Start my podcast? The Comprehensive Podcast Guide

Podcast

Starting your own podcast or so-called “podcast” can be fun, attractive and profitable, but on the other hand, it can be difficult, confusing and specific at first, depending on your own goals. You can enter podcasting as a fun hobby, side event or even a small business that helps you make money from the Internet. With time, you will be able to build your own audience and extend your project to a larger segment.

In this article, we will guide you through every stage of creating your podcast, from planning and recording to publishing and promoting. We will explain how to start a podcast, including the necessary tasks required to make the podcast work, and how to make money from it.

What is a podcast?

Audio blogging or podcasts are a set or series of digital audio files that are provided for download or listening online. Each individual audio recording is known as a podcast episode. The podcast usually hosts one individual or group of individuals sharing talk, sharing stories or reporting news, and the creator of the podcast is known as “podcaster.” The podcast is an accessible tool for both listeners and broadcasters.

Podcast owners have different ways to spread their work to millions of audiences online. Unlike traditional radio stations and television networks that are often subject to regulations and approvals, many podcast platforms allow self-publishing that is not regulated and does not need any approvals to be published. Podcasts are hosted on streaming apps such as Spotify, Stitcher, iTunes, Google Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts.

For listeners, the podcast acts as an online radio program on demand. Episodes can be listened to on a podcast app or subscribe to webcast using the RSS feed, where podcast subscribers are notified every time a new episode is available. Most smartphones – including iPhones and Android phones – come with a media player, allowing you to subscribe to podcasts and stream or download podcast episodes.

Why do you have to start a podcast?

You may ask yourself what benefits you will get from starting your podcast. But first you have to ask yourself, what goal are you looking for behind creating a podcast?

Are you an amateur? Are you a self-employed independent broadcaster? Do you rely on podcasts as a profitable business? Are you a marketing manager looking to provide your customer segment with valuable and enjoyable content? If it’s any of the above, podcasting is undoubtedly an effective way to achieve your goals.

The podcast is not a corporate marketing strategy, it’s actually far from that. You can view podcasts as a creative outlet that you use to demonstrate your talent and radio abilities. This may involve presenting the show at your leisure and in a subject you are very excited about.

Without forgetting that the topics you can address on podcasts are very diverse, you can simply talk about anything you think of, from science, biology and literature, to your favorite menus and programs!

But, why the podcast in particular? Why would you choose to start podcasting to achieve your goals instead of resorting to other means such as writing or video?

Here are some reasons that may answer these questions:

1.Easy to start with podcasting

Undoubtedly, the more popular your podcast is, the more effort and time you’ll spend working on it. But if you are at the beginning of the journey now, it is very easy to start the first steps. All you need to start is a computer or smartphone, good internet connection, and a quiet place to register.

2.Ease of deployment

The podcast is easy to spread, so with podcasting, you don’t have to worry about your audience being too busy to listen to your podcast, where they can download it and listen to it any time later.

Moreover, unlike the visual content that requires viewers to focus on the computer screen or phone, listeners can do any other tasks while listening to podcasts. This ultimately ensures you have a large segment of the audience.

3.The possibility of maintaining the current public and maintaining its loyalty

Like any form of content, podcasts can help you reach new audiences for your business and maintain the current audience segment, building a kind of familiarity between speaker and listener. Listeners tend to subscribe to a podcast they love so they can listen to it regularly. As long as you provide the required quality content, your audience is likely to continue to listen.

4. Strengthening the brand

It doesn’t matter if you’re the first to create a podcast in your field or the latest in a long line of brands to adopt this method. Podcasts can help you strengthen and spread your brand widely. When you give people meaningful content and hire a number of experts on your podcast, you become the person they want to listen to and receive advice from and then you can promote your brand.

5.Additional or basic source of income

When you start your first podcast, you’ll realize that you like to do it and it’s a lot of fun, and your happiness will increase when this podcast gives you extra money!

Podcasts are a good way to support your business materially if you can make good content and regularly post attractive episodes. The podcast industry is considered a huge industry, so much so that the Interactive Advertising Office expects revenues in this area to reach over £500 million this year.

6. More interactive than other content types

There are many ways that listeners feel they are part of your podcast. Whether it’s through competitions, asking questions through social media or any other way you want to encourage deeper engagement with your audience. Certainly, the more people feel involved and appreciated, the more loyalty the fan base you can create over time.

Steps to Start Your Own Podcast/Audio Blog

Initially, it must be borne in mind that the development, recording, editing and distribution of a high-quality podcast takes a long time as you have to follow a set of steps to reach the required quality. Here are the most important steps on how to create your podcast:

1. Set your goals and podcast themes

Before you start, you have to choose a podcast theme that suits your interests and skills, and then write down your goals behind creating this podcast. Podcasters create content for a variety of reasons, including raising brand awareness, increasing audience interaction or sharing information on a topic that is important to them.

Set your goal by creating a podcast, and write a list of proposed topics you would like to talk about.

2.Listen to other podcasts on your subject

Explore the best podcasts that revolve around your chosen theme. Listen to the episodes, read the reviews, note the average length of the episode, and learn more about what kind of content is appropriate for the participating audience base.

3- Select your podcast type

There are several types of podcasts, including talk shows for interviews, monologues, fiction, and real-life novels. Specify how many episodes of podcasts you want to produce for your first season and how long each episode will last. Choose whether to serve as the only podcast host or produce the episode with a participating guest.

4- Select a podcast title

Once you choose your type, choose a podcast name. Make it a simple and straightforward name, and include key keywords considering their compatibility