Starting A Podcast: Tutorial & Checklist
So you've decided to start a podcast!
Or maybe you've almost decided to start a podcast.
Welcome to the wonderful world of audio content! I'll walk you through how to start a podcast, what equipment you need, what software will make podcasting easier, and how to tie your show into your small business.
Plus, we've created a How To Start A Podcast Checklist that will give you an easy way to track your progress toward starting your podcast. Click here to download it.
Before we get to the nuts and bolts of starting a podcast, we should probably talk through the elephant in the room: whether you should start a podcast in the first place.
Should you start a podcast?
Starting a podcast can serve several needs in your small business. It can provide you with a way to develop ideas and share your expertise with people who might want to hire you or buy your product. A podcast is also a great chance to network with colleagues and develop new relationships. Finally, a podcast can also provide a way to deepen your relationship with prospects since audio is often a longer-form, more intimate type of content.
Now that all sounds good—but certainly there's a catch, right?
I don't know if it's a catch, but there are some things to consider when you're deciding to start a podcast.
The first factor to consider is time.
Podcasting takes time. Even when you're outsourcing podcast production to a team or editor, you're still going to be responsible for planning, creating, and refining your audio content. I spend about 3 hours of my own time on each episode of What Works, plus our team here at YellowHouse.Media spends another 3-5 hours on it. The same is true for most of the podcast hosts we serve.
Before you start a podcast, consider whether you have the time to commit to regularly producing a high-quality show or whether you're thinking it's going to take less time than blogging or social media (because it doesn't).
Of course, the time you invest in your podcast can have significant upside, though!
The next factor to consider is the audience.
Do you have an existing audience who are primed to become listeners? That audience could be your email list, social media following, blog readers, or YouTube channel subscribers. Any group of people who have expressed an interest in hearing from you can become your initial podcast listeners.
If you don't have an existing audience (even a small one), make sure that you also have the resources to begin cultivating one as you're starting your podcast. Many people think that their show is going to drive their audience growth—and it can—but it's far more likely that your podcast is going to become the next thing someone who is interested in your work digs into instead of the first thing.
The reason for this is that listening to a podcast is an investment. Sure, financially-speaking, listening to a podcast is free. But it costs quite a bit in terms of time. There's also the opportunity cost—when something is listening to your show, they're not listening to another show they might subscribe to or want to check out.
Having an audience before you start podcasting means you'll have a base of people excited to make this investment.
Another factor to consider is business needs and goals.
Does your business need another form of content to reach its goals? And if so, is audio content the best way to fill that need?
The way I see it, the businesses and entrepreneurs who are best-suited to starting a podcast are the ones who have done a great job of building an audience and attracting new followers but have a hard time leaping to turn those followers into customers. A podcast can bridge the gap by giving your audience a way to learn more about you and discover how you can help them in a way that goes beyond a clickable blog post or a double-tap on their Instagram feed.
On the other hand, the businesses and entrepreneurs who are least-suited to starting a podcast are the ones who are trying to land in every marketing channel and crank out content to suit. Podcasting isn't a medium that lends itself well to optimization or generic repurposing. It's a labor of love—one that can undoubtedly serve and grow your small business but one that will require intention, curiosity, and a little bit of heart & soul.
You probably don't fall in either of these extremes, though. So here are some questions you can ask yourself to determine whether starting a podcast is a good fit for your business needs or not:
Do you need to focus more on growing your audience or nurturing the potential customers who are already paying attention? If it's the latter, that's one thing in favor of starting a podcast.
Do you want to answer questions or address your audience’s concerns in a way you haven't been able to do in a blog post, email, or social media post? If yes, starting a podcast is probably a great idea.
Do you need to expand your network and learn more about people you're interested in (whether they're colleagues or potential customers)? If yes, a podcast can help you do it.
Do you need a way to develop and experiment with new ideas to support your audience? If yes, podcasting is a good fit.
The final factor to consider when it comes to starting a podcast is...
Do you love podcasts?
Do you wait with anticipation for your favorite shows to release a new episode? Are podcasts a part of your daily routine? Do you subscribe to multiple shows for both professional development and personal interest?
