Among the many forms of broadcasting, one of the most blossoming is the medium of podcasting. The award-winning podcast series featuring Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant, “Stuff You Should Know,” has been ranked top ten in iTunes, with over 10 million listeners each month. Their Facebook page reached just under 1 million likes and they have produced over 925 episodes to date.

 

On Thursday, Feb. 23, Behrend hosted Clark and Bryant in McGarvey Commons as part of the Speaker Series. The duo told their story and discussed podcasting.

 

The two men began their journey with the company How Stuff Works in 2005 and their podcast launched in 2008, airing as a talk show on random topics. In their speech, they joked how early on their podcast sounded like it was recorded in a parent’s basement and how they were learning as they went along.

 

“We didn’t even really know what we were doing, and podcasting was in its earlier stages, especially compared to now. I don’t think either one of us ever expected the success of the show and then the success of the medium as a whole,” said Bryant. “It’s kind of coincided. It’s been great. We’ve been really fortunate.”

 

The podcasters’ show found a surprising audience with their podcast, which spanned from young children to senior citizens.

 

Additionally, Clark and Bryant are not experts and they emphasize this to their listeners because they talk about topics that interest them. They do overviews of different topics and all their podcasts are based off their research. They spend countless hours researching any one given topic to have a well-rounded understanding. Again, these gentlemen are not experts by any means, but they merely have a conversation about it, which is not exactly scripted. They have a general sense as to what they are going converse about, but it is not laid out word for word.

 

The duo stressed that the three most important aspects of podcasting are making sure the sound quality is good, planning release dates to stick to, and researching. Investing in good quality equipment and programs is the first step in the right direction. Programs such as Adobe Audition or having a laptop with adequate quality is a bonus. Second, planning a release date is important listeners like consistency and know when to check in when the next episode will be available. Not only will it keep the producer on a routine, but it will continue to engage the audience to keep listening and encourage new listeners to join. And lastly, making the podcasting experience fun starts by picking topics that the podcaster is passionate about. They should do it because they want to. Listeners like to hear podcasters that are true to themselves and have an individual style.

 

There is a big need for live products. Another upside to podcasting, the audience is global, not just local, like it is for radio. Radio stations can only reach a small demographic, but podcasts are attainable by much larger resources. Podcasting is also fabulous for advertising opportunities, again noting the audience it can reach.

 

“We are locked away in our studio, which is kind of a nice bubble to be in. When we finally did our first event out of the office for listeners in the second year or something. We went to New York and did a fan meet-and-greet and did a trivia night. People were bursting at the seams. The fire department had to come to the first place, and we had too many people there. I think we were both extremely overwhelmed. That’s when it really kind of it home what was going on outside of the recording booth,” said Bryant, as he expressed what it felt like when the gentlemen realized their prominence not just nationwide, but global.

Together, Bryant and Clark discussed their show’s rise to popularity, provided small tidbits of “Stuff You Should Know” fun facts, and answered the audience members’ questions.