Project Overview: 

For my project, I am recording, editing, and uploading a podcast that is intended for college students that are going to be graduating soon. 

The goal of my podcast is to give people valuable information that will help them get a job and start their careers.  I am also marketing this podcast on Twitter and Instagram and using my graphic design skills to create ads for each episode.  My reason for creating this podcast was because I am feeling pretty unsure about my future, and I know that a podcast like this will benefit people.

 

Prior Experience Related to the Project: 

For starters, I took a podcasting class last semester.  In this class, I learned many different things about what makes a great podcast, and I even made my own 3-episode series and learned how to use Adobe Audition.  I was a sports writing intern for the Hawk, so I feel very comfortable talking to people and asking them questions.  Because I am a Communications Studies major, I have experience with graphic design from multiple classes, and I even have experience with social media marketing.   All of these prior experiences make me feel like I am very qualified for this capstone project.

 

Challenge of the Project: 

The biggest challenge that I have faced during this project is scheduling conflicts.  People are really busy, and things always come up, so getting an episode recorded can be really challenging.  You need to work around people’s schedules, and people often cancel at the last minute.  The best way to get around this is to schedule multiple episodes at once.  If one person cancels, then you have other people that you can ask to do it that week.  Another challenge that I have come across is being able to record each episode in person.  Most episodes were on Zoom.

 

Prep Work and Background Research: 

The most important prep work that I did was scheduling guests for each episode.  I also planned each episode and prepared questions.  For background research, I made sure I was educated on each topic.  I do this for each episode so that I am prepared to ask about any topics that may come up.  I also research other podcasts in order to get ideas.  An example of this is how some podcasts play light music during ad reads so the listener can tell that it is not the show.  Whenever I do a 30 second “ad” break, I always add music because I like this idea.

 

Primary Technologies and/or Software: 

  • Adobe Audition
    • I use this software to edit and put together my podcast.  I can also use this to improve the audio quality for each episode.
  • Canva
    • I use Canva to create graphics that I can post on social media for marketing.
  • Zoom Recorder H5
    • I use the Zoom recorder to record each episode of the podcast.
  • Shotgun Microphone
    • I use these microphones to record the podcast, and they are the perfect podcasting mics!

 

Project Considerations:

The biggest project consideration that I had was when I decided what topics I want to cover on my podcast.  I wanted to make sure that I did not leave out any post-college option, so I had to make sure I asked different people with different career paths to do the podcast.  Diversity also played a big part in the podcast, and my first two guests were women.  Not everyone’s job search goes the same way because of different backgrounds, so getting everyone’s voice is extremely important.  I also have transcripts for each episode so people who have hearing problems can still learn from my podcast.

Life After College Podcast Transcripts – Google Docs

 

Creation Process: 

The creation process starts by me planning an episode based on my guest.  After I write all of the questions, I then go to record the podcast.  Whether I am on Zoom or in person, the recording process always goes the same way.  After I record, I import the files into Adobe Audition and begin editing.  Editing takes anywhere from 1 to 2 hours, depending on the episode.  After I edit, I create a graphic for social media to let everyone know that an episode is coming out soon, and then I release the episode the next day and post another graphic.  Then the cycle continues.

 

Final Deliverables: 

For my Final Deliverables, I have a twitter and Instagram account with a ton of graphics, and my podcast can be found on my Acast website, Soundcloud, and Amazon Music.  I will continue to try and get my podcast onto Spotify, but until I can successfully do that, it can be found in other places!

Links:

Acast: Life After College Podcast (acast.com)

Soundcloud: Stream LifeAfterCollegePodcast | Listen to podcast episodes online for free on SoundCloud

Amazon Music: Life After College Podcast on Amazon Music

Twitter: (20) LifeaAfterCollegePodcast (@AfterCollegePod) / Twitter

Instagram: LifeAfterCollegePodcast (@lifeaftercollege_podcast) • Instagram photos and videos

 

 

 

What I’d Do Differently: 

One thing that I would’ve done differently is that I would have gotten some more diverse people on the podcast.  I had people from all different career paths, but all 5 of my guests were white.  Another thing that I would’ve done differently is had more guests that could film in person.  I had a lot of episodes on Zoom, and although they did sound good, in person episodes would sound a lot better.  Other than that, I feel like this project went really well!