How To Start a Podcast
Have you always wanted to have your own podcast?
Have you felt stuck because you don’t even know where to start?
Do you feel like you are stuck on the “how” part of starting your podcast?
Here are some tips to get you started! And hey, remember that I can simplify this even further for you if we decide to work together! So don’t let these tasks overwhelm you!
Concept/Brainstorming
The first place to start is to come up with a concept or an idea to build your podcast around. Pick a problem you want to solve or an area you want to add value. In this stage, I recommend brainstorming possible episode ideas and topics to see if you have enough content and also to make sure you are feeling good about the value you want to provide.
During this phase, you also want to get a handle on who your target audience is. You might find it helpful to write down in detail as much as you can about your ideal target audience. Think of your audience as one person. Describe as much as you can about that person including, where they live, their gender, age, their hopes, goals, dreams, what they want, and what they value. This will help you as you start to record episodes as imagining your audience will help you create content that provides value to your audience.
Equipment
One of the next steps is to decide what equipment you will need. Purchasing a mic will be a worthwhile investment, especially since your audience can’t see you and you will rely on your audio to get your message across successfully. With so many choices for mics, it is easy to get stuck in this stage and I can recommend some options to you so you can get unstuck and get recording!
Creating your Intro and Outro
Creating and recording a captivating intro and outro are important elements of your podcast. Be sure to include a call-to-action in your outro. Most intros and outros are also mixed with music so you will need to select a music clip (make sure you legally have the rights to use the music in your podcast) and mix it with your vocal tracks to create your new intro and outro.
Create a Trailer Episode
A trailer is the very first episode for your podcast. It is a short summary or description of your podcast and it lets listeners know what to expect from your upcoming podcast episodes. A trailer is usually less than 2 minutes in length and it usually is mixed with the same music you have chosen for your intro and outro.
Podcast Setup
In order to get your podcast out to your audience, you will need to publish it with a podcast/media host and create your RSS feed. After you have your host set up you will need to submit your podcast to all the podcast platforms and directories (eg. Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, etc.)
Recording, Editing, and Uploading Episodes
I recommend launching your podcast with 3 episodes. This gives your audience a good base to start listening to your podcast and gets them interested in listening to your future episodes.
You’ll need to decide on what software you want to use to record your podcast. If you are a solo show or if you are an interview show with guests, your options will be different.
After your show is recorded, you will need to edit your podcast audio. You will want to get rid of any stumbles, false starts, coughs, long pauses, etc.
Another thing you will want to do is reduce the background noise in your recording so that you are as clear as possible for your audience to hear you.
If you have guests on your show, you will also need to adjust volumes to make sure that one person is not speaking louder than the other and that everyone can be heard clearly by removing crosstalk (people talking over each other) where needed.
After your audio is edited and everything is sounding great, it is time to add your intro and outro!
Now that your episode is assembled, you can upload it, fill in all the info in your media host to schedule and publish your episode on your release day!
Writing Show Notes
Show notes are the summary and description of what your podcast episode is about. Show notes are visible in the description area of Apple Podcasts and other podcasts players to give listeners a quick idea of what to expect to hear in that episode. You will want to be clear and concise, all while keeping the attention of your listener. You don’t need to give away every detail of the episode, but you will need to let your listener see the value that you are providing to them in that episode.
Social Media and Promoting your Episode
Now that you have a new episode released, you need to let your community know that a new episode is ready for them to listen to.
You can promote your show by using social media quote cards, that take an important quote from the episode and features it as a graphic to entice listeners to listen to your episode. You can also go one step further and create audiograms, which are great to draw attention to your new episode. Audiograms are a sound bite from your podcast episode put together with an image, a waveform, and a caption.
If you have an email newsletter, be sure to let your community know that the latest episode is ready for them to listen to.
If all of this sounds overwhelming to you, no worries! I’ve got you!
With so many moving parts of the launch process, it is easy to feel stuck or lost. Launching a podcast is a lot of work, but SO rewarding! I love making this process simple for new podcasters and I have a system that gets your podcast launched in 8 weeks!
I walk you through everything and hold your hand along the way. You are no longer alone through this!
Interested in learning more about launching your podcast? I’d love to help you with your launch! I have 2 launch packages available depending on your needs. And my support does not stop there. I have packages available to help you with the weekly production of your podcast after your launch. I’ve got you covered every step of the way!
Let’s learn more about each other! Schedule a call with me today for a chat :)
Interested in learning more about podcasts? Join my email list. Don’t worry, I only send out my newsletter about once per month.