How to Start a Podcast: A Complete Step-by-Step Tutorial

How to Start a Podcast: A Complete Step-by-Step Tutorial

If you are looking for a guide to guide you on how to start a podcast, you are in the right place ...

Starting a podcast is not difficult, but there are a number of steps you will need to follow to launch it.

In this podcasting tutorial, we'll walk you through each step of the process:

•     Choose a subject and a name

•     The program and episode format

•     Creating the cover art

•     Intro and Out Music

•     Team Selection

•     Audio recording and editing

•     Submission to (iTunesApple Podcasts)

•     Promotion tips

And much more...


Podcasting is a much less crowded and competitive space than blogging, so now is the perfect time to start.

In April 2020, there are just over 900K podcasts, but over 600 million blogs!

In case you're wondering, I've helped thousands of people start a podcast in the past few years, and started some shows in different industries myself.

Looking to start a podcast quickly? Sign up for Buzzsprout, upload your audio files and send them to Apple and Spotify.

Let us begin:

Planning

This is the initial (often overlooked) stage of podcasting. You'll want to spend a good amount of time here before moving on.

Feel free to check out a notebook or whiteboard so you can start planning your podcast like a pro.

Select a topic

Our goal is to focus on a particular topic or niche.

Try narrowing it down to something you can talk about for many episodes (over 100) but it's not so broad that it doesn't appeal to your potential audience.

For example, instead of having an "outdoor" podcast, talk about hiking - or even more specific, like 14ers hiking.

You can always expand your theme later as you become more popular.

Important: See the section on choosing a name to make sure you don't limit yourself.

Choose a co-presenter (optional)

Do you have a friend, partner or co-worker with whom you want to co-host?

It will be much smarter to start podcasting if you have a co-host.

They will naturally have a more interesting conversation if they both share their views on one topic. It can also be helpful to have someone to keep things in order.

Plus, you can split additional tasks for editing, promoting and more.

However, there may be downsides.

They will want to make sure that both are committed for the long term. And it helps to set a schedule from the beginning so you know when you're going to record each week.

Although there are no rules here. If your co-host drops out, you could continue the podcast without them. Or you could start yourself and find a co-host later.

The important thing is to start ... so let's choose a name:

 Choose a name

If you look at the top charts on Apple Podcasts, you'll see a variety of different names.

Some are descriptive of what the show is about, while others don't mean much.

I'm actually apparently going to contradict what I said earlier: You want to choose a name that is broader than your topic.

Using the example of hiking from before, if we choose "The cast of the 14" as a name, what happens when we want to talk about backpackers and ultralight camping too?

Instead, choose a name that allows you to expand if you decide to do it later. Maybe "Mountain Adventures (above and below 14K feet)" would work as it gives a hint to 14-year-old hikers but gives you the option to talk about all sorts of things if you want.

It just occurred to me as I was writing this, I'm sure you could do better!

Action step: Buy a domain name (opens in a new tab) for your podcast.

Another option is to get a free domain name with a Bluehost web hosting plan. You can search right here on this page - give it a try!

 Exhibition format

 Length

You will find that various "experts" claim that certain lengths are perfect for podcasts. The problem is that this is nonsense.

You don't need a 28-minute podcast because that's the average driving time. Or less than an hour because people can't pay attention any longer.

There are 5 minute and 6 hour podcasts. Find whatever works for you and run with it!

What I would try to avoid is making it longer than necessary because you strayed from the topic for 15 minutes.

Style

Talk shows are popular, but that doesn't mean you have to do one.

You can do solo (or co-presented) shows half the time and talk shows the other half.

A great benefit of doing interviews is that they help a lot to get new listeners, especially if you make it easy for your guest to share with prewritten templates and graphics.

Format of the episodes

So what does a specific episode sound like? I wrote this post about podcast intros, but it has tons of examples of different episode formats for popular podcasts.

Here is an example:

•  Teaser
•  Intro music
•  welcome
•  Commercial
•  Interview
•  Call to action ("Review us on iTunes!")
• Outro Music

Get creative with this part.

Different segments make it easy to share small clips on social media too.

But remember that for every episode you post, you will have both repeat listeners and new listeners, so you should try talking to both of them.

