The growing number of podcasts appealing to just about every interest imaginable has inspired many listeners to create their own shows. But getting started can feel daunting. How do I record? How do I edit my tracks? What can I do to make my show stand out? These are some of the questions a new Today at Apple session designed for aspiring podcasters will try to answer.
“Music Skills: Creating Your First Podcast” is a 30-minute Apple Store session that uses GarageBand for iPhone to teach the basics of recording, editing, and refining a podcast trailer with music and audio loops. The session isn’t meant to be an end-to-end guide to publishing a show — Apple offers other resources for that — but it will help you decide if starting a podcast is something you want to pursue.
The new session is currently offered only at Apple Michigan Avenue in Chicago, with availability beginning on May 20th. It coincides with “Voices of Chicago Podcasts,” a collection of exclusive sessions held throughout May at the flagship store. Personalities from the Chicago podcasting community will offer their stories and advice on creating shows. Hosts include the Chicago Podcast Cooperative and the voices behind Nerdette. You can view the entire lineup on Apple’s website.
If Apple chooses to extend the new session beyond May and to all of its store locations, it is likely to be one of the more popular offerings. Of the more than 50 new Today at Apple sessions announced in January, those that teach aspirational skills used commonly by popular creators have appeared to resonate best with attendees on social media.
Apple’s recent focus on podcasting extends to a new design for Podcasts on the web and an all-new Apple Watch Podcasts app beginning in watchOS 5.
