closet because it's a small room and the clothes hanging inside absorb extra echoes. Now I record in a pop-up semi-permanent booth in my basement studio (mine a discontinued prototype similar to this).

  • MICROPHONE SETUP
    Note that no microphone can fix a bad recording room - make this your top priority. A pop filter is also important - it’s a barrier between you and the microphone that helps to block those hard P and B type sounds that listeners generally don't enjoy hearing.

    Microphones are also quite personal, what works for one person might not work for another. Below are the microphones I’ve used and have seen recommended.

    • Starter Microphones - USB:

    • Professional Microphones
      Need a separate audio interface - a box that converts the input of your microphone into a file fit for your computer (a USB mic does this all-in-one)

  • RECORDING AND EDITING SOFTWARE

    Once you have your recording space and hardware setup, you'll need software to record and edit your audio:

    • FREE SOFTWARE: I started off using Audacity - free recording and editing software that many first-time podcasters use if they are trying to save money. You may not save time using Audacity however.

    • PAID SOFTWARE: I moved to using Hindenburg products and can’t recommend them enough. I currently use Hindenburg Pro. They offer free trials to test them out before you purchase, and they also offer monthly subscriptions so you don’t have to purchase it up front if you don’t want to.

  • EDITING

    • There's a steep learning curve to audio editing - I’ve found the best way to learn is by actually doing it myself as I go. I am completely self-taught, aided by trial and error, watching a heap of youtube tutorials, and continuing to watch more as I came across problems and things I wanted to do in editing.

    • Editing audio is important and can take a long long time. Audiences have a lot of choice in podcasts these days and prefer things tightly edited. If you are looking to gain an audience, don't make the mistake of thinking you can just turn on the microphone and talk or have a conversation and then upload that as an episode. Listeners prefer that excessive ums and aahs, long silences, mouth noises, and going off-topic too much is edited out. Canadian True Crime is a scripted show, and has all narration errors and loud breathing noises edited out. To edit a 1 hour episode takes about 6 hours.

  • OTHER SOFTWARE AND TOOLS I RECOMMEND:

    • Descript - Great tool for transcribing your audio and editing on the fly by removing words which removes the corresponding audio.

    • Zencastr - If you have to record with multiple people Zencastr provides a virtual green room and records each person’s audio separately so you can also edit separately if you want. Put all tracks in to Descript (above) and give each a name, and it will transcribe the whole conversation.

    • Izotope - Plugins for more advanced audio editing

    • Canva - is a free-to-use online graphic design tool. Use it to create artwork for your podcast, social media posts, logos and more

  • MUSIC / SOUND EFFECTS
    Music is very important for the production of Canadian True Crime as it adds emotion and transition between “scenes”.

    • We currently use music from Epidemic Sound and Blue Dot Sessions

    • There are many sites that offer music for free but be careful - make sure you read the specifics of the attribution license to ensure that you're using the music correctly and giving the correct credit to the artist.

  • ARTWORK
    Podcast artwork is important, as that’s often the first thing a potential audience sees of your show. The standard size for iTunes / Apple Podcasts is 3000 x 3000 pixels. It seems large - that’s correct. Here’s some good tips.

    • Canva - is a free-to-use online graphic design tool. Use it to create artwork for your podcast, social media posts, logos and more

  • RESEARCH
    Please note: I am not a private investigator and in most cases can't access anything that an ordinary member of the general public wouldn't be able to access. The only exception is where documents have been provided directly to me by those on the victim’s side.

  • In general, I prefer to use court documents and news archives:

    • Media archives

      • Newspapers.com subscription (historic news archives from around the world - great for regional and local newspapers.)

        News archives and trial reporting is integral to CTC episodes as the media reports on details that often don’t make it to court documents, as well as community reaction news (protests, outbursts, drama, etc.). That said, the media often reports things incorrectly, misses important info, and/or has typos, so you might want to check certain things with another source - either because they don’t sound right, or just as a fact-checking exercise.

      • In many cases, you can also access news archives from your local library

    • Plagiarism

      Don’t rely on only one source, cite your sources properly and be careful not to plagiarize

      • Be careful about using Wikipedia, Blogs like Murderpedia or Canadian Encyclopedia, or the work of other Content Creators (Youtubers, bloggers, indie podcasters) as a source for your work.

      • These sources aren’t “research” - they aggregate information from other sources but you don’t always know that it is correct.

      • HINT: If you have to ask where to go to research a case, you probably need to do a lot more research :)

  • TIME EXPECTATION
    To give you an idea of how long it takes to produce each Canadian True Crime episode (based on a basic one-hour episode):

    • 25 hours for research and writing of the script

    • 2 hours for recording of the narration

    • 6 hours for editing of the audio

    • 4 hours to select and place ambient background music

    • 2-4 hours for final listens and edits

    • 2 hours for writing the show notes, credits, music credits, website and social media posts about the new episode

      = approximately 45 hours per episode - when I’m working with victims and survivors, it takes even longer!

  • WHERE TO “HOST” YOUR PODCAST

    • Podcasting runs via an RSS feed - and you need to find a primary place to host your podcast.

    • Once you have an episode (finished audio file in mp3 format) ready to go, you’ll need to choose a hosting service to host your podcast. I have used quite a few different hosting sites now and they all differ depending on what you are looking for and what you can afford.

    • For new podcasters, you can’t do better than Acast’s free starter plan!

  • GETTING YOUR SHOW ON PODCAST APPS
    After you have chosen your hosting company, and have uploaded your first file (it could even just be a short introduction to your podcast - doesn't have to be a full episode), then you can submit your podcast to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, as well as the other podcatchers like Podbean, Podcast Addict, Castbox, etc.

    Start with Apple, and then apply for the others one by one. That’s how people will find your episodes. More info on how to do this.

  • GROWING YOUR AUDIENCE

    • The number 1 way to grow your audience is through cross promotion with other similar-sized podcasts in a similar genre.
      Don’t treat other podcasts as competition - they’re friends that you can collaborate and grow with!

    • If you try to reach out to large, established podcasters expecting them to promote your podcast for free, you will likely be disappointed, unless you have something to offer them! If you are looking for Canadian True Crime to promote your podcast, have a look at the guidelines and submit your podcast here.

Happy podcasting! :)
Kristi

Lindsay Eldridge
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