Loving podcasts is an essential part of the equation because you're going to have to develop a show that you love to make a show that others love. And that's key: podcasting only works if your audience loves your show. If they just have a casual, take-it-or-leave-it attitude about your podcast, you're not going to see the benefits.
Alright, so hopefully, you're still with me and ready to start a podcast. If you're not, that's great, too. I'm glad to have helped you figure out whether it was the right next step for you.
Let's get into the nuts and bolts of starting a podcast.
These are the steps I'll walk you through:
Create your podcast premise & name your show.
Draft your podcast trailer.
Choose your cover art, music, show description, and launch content.
Invest in your equipment.
Produce your launch content (including trailer).
Choose your podcast host and prepare your show for distribution.
Submit your show to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other directories.
Share your trailer with the world!
Publish your launch content.
Find your podcasting rhythm.
I know that looks like a lot—and it is—but it's easier than you think it's going to be. Give yourself ample time, and you'll rock your podcast launch. We recommend giving yourself at least 8 weeks to work through the first 7 steps.
Ready to dive in? Here we go!
1. Create your podcast premise & name your show.
Your podcast premise is essentially a positioning statement for your show—and by extension, it says something about your brand’s positioning.
Hubspot defines a positioning statement like this:
The positioning statement acts to convey the value proposition to the brand's ideal customers while calling out the brand's identity, purpose, and distinguishing features.
Your podcast's premise does the same thing. It names what your show teaches or explores (the value proposition) and how it explores that question or topic in a way that's unique to your brand and your voice as a host.
Your podcast premise will form the foundation of your relationship with the listener, the foundation of your podcast content strategy, and the undercurrent of every offer you make on the show.
Here are some questions you can ask yourself to start finding your premise:
What topic do I want to explore or teach?
How will I explore or teach that topic differently than other shows do?
How can I use the format of my show to highlight this difference?
How can I use the content of my show to highlight this difference?
How can I use the voice or voices of my show to highlight this difference?
Once you've answered those questions, try to fit it into this fill-in-the-blank premise (and then make it your own):
The [Name of Podcast] podcast explores [subject area] through the lens of [your difference]. We do that by [how your format, content, and/or voice highlights the difference].
Now that you have your podcast premise, you can name your show.
It really is anything goes when it comes to naming your show (and renaming a show in the future isn't hard at all, so don't get hung up on this step!). But what I'd recommend you steer clear of is over obtuse or clever names. Keep it simple, keep it memorable, and, if possible, reference some aspect of your premise in the name of the show.
And if all else fails? There's absolutely nothing wrong with naming your show after yourself or your brand.
On to Step 2 of starting a podcast...
2. Draft your podcast trailer.
Your podcast trailer just like a movie trailer; it's a 2-3 minute preview of what the show is about, why it matters to the listener, and why you're bringing it into the world.
Your podcast premise is all about you understanding your show. Your podcast trailer is all about helping your listeners understand your show.
As your first piece of audio, your trailer will help you launch your podcast to your existing audience. And it will also act as the starting point for people who find your show but aren't sure they want to dive into an entire episode.
There are 3 parts to a podcast trailer: The Setup, The Promise, and The Call To Action.
The Setup is generally about the first half of the trailer.
The Setup introduces the topic, typically through a story or description that matches what the listener is thinking about. I like to start a trailer one of 3 ways:
the host shares a personal story related to the overall topic of the show
the host shares a customer story that relates to the topic
the host shares a description of the need or curiosity of the listener that's back up by research or expertise
The Promise section begins by introducing you and the name of your show. This is a great spot to share why you started the podcast and what you want to do for your listener. Then you can get into what you're promising to your listeners.
Are you promising new knowledge? Access to unique conversations? A sense of community and not being alone? Describe what you're promising as well as why it matters to listeners, using their language as much as possible.
You can also include a preview of some of the specific topics you'll be covering or questions you'll be answering.
This section is probably a little bit shorter than your Setup.
Finally, it's time for your Call To Action, which is the shortest section of the trailer.
