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48 The College of New Jersey Magazine KATHRYN RATHKE TCNJ X10 things you need to know about … starting a podcast Annemarie Stolting '03 has always been a big podcast listener: she loves The Minimalists, The Next Right Thing, and The Simplicity Parenting Podcast. A year ago, she tried her hand at podcast creation. Now, her show, Let's Slow Down, is her full-time job. Thinking of hopping on the podcast trend? Stolting offers these tips from her mic. — Corinne Coakley '25 Pick your passion. There's no limit to podcast topics. But fair warning: the ins and outs of the pen industry and the weirdest Yelp reviews are taken. Begin with basic equipment — a laptop, Wi-Fi, and a decent microphone. Do a vibe check. How do you want your listeners to feel? Use cover art, a trailer, and an intro and outro to each episode that sets the tone. Invite guests. Interviews with others add variety to your episodes. Set the mood with music. It should complement but not overpower the words. And keep it royalty-free. Feed it. That is, you'll need an RSS feed — the mechanism to distribute your episodes to various platforms, such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Ditch what doesn't work. Podcasts aren't live. You can edit out bloopers or decide to not run an episode that won't resonate with listeners. Keep it real. Listeners can relate to your imperfections and will connect on a deeper level. Maximize your show's visibility. Publish regular episodes — typically weekly or biweekly — and ask listeners to subscribe, share, and leave a review. Lean in to being host. Let's Slow Down is about realistic ways to ease up on the daily grind to calm your mind. The best part about creating your own podcast is you have a space to share your interests and to inspire others with your words and ideas.