Podcasts have rapidly become one of the most powerful channels for building your brand and connecting with your audience. In the UK, there were more than 19 million podcast listeners in 2021, more than double the number in 2017 – and this is projected to grow to more than 28 million by 2026.
It should come as no surprise that this audience is increasingly sought after by advertisers. They’re projected to spend an astonishing £64 million on podcasts ads by 2025, a 16-fold increase on 2016. This rapid growth in ad spending tells you one thing – that the audience for podcasts isn’t just growing fast, but it’s highly valuable, too.
But whether you’re taking your first steps into the podcast world or you’ve spent the past few years building up your listener base, there’s one thing that can’t be denied: podcast listeners increasingly expect quality. With so many podcasts to choose from, covering every imaginable topic, if your offering can’t compete when it comes to the fundamentals, you won’t be able to make the most of this fast-growing audience.
In this post, we’ll look at how using a podcast studio to record your podcast is essential to delivering the kind of listening experience that your audience expects. From the microphones and cameras you use to post-production, editing and promotion, working with a podcast studio can have a game-changing impact on your podcast. Read on to find out how.
The challenges of making a top-quality podcast
Part of the reason podcasts have become such a powerful medium is their accessibility. To make a podcast, you need little more than some free software and the recording capabilities of your average laptop.
However, making a truly engaging podcast – one that can really stand out from the crowd and build a community of devoted listeners – requires a great deal more than that. You’ll need to be able to tackle a range of challenges including:
- Refining your format. There are many different formats your podcast can adopt – from a casual conversation to an interview or a panel discussion. Choosing the right format, and learning how to structure and prepare each episode, is far from easy.
- Assembling the tech. If you want to build a larger audience, you’ll need the right tech to help you make a consistent, quality podcast that looks and sounds like a professional production. That means pop filters and mixers, it means mic stands and editing software. And if you want to record video, too, then you’ve got even more to consider.
- Mastering post-production. Recording the podcast is one thing – turning the raw audio into something your audience wants to hear is something else. Mixing and equalizing the audio, adding an intro and outro, and editing out those awkward pauses doesn’t just take time, it also takes a great deal of skill.
- Spreading the word. You’ve got your latest episode ready to go. But now the hard work really begins: you need to upload it to the key platforms, make sure your metadata is effective, and start to drive traffic on social media.
As you can see – and as you may have already discovered yourself – beneath the apparent simplicity of making a podcast, there’s a lot to consider. Tackling these challenges can involve a great deal of time, money and effort. Or, you could work with a podcast studio who can take care of this for you.
Let’s look more closely at the benefits of using a podcast studio to record your podcast.
5 key benefits of using a podcast studio to record your podcast
A podcast studio is a dedicated space for podcast production. Run by experts and enthusiasts who truly understand what it takes to make a top-quality podcast, a podcast studio can help you turn your great idea into a must-listen series.
Here’s why you should consider using a podcast studio to record your podcast:
1.  Access to the best equipment
As we’ve mentioned above, having the right tech on hand is key to producing a podcast that projects professionalism in every single episode. But that’s easier said than done. In the first instance, there’s the sheer range of necessary hardware and software to contend with – especially if you want to add video to your podcast for sharing on social media or uploading to video streaming sites.
And it’s one thing to know your XLR from your TRS, your preamps from your mixers, but it’s quite another to actually amass everything you need. This isn’t just a question of cost, though that can be substantial. You’ll need space to store this valuable equipment safely, while still having it on-hand when you need it. And as new innovations come on the market, you’ll need to consider whether it’s time to upgrade in order to stay ahead of developments.
By recording your podcast in a podcast studio, you won’t need to worry. You’ll have access to professional-grade tech capable of capturing rich, studio-quality sound and video that most self-built setups can’t match. And here at Liverpool Podcast Studio’s it’s not just about the tech – we’ve got a choice of six different sets on offer, too. Say goodbye to cluttered backgrounds and odd webcam angles, and embrace the benefits of a visually pleasing backdrop for your podcast.