The most important thing to ask your listener to do when they've heard the trailer is to "subscribe." This action benefits you as a podcaster because it means that more people will be automatically downloading your show every week, which ideally means more people will be listening to it. It benefits the listener because it takes the guesswork out of keeping up with your show.
This might seem obvious, but it's helpful to tell your listeners how to subscribe.
A few years ago, a friend of mine who is an avid podcast listener told me that she didn't know how to subscribe to podcasts. After my confusion faded, I learned that she simply listened on the Stitcher website on her computer at work. Her podcast habit hadn't ever made it over to an app on her phone!
Give people a suggestion of your favorite podcast apps and include Apple Podcasts (not iTunes—that's not a thing anymore) and Spotify since those are the apps listeners will already be most familiar with. And let them know that subscribing to your show is totally free as most things we subscribe to cost money.
This is also a good time to ask listeners to share the show with a friend who has the same question, curiosity, or need that they have.
I know it's tempting to throw in a bunch of other CTAs, like following you on social media, leaving a rating & review, or downloading a freebie. Resist! Keep it short and simple.
Your podcast trailer is not something to record off the cuff. Draft a script, revise it, try recording it (use the voice memo app on your phone to keep it easy), and then revise it again. Try to make it sound conversational while still remaining polished. Let your personality out in the way you write while also making it clear and concise.
You don't have to finish your trailer at this stage. Just get it close because your trailer will make the next few steps a whole lot easier. And the next few steps will help you finish off your trailer!
3. Choose your podcast cover art, music, show description, and launch content.
I know this sounds like a pretty massive step in terms of starting your podcast show.
But essentially, this step boils down to establishing the brand of your podcast.
We'll tackle your podcast cover art first.
Your cover art is the square graphic that accompanies your show in your podcast player. We create these as 3000x3000 pixel .jpg (72dpi) squares initially—the largest size Apple will accept— but we also resize the file into smaller formats. I find it's helpful to have a 1500x1500 and 500x500 versions at the ready. For your podcast feed, your cover art must be 500kb or smaller.
If you worked with a graphic designer for your website or business brand, it's a great idea to hire them for your podcast art, too. They'll help you make your cover art cohesive with the rest of your visual identity.
If you didn't or you don't want to make that investment right now, no problem! We love to use Canva for our clients' cover art. It's really easy to use (no experience needed), and there are plenty of templates to get you started (use a minimal Instagram template as there aren't currently any podcast cover art templates). You can also find really nice Canva templates on Creative Market.
When you or your graphic designer are creating your podcast cover art, keep these things in mind:
The cover art should be (mostly) legible at both the small size that will appear in the directories and in the larger size that will show up when the podcast is playing in-app as well as on your website
The cover art should stand out in your primary podcast category (more on that in Step 7). Look through the top charts in your category and notice if there are any overused colors or design trends, and choose something different
The cover art can include a picture of you—but it doesn't have to. A simple wordmark or an illustration can be a great choice, too
This should go without saying... but make sure the name of the show is large and legible. You might be surprised how many times it's not
Now on to an unexpectedly nerve-wracking part of this step: choosing your podcast music.
Your podcast theme music sets the tone for the show, and it enhances the brand of your podcast.
You want your theme music to match your manner of speaking and the topics you're going to be covering on the show.
If you have a bold voice and a punchy speaking cadence, don't pick something chill and mellow.
If you have a soft tone and a slower cadence, don't pick something upbeat and bouncy.
If you're exploring difficult topics, you don't have to choose a dirge, but you probably don't want a ukulele riff, either.
If your show is all about positive vibes, you don't have to choose a pop anthem, but you probably don't want something in a minor key, either.
It can be helpful to listen to the theme music of a variety of podcasts and make a note of what you like and don't like. What does that tell you about what you're looking for for your show?
To actually find the music you're going to use, you can try an inexpensive site like Audio Jungle or any of these free podcast music resources. It's going to take longer to find the right thing—but you won't have to pay as much for a license once you find it.
However, we prefer music licensing sites like Marmoset. Marmoset is a Portland-based company that works with performing musicians to license tracks that likely could have come right off of the radio! You can filter your search by mood, tempo, instruments, and vocals, as well as duration and genre.
