Ten years ago, nobody knew what a podcast was. Today, it’s one of the predominant communication means around and even your grandma is listening. Or…ummm…maybe she’s even making her own. That’s because Grandma knows podcasting is where the street cred is at these days. This year, the world is expected to consume 15 billion hours of podcast material, with more than 100 million U.S. podcast listeners projected by 2024. For those ready to challenge Grandma for podcast superiority in their family, the training in The Complete 2021 Start Your Podcast Bundle ($29.99, over 90 percent, from TNW Deals) can teach everything the novice podcaster needs to know to create an artistically compelling, technically stellar product that people may actually listen to. Well, maybe not as many as those listening to Grandma…but maybe close. This package assembles 7 courses with 23 hours worth of training in doing the podcast thing the right way, from honing a creative vision to proper audio engineering techniques to methods for marketing a podcast that could actually earn all the attention the show truly deserves. The basic Podcasting course is a primer to the medium, eight hours of instruction in what it takes to launch a podcast, the basic recording requirements, and a step-by-step guide for uploading your work and helping it reach its widest available audience. And that’s even if you’ve never cracked a mic or recorded yourself before. First-timers will also get some tips in delivery areas like the Podcast Storytelling Masterclass to better shape your narrative, and the Podcast Power Breathing Masterclass to help you accomplish that most basic of functions — breathing — to deliver lines with greater impact and sound more authentic as a broadcaster. Of course, there won’t be anyone listening to your delivery if the audio itself isn’t up to par, so the Podcasting: Setup, Record and Podcast in One Day gets into some of the technical aspects of recording, including what equipment you need, the free audio editing software that can make it sound stellar, and more engineering expertise that can lead to a professional-grade podcast that costs less than $5 a month. Finally, courses like Podcast Made Easy and Creating and Publishing Podcasts: How to Establish Your Brand focus on boasting the visibility of your work. Over these courses, students learn how to submit a podcast to iTunes and Google Play podcast directories, the marketing basics for social media and networking to get your podcast heard, and the promotional steps to help establish yourself as an authority in your given podcasting arena. Each of the courses in the Complete 2021 Star Your Podcast Bundle is a $199 value on its own, but as part of this collection, they’re all available at just over $4 per course, only $29.99. Prices are subject to change.
