A podcast is a great way for you to get your message across to many people in a relatively easy and cheap way. All they have to do is listen to one of your episodes and they will catch up. Today, we shall go through the basics you need to start a podcast. If you would like to start a podcast, there can be so little or so much needed depending on what your budget is like.
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First of all, you need to understand that there are no restrictions on time, format, design, output level, or anything else for you to start. Podcasts can be divided into “seasons” like a TV programme, or they can be episodic and continuous. A weekly release for new episodes is popular, but there are also regular podcasts, weekly podcasts, and really anything that the author wants. Simply put, a podcast is a collection of audio episodes.
Here are the basics you need to start a podcast
A lot can be required to start a podcast especially the equipment which is usually expensive. If you are looking towards starting small then expanding later, today we share the basics you need to start a podcast.
Planning
Planning is one of the most overlooked stages yet very important when it comes to getting the basics you need to start a podcast. At this stage, take your time to make the needed research because this could really come in handy.
Speaking to Mabel a host on Getting candid with Mabel and Ivy, she says “I think starting a podcast is one of the easiest things or the hardest things to start. The first thing you need is confidence in yourself and the ability to trust your content. You may also want to do background research on how other people do their podcasts.”
Select a topic
You want your podcast to concentrate on a certain subject or niche. Try to narrow it down to things you can talk about for a long time but isn’t so big that it won’t cater to your target viewers. You should still broaden the topic when you gain popularity.
After choosing your topic, you could choose to have a co-host or not. However, if you have a co-host, it is much easier to get started with podcasting. You would automatically have a more interesting conversation if you both share your perspectives on a topic. You may also divide additional duties such as editing, promoting, and so on.
Choose a name, it can be broad or specific. It is better to choose a name that is broad in case you want to change your topic later on.
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As we mentioned earlier, the length of your episodes doesn’t really matter. Some podcasts can go on for hours while others go for a few minutes. Choose what works for you just remember not to go off-topic as you speak.
Get a Microphone
Audio quality is critical, but getting a high quality microphone for podcasting does not have to be expensive. The least you need to record a podcast is a computer with a USB microphone and access to the internet.
“You need a good microphone. It can be the microphone from your phone, it can be a real microphone or anything that produces really good sound. You need a quiet environment so that your sound is good quality and so that it doesn’t get distorted by background noises,” Mabel explains.
Recording and Editing
You need to incorporate editing software. If you haven’t used editing software before, even simple actions can be quite intimidating.
Alitu is a ‘podcast making’ tool that automates a lot of the confusing technical parts, and practically builds your episode for you. It’s all based right inside your browser, so no software to download, and it works on any computer connected to the internet.
All you need to do is upload your recordings, and use the fool-proof podcast-specific editor to take out any big mistakes. Alitu does the rest. It also includes a library of music and jingles which you can use as your theme tune, or as transitions between segments.
Other podcast editing tools like GarageBand, Adobe Audition and Audacity can help you edit your episodes though are a bit more complicated to use.
Get a Podcast Host
Among the basics you need to start a podcast is a podcast host. This is a place to store and distribute your podcast’s audio files. You need to sign up with a media hosting service to host your audio files, and you can either have a website set up on their site to deliver them, or place them on your own existing website. They provide a podcast RSS feed (basically a listing of all your episodes) that you will submit to Apple Podcasts and other podcast directories.
Upload your first episode
This process is really simple depending on which podcast host you are using. Buzzsprout is the easiest and cheapest thing to use.
Submit to directories
After you’ve built your show in your preferred media host, you can send it to different directories where listeners can find, subscribe to, and archive it. Any good host, would have a good collection of auto-submit or guided-submission resources. They make it quick to get your show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and other common platforms.
Create a website
Podcast hosting companies usually give you a website, but you can also get yourself a separate WordPress host. For beginners, Bluehost is easily the best option (plus you’ll get a free domain name for the first year).
Among other things that Mabel recommends is just having a budget for expenses like data and probably an audio editor. This basically sums it up for the basics you need to start a podcast, it gets more technical but these steps should get you started.
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