Starting a podcast

Pick your niche / topic for podcast.

You need to pick a general theme for your topic. You want to target your ideal audience, which will make it easier when you are promoting and thinking of ideas to talk about.

Plan out your first 4 episodes.

How to create content

Scheduling your episodes

Chose a microphone and interface to record your audio.

I use Rode - http://www.rode.com/microphones/podcaster

Explore different types of mics (dynamic, omni, USB vs. XLR, etc)

Chose a platform to record on. We use Audacity (free) and a paid option is Adobe Audition.

You will need to record an intro and extro for each episode. This will make your podcast sounds more professional and can help people recognize your show once it gets more popular.

To record in Audacity, plug your microphone into your computer. Go to tracks – add new – mono track. Ensure your audio input is your microphone and output is your computer speakers. Hit the red circle to start recording. You want your levels to be at around -12dB. Once done recording, hit the red circle to stop recording and go to file export – export as MP3.

Create a cover for your podcast

We use Canva – we have a standard cover and a cover for each episode so we can add the title and episode number.

Chose a platform to host your episodes

You need a platform to upload and distribute your podcast audio files. Each episode will have a RSS feed to submit to Apple podcast and other platforms.

I currently use Whooshkaa for my public podcast and Blubrry for my private podcasts.

Top tip: You will need to have 4 episodes recorded before you can submit to Apple podcasts and other platforms. This process can take anywhere from hours to a couple of weeks. Ensure you read all the requirements are met before submitting so you don’t have to redo this process.

Once approved, make sure to stick to your schedule – I use Airtable to keep track of each episode, the release day, extra notes and what stage of it has been completed. I also stay at least one week ahead of schedule to stay super organized and to ensure you stay consistent if something was to go wrong and you couldn’t record an episode or one doesn’t work due to technical issues.

Upload to YouTube

If you want, you can upload your episodes to YouTube for further distribution. You can either use your podcast cover as the visual or you can record yourself filming your podcast with a camera/ phone and upload it this way. Keep in mind the extra editing that will have to be done if you decide to record yourself on camera.

I edit my episode on iMovie, which is free or you can use Adobe Premiere Pro. Once uploaded to Youtube I schedule it for the same time as the episode being released on podcasts and I add it to my podcast playlist.

Upload to your website

Don’t forget to upload your audio, podcast cover and description of episode onto your website! This is for even MORE exposure and your audience will have an easier chance of finding it when searching your name.

Writing show notes/ description

You will need to add a description for each episode. Make sure this is catchy that it will get people to stop scrolling and read what you are going to talk about. This is a tease and should draw people in. This could be the make it or break it part that decides if someone is going to listen to the episode. Don’t forget to use SEO tags so the episode has a higher chance of popping up online when someone searches you.

Promote, promote and promote!

Promote each episode across all your social media platforms. Transcribe each episode and you can use this to tease and write about each episode!! Use the best quotes from it to write on your Instagram story, Facebook posts, etc.