A research study showed that 57% of Americans have listened to a podcast. What’s even more compelling is that 75% of people have heard of the term “podcasting”. Having a podcast is becoming increasingly more popular year after year. Learn how to start a podcast yourself with these simples steps.
Starting a podcast isn’t as scary or intimidating as some may think. It is quite simple actually. You can have a podcast show up and running in no time!
Not only does starting a podcast can serve as a form of passive income (eventually), it can also help connect you to so many people across the world.
Now, I am very new to the podcasting world. I started a podcast literally last week and published my first episode a day later.
Find out the simple steps I did to get started and join me on this journey as I document everything I’m doing to have a successful podcast that makes money.
This post is all about how to start a podcast.
{Here is my very first podcast episode if you are interested}
How to Start a Podcast
1. What equipment are you going to use?
If you search how to start a podcast, you’re likely to come across several people trying to encourage you to buy really nice microphones. While I do see the benefit of having a nice mic, you don’t have to start there.
You can simply record using your iPhone. The built-in software and specs on iPhones are so high in quality that you can pretty much use your iPhone to do anything.
Every iPhone also comes with headphones. I saw a video on Youtube that suggested using the headphones that come with the iPhone to record using the built-in mic.
I tried using that and I didn’t like the feedback you can hear. It sounded much better using the mic on the phone itself.
2. Edit your recordings
Now, when it comes to recording your episodes or what you’re going to talk about, I find it helpful to write a script or have bullet points of what you’re going to say.
Having a script ensures that you never get off track and you won’t have to edit as much. I use the Achor app to record my episodes and the editing software isn’t as detailed. You can’t cut out a clip in the middle of your recording, but you can edit the beginning and the end of the clip.
Because of this, I find it extremely helpful to plan what I’m going to say so that I don’t have to edit out random things (although mistakes will happen).
I opt to record small clips of whatever I’m talking about. If I mess up, I can just delete that small clip and not have to completely restart EVERYTHING.
The other alternative is to use Garage Band (if you have an iPhone or MacBook) because you can actually edit much more through that app than you can through the Anchor app.
3. Where to upload episodes and distribute it?
There are several platforms you can use to host your podcast. I’ve done a ton of research to see which to use. After looking into a lot of options, I found that the best user-friendly option was the Achor app.
The Anchor app makes it super easy to create your profile, upload your podcast image, create a description of both your podcast and episodes and most importantly, distribute your podcast and episodes to several platforms.
The app automatically distributes your podcast to Spotify (because they are partners). It can also distribute your podcast to Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Amazon Music, and Stitcher (just to name a few).
It is incredibly EASY to do and is explained very well through the app! I highly recommend it!
As mentioned previously, I created a podcast and within two days created my profile, uploaded my first episode, and am now able to be listened to on both Spotify and Apple Podcasts… Two days!
Other Ways
Researching this gave me other options as well.
- Buzzsprout
- Soundcloud
Each of these options also seems pretty easy to use. I decided to use the Anchor app because I am using my iPhone to record (for now) just to see if I actually like doing this AND because the Anchor app lets you use free music clips or even songs from Spotify (those that are royalty-free).
In Closing,
Starting a podcast was probably one of the easiest things I’ve done all week. It is SO MUCH fun to do. Research shows that you can make more money through a podcast than you can through Youtube.
If you are interested in ways to make money through a podcast then stay tuned for more posts on my podcasting journey.
The next podcast post will be all about how I created my podcast profile, how I decided on my profile description, and how to start a podcast and make money.
If that is something that interests you, then leave a comment below and/or sign-up for my weekly email newsletter to get that post and other podcasting posts sent directly to your email inbox at no cost to you.