Time to write your show description!
Your podcast show description is the paragraph of text that shows up at the top of your Apple Podcasts feed and most of the other podcast directories. It's part of what makes up your podcast brand.
Since you've already drafted your trailer and focused that script on why someone would want to listen to your show, you probably already have some copy you can use to get started.
Some things to keep in mind:
Be concise, but you don't have to be brief. This is not a tweet-sized message. I typically write show descriptions of about 150-200 words
You don't need to include the name of your show or your name (they're covered elsewhere in your show listing) unless it adds to what you're trying to say
Don't stuff it with keywords or all the names of the hot-shot guests you're going to interview. Yuck (and also, keyword stuffing is just never good)
Make sure you include why someone should listen to your show. It's called a show description, but really it's more like an ad
Finally, decide on the content you want to launch with.
We find that launching with 2-4 episodes in addition to your trailer helps new listeners develop a relationship with the show quickly.
These initial episodes will be part of the brand picture you're creating for those initial listeners.
You do not need to start at the very beginning—it's a fine place to start, but it's not the only place to start. Instead, you can choose the topics that are intriguing you the most right now and explore those. Or, you could find a few friends you know you can have great on-topic conversations with and invite them to help you co-create those first few episodes.
We're always more concerned with ease and energy in your first podcast episodes than with some grander content strategy. Do what you need to do with this content to make it easier for you and to put out a great first product for your listeners.
4. Invest in your equipment.
Everyone wants to know what kind of mic to buy when they're thinking about starting a podcast!
The truth is that what you need to start a podcast matters less than how you use it.
But let's go ahead and get microphones out of the way.
There are 2 main types of microphones to consider as a podcaster: a USB mic or an XLR mic.
USB mics are going to be cheaper but typically don't capture sound quite as well and tend to not allow for much adjustment beyond gain (volume). These mics are great because they are easy to use: just plug & play!
On the other hand, an XLR mic uses the same kind of mic cable you'd see at a concert or a lectern. The cable itself allows for capturing better sound. Still, it means there's an additional piece of equipment to buy: a digital audio interface. That product provides the "in" for your XLR cable and the "out" (USB) that plugs into your computer.
You might hear about other kinds of recording equipment you can buy, but a beginner podcaster does not need it! I'm 5-year podcasting veteran, and I'm still holding things down with a mid-level XLR mic and a simple digital audio interface.
You might also hear about other kinds of microphones: dynamic vs. condenser, cardioid vs. omnidirectional. Don't worry about this either (as I send shivers down the spine of audio engineers everywhere!). I'll make a few podcast mic recommendations, and that will take care of it!
Last thing before I make gear recommendations: choose your budget first.
It's entirely possible to start a podcast for less than $100 in gear—and make it sound good. It's also entirely possible to spend $500 or $1000—and not sound any better.
Regardless of the equipment you invest in to start your podcast, make sure you also invest time in trying out your mic, learning where to put it, and arranging your space to encourage quality sound.
Alright, our top pick for $100 or less is the ATR 2100-USB by Audio Technica. This is the mic that YellowHouse.Media co-founder Sean McMullin uses. It's a solid little mic for just $80 or less. It's a USB mic, so there's really nothing else you need to make it work.
We do not recommend the Blue Yeti microphone, even though it's been a popular mic over the years. But if you have one and budget is an issue, just check out this tutorial on getting it set up.
Stepping up from there, we recommend the Rode Podmic ($99) or Rode Procaster ($230—the microphone I'm currently using). These mics both use XLR cables, so you'll also need a digital audio interface like the Focusrite Scarlett 212 ($159). If you're going to spend $100 or more on a mic, it's worth it to go the XLR-route. Don't be intimated; it's really just 1 more piece to plug-in!
Finally, the dream microphone (which I just keep put off buying because my Procaster works great) is the Shure SM7b with Cloudlifter ($589). The SM7b is going to plug into the Cloudlifter, which will plug into your preamp or digital audio interface (like the Focusrite from above).
