How to Start a Podcast?

Young woman records a podcast in her home office.

Podcast listenership continues to grow as more and more entrepreneurs are adapting to this technology. It is a great way to build a successful audience on a platform that is excitedly developing in many stages and offers a thorough content marketing strategy. You don’t have to be a technical person to start podcasting, all you need is your dedication and some equipment.

The easiest way to get a grip on this is to think of it as audio blogging. It is the same as blog posts in which you cover a specific topic and create a mainstream content channel for your audience. The huge benefit of podcasting compared to blogging is that it is constantly growing by 10 to 20% every year. And thanks to the newer AI systems like Google Home and Amazon Alexa, more and more people are searching for audio feeds.

So how can one start a podcast with minimal investment? Below are some of the highlighted points that will help you a lot.

Procedure to Start Podcast for Free

Choose a Niche

First of all, you should choose a niche or topic to get started. As a freelancer, business person, or marketing manager, choose something in which you can express yourself compassionately. If you pick something in which you can’t talk, how can anyone listen to what you have to say?

Do proper research and analysis, take notes of what you have to say, and provide relevant information based on your selected niche idea. Convert it to micro-niche to attract more visitors.

Show selection and Episode Format

This includes the length, style, and format of each of your podcasting shows. Don’t absurd your audience by providing hours long podcasts. Take a minimal effort and stick to it for the rest of the episode. For example, if you think that there are 10 features introduced in a new car that you want to podcast about, compare it with the previous model and make a format to explain these step by step.

Don’t include extra features or previously mentioned things that your audience already knows. Keep it short and to the point. The basic format for podcasting include:

Intro Music
Introduction
Welcome

Ad Spot (Optional)
Topic Discussion
Call to Action (Optional)

Closing section
Outro Music

Preparation for your Podcast

This includes your podcast cover art, intro, and outro music. Most people don’t invest in this section but we believe that it’s equally important as choosing your niche. Your cover art is the first thing that your audience sees.

After this, the intro music should be compelling enough to spice up the mood of your audience. There are a lot of royalty-free music intros available on the internet that you can use.

Equipment Required for Podcasting

Microphone: This is the first thing in which we recommend you to invest. Because most of your podcasting depends on this equipment, don’t cover yourself on this. Choose a good quality microphone that is well balanced, has a good dB rate, and comes with a standalone equalizer device or software support.

Laptop: This is the second most important piece of equipment for your podcasting journey. Basically, it handles everything from creating a cover art to managing your audio feed. A good quality laptop ensures that all your required software is supported on the system. You can also watch the list of some best laptops for podcasting.

Headphones: Headphones will protect you from many mistakes. It can be weird to listen to your own voice at first, but once you get a hold of this, there is a lot you can customize. You don’t want to record something for hours and then realize your voice was a little buzzy. A closed-back headphone is what you want for your podcast recording.

Other Accessories: We’re including all these in other categories as these are optional for your own convenience. The 3 above mentioned equipment is what you need for your podcast. This term includes an audio interface, shock mount, pop filter, mic stand, fixer, microphone cables, and editing software. Another tool but optional is the transcription foot pedal which can be a valuable tool to facilitate efficient transcription, allowing podcasters or transcriptionists to control audio playback without interrupting their typing flow.