HYDERABAD: There has been a definite increase in the number of people listening to podcasts these days. You could be jogging, commuting or even going to bed listening to something new and interesting. It does not matter if you want to make content or just need some information — listening or making it is easy either way. CE speaks to some podcasters in the city about what goes into hosting a podcast. They share tips and tricks on how to sell podcasts to audiences and jump on the trend.
It seems like most of us are already doing it, for the trend of podcasting is only growing by the day — thanks to the wide range of topics that are discussed and the need for minimal tech to produce one. “To make a podcast, all you need is a smartphone with an application in a noise-free space — which everyone has. The most important thing is the content. Before starting a podcast, one must decide what they are going to talk about. No matter how much experience you have, if you don’t have information, you won’t have an audience,” says Sandesh Johnny, who is also a stand-up comedian, producer at a popular FM channel and podcaster on Spotify.
“In case you don’t have information, but are interested in learning and also podcasting yourself — you can call in guest speakers or experts to speak about the topic that you are interested in,” he adds. You would find information about almost anything in detail and timeless discussions on any topic of interest that you probably might not be able to find on YouTube, says Rohit Swain, another stand-up comedian from the city.
“The best thing about podcasts is the information that is not found elsewhere on the Internet. From discussions to comedy, there’s something for everyone. My friend Hriday Ranjan, a film critic, and I used to host a show called ‘Silly Point’ which was a live comedy commentary on cricket. We had no goal in mind — except to have fun and entertain listeners,” he says.
Since there is no equipment or setup that one needs, to start podcasting, any and everyone can go for it, if they have something to talk about. They can even do it for fun and not care about garnering an audience, says Rohit.
Sankeerth Kumar, a Ph.D. scholar from the city, says he would give book reviews as part of a podcast he had hosted. “My friends and I would analyse characters from whichever book we’d finish reading. We would also try our hand at film reviews. The best thing about podcasts is that they save us a lot of time. Also, I spend around three hours a day commuting and walking; podcasts help me learn so many interesting things during this time.”