How to Best Transition from Other Mediums to Audio/Podcasting
Author: Mallory Carra
If you mostly write text or make videos, you might be curious about pivoting to podcasting but unsure if you have what it takes. I’m here to tell you that you do. I was a newspaper and text/digital journalist/editor for 15 years before I began working in podcasting. Now as an adjunct journalism professor, I teach students how to pivot between mediums, including transitioning from other formats to audio and podcasting.
Pivoting to podcasting can feel like there’s a major learning curve, but it doesn’t always have to be like that. Before starting your journey into working with audio, you need to realize that working in a different medium means there are different rules – and you need to embrace them. Audio has its own language and nuances that people who work in podcasting are always talking about. However, I can tell you that once you get the hang of it all, you’ll love it.
Here are a few tips for your transition from other mediums to audio and podcasting.
Understand that we listen differently than we read
When I started working in podcasting, I wrote audio scripts as if they were articles – with long sentences, clauses, and em-dash sandwiches like this one – which is a big no-no. That’s because we as humans listen differently than we read. As readers, we can take in a lot of info in each sentence and we can read between the lines, as well as go back and read over any facts we missed the first time around.
As listeners, we can only take in about a fact per sentence and the writing needs to flow. Additionally, it should be super easy to follow and be conversational, or else it sounds stiff. In audio, there’s no going back to look something up – people who listen to podcasts are often doing something else, like driving or laundry. So when it comes to podcasts, I quickly learned that the sentences needed to be shorter or at least give the host a moment to breathe. Even in chat and interview podcasts, the questions should be formulated for someone to say them and not written to only be read.
Embrace the tech and gear
Many people I talk to want to make a podcast, but they don’t know where to start and they immediately become intimidated by the gear and tech attached to it. Other folks think podcasting is simply just talking into a mic, though it takes a lot more prep and post-production than that, especially if you’re doing it well. All it takes is an open mind and a willingness to learn something new.
For instance, people ask me all the time if they need a $500 mic from Amazon to make a podcast – and the answer is no! Many people simply make podcasts using Zoom (the meeting software, which allows you to record sessions) or Zoom recorders (a brand of audio recorders that vary in price). I also know some people use their MacBook or iPhone to record in their closets – which you’ll learn is a great makeshift recording studio.
Similarly, the audio community always talks about DAWs or Digital Audio Workstations, aka audio editing software. Some people love Hindenburg and ProTools, others love Descript and Adobe Audition. I’m Team Audition, but there’s no right answer. You can learn multiple DAWs and see which one you prefer.
Don’t get intimidated by the process
A lot of the people who approach me about making podcasts abandon their idea once they realize how much work it’ll be. I think that’s a mistake, because like anything, once you get to know the process and the terminology, that idea can finally come to life and turn into an engaging podcast. You just need to give a new kind of workflow a chance.
And you’ll get the hang of it if you give it time!
Mallory Carra, is a veteran journalist, podcast producer and adjunct professor with 20 years of journalism and new media experience. She teaches digital, audio and TV journalism at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and has worked on several podcasts, including Sarah Turney’s Voices for Justice, The Why Files, and USC’s Electric Futures. Previously, Mallory was a podcast writer and story editor at Spotify’s Parcast Studios for over 5 years. She also contributes articles to NBCU Academy’s Equity Lab and co-leads the Asian American Journalists Association’s Voices fellowship, a multimedia journalism training program for college and graduate students. You can find her on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and her website, mallorycarra.com.