Preparation

Now that you've written your theme, format (s), and secured a domain name, we'll need to prepare a few things before launch ...

Create cover art

Your cover is the first impression that most people will see when browsing Apple Podcastssu favorite podcast app.

It can also be the image someone sees when you share your show on social media.

Buzzsprout has written a great cover design article, so I'd definitely start there.

If you have a little budget, I recommend 99 designs to create yours.

You'll have hundreds of different designers to produce a draft, and then you can choose the ones you like to make them more refined.

Choose the introductory music

I'm a big fan of PremiumBeat for podcast music.

It's easy to search, you get a full license, and they have a ton of different styles.

Check out this post on royalty-free music for more options.

Most people don't need an unlimited subscription music service, just one or two songs.

Get a microphone

Audio quality is important, but it doesn't have to cost a ton to get a good-quality microphone for podcasting. One of the most popular podcasting microphones is the Audio-Technica ATR2100x-USB (new version for 2020).

It is both a USB microphone and has an XLR connection that allows you to update your recording equipment without the need for a new microphone.

I recommend taking a look at our podcast starter kit post for more options here, especially if you plan to have a co-host or two.

Podcast Guests

If you're doing a talk show, now is the time to make a list of who you want on your podcast.

Then start approaching them.

It can be helpful to use a service like Sharpness Scheduling so that people can book directly into your calendar when it's convenient for you.

This saves the headache of coming and going working at the meeting time - and means you can focus on getting more guests!

In addition, you can ask them for certain information such as their Skype username or an introduction that you can read when they program with you.

Recording and editing

Alitu (The Easy Way)

If you haven't used editing software before, even simple actions in GarageBand or Audacity can be quite intimidating.

It's understandable: Audio production is completely full of jargon!

If that's the case, then Alitu might be the way to go.

It's a podcasting tool that automates many of the confusing technical parts, and practically builds your episode for you. It is all based on the inside of your browser, so there is no software to download, and it works on any computer connected to the Internet.

It is built to be super simple to use and does just about everything:

•  Takes care of audio cleaning
•  Allows you to add music
•  Helps you put your audio segments together
•  You have direct publication of your episodes.

All you have to do is upload your recordings, and use the specific foolproof podcast editor to eliminate any big mistakes. Alitu does the rest!

Even better, Alitu includes a music library and jingles that you can use as your main theme, or as transitions between segments.

Whether you're a complete beginner, or an experienced podcaster looking to dramatically cut production time, you should definitely give Alitu a try. It comes with a 7-day free trial, so sign up here and try it out!

Create a template

Before you start, it will be much easier if you create a template that you can reuse every time you record a podcast episode.

Which means that you will have your intro and outlet music already placed, space for commercials, as well as your tracks for your voice or an interviewee.

Note that this will look different depending on the format of your episode - create a podcast template that works for you. Here is one I use:

I just open the template, click on File -> Save As and save the file as my episode name (i.e. 008-episode-8-title).

This will also keep any effects you've applied to tracks, including compression, EQ, or anything else. I'll show you the settings I use in the editing section below.

Record your first episode (or 3)

Alone

If you are just recording a solo episode or want to record an introduction to an interview you did, just select the track you want to record on (see the light gray podcast audio track selected above) and click the red Record up button:

Multiple hosts

If you have multiple hosts, you will have to click Track -> Configure Track Header and check Record Enable.

This will give you the option to enable multiple tracks to record at once and you will see the button to enable recording on each track:

You will click on that button for each track you want to record and then the large record button at the top. Quite easy!

Interview at a distance

Many people use Skype to record remote interviews, and the easiest way to record audio (or video) is with the Ecamm call recorder for Skype (Mac only) or Pamela (for Windows).

If you want better audio quality than Skype allows or a way to have individual audio files for more than 2 people, services like Squadcast are excellent. They are designed for remote recordings and podcast interviews.

When you finish recording, you will have two separate tracks that you will place one on top of the other like this:

This also shows another template that you can use. The Podcast audio track is only used for solo shows, and the interview tracks are only used for talk shows.

Edit your episode

There are a couple of things you can easily configure once (and save to your template) that will make your podcast (and your voice) sound much better.

