I am chronicling my podcasting process in the series “How to Podcast”.  I think podcasting is one of the best technology trends and a fantastic addition to nearly any online marketing strategy. I have noticed great results in our podcasts with driving website traffic!  We are ready to get started!

1) Set up your space
Sounds simple, right? Well, perhaps for some, however, you have to consider several factors prior to getting started.  First, you will need to locate a quiet space with good acoustics.  You don’t want echoes, loud heating/cooling systems or a space with a lot of traffic.  We chose a lesser utilized area in our conference space.  We set up two microphones so theywould face each other and also back up Yeti Microphones if we needed to record additional tracks.  Make sure the space is conducive to both recording and conversation– your podcasts should feel natural and never forced, so making a comfortable environment will go a long way!

2) Set up your equipment

My advice? Be sure to read the instructions very carefully and test as you go!   Many people do not possess the pertinent experience with audio equipment; therefore, setting up microphones and mixers can be really confusing.  While preparing the equipment, open Garage Band or whatever program you are using to record audio, and ensure that the microphones and mixers are translating the audio correctly to your machine.

3) Test it out

Once everything is hooked up, work with the equipment so you can get familiar with it –this is the best method to learn.  It can become complicated to record using multiple inputs, so I explained the details for you below.

Select Preferences and modify the Audio Input to your device of choice.   If you don’t do this, Garage Band will revert to using the System Input (the microphone built into your computer).

Once you select your input, you must assign a microphone to each of your recording tracks.  Next, select “Input Source” which is located in the lower right corner while the track is highlighted.  When selecting tracks, press the red record button and test it out!

There you go!   Here’s hoping your first attempt is very successful but if not, don’t feel dismayed –it took me a few tries too.   If you have any specific issues, I suggest the website CreativeCow.com - it is a wealth of information and has answered virtually every one of my questions.

Corey O’Loughlin is a Marketing Analyst at OpenView Labs and is responsible for marketing initiatives for both OpenView as well as the portfolio companies.