Story highlights
- Creating your own podcast is simple, but it can be hard to differentiate yourself
- Learn from the best in the industry for just $19
As part of an ongoing series, the CNN Underscored team showcases outstanding deals you can shop right now on the CNN Store. Each week, our staff chooses a product to feature that we think you’ll love.
Podcasting is an accessible, creative and relatively low-cost way to tell stories and share information. You don’t need to hire an entire crew of people, purchase expensive editing software or book any fancy spaces. What’s most important is that you have an original idea, along with the basic skills and storytelling abilities it takes to grow a following. But while making a podcast is fairly simple, it can be a challenge to distinguish yourself and show what your podcast can offer potential listeners.
That’s why it’s so important to learn about storytelling techniques, the different types of equipment available and how to market yourself. And who better to learn from than some of the most successful podcast producers in the business?
The How To Start A Podcast bundle ($19; store.cnn.com) is an online bundle of four courses and 57 lessons from award-winning podcast creators. You’ll receive over 20 hours of content, valued at over $250, for just $19. The featured lecturers range from podcast producers who have started their own brands, to those who have made a name for themselves producing podcasts like “This American Life,” “Snap Judgment,” “Planet Money” and more. You’ll get lifetime access to the content, so you can revisit whenever you like. Here’s a quick look at the different courses and what you can expect to gain from each of them.
Power Your Podcast With Storytelling With Alex Blumberg (10.5 hours, $99 value): The most essential part of any podcast is the story. In this course taught by Alex Blumberg, you’ll learn how to connect with people through your stories, integrate storytelling principles as a way to improve your podcast, no matter its genre, and ask good questions to get the best answers during interviews. Blumberg is an award-winning reporter and producer who has worked on “This American Life” and “Planet Money.” He’s also the CEO and co-founder of Gimlet Media, a narrative podcasting company that says its shows are “downloaded over twelve million times per month by listeners from nearly 190 countries worldwide.”
Start Your Profitable Podcast and Build A Brand With Lewis Howes (4.5 hours, $79 value): Lewis Howes is a professional athlete turned entrepreneur, business coach and author. His podcast, “The School of Greatness,” focuses on how you can achieve your goals and enjoy “real, sustainable, repeatable success.” The combination of his motivational background and his success in starting his own podcast — “The School of Greatness” has been downloaded millions of times — makes him the perfect person to walk you through all the must-knows of starting your own podcast. You’ll cover the techniques of recording and editing, including what sort of equipment is best for you. You’ll go over the components of a good episode, how to pick the best format for your podcast and how to differentiate your podcast from competitors. You’ll even cover how to monetize your podcast, to help turn your passion into a profitable venture.
Essential Storytelling Techniques With The Producers From NPR’s Snap Judgment (2 hours, $49 value): Julia Dewitt and Anna Sussman are senior producers behind NPR’s “Snap Judgment,” a weekly storytelling radio show and podcast. In this course, you’ll get insights into the elements that make a successful podcast, along with some of the essential techniques that can turn your ideas into a powerful story — from understanding the different ways to find stories and pitch them, to using interviews to create engaging stories, and even how to establish connections with your audience through your content.
Podcasting 101 With John Lee Dumas (5 hours, $39 value): Sometimes it’s good to get back to basics, and that’s what John Lee Dumas does in this course. Dumas is the founder and host of “Entrepreneurs On Fire,” a podcast where he interviews entrepreneurs about how they’ve accomplished their goals. Together, you’ll cover the “technical, creative, and business elements” of what it takes to run a podcast and do it successfully. From learning how to pick the best equipment within your budget, to the technicalities of creating a radio-quality recording and even exploring syndication options, you’ll get step-by-step guidance on creating and distributing your podcast.
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