How to launch a podcast
The most important thing to consider when launching a podcast is to consider how passionate you are about the topic of your podcast. If you’re not passionate about your topic, your interest in podcasting about it will quickly fade.
With that said, here’s how to launch a podcast in 5 steps.
- Get a microphone. I’m not talking about a $ 400 studio mic, but at least something with decent sound capabilities. Do not rely, under any circumstances, on your computer’s built-in microphone. Yes, people will stick with a podcast that sounds a little weak, if the content is spectacular, but not for long. I suggest the 2020 Audio-Technica USB Microphone (about $ 100 at the time of writing) as a good place to start. There are plenty of less expensive microphones, but don’t use your computer’s or one of those long, thin beige ones that you get for $ 5 in the trash can at the computer store.
- Decide on a schedule. Weekly, monthly, daily or whenever you feel like it. I suggest weekly as most people are familiar with that schedule. Whatever you do, be sure to stick to your schedule.
- Record your podcast. You can start with a free app like Audacity, but for a few dollars you can use something more professional like Adobe Audition or Garage Band.
- Decide on a distribution network. My suggestion is to use a dedicated podcast hosting provider. Sure, it costs a bit more, but many regular web hosts don’t support hosting your podcast files. Use a dedicated or specialized hosting provider like libsyn to host your podcast files and the iTunes music store to distribute to a wide audience. iTunes is the easiest place to host your podcast and is generally the easiest for your listeners to use. Whichever podcast host you choose will help you upload the files.
- Promote your podcast. Find out who needs to listen to your show and put it in front of them. If you’ve chosen a syndication network wisely, you’ve also made it easier for people to subscribe to your podcast show, making it easier for your audience to grow.
Some may argue that promoting the podcast to a sizeable audience is more important than deciding the content of the show. There is some validity in this. Some audiences are too small to be commercially viable.
However, podcasting should be about your passion and not about audience size. It is up to you to decide if you want to work on something based solely on the size of the audience that would listen to it, rather than something that you are passionate about.
If you are not moved by the topic you are talking about, how can you expect your listeners to engage? How do you expect to keep recording shows that just don’t interest you?