A few other pieces of "equipment" you might need:
A pop filter and/or windscreen - this inexpensive little piece of equipment will help your voice sound smooth and even, even when you're excitedly saying things like "popcorn" and "punctuation!"
An adjustable mic arm - this is worth the money ($40-100) because it allows you to be freer with your hands while you're speaking and avoids picking up desk noise with your mic
Heavy curtains, rugs, or canvas wall art - a huge part of how your podcast sounds is how your room sounds and soft surfaces that absorb sound—instead of reflecting it back into your mic—will take your sound to the next level
5. Produce your launch content.
It's finally time to make a podcast! In this step, you'll get to the work of recording your first podcast episodes.
As I mentioned above, it's helpful to prioritize content that's going to feel easy for you. Getting behind a mic for the first time is always a bit nerve-wracking. So whether that means talking about a topic you're really passionate about or talking with friends for your first few interviews, let it flow.
We recommend producing your content in this order:
Make an initial recording of your trailer as a warm-up
Record the content of your first 2-4 episodes (solo or interviews)
Record the intros & outros for those first episodes (whether canned or episode-specific)
Make a final revision on your trailer (actually making content tends to teach you some things about your show), and then make a final recording
Edit the trailer and add your music
Finally, edit the first episodes
As you're recording content, keep this in mind: editing is faster than trying to get it perfect.
It might seem counterintuitive, especially if you're new to editing and you're going to be editing your own podcast. But editing is always faster than trying to get a perfect take.
When you're recording a script, try going one or two sentences at a time. Say things a few times to try it out in different ways. Pause, regroup, try it again. When you go back to edit it, you're just stripping away all of the takes that didn't work out.
Pro tip: We use a piece of software called Descript that uses a text-editing feature to make this process even faster. More on Descript later!
6. Choose your podcast host & prepare your show for distribution.
Your podcast host is the software service that holds the .mp3 files for your podcast, creates your podcast feed, and helps you get your show distributed across all the different podcast platforms.
It's a lot like your website host. Your website host holds all the files that go into your website and provides the software that makes it all run so that your website is always available from anywhere in the world.
While many people expect that you have to upload your new podcast episodes to each platform (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, etc...) individually, it's actually just a matter of uploading new episodes to your podcast host. It's less like social media and more like a blog—in fact, your podcast feed and your blog feed share their basic structure (RSS).
Podcast hosting is remarkably inexpensive, with costs between $15-20 per month for the vast majority of shows. We do recommend choosing a podcast hosting service that you have to pay for over a service that is free. Free podcast hosts make their money by inserting ads on your show—which might be fine for a hobbyist but is a non-starter for small business owners.
Our favorite podcast host right now is Transistor.FM, a very small company with a fabulous product, and we also host a bunch of shows on Blubrry. LibSyn is another well-respected old guard podcast host with great people behind it. One of those 3 podcast hosts should do you well.
Once you've selected the podcast host you're going to use, follow their instructions for setting up your show and preparing it for distribution. Each host is a little different, but you'll be prompted to upload your cover art and trailer, input your show description, and choose the Apple Podcasts categories for your show.
Just take this step by step and refer to any host-specific documentation that's provided for you.
Once you're done, your podcast host will create your RSS feed and share the URL with you.
Your RSS feed is your ticket to submitting your show to all of the different podcast platforms. It’s how new episodes will be automatically added for your subscribers.
And that leads us to a very exciting step...
7. Submit your podcast to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, and Stitcher.
Once your podcast is all set up at your host, and you have your show's RSS feed, it's finally time to submit your show and get it listed!
The first place to go is Apple Podcasts Connect and start your account. From there, you'll add your show, validate your RSS feed, and then submit it for review.
Apple manually reviews each show submitted, so this does take a bit of time (typically 3-10 days, but it can be longer at the holidays and during peak seasons). So plan to submit your show at least 2 weeks before you're hoping to do your official launch.
Once your show is accepted and listed by Apple, you can submit your podcast to Spotify, Google, and Stitcher. You can also submit your show to RadioPublic.
Your show is typically listed pretty quickly at each of these platforms—and from there, other apps like Overcast, Castro, and Castbox will pick it up automatically, no need to submit it manually.
