What You Need To Know To Start A Podcast

June 22, 2020

What You Need To Know To Start A Podcast

I have only been podcasting for a few months now, so don’t get it twisted – I am by no means a professional over here. I am still learning about how to podcast each and every week.

But I know a lot of you are also interested in the podcasting space and have been asking for my go-to equipment and how to go about starting one.

I was in your shoes last Fall and I literally googled “how to start a podcast”. I was a bit overwhelmed with all of the information and what do do first. To help make your lives a bit easier and less overwhelming, I put together a list of everything I have and use to podcast.

Most would say to go into podcasting with a set plan. I personally don’t operate best with a plan and instead like to keep an open mind and see where it takes me. My podcast, Just the Good Stuff, is usually interview format. Sure, I have done 1 solo episode but I personally love to interview guests on the show to share their stories with you guys.

There isn’t a specific genre either for Just the Good Stuff as you guys know. One episode I have a business Founder on like Samantha Abrams of Emmy’s. Then in another I am interviewing a hormone expert like Alisa Vitti. Anyone who can come on and sharing a story and hopefully inspire you guys to pursue your dreams or bring you one step closer to figuring out a health issue (like in the episode with Dr Will Cole).

You’ll also have even more ideas for your podcast once listeners request topics and such. I always love hearing from everyone!

Here is everything I bought/did when I decided to start a podcast:

Set up hosting – similar to starting a blog. It has to be living in the internet somewhere. Your host is where you upload episodes once they are ready to air or be scheduled. You also add in the descriptions here and titles. Your host treats a podcast rss feed, which is how it gets to places like iTunes or Spotify. I use Podbean.
Order equipment – I recorded every single episode in person before the quarantine. I still use all of my equipment though like my recorder to record the ads and intros. I have 2 of these microphones (one for me and one for guests) plus these microphone stands and these headphones. The stands are optional and not necessary but I like having them. Don’t forget a memory card too for the recorder and the plug so you don’t rely on the battery life.
Recording digitally – I’m by no means “ms. tech savy”, which is why I love using Zoom to record digital episodes now. They make it super easy for you, but there are plenty of options of other softwares too. Some use Skype and Zencastr too.
How to submit to iTunes: once your podcast is ready to go and you have at least 1 episode to air, you will want to submit it to iTunes for sure. To submit go to this link It took a couple days for mine to get approved so don’t fret if it isn’t quick!
Other random things to do: pick a name, design a graphic, figure out how you’ll edit the episodes (I outsource editing to save on time). My graphic is also my headshot with my font on it – nothing fancy.
Monetize your podcast: this does NOT come overnight. I still don’t make that much money from my podcast compared to blog and Instagram. This comes with time and as your podcast grows. But I always recommend pitching yourself to brands and see if they are interested. If anything, they will give an affiliate code to share which I find to be very successful for podcasting.