​

PODCAST 101 PRODUCTION GUIDE

AUDIO (Most Important)

If audio is bad, nothing else matters.

Minimum standard

• No echo
• No loud background noise
• Voice clear and not distorted

Basic Setup

• Record in a small, soft room (closet > kitchen)
• Avoid large empty spaces
• Turn off fans, AC, dishwasher, etc.
• Put phone on airplane mode

Mics

You do NOT need expensive equipment.

Options:

• USB mic (plug-and-play)
• Lavalier (clip-on) mic
• Bluetooth clip mic (cheap Amazon ones are fine)
• Headphones with built-in mic (only if decent quality)

Avoid:

• Recording across the room
• Laptop mic in an echo-y room
• Holding mic too far from mouth
• Mic Placement
• 4–8 inches from mouth

• Slightly off to the side (avoid harsh “p” sounds)
• Speaking loudly
• Don’t rub clothes or hair against lav mic

VIDEO (If doing video)

Video matters less than audio, but still.

Lighting

• Face a window (natural light is best)
• Light in front of you, not behind you
• Avoid overhead-only lighting (creates shadows)
• A cheap ring light is fine

Camera Angle 

• Be sure to keep your chin down when you’re speaking facing forward
• Eye-level or slightly above (be sure to keep your head straight, not looking down)
• Don’t shoot from below (no up-the-nose angle)
• Frame from chest up at the very least
• Play with full body angles if your scene is set for such an angle (plants, good looking chair/couch, decor)
• Leave a little headroom

Background

• Clean but not sterile
• No messy beds
• No distracting movement
• Choose something that reflects personality

Quality

• Record in 1080p minimum
• Stable camera (tripod or propped securely)
• Clean lens before recording

Hosting Skills Basics

• Don’t interrupt guests constantly
• Leave small pauses (easier to edit)
• Don’t rush silence
• Say names clearly
• If you mess up, pause and repeat the sentence cleanly

Editing Basics

• Remove long dead air
• Normalize audio levels
• Light compression if possible
• Remove obvious distractions
• Add intro + outro cleanly

Don’t:

• Over-edit personality out
• Add 12 sound effects
• Make it chaotic

File Management

• Label files clearly
• Example:

ShowName_Ep01_GuestName_FINAL.mp4

• Back up files
• Keep raw recordings in Riverside and Descript

Below is the YAS Podcast Style Guide. We are sharing it here as an example of how to style your own production.  You can ignore the references to color, since that is specifically for the YAS Podcast brand.