The only other manual thing I'd recommend is claiming your vanity URL at Pod.Link. Pod.Link is a handy little landing page for your show that links out to all of the major podcast apps. For just $12 per year, you can get a vanity URL for your show (like pod.link/yourshow) so that it's easy to send people to in an interview or via social media.
8. Share your trailer with the world!
Now that your new podcast is appearing in all of the major directories and apps, you can ask people to check out the trailer and subscribe to the show.
You can share it on social media, of course. You can also share it with your email list.
But the most valuable way to share it—and the most underutilized—is to simply send an email to your friends and colleagues who want to support you (that's probably a lot of folks!).
Make it "personal newsletter" style, the way you would send an email about a promotion or a new member of the family. Let them know what you've been up to and why you're excited about the podcast. Tell them what it's about and who it's for (whether that's them or not).
Then, ask them to check out the trailer and subscribe if it's something they're into. Also, ask them to share with a friend who matches the description of your ideal listener.
9. Publish your launch content.
I'm going to cover launching in detail below. So suffice to say, once your trailer is up and you're ready to really get people listening to your show, upload your content and schedule it for launch day!
One aspect of publishing your podcast that we haven’t talk about yet is your podcast show notes. Show notes are essentially episode descriptions, and they’re often used to highlight key takeaways from the episode, links to resources or people that were mentioned, and information about the guest (if you have one).
Writing show notes can often be a step that’s ignored or rushed—so make sure it’s part of your plan. Don’t skimp, either! Great show notes are going to read like a blog post and include all of the important information your listeners are going to want to reference. Your show notes don’t have to be long, but they shouldn’t be just a few sentences—we aim for about 300-500 words.
10. Find your podcasting rhythm.
I'm including this step as part of "how to start a podcast" because it's the forgotten step that so often leads to pod fade—that's the slow, quiet death of a podcast because the host has lost interest or can't take the time to produce a new episode.
Whether you've chosen a weekly format, an every-other-week format, or a seasonal approach, finding your rhythm is key. Podcasting is a multi-step process that unfolds over weeks or even months for each episode. Without a system for moving each episode forward a little bit at a time, you'll get overwhelmed and won't be able to consistently produce a show.
While your time frames might vary depending on your schedule and podcast frequency, we like to imagine each episode taking shape week by week.
One episode might unfold over the course of 4 weeks (and really, the guest for that episode might have gotten booked 2 or 3 months before the episode is released). Getting into the groove and making sure that you're moving your production schedule ahead every week is key to staying consistent.
It can be overwhelming—and maybe even a big break from your norm—to think about content that far in advance. But once you've found your rhythm, it's a really satisfying process. It can help you strengthen your consistency throughout your small business.
Now, you might choose to create your content and produce your show in batches. But it's still going to unfold over time—one week you might record 4 episodes, another you record the intros, the next week you edit them, and then finally, you schedule them to release over the course of a month. This is a great rhythm, too!
Whether you're producing little by little week after week or producing in batches, the biggest thing is not to let the next step sneak up on you. Know that you're working on 3 or 4 episodes simultaneously, in different stages. Or, know that once you're finished with 1 batch of episodes, it's time to start working on the next.
It’s time to launch your podcast
At this point, you’re probably wondering how to launch your podcast and get listeners.
This is probably a good time to dispel the myth that a podcast is an audience-building medium. It can be. But it’s much more likely that your listeners are going to be people who are already following you and your business: your email list, your social media followers, and your existing customers or clients.
I like to think of a marketing strategy having 3 main parts: growth & discovery, nurturing & engagement, and evaluation & conversion.
Most media can be used in any of the 3 parts—but typically, it does one best.
Podcasts are incredible for nurturing & engagement. They help people who are already aware of you or your business dig in and go deeper. They can also serve the purpose of evaluation & conversion remarkably well. But growth & discovery? Not so much.
So that means that the key to launching a podcast is to leverage your existing audience—even if it’s small.
We launch a podcast in 2 phases—and each phase has 2 distinct target audiences: all of the people who are following you in some capacity already and a list of friends & colleagues.
