Have you ever considered starting your own podcast but don’t really know how to take the first step? Then this article is for you – it provides you with an easy to follow guide on how to get started as well as a few industry tips and tricks.
- Come up with a relevant topic and catchy title for your podcast. This step is important because the discussions that take place on your podcast episodes need to be engaging and relevant.
This does not mean that the discussions have to appeal to all audiences, in fact, some of the most successful podcasts around are very niche and only appeal to a specific group of individuals. So, the aim is to find a topic that you, as a producer, will enjoy but also that your audience whether it be large or small will enjoy.
- Plan the layout of your podcast episodes. A very standard layout would contain an intro, the main discussion and an outro.
At the end of the day, listeners have come to hear the main discussion, that’s why it’s a good idea to keep your intros and outros short and to the point. The standard layout is a great template to work off of because it can easily be customised to create your unique episode structure as it allows you to add your own segments, narrations and advertisements throughout.
- Equipment – knowing what gear to use for recording and editing your podcast episodes can be rather daunting, especially as a newbie.
The most important gear that you’ll need is a microphone, a computer and editing software. There are countless options of microphones and editing software programmes out there so finding the right one for you should be based on several elements.
A major deciding factor for many when buying gear is pricing. Microphones and software can be very expensive but there are a number of brands that offer good quality products at affordable prices. At the top end of the scale, should budget not be an issue, the Shure SM7B dynamic mic along with the Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) Pro Tools comes highly recommended.
In the mid range, A decent pairing would be the Rode Procaster USB mic with Descript podcast software while at the lower end of the scale, if your budget is tight, you could try the Samson Meteor USB mic paired with Audacity, a free editing software programme.
There are also several great YouTube videos and online articles that provide detailed reviews on gear.
Something to consider when purchasing a mic is whether it is USB or XLR. USB mics connect directly to your computer whereas XLR mics need to be connected to a sound-card or audio interface which then connects to your computer.
- So once you’ve recorded and edited your podcast, the final step would be to share it with the world. You can share your podcast to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and other directories through podcast hosts such as Buzzsprout.
All you have to do is upload an mp3 of your episode to your chosen podcast host and this mp3 will then be shared to the various podcast directories you’ve selected. When you upload an mp3 to your podcast host, it’s also a good idea to add show notes to the description of your episode so that people have a better idea of what it’s all about.
So, there are a few tips and tricks on how to get started with your first podcast. One last piece of advice is to remember not to get caught up in the nitty gritty of it all. It doesn’t matter if your microphone isn’t the most expensive or if your editing skills could still use some work. What matters is your story, because if your story is compelling and genuine, there will always be someone out there to listen to it.