Keep in mind that each person's voice is different, so there are no perfectly universal settings, but these can give you a good starting point:

     1. Select the track you want to work with (start with your voice

     2. Click an empty space in the Plug-ins box

     3. Add the compression by going to Dynamics -> Compressor: 

     4. I use these settings (sometimes I add more gain): Play around with them and click the power button next to the compressor's plug for easy comparison.

     5. Next we are going to add EQ (under EQ -> Channel EQ).

     6. Here are my settings:

• 100 Hz: 24dB/Oct roll off, Q: 0.79
• 160 Hz: -2,5dB, Q: 2,20
• 500 Hz: -1.0dB, Q: 0.71
• 930 Hz: -0,5dB, Q: 3,20
• 3400 Hz: +0.5dB, Q: 0.71
• 5400 Hz: +2,5dB, Q: 0,71

I'm not going to go into what all that means, but if you only do one, the roll-off from the bottom (on the left) will be a good start.

Or you can download my Vocal EQ Podcast settings here (.pst file on Dropbox).

The last step I would recommend is to go to Auphonic to apply some loudness normalization (LUFS), leveling, and filtering. It will also automatically add ID3 tags if you need them.

Launching!

Get a podcast host

I use and highly recommend Buzzsproutpodcasts hosting after trying several different companies over the years.

Plus, you'll get a $ 20 Amazon gift card after you sign up for a payment plan.

Feel free to check out our comprehensive podcast hosting guide for other options, but another great option for the bigger brands is Transistor.

Once you have registered, you will have to fill in some necessary information about your podcast (name, description, categories, etc.).

 Upload your first episode

If you use Buzzsproutes this process is super simple.

If not, you may have to get into things like embedding ID3 tags in your MP3. It sounds confusing and unnecessary, let's not do that.

Just click the "Upload" button:


and they will apply some magical processing to your mp3 file.

Then you will have to fill in the episode title, description, summary, publication date and episode number.

If you want to use Seasons, put a "1" there, if not, leave it blank. If you use a lot of bad words, click on the explicit box.

It may be useful to create a template for the episode description (in a separate text document) to reuse in each episode - I use something like this:

Picture

Click Save and repeat this step for initial posting of the episodes.

It is recommended to launch a podcast with more than 1 episode so that people do not have to wait to listen more.

3-5 episodes is a good number to start.

Send to (iTunesApple Podcasts)

I have a separate guide on how to submit your podcast to iTunes, but within Buzzsprout of it you just have to do Apple Podcasts click on the Directories tab and follow the steps they have put together.

After that, grab your podcast's RSS feed and submit it to other podcast directories as well.

As you upload new episodes, your host will automatically update your RSS feed, and any podcast directory you appear in will also update with your new episode.

Spread the word

Use the social sharing feature lBuzzsprouta to generate test videos and start sharing!

Picture


There are other companies that will help you generate different styles of audiograms, but the fact of having it incorporated in your host makes it really easy to create (and it won't cost you anything extra).

Wavve and Headliner are two great options if you want to create more custom podcast videos to share.

Check out this article on podcast promotion for lots of other marketing tactics. One of the most impressive is building your own website (see next step below).
Recommended steps (After eating

Recommended steps (After starting a podcast)

Create a WordPress website

Podcast hosting companies often give you a website, but if you want to be taken seriously, 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).

If you need a little more guidance, start here on how to start a WordPress blog post for the initial steps.

I have a list of great WordPress plugins that a podcaster would also need.

And if you need more help, I have a course called Podcast Website LaunchPad that guides you through everything.

Get transcripts

Transcripts are a great way for search engines (like Google) to "read" your podcast episodes. They also give your audience another way to find something quickly.

You don't have to start with them, but it's another one of those things that will set you apart.

Buzzsprout has a built-in transcription service (on paid plans) that costs $ .10 / minute, but my favorite transcription service is Scribie. Give them a try.

Create Show Notes

The notes of the program can be transcripts like the previous ones, a simple summary of what you have spoken or a complete entry in a blog that is more adapted to reading than listening.

Some people make a combination.

On this site, we start with content written first, and then create podcast episodes later.

Embed your episode

Take the embed code for the episode and post it on the show's notes page so people can listen to it from your website.