2.  An intuitive recording process
One of the major surprises many people have when starting a podcast is how difficult it can be to keep a conversation flowing. Whether you prefer to have an open-ended and informal discussion or go for a more structured interview format – or something else entirely! – you’ll want to focus on the most important aspect of your podcast: is it an interesting and entertaining listen?
However, managing the recording process can be a major distraction when you’re trying to focus on having a stimulating conversation or keeping your guest at ease. The setting up can take up valuable time, and if something isn’t quite right, you can get caught in a lengthy troubleshooting process – all while your attention wanders from what really counts. And worse than all this, of course, is recording a great episode, only to find after the fact it’s been rendered unlistenable by some unidentified technical issues!
Using a podcast studio to record your podcast takes all these worries off your plate. You can focus on conducting an engaging discussion or an insightful interview while professional technicians take charge of the recording process, making sure everything sounds and looks crystal clear.
3.  Editing and post-production expertise
When it comes to recording a top-quality podcast, it’s easy to underestimate just how much of the final product emerges after the recording is finished. From smoothing out the audio levels to removing all those distracting umms and ahhs, careful editing can transform your podcast into a smooth and streamlined listening experience.
And it’s not just about preventing fluctuations in volume or dampening any background noise. Post-production can bring a whole lot of added flair to your podcast, from incorporating intro music or sound effects to adding subtitles or graphics. It’s a chance to really express some personality and highlight your brand.
Managing this effectively requires some serious knowledge – as well as the time and tech needed to put it into practice. By working with a podcast studio, you’ll have access to expert support in editing your podcast. You’ll be able to realise your vision of a podcast that truly conveys who you are – and all without you having to touch an EQ slider yourself!
4.  Help in spreading the word
Your podcast is entertaining, insightful and a pleasure to listen to. Congratulations! The problem now is making sure as many people as possible actually get to hear it – and this isn’t always as straightforward as it seems. As every business quickly discovers, a quality product is rarely enough. That’s why branding exists, after all!
Getting your podcast out there means uploading it to all the important podcast services – including Spotify and Apple Podcasts – with all the appropriate metadata, including a transcript, links to your website, and a compelling description. But you also need to spread the word on social media, using short clips of key moments to get new listeners hooked.
Working with a full-service podcast studio will help you get your podcast out there with minimal effort. Here at Liverpool Podcast Studios, for instance, we don’t just upload your podcast to all the major platforms – we can also produce captioned podcast clips tailored closely to your brand style, ready for you to share across your social media accounts.
5.  Personalised support
From the initial setup to the final publishing, there’s a lot that goes into making a quality podcast – and we’ve outlined above how using a podcast studio to record your podcast can help with virtually every aspect of this process.
But there’s also something else, something more all-encompassing, that some podcast studios will offer you: tailored guidance at each stage of the process.
Maybe you have a fun idea for a themed episode but you’re not sure how to execute it. Or perhaps you’re struggling to decide which are the most exciting exchanges from an episode for sharing on social media. You might find you need guidance on how to introduce your guest effectively, or a fresh pair of eyes on your interview questions.
Here at Liverpool Podcast Studios, all of our clients get a dedicated producer who can help them navigate all of the difficult decisions and unforeseen challenges that can crop up through the podcast recording process. Instead of going it alone, you’ll have expert guidance at every step.
Take your podcast to the next level with Liverpool Podcast Studios
If you want to take advantage of the rapidly growing and enthusiastic audience for podcasts, you need to produce something that can stand up to the best the medium has to offer. Yes, that means nailing the technical details – but it also means finding ways to showcase your brand and add your own twist to a familiar formula.
Needless to say, achieving all this on your own is a serious challenge. By working with a full-service podcast studio, you can take advantage of expert knowledge and professional-grade equipment to help you deliver your podcast in the best possible way.
Here at Liverpool Podcast Studios, we offer a full, end-to-end podcast recording service, covering everything from recording to editing, post-production and uploading to the major platforms. And you’ll also have your own dedicated producer on-hand to help make your vision a reality and support you throughout the whole process.
To learn more about how we can help, take a look at our podcast production page or get in touch to speak with a member of our team.