How To Start An IRL Podcast | #97

Apr 30, 2023

Starting a podcast is a lot easier virtually. There is no travel. You can press a button and record video and audio seamlessly. And you can talk to a larger group of people.

AND, recording conversations and meetings became a lot more common in 2020-2021.

I still do virtual episodes, but I am prioritizing IRL episodes and podcast mixers.

In 2018, I actually started my show IRL with my roomate at the time. And 13 of my first 15 episodes were recorded IRL, with just the device in the above photo. I STILL USE that device as a backup recorder now… 5 years later, pretty cool, right?

Why IRL? podcasting IRL often leads to a better conversation and connection with the other person. And chatting IRL has also led to some cool conversations before and after the episode too!

My IRL Podcasting Tech Stack

Zoom H4N Pro recorder, which can only record 2 people talking (as far as I know)
two ATR-2100 handheld mics, which are affordable
two long XLR cables, which is helpful for my Podcast Mixer events
Zoom H1 handy recorder for audio backup… always good to have backups especially IRL!

Photo taken after recording an episode in 2023

A few IRL recording tips:

test, test, test. there are more moving parts when recording IRL - so make sure you know everything works before you do a real recording
double-check your batteries
try not to get too fancy with the equipment and setup. the best setup is the one that you know works - so you don’t think about it when recording.
if you hear extra background sounds when recording, they are going to show up on the tape. do what you can to adjust it in real-time to remove them!

Podcasting IRL can help generate other cool opportunities for you too: a press/media pass for conferences, used as a catalyst for events like the Mixers I have done 10+ times, etc

By the way, do you want start and scale a podcast? You can sign-up for my free podcasting course and get started today HERE.

🎧 Episode 265: Using Words That Move with Max Stossel

From this IRL podcast episode, you will:

hear Max perform TWO LIVE POEMS during the episode
learn how Max decided to invest more of this time and money into his art, while working for 7 years on his Words That Move short film
maybe enjoy this quote - "you are more than whatever your work is. You are more than whatever your art is. And your art is probably a beautiful reflection of at least some of the things that you are."
learn how poetry cuts through noise in a way other words can not