First phase: sharing the podcast trailer
The first phase of launching your podcast is to share the trailer when it’s live. It’s a great way to give people a sneak peek of what’s coming and find your first group of subscribers.
Plus, a trailer is a more “shareable” piece of content than a full episode—so it’s a great time to ask people who are excited about the launch of the show to share your show with someone they know who could benefit.
We like to have a trailer up for a week or two before officially launching the first episodes of a show. This gives plenty of time to talk about the trailer, get people excited, and encourage people to subscribe. Plus, it gives you a nice buffer while you’re busy getting your show listed on directories and waiting to be approved!
We recommend podcast hosts share their trailer with their email list and social media followers, as well as sending a personal email to customers or clients who can really help you get the word out.
We also recommend sending a “personal newsletter” style email to colleagues and friends, letting them know you’ve created a podcast and could use their help getting off the ground. Make it easy for them to support you, and they will!
Second phase: sharing the official launch
Now it’s time for your “official” podcast launch! You’ve scheduled your launch content, and the day has arrived.
In this phase, you essentially repeat the actions you took with the trailer, but this time you’re sharing your full-length episodes!
When you shared your trailer, you were inevitably talking about the podcast as a whole and getting people excited about that bigger idea.
Now that there are episodes out for people to listen to, you can speak specifically about those episodes and why someone would want to listen to each one or what stood out for you about each episode. Include a sentence or two about each episode in your communication—it’ll help people really get a feel for your new podcast!
Finally, sharing your launch isn’t a once & done kind of thing. Since you’re launching with a few episodes in your feed, you have the opportunity to drip out communication—especially on social media—over the course of a week or two by focusing on one episode at a time.
Additional media to create for your podcast launch
Creating graphics and videos (yes, video) for your podcast launch is definitely a nice-to-have, not a have-to-have. But even a few extra media assets can help you make a splash with your show.
We use Canva to create “coming soon” graphics for promoting the trailer, as well as “pull quote” graphics for promoting episodes.
We also use Canva to create the background images for audiograms—those are little videos you’ve likely seen on Instagram or Facebook that play the sound from a podcast—often with captions—over top of a static image. Once we have a clip selected and an image created, we use a great app called Headliner to create the video.
As a new podcaster, creating media like this for your podcast episodes might feel daunting—but it’s all part of the rhythm. Once you establish a process and flow, it will fit right in with the rest of the production work.
What software & equipment you need to start a podcast
I covered mic basics earlier, but you probably still have some questions about what exactly you need to start a podcast.
You need a mic, for sure. Please don’t try to use your built-in computer mic or your earbuds (earbuds are fine for a guest, but not for you). Click here to scroll back to our recommendations at different budgets.
And, you’re probably going to want to use your computer. You don’t need anything fancy—and technically, your phone or tablet could do the trick, but I like the ease of just working on the computer.
You need a place to record. Ideally, you’re recording your podcast in a small room with plenty of soft surfaces. A closet is a great place to record if you don’t have a space that fits the bill. You can also build a pillow fort (seriously!) or just stack pillows around your computer & mic.
Fun fact: Mike Birbiglia records his podcast, Working It Out, in a pillow fort built by his daughter Oona and she gets a credit at the end of every episode!
As I mentioned earlier, you might also want to grab a pop filter or windscreen for your mic and a mic arm. But that’s basically it in terms of the hard equipment.
Now, we move on to podcasting software.
First, you need software for recording.
If you’re doing a solo show, good news! You probably already have this. On a Mac, your QuickTime or GarageBand apps will do just fine. If you’re using a PC, you can use the Voice Recorder app. And if you’re on Linux, I think you can figure it out!
If you’re doing an interview show, you’re probably going to want to make a small investment in a recording service to maximize quality on both your end and your guest’s end.
Now, technically, yes, you can record a Zoom call and use that for your podcast. However, Zoom calls have a less-than-stellar audio quality. There’s always the risk that the call gets distorted when either your or your guest’s internet fritzes a bit.
For about $20/month, you can grab a service like Squadcast (what we use with our clients and what I use for What Works) that records in a super high-quality format.
