I fully recommend giving them this kind of control as it will be a lot of fun and lets them know that they own this podcast. I also strongly encourage them to come up with all of their own material, although I definitely assist when I can. If you develop a good theme, find a good hosting site, and recruit enthusiastic teens, you will have a great podcast. We don’t have a strict schedule because author visits aren’t on a schedule but that doesn’t mean you can schedule yours every two weeks or even just once a month if that works. Consistency is key and you’ll have a better product because of it. There are also seemingly hundreds of different hosting sites out there. I strongly suggest Buzzsprout for ease of use. Other sites like Captivate and Transistor are also highly recommended. All three offer free hosting up to a point. If you are regularly uploading podcasts, there will be a cost involved in all of them so that is something you’ll need to consider. One reason why I recommend Buzzsprout so much is because it is easy to use. The site allows you to upload, edit, and schedule your shows in minutes. Buzzsprout also provides tons of advice and information on how to make your podcast more effective and they give you step by step advice on how to get the show listed on iTunes and other directories. If your library uses social media, you can create your own Twitter or Instagram or even TikTok channel specifically for your podcast. This is a very popular way to get more listeners. Another way is to create artwork on a free graphic design program like Canva and place a quote from a recent episode and then post this on social media.
