Six steps to create your own Podcast
Podcasts are a great way to connect with people. They’re especially useful for self-employed creatives because they’re the perfect platform to share what you do, how you do it, and why you do it in the way that suits your business best. The number of people listening to podcasts has more than doubled in the last few years alone.
If you have something meaningful to say or an idea worth sharing, then this is just the right time for you to create your own podcast! This article will walk you through everything you need to know about how to start a podcast, from choosing a topic and finding content, recording episodes and editing audio, hosting your podcast on social media networks, syndicating your podcast on Apple Podcasts or other players, and finally promoting it. It doesn’t matter if this is your first time hosting a show or if you’ve been doing this for a while. There are still things you can learn from this article.
Step One - Choose a Topic
When you’re first getting started, the hardest part is deciding what your podcast will be about. There are a lot of different things to consider before you decide on a topic.
The first question you should ask yourself is what you want people to take away from your Podcast?
Secondly, you need to think about is why you want to start a podcast in the first place. How passionate are you about your subject or topic? What makes it special and different from other content out there? Once you know these answers, then it’s much easier to narrow down your focus and choose one specific topic.
Lastly, ask yourself what type of audience you want to reach? It’s important that your podcast reaches the right audience so that they can learn something new and be entertained at the same time. If this is your first time starting a podcast, it might be best you focus on one specific subject for now, like marketing, storytelling or public speaking. If that's not enough for you, then there's always the option of hosting multiple podcasts that cover all those areas separately.
Step Two - Finding Content
Podcasts are more popular than ever, but it can still be difficult to find good content. Especially if you’re just starting out, you might not have your own great ideas for a show. Luckily, there are lots of different sources for content that you can turn to.
One of the most popular places to find content is on blogs. There are plenty of blogs on topics related to your niche that will have interesting blog posts on them! You can use these blog posts as fodder for your show, or you could even reach out to the author and ask permission to use their blog post's transcript as an episode.
There are also tons of podcasts already in existence that you could repurpose with permission from the original podcast host. If you want to know more about this process, be sure to read the section on how to syndicate your podcast later in this article!
Another way to find content is by surveying people who work in your industry and asking what they like and don't like about their experience with what you do. This way, you'll learn what people care about most with regards to your product or service and it will give you some insight into what they would like to hear more about!
Lastly, recruit people who can get you interviews that your podcast audience want to hear. This strategy is for interview styled podcasts not solo or cohosted podcasts where hosts speak to each other only. If you have an interview styled podcast, you definitely want to hire people who have the reach and connections to get you those big name interviews. Remember to think about your audience first because these interviews are content. It won’t matter if it’s Kim Kardashian you interview when your audience doesn’t appeal to reality TV stars or celebrities.
Step Three -Recording Episodes
The first step to creating a podcast is to record your episodes. This is the process where you actually record the dialogue and sounds that will eventually be used in the final edit.
The good news is that recording a podcast can be as simple or as complicated as you want it to be. If you’re the only guest on your show, then all you need to do is make sure your microphone is a decent quality and use a recording app like Audacity or GarageBand to record both sides of the conversation.
If you have multiple guests on your show, then things can get a little more complicated. In this case, it's best if you're using a desktop recorder like Logic Pro X for Mac or Adobe Audition for PC. These programs allow you to record everyone at once and even collate all of their parts into one track for editing later.
You are probably wondering what kind of microphone should you get? There are three types of microphones for podcasting:
Dynamic - these are the most affordable and work best for loud environments. They also have a great sound quality, but they're not good in quieter environments.
Condenser - these are very sensitive and efficient at capturing a lot of detail, but can be too sensitive for louder environments.
USB - microphones plugged into USB ports capture audio well and don't require any battery power or phantom power, which is what condensers use to run.
Step Four -Editing audio
If you’re just starting out, you probably don’t have access to high-end audio equipment. You can still record good quality audio without expensive equipment if you know what to do.
The first step is to find a quiet space outdoors or in an empty room with minimal noise. The best way to record great sound is by recording your voice-over in an environment that has little background noise. Next, invest in a pop filter so that the “p” and “b” sounds are not overemphasized.
You should also consider using the Voice Memos app on your phone for recording instead of dictating into your computer microphone because it will capture more of the nuances of your voice. When you're ready to edit, use Audacity (or other editing software) to remove any background noise and cut out long pauses; then save your file as an MP3 or other format.
Step Five -Promoting your Podcast on Social Media Networks
Today, nearly half of all Americans use social media. If you're trying to go viral, there's no better way than to share your podcast on social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
There are many benefits to hosting your podcast on social media networks. First of all, most people who use these networks are already listeners of podcasts! This means they're likely to follow what you post. Second of all, it's cheaper and easier to host a podcast on a social media network than it is through other hosting platforms. This is because most social media sites offer free apps for mobile devices that make it easy for anyone to listen and subscribe to your show.
If you want a more personal experience or a more targeted audience, then hosting your podcast on one network only is the way to go. However, if you want as many people as possible to hear your message or you're struggling with download numbers from Apple Podcasts or other player platforms then this method might not be right for you!
Step Six -Syndicating Your Podcast on Apple Podcasts or Other Players
Syndicating your podcast on Apple Podcasts or other players is a crucial step that will help you get more listeners.
Apple Podcasts is the world's most popular podcast app, and it offers easy publishing of your episodes to their platform. It’s really as simple as clicking a button. If you plan on using another player, this is a necessary step if you want to be listed in these platforms.
It’s also important for getting more listeners because most people who download podcasts from Apple Podcasts or other players do so because they can't find them anywhere else.
Conclusion
In order for your podcast to be successful, it needs promotion—and more importantly—it needs a compelling topic!