The other—amazing—thing that it does is record your track and your guest’s track locally. That means that instead of “recording the call” the way Zoom or Skype does, the sound that’s being captured is actually the sound on either end of the call. Your sound is recorded on your end. Your guest’s sound is recorded on their end. Those tracks are continuously uploaded to the cloud (along with back-ups) so that you get perfect audio every time—even if your internet gets weird!
Second, you need software for editing.
More than adequate software for editing a podcast is now readily available.
On a Mac, GarageBand will do the trick. On a PC, check out Audacity.
For Adobe lovers, Audition is a sophisticated choice.
Plenty of tutorials exist for adding music, reducing background noise, and exporting files in the right format on YouTube.
It might take you a bit of time to learn to edit and become efficient—but it’s a really accessible skill.
There’s one more editing tool that I can’t help but mention, and that’s Descript.
This is not an essential tool for podcasting, but it’s changed how I work, changed how our team works and changed how many of the podcasters we know & support work.
Descript is an audio and video editing app that allows you to edit your media files like a document.
Once you’ve uploaded or recorded an audio file (like your interview or a solo recording), Descript transcribes the file and displays the text above the waveform you’re used to seeing in something like Audacity or GarageBand.
You can scan through the text looking for any parts that you want to move around, cut, or even excerpt for promotional material.
If you see something you want to cut, for instance, you can highlight the text and hit delete—just like you would in a document—and both the text and the audio for that section are removed. Want to move something? Cut and paste.
For podcasters who want a more edited, polished end-product, Descript is a powerful tool.
Third, you need software for distribution.
I’ve already detailed your podcast host—which is the most essential piece of software you need for distribution.
But there are also some other things to consider.
If you don’t already have a website, we highly recommend setting up a simple one for your podcast. It might not seem necessary right now, but you’ll be glad you started one before it seemed necessary!
Squarespace makes setting up a website for a podcast really simple and has a built-in audio player so that you can embed your podcast episodes right into your site. Squarespace can also act as your podcast host in a pinch—but our recommendation would be to opt for a standalone host, where you’re going to get better support and, likely, more features.
WordPress is still one of the gold standards for websites, and really, if you can dream it, you can build it with WordPress. However, that can also make WordPress a bit daunting for someone who isn’t experienced setting up or maintaining websites. So use caution if you go this route and consider hiring a designer who can help you get squared away with a site that’s beautiful and easy to manage.
As you release podcast episodes, you’ll want to use your show notes to create a blog post on your website for each episode, no matter what platform you choose. This helps more people find your show via search and gives you a central place to send people who are interested in the show.
Finally, you need software for marketing.
Okay, “need” is a strong word. But promoting your podcast is key to finding listeners, and some simple software tools can give you some really fun options for doing it.
I’ve already mentioned Canva. We rely heavily on Canva to power how we create marketing assets for podcasts.
We recommend creating a few templates for yourself (or purchasing a set on Creative Market) so that you’re never starting from scratch—unless you want to. We use a template to create a square pull quote graphic for each episode (perfect for Instagram and Facebook), a rectangular header graphic (perfect for the top of your blog post and Twitter), and a tall rectangular graphic (perfect for Stories).
The next piece of software we use for creating marketing assets is called Headliner. Every time I post something we’ve created in Headliner, I get messages saying, “What app did you use for that?!” Headliner!
So what’s Headliner? Headliner helps you combine a static image (like one of the templates you’ve created in Canva) with an excerpt of your podcast episode to create a video that you can post on social media.
So, where does an aspiring podcaster go from here?
Starting a podcast and pulling off a successful podcast launch is no small task. It’s a whole slew of both small tasks and big tasks.
And without organizing the work effectively, it's easy to get derailed and fall behind. So we've turned this article into a handy cheatsheet—a checklist for how to start your podcast.
This checklist will not only help you ensure that you accomplish each step but also give you a timeline for completing the process. Use the checklist to build a project in your favorite project management program, share it with your team, or use it as you begin to fit starting a podcast into your bigger business plan.
Click here to access our How To Start A Podcast Checklist.
Happy podcasting!