What Up Friends!  Talk about podcasting just one time 😉  I get a ton of questions on how to launch your own podcast which IMO is kind of a loaded question.  There are many different angles you can take when starting and I want to try to break it down for everyone.  This article is going to be a some what abbreviated version of what I have in my video but I want to give you some points should you not want to watch.  Also this is sort of a high level overview of what to consider.  I don’t cover gear in this article but will cover it in more detail in future articles/youtube videos but I will put some Amazon links down at the bottom for some gear I do recommend but keep in mind that I do benefit from you clicking on those.

Podcast Type

First thing is to determine your podcast type.  In today’s day and age this means more than a few things.  Not only what genre would you like your podcast to live in but what sort of style.  Will it have video?  Are you going to do it live?  Solo or with guests?  These are all things to consider when getting ready to start out on your own podcast adventure. Are you going to just casually podcast or is this… You Know…. A thing?  If you’re serious about this being an important fixture in your life, it’s really best to get your ducks in a row before you launch as some of the details can and will come back to bite you later on down the road.  Certain aspects will be very challenging and time consuming to change once you have a good handful of episodes under your belt.  So IMO get out a piece of paper and make a quick checklist of these things and figure out what you want it to be when it grows up.

Podcast Name

This seems like a silly thing to have to mention but it is a thing and I bring it up for a reason.  That reason is people really get hung up on it and really not always for good reason.  What I will say is your podcast name is way more important to you than it is the listener.  For the listener this is simply just a place holder, something to remember you by.  If you think about some of the goofy podcast and YouTube names that maybe you consume and then think about how many of them have anything to do with their content.  Whether it be someone’s name or think Marques Brownlee for example.  MKBHD at first that didn’t mean anything but now his followers know exactly who it is.  What is important however is trying to get your name to match on all platforms.  It really is a great thing to have your name purchased for a domain, get it for all the major social media platforms so that you can tell someone one name.  This was something I tried to do with GearZombie initially and if you’ve followed it for a while you’ll remember it had 2 E’s at the end at one point.  Now I have everything under just GearZombie except Twitter which is still 2 e’s and it drives me batty.  If your goal is to have a long term podcast that you can promote, get the domain name and all the social media accounts then thank me later.

Artwork

This is another topic that people get too hung up on imo.  It’s great if you can hit it out of the park and get a logo that looks great and is memorable but it’s also way harder to do than most people think.  And if you have no graphic design experience this is a task that can be daunting.  What I recommend is to either higher it out or learn how to use some simple tools.  For example I do most of my YouTube thumbnails in Adobe Spark.  It’s quick and easy and won’t take you very long to learn but there are still some things to look out for.  Example, don’t just steal a pic from google images without making sure it’s a creative commons or royalty free image.  If there is a copyright you can put yourself in jeopardy.  I know what you’re thinking… Meh no big deal.. But I’d encourage you to Google it.  We live in a sue happy society and once you make yourself public it’s best to not poke the bear.  What you can do, is hire someone cheap.  I have had a lot of projects done via fiverr.com and there are other gig work websites that will connect you with graphic designers that can do some work for a reasonable rate.  It’s easy enough to find someone that works in a style that you’re interested and can get you hooked up with a quick turn around time giving you artwork you own!

Gear

So now you need to consider how you are going to get your content recorded and out to the world.  This part is a challenge for a lot of people because it’s the open up your checkbook part.  The common theme and click bait advice topic is to use your phone for your podcast.  And while this can be done IMO it should only be used if you are a solo podcaster.  Once you introduce multiple people it’s done for and each subject needs a different mic.  I have watched countless videos where people recommend just tossing a phone in the middle of a table and just talking or even worse hand holding your phone and trying to point it at each subject as they speak UGH….. Knock it off…  Recording equipment is cheap.  If you own a computer you’re halfway there.  Interfaces are cheap and mics are cheap cables are cheap, you can get software for your computer either cheap or free.  But if you’ve made it this far don’t start cutting corners on audio production this is the most important part of your content, whether or not your content will include video, poor audio is a deal breaker.  If you force your audience to sit through painful audio it can go south fast.  It doesn’t matter how good your content is or how interesting the topic, if the audio isn’t pleasant to listen to don’t expect them to stick around.

Record a Test Episode

Now you’re all set up, it’s time to test drive everything.  This step covers a bunch of things.  First, if you’re using new gear it’s a chance to get acclimated to it, second, if you’re not comfortable in front of the mic it’s a good time to start working on your voice.  It’s also a good time to determine your run time.  Record a segment and listen back.  Does it sound good?   Are there huge pauses?  Some of those things can be edited out after the fact should you choose to do so (I do) But you will get to listen to your flow and your voice.  In the beginning people tend to speak unnaturally and that generally can be heard a mile away from the audience (everyone does it) it can take time to learn how to address your audience like you’re talking to someone in the room with you.  But if for no other reason recording this test episode will give you some content to work with.  It will give you something to cut up in an editor, maybe add some EQ and Compression if you wish and see how everything works.  No matter what I recommend recording something with no plans to post but just to see how the entire package comes together.

Pick Your Hosting

This topic is widely debated online and I want to give you my perspective as someone that has launched a fair amount of podcasts and as someone who’s online presence is based in audio.  Self Host! If you recall I told you to buy your domain name in the beginning if you’re serious about podcasting that domain name can and should be your hub.  This site you’re reading this on is a WordPress site this is what is the bread and butter for WordPress.  It’s rooted in the blogging and DIY community.  After you buy your domain name you can pick hosting and most any quality host will have the ability to do a simple if not one button install of WordPress.  Past that it’s pick a theme add necessary plugins (I use Blubrry podcast plugin) get yourself setup with Apple and your RSS feed then store your podcast on your website with your webhost.  Once all that is set up you can have your podcast obtainable in just about any repository you can think of.  The benefit of self hosting is really the fact that you’re in control.  With your WordPress site you now have a place to blog and post your episodes which gives you greater potential for exposure.  Plus, it’s already paid for with your hosting.  Most of the online hosting platforms are very limited, will place ads on your content, limit the amount of episodes or space you can use, or in worse case scenarios filter content they don’t want on their platform.  By self hosting you’re the boss and it’s all up to you.  It will be a bit more work in the beginning but in the end… you can come back and thank me!

Launch And Promote

CONTRATULATIONS you got a podcast.  Now how do you get an audience? Promote!!  Get active on your social media accounts, ask your friends to forward your content on their social media accounts.  Get active on Reddit in your genre.  Consider cross promotion with podcasts you listen to.  And honestly, it’s hard in the beginning.  While some people can get huge numbers fast others it will take a while to grow organically.  But you will grow if you look at it like a business and not just a hobby.  But the most important thing to me…. Just do it.  It’s fun!!!!  Check out my YouTube video on the subject and leave a comment!!!

Gear I Use And Recommend

Rode PSA 1 Mic Boom Arm https://amzn.to/2LwkjHg

Shure SM7B with Cloudlifter https://amzn.to/39XCVJw

Audient EVO 8 Interface https://amzn.to/3jp1ulI

EV RE20 https://amzn.to/3dwdMId

Sennheiser e935 https://amzn.to/3bqzPgO

DRV100 Microphone https://amzn.to/2NKS9sH

Rodecaster Pro https://amzn.to/3bBcom6