The Basics of Podcasting

Andrew Baek, the producer of our EdTech Café podcast, describes what you need to start podcasting.
In the past decade podcasting has seen a meteoric rise in popularity, largely due to the ease with which one can produce and listen to them. With shows ranging from self-help to criminal investigations, the application of podcasting is limitless, yet there have been relatively few ventures into medical education that utilize this platform. Stanford EdTech takes advantage of podcasting to highlight the innovative work produced by educational technology groups at Stanford Medicine and beyond.
The design of our podcasts takes inspiration from popular interview shows, like Marc Maron’s WTF podcast, where the primary focus is speaking with invited guests, and secondary emphasis on host-led segments. This format allows us to survey the medical education landscape through direct interactions, which is a continuation of the patient-centered storytelling and methodologies that our team has incorporated into all our productions.
Using a combination of home recording setups, Adobe Audition, and a subscription to a hosting platform, our team currently hosts two bi-monthly podcasts, EdTech Café and Teachers in White Coats, both of which have garnered hundreds of listens and a 5-star average rating.
A few of podcasting’s strengths include the ease with which podcasting can be adopted by beginners, the wide reach that can be achieved because of its online delivery, and the high level of listener engagement due to its emphasis on literal human voices. A limitation, however, is that it is difficult to achieve revenue and scalability as a sub-industry within medical education.
This video highlight the ease with which podcasting can be adopted and instituted. Anyone can learn to podcast after a quick study of the technology, recording process, and tools to edit and distribute the content.
Equipment - essential:
- Microphone (cardioid polar pattern)
- Recording device
- Mixer-recorder
- Computer
- Video conference tool (Zoom, Facetime, Google Hangouts)
- Headphones or earphones
Equipment - extra:
- Microphone shield / sound-proof foam
- Soundboard
- Editing tool (Adobe Audition, Garageband, Logic Pro, Audacity)
Podcast formats:
-Interview-based-
The Joe Rogan Experience (open.spotify.c...)
Marc Maron’s WTF Podcast (www.wtfpod.com/)
The Michelle Obama Podcast (open.spotify.c...)
-Story-based-
Serial (serialpodcast....)
This American Life (www.thisameric...)
-Host-based-
Stuff You Should Know (podcasts.apple...)
Planet Money (www.npr.org/po...)
-Hybrid-
Radiolab (www.wnycstudio...)
Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! (www.npr.org/pr...)
EdTech Café (podcasts.apple...)