Podcasting is a great opportunity to reach a new audience, but the process for starting a podcast can be complicated. In this article I will walk you through the process of starting a podcast and I will provide you with resources to get started.
Create an email account for your podcast
Podcasting is based on the RSS Feed. An RSS Feed can be viewed by anyone. When creating an RSS Feed for your podcast your email is added to the RSS Feed. This means anyone that wants to buy podcast related products or podcast spam can find your email easily. The more popular your podcast gets, the more spam you will get. Creating an email account for your podcast prevents the spam from cluttering your current inbox. You can use Gmail or ProtonMail.
Practice
Download the Anchor app or use voice memos and start talking about anything. Then, listen to what you recorded. When listening you are looking for several different things:
The volume of your voice: are you speaking too softly or too loud?
The speed of your voice: are you speaking too quickly?
Clarity: were there any glitches or sound problems?
Background noise: is there anything in the background distracting from your audio?
Pick a style
Once you have practiced enough, the next step is to pick a style. There many different styles of podcasts. Monologue, interview, round-table discussion to name a few. If you decide to interview people it is best to start reaching out to people as soon as possible.
Get equipment
To record your podcast you need a microphone, headphones, and recording software. A microphone what has been recommended to me is the Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB. The microphone will need a pop filter as well. Any pop filter that fits the microphone will be fine.
The headphones are used during recording to hear how your podcast will sound while recording. You can use any pair of headphones.
For recording by yourself you can use Audacity to record and edit your podcast. Audacity can be used to increase or lower the volume of your audio during and after you have recorded your audio. The software is free and there are many tutorials online for how to use it. You can watch a basic tutorial here.
If you decide to interview others for your podcast you can use Zencastr. You can record up to 8 hours of audio for free.
Pick a name and cover art
Next, you should pick a name. The name of your podcast should give people who find it a basic idea of what your podcast is about. There is no need to have the word “podcast” in your title as it would be redundant. To give you an example, my podcast is called Building an Indie Business. Anyone who stumbles into my podcast knows right away that my podcast is a business podcast.
After choosing a name you will need to design cover art for your podcast. Your cover art should be a bright color such as red, blue, or green. Having your cover art be a bright color will help your podcast stand out from others. When someone is scrolling through a list of podcasts, your bright cover is more likely to catch their eye and they may take a look at your podcast for that reason. To create your cover art you can use Canva or Figma.
I have done an episode on the naming and cover art decisions about my podcast, you can check it out here.
Record a podcast trailer
In order for your podcast to be accepted into iTunes, Google, and Spotify your RSS Feed can’t be empty. By recording a podcast trailer you avoid problems when it comes time to launch your show. A trailer is an opportunity to give your listeners a more detailed explanation of your podcast.
Upload your audio to Anchor
At this point you have a name, cover art, a trailer for your podcast, and maybe an actual episode. It is time to create your podcast in Anchor. I have a video walking viewers through creating a podcast on Anchor. You can check it out here.
Add your podcast to iTunes
Once you have created an Anchor account you should have your RSS Feed. Here you have two options you can allow Anchor to upload your podcast to every podcast app or you can do it yourself. The difference is control.
If you make a mistake with uploading your podcast such as a grammar error in your show notes or chose the wrong time, you can fix it yourself if you upload the podcast yourself. If you allow Anchor to upload your podcast you have to ask them for help to fix those errors. I have another video showing viewers how to add a podcast to iTunes.
After submitting your podcast to iTunes you will need to wait at least 3 or 4 days before being added to iTunes. Then, another 3 or 4 days before your podcast is added to other podcast apps such as Overcast or Castro.
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After waiting you should finally have a podcast on iTunes that you can start with your friends and family. It’s a good idea to also join some relevant communities. There are several communities of podcasters that will give you advice about different podcasting topics. One great one is Open Podcast on Telegram. New companies are entering the space and making changes. The future of podcasting and the podcast industry is very bright. You should join the movement today.
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// This article was originally published in makermag.com
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