Creating Podcasts

Creating a podcast in BeatSquares follows a segment-based workflow that gives you granular control over each part of your episode. Unlike traditional podcast creation tools, BeatSquares lets you work on individual segments independently—generating, reviewing, and perfecting each one before moving to the next. The process is built around segments as your primary building blocks. For each segment, you’ll select articles, generate audio, choose from multiple AI-generated variants, and select background music. Once you’re satisfied with a segment, you verify it and move on to the next. This segment-by-segment approach means you’re never locked into decisions made early in the process—you can always go back and refine individual segments without affecting the rest of your podcast. The workflow includes a special “overview” segment that can only be generated once all your content segments are verified. This ensures your introduction or summary accurately reflects your finalized content. When all segments are verified and you’re happy with the results, you publish the podcast to generate the final audio file. The entire process typically takes 15-20 minutes of active work per segment, with BeatSquares handling the AI generation in the background while you continue working on other segments or tasks.

What You’ll Learn

You will learn how to:

Create a new podcast episode inside a Square
Add articles to podcast segments
Generate and review individual segment audio
Select from AI-generated variants for each segment
Choose background music for segments
Verify segments when complete
Generate overview segments
Publish your finished podcast

Before You Start

Prerequisites

A BeatSquares account with podcast features enabled
At least one Square created with “Podcast” format
Articles available in your data source

What You’ll Need

A podcast concept and structure in mind
Understanding of which articles you want to feature
Time to review and refine each segment individually

Start from the Dashboard

Go to the BeatSquares Dashboard. Podcasts are created within Squares set to the output format “Podcast.” If you don’t have a Square yet, learn how to create one here.

Step 1. Open a Podcast Square

Click View square on a Square configured for podcast output to begin. Step 1 screenshot

Step 2. Create a Podcast

Click Create podcast to start a new episode. Step 2 screenshot

Step 3. Name Your Podcast

Enter a name for your podcast episode. Podcasts cannot be saved without a name.

Step 4. Add Articles to Segment

Each podcast is built from segments, and each segment is based on one or more articles. Click Add articles to begin adding content to your first segment.

You can add, remove, or reorder segments at any time during the creation process. Each segment can be worked on independently.

Step 5. Select Articles

A popup lets you choose articles for the segment.

By default, you’ll see articles from the same Square
To use articles from other sources, check Search for articles outside this square

Select the articles you want to include in this segment, then click Add to segment. Step 5 screenshot

Step 6. Generate Segment

Once you’ve added articles to a segment, click Generate to create the audio for that specific segment.

Unlike the old workflow where all segments were generated at once, you can now generate, review, and perfect each segment individually before moving to the next one.

Step 7. Play Segment Audio

When generation is complete, you can play the segment audio using the built-in player. Listen carefully to ensure the content, tone, and pacing meet your expectations. Step 7 screenshot

Step 8. Review Segment Content

Click the Edit icon (✏️) to review the generated script for the segment. You can make adjustments to the text before finalizing. Step 8 screenshot

Step 9. Explore Variants

BeatSquares generates multiple variants of each segment. Click through Var 2, Var 3, and other available options to hear different interpretations of the same content.

Each variant uses different phrasing, tone, or emphasis. Choose the one that best fits your podcast’s style and the specific segment’s purpose.

Step 10. Select Background Music

For each segment, you can choose background music that fits the mood and content. Click the music icon to browse and select from available tracks. Different segments can have different background music to match their content and tone. Step 10 screenshot

Step 11. Edit Manual Segments

If you want more control, you can manually edit the segment’s script. Click Edit segment to modify the text that will be converted to audio.

Manual edits will require regenerating the segment audio. Make sure you’re satisfied with your edits before regenerating.

Step 12. Verify Segment

When you’re completely satisfied with a segment—including its content, variant selection, and background music—click Verify segment. Verified segments are locked in and ready for the final podcast. You can always unverify and make changes if needed.

The overview segment can only be generated once all content segments are verified. This ensures your introduction accurately reflects your finalized content.

Step 13. Repeat for All Segments

Repeat Steps 4-12 for each segment in your podcast:

Add articles
Generate segment
Play and review
Select best variant
Choose background music
Make any manual edits
Verify the segment

Step 14. Generate Overview Segment

Once all your content segments are verified, you can generate the Overview segment. This is typically an introduction or summary that encompasses the entire episode. Click Generate overview to create this special segment.

The overview segment will only generate successfully if all other segments have been verified. If you see an error, check that all content segments show a “Verified” status.

Step 15. Verify Overview Segment

Review, select the best variant, and verify the overview segment just like you did with your content segments. Step 15 screenshot

Step 16. Publish Podcast

When all segments (including the overview) are verified and you’re satisfied with the complete episode, click Publish. This combines all verified segments into a single, finalized podcast file.

Publishing generates the final audio file and marks your podcast as “Ready to Publish” in the Square overview.

Step 17. Listen to Finished Podcast

Once publishing is complete, you can listen to your finished podcast using the built-in player. This is your complete, final episode with all segments combined. Step 17 screenshot

You can now:

Download the podcast file for distribution on external platforms
Share the podcast directly from BeatSquares
Edit individual segments (requires unverifying and republishing)

Best Practices

Work Segment by Segment: Focus on perfecting one segment at a time rather than trying to generate everything at once
Explore All Variants: Always listen to all available variants before choosing one—the AI may surprise you with creative interpretations
Match Music to Content: Use different background music for different segments to create variety and emotional resonance
Verify Strategically: Only verify segments when you’re completely satisfied, as this locks them in for the overview generation
Generate Overview Last: Always generate and verify all content segments before creating your overview segment
Review Before Publishing: Listen to the complete podcast at least once before downloading or sharing

Understanding the Workflow

Segment States

Segments move through several states:

Draft: Articles added, not yet generated
Generated: Audio created, ready for review
Edited: Manual changes made, may need regeneration
Verified: Finalized and locked in for publishing

Why Verify Segments?

Verification serves two purposes:

It signals that a segment is complete and ready for the final podcast
It enables overview segment generation, which needs to know what content is finalized

The Overview Segment

The overview segment is special because it:

Can only be generated when all content segments are verified
Typically serves as an introduction or summary
Has access to information about all verified segments
Should be generated and verified last

Troubleshooting

Problem: Can’t generate overview segment Solution: Ensure all content segments are verified. Check each segment’s status. Problem: Variant selection disappeared after editing Solution: Manual edits require regeneration, which creates new variants. You’ll need to select from the new variants. Problem: Background music not applying Solution: Make sure you’ve saved your music selection before generating or regenerating the segment.

Conclusion

You now understand BeatSquares’ segment-based podcast workflow: create segments individually, generate and review audio, select from variants, choose background music, verify each segment, generate an overview when all segments are verified, publish the complete podcast, and download or share the final file. This workflow gives you precise control over every part of your podcast, with the flexibility to perfect each segment independently before committing to the final product.