2-minute overview of Substack audio and how to navigate it
2-minute recap of my quick-and-easy method for recording and editing audio like a pro (for those who don’t have time to watch the deep-dive audio workshop)
00:00 Introduction to Substack Audio
00:25 Setting Up Your Podcast
00:49 Creating and Uploading Audio Posts
01:09 Using Audio Embeds and Voiceovers
02:06 Recording Tips and Techniques
02:44 Editing with Descript
03:30 Creating Free Previews
Audio is one of the best ways to connect with subscribers and expand our reach on Substack and beyond.
Connection:
We feel like we know authors and podcasters when we hear them. It goes by the creepy term parasocial relationships, but it’s a way to create authentic relationships with our subscribers/readers/audience.
Digital media outlets like The New York Times are leaning heavily into audio. Why? Because when people don’t have time to read, they often have time to listen.
Reach:
Two of the three options for audio can be automatically distributed to Apple, Spotify, and elsewhere—which means more opportunities for discoverability.
Going deeper
For an audio deep dive, watch the Substack Audio the Easy Way Workshop (43:14).
Below is a recap of my recommended software, tools, links, and equipment
Keep it simple!
Software and tools
I recommend using the simplest recording software and most efficient editing tool:
Recording: Apple Voice Memos. If you’re on a PC or Android, you can use Voice Recorder. And there’s always Google Play Voice Recorder.
Editing: Decript for editing. It used to be free. I have the $12/month plan. The free plan could work if you’re recording once a month.
Set up a podcast
How to set up your Substack podcast step-by-step here. The video is excellent.
Equipment
These really are my top pics. No affiliate links!
Mics (get a dynamic mic, not a condenser mic):
Optional equipment:
Windscreen
Pop filter
Also, don’t forget to bookmark the Substack Writers at Work homepage, where you’ll find everything that’s part of your paid subscription.
And! as a paid member, you get 24/7 Substack help from the Substack Writers at Work community here:
If you’re interested in a full overview and a step-by-step foundation to grow, you can find the Substack Success Foundations Course. The course isn’t part of the paid membership. It’s a complete online course. Enroll and find out more here.
Sarah, help! I've set up my podcast and synched to both Apple and Spotify. With Apple, it seems to recognize that I have access to my paid posts once I set up the podcast link.
With Spotify, try as I might, (and I've followed the "set up a spotify paid feed" and linked my spotify account and my substack account) it absolutely refuses to give me access to the paid episodes. Have you seen this before? Any advice?
So very helpful, Sarah. Thank you. And your ending gave me a little chuckle.
Very cool! Question re audio posts or podcasts: if you want to post your post narrations in both the post as voiceovers AND make them podcasts, do you just create a second version of the posts as audio? And then make sure that email isn’t sent out to readers? How do you keep it from clunking up your homepage?
You don’t need to! This is the miraculous part. If you do a voiceover and have the podcast option, it will automatically distribute to Spotify or wherever. Amazing. Tech-wise, when Substack is good, they’re really good.
Ok so if I turn on my podcast feature, when I record a voiceover on a post, it will automatically generate a new "podcast episode"?
If so, this is awesome and might be the push I needed to turn on the podcast... I already do voiceovers.
One more follow up - will only the free episode voiceovers be included in the podcasts? I do voiceover for paid posts but I don't want them available to everyone.
Sorry for the delay--had to double check! For voiceovers that are added to posts and intended for paid subscribers, they will only be accessible to those subscribers when you include them in your podcast RSS feed. If the voiceover post is marked for paid subscribers only, it will appear in the private feeds of those subscribers and not in the public feed.
aweseome - thank you!
I may have to tinker with things and turn this on soon.
You are so good! Question…why the sheet? Your audio is good here, and no sheet. Just trying to gather all the aspects in my head.
So great to hear! The sheet is awkward.
Helpful! Thanks Sarah!
So useful, thank you
I really subscribed to Descript but I didn’t know about the edit in text feature. That’s very cool—as long as the transcription is accurate. Thank you!
The transcription is so-so; still, I love it.