Before you even begin an interview, you should make preparations to ensure that everything runs smoothly. A good interview is something that has been painstakingly prepared even the interview happens.

One of the things that you should do is to answer some questions yourself. How long do you plan to hold the interview? Are you going to let the interview play out or are you going to edit it? How will you edit it? You should also be ready to give your interviewee information — like who the audience will be and what are the expectations for the interview. You should also provide this information in the pitch letter that you will send your potential interviewee.

There are interviewees who may ask for some of the questions beforehand. This is a perfectly safe request for most “friendly” interviews.  A good tip is to start off the interview with a killer question — one that immediately grabs hold of the audience’s interest. After a couple of intriguing questions you can ease back and ask background questions afterwards.

If you’re the techie type of podcaster, you’d be very open to buying different gadgets to help you in your podcasts.

If you want to record your phone interviews with an exceptional level of quality you should get a handset tap. For example, a great gadget is the QuickTap manufactured by JK Audio. The $60 device will fit in between the phone base and the handset. It has an analog audio input that can be used to attach to a computer. Of course, the limitation of the QuickTap is that it will only work on a traditionally wired phone setup.

Of course, there are other devices available in various stores that will allow you to record phone conversations. Just look at the features and check which ones you will need.

An integral part of making content for your podcast is sourcing information from various sources. This often means interviewing people. An interview face to face while recording your podcast is a great way of making your podcast very interesting. But unfortunately, sometimes this is not possible. The only way to do the interview would be to do it over the phone.

You can still use the phone interview if you like by recording your phone call. Unfortunately, phone call interviews can be hard because you have to be constantly vigilant to keep your interview focused. After this you have to edit the conversation to reduce the amount of gaps.

One of the simplest ways of recording is to just record the speakerphone using your mic. It may sound crude but surprisingly, the quality can be quite good. Take note to mute the speaker of your computer in order to reduce or eliminate feedback.

The last post I made was on how to reduce background noise when recording. It is interesting to note that the PC itself can cause significant background noise that can creep into your podcast. That’s why, one great workaround to a cleaner, background noise-free recording would be to totally eliminate the PC from the recording process.

There are small gadgets in the market that allow you to record audio for your podcasts without the use of a PC. These standalone digital recorders are easy to use, very portable and allow you a great deal of leeway in terms of creating the perfect recording space.

One of the best standalone digital recorders out there is the Zoom H2. At just 200 dollars, the H2 is the perfect companion for the budding podcaster. Its size is quite diminutive and yet despite its size it is capable of recording CD quality sound. The recordings are stored automatically on the SD card that you insert on the SD card slot. Propping up the H2 is easy as it comes with two different stands — a small handle and a tripod like stand.

You can record your podcast using the H2’s very good onboard mics (it has more than one), or you can also use another mic because it has a mic adapter. finished recordings can also be transferred through a USB port.

One of the problems of podcasting is noise. During the recording process, noise would usually creep into the finished product. Ambient noise from many different sources that you will find in the environment can find its way into your recording and it can be irritating to hear distracting noises while listening to a podcast.

Unfortunately, even if you record your podcast in a studio, noise can still creep into your podcast if you do not take care about how the recording is set up. For example, background noise can be caused by something as small as the computer fan.In fact, it’s the most common source of background noise in podcasts — almost 20 percent of podcasts suffer from computer fan background noise. The solution for this is as simple as moving the microphone away from the computer. A distance of six feet is sufficient enough to prevent the microphone from picking up computer fan noise. Another good tip is to use a directional mic and then point it away from the computer so that it won’t pick up any sound or noise that the PC produces. Of course, the most radical solution is to use fan-less computers or laptops. If you’re planning to upgrade your hardware then you can go this route to eliminate noise while recording your podcasts.

One thing that podcasters usually forget is that podcasting is an medium of sound. It is in audio that you relay your information or tell your story. The reason I mention this is because most podcasters still do their podcasts without taking this important fact into consideration. What I mean is that they do not paint a picture.

When you do a podcast you talk to your audience. But since it is not a visual medium, they will have to use their imagination to “see” what you are talking about. But to do this, you will have to paint the picture for them. This means that you have to give details and describe nuances. Let’s say that your podcast is about a visit to a historic landmark. If you just say that you went to this place and found it interesting, your audience won’t “see” what you experienced. But if you paint a picture for them — describing the trip, pointing out the people that was also there to visit, describing the color and smell of the place along with other unique details  — then you have started painting that picture. You effectively transport your audience to that place.

But painting a picture is not limited to just descriptions of places. You can use it in all types of podcasts, even interviews! You can describe how your interviewee took various questions. Was he comfortable? Did he fidget? Does he have any mannerisms that you found interesting? Look out for the details, remember them and then describe them. It makes for a more “visual” and memorable podcast.

It is the rare individual who takes to podcasting immediately. Sometimes the best way to ease into a new skill is to ask for a little company. Add some alcohol into the mix and what you have is cool and fun way of podcasting that will surely be entertaining and spontaneous.

Beercasts are gaining a lot of fans in the podcasting community because it is a lot of fun and a relatively easy way of making a podcast. the setup for a beercast is quite simple. All one needs is a few microphones, a Behringer mixer and an MP3 recorder.

A beercast is actually  round table discussion. A topic is presented to the participants and the discussions begin. It’s an easy setup and when it gets going, it is so much fun. A discussion like this will be energetic, free-flowing and, if the participants are witty and eloquent, quite a great show of verbal repartee. Of course, introducing some alcohol into the mix could result in even more free spirited discussions.

Beercasting is a great way to get your feet wet in the world of podcasting simply because conversations come naturally, unlike a monologue. A podcaster is more likely to feel more comfortable when he’s talking with other people rather than just talking on his own while on the microphone. Conversations will allow you to actually think about what you will say next when the other participants in the beercast are talking. Beercasts and multiple host types of podcast are so popular and more engaging to audiences that you will notice that in any ranking of podcasts, there’s more multiple-host formats in the list.

If you’re interested in trying out a podcast, try to read the excellent resource Podcasting Hacks.