How to Start a Podcast
Everything you need to know about podcasting equipment, recording, editing, publishing, and growing your audience without any of the bullshit or junk you’ll buy.
If you’ve been wanting to start a podcast, now is a great time. Gone are the days of needing “studio” quality equipment or knowledge. Recording tech has become so accessible that nearly anyone can start podcasting. Affordable equipment, simple software, and user-friendly podcast hosting platforms now do all of the complicated RSS feed stuff so podcasters can just hit “upload.”
The difficult part and where most podcasts fail to gain traction is developing your concept, being consistent, and growing your podcast audience. This guide walks you through every step of starting a podcast, including some often overlooked steps.
Defining Your Show (Before You Record A Single Episode)
New podcasters often fall into the trap of trying to figure out what equipment to buy before deciding what their show will actually be about. Gear is the easy part. Defining your show concept is where the real work begins. Going live without a defined concept will leave you sounding lost no matter how great your podcast audio quality is.
Here are the questions you should answer before hitting record:
What is your show about?
Specifically. If “running a business” is your topic, “entrepreneurship” is your category. “Casual conversations about entrepreneurs” isn’t a podcast concept. Something like “operational lessons learned from founder’s of service businesses making less than $5M” is a good concept that has just enough specificity to find your audience.
Who is your podcast for?
Not “people who care about this topic”. We’re talking nose-breakingly specific here. Who is this show made for? What do they already know about this topic? What are they looking to learn? Listen to already? What isn’t working for them that this podcast will? Imagine your ideal listener. If you can visualize them listening to your episodes, you’re probably well on your way to creating something they’ll love.
What format will your podcast take?
Interview? Solo commentary? Co-hosted discussion? Narrative story-telling? Knowing the best format for your content and your personal strengths play a big role in execution.
How will your podcast provide unique value?
Within your niche there are already podcasts. Figuring out what your show brings that others don’t help you avoid creating just another generic podcast in an overcrowded niche.
How often will you release new episodes?
Weekly released podcasts are more common than any other frequency. Rather than picking the schedule you think you should do, spend some time thinking about what you can reliably commit to.
Equipment: Getting Set Up (What You Need vs What You Don’t)
When researching how to start a podcast, you will quickly notice podcast equipment is discussed … a lot. Podcast audio quality matters, but expensive gear is nowhere near as important as your content and show definition.
Below is a quick breakdown of equipment recommendations to get you started, as well as commonly suggested gear you won’t need to buy right away.
What You Need:
● USB condenser microphone
● Headphones
● Find a quiet space to record in
● Recording software
The single best investment you can make into your podcast is a quality USB microphone. You can get a great microphone for $70–$150.
Invest in a nice pair of closed-back headphones to hear your recording clearly and prevent sound from leaking into the microphone.
Record near pillows, curtains, bookshelves, carpets, and other soft materials to improve audio quality.
There are free recording options like Audacity and GarageBand if you’re on a Mac. Riverside.fm and SquadCast are great options for hosting interviews.
What You Don’t Need:
● Audio interface
● Mixer
● Boom arm
● Acoustic panels
Stuff that seems important but isn’t necessary to get started.
Recording Your Episodes
Podcast recording doesn’t need to be complicated. Here are some quick tips to ensure you record great audio.
Place your mic a few inches from your mouth
Keep the microphone 6–8” away from your mouth and slightly off-axis to reduce plosives.
Watch your recording levels
Keep an eye on your levels while recording. Aim for peaks around -6dB.
Don’t worry about messing up
Stop recording if you mess up and start your sentence over. It’s easier than editing out mistakes later.
If interviewing someone:
● Ask them to use headphones.
● Ask them to record in a quiet space.
Editing Your Podcast
Depending on your format, you’ll need to edit your podcast episodes to varying degrees.
Light editing
Remove long pauses, bad takes, normalize your audio, and add music.
Medium editing
Remove uhms, tighten conversations, add chapter markers, adjust pacing, etc.
Heavy editing
Heavily narrative story-driven podcasts require a lot of editing. Consider yourself warned.
Editing Software
Most podcasts are edited with Audacity or GarageBand. If you’re on a Mac it’s already installed. Other great options include Adobe Audition, Reaper, or Descript.
There are also AI podcast enhancement tools that automatically edit your audio. Check out Adobe Podcast or Auphonic.
Creating Podcast Cover Artwork & Branding
Having great podcast artwork can really make your show stand out.
Great podcast artwork should have:
● High contrast
● Little to no text
● A professional design
● A clear visual identity
Using a tool like Canva can help. There are tons of free podcast cover templates and podcast logo templates. If you plan on growing your podcast long-term, it might be worth investing in a professional designer.
Ideally, your artwork will be exported at 3000 × 3000 pixels as a JPG or PNG.
Podcast Hosting Platforms
Think of podcast hosting as your podcast home. Hosting platforms store all of your podcast audio files. They also distribute your RSS feed to all of the major podcast directories.
When researching podcast hosting services, you’ll want to look at a few key features:
● Upload limits
● Listener statistics
● Distribution features
● Built-in players
● Pricing
Podcast hosting isn’t free. Hosting prices range from completely free to $300/month. Buzzsprout, Transistor.fm, Podbean, Spotify for Podcasters (formerly Anchor), and Libsyn are some of the most popular podcast hosts.
After you’ve chosen your podcast host and uploaded your first episode(s), you’ll want to submit your podcast to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, and Google Podcasts.
Publishing Your Show
When launching a podcast there are a few things you can do to set yourself up for success.
Release at least 3 episodes at launch
Giving listeners at least three episodes encourages them to binge your podcast when they discover it.
Write engaging episode titles
Craft episode titles that make people want to click. Immediately communicate what value they’ll receive by listening.
Include details in your show notes
Show notes can include episode summaries, guest bios, resources, links, transcripts, and more.
Growing Your Podcast
Growing a podcast requires intentionality. Here are a few strategies that will help you gain new listeners.
Get on other podcasts as a guest
Reach podcasts with audiences similar to who you’re trying to reach.
Find podcasts to cross-promote with
Look for podcasts with topics that complement yours.
Leverage social media
Turn quotes and clips from your podcast into social content.
Ask guests to share
Guests often have audiences you can tap into.
Add keywords for SEO
Make sure your show notes and transcripts are searchable.
Build a community around your podcast
Consider starting a Discord server, Facebook Group, or subreddit around your topic.
Monetizing Your Podcast
You’ve finally launched your podcast. Now what?
For most podcasts, monetization is a few episodes down the road.
The most common ways podcasters make money include:
Sponsorships / Podcast Advertising
It takes consistent downloads before most sponsors will consider your show.
Listener support
Platforms like Patreon, Buy Me a Coffee, and Supercast allow your audience to support your work.
Premium / Membership options
Offer bonus episodes, early access, or ad-free listening.
Business
Use your podcast to grow consulting, coaching, education, or service businesses.
How to Start a Podcast: Consistency Is Key
When looking up how to start a podcast, you’ll quickly realize anyone can start a podcast. Far fewer people can consistently produce great podcast content on a regular basis. Yes, podcast audio quality matters. Yes, you want your content to be well-produced. But if you’re not consistently publishing new episodes, it doesn’t matter.
Pick a release schedule you know you can keep up with. Build a workflow that allows you to record several episodes at a time so your publishing schedule doesn’t suffer.
If you need a break from recording, tell your listeners. Don’t make them wonder what happened.
Find me on Instagram or Twitter if you have any questions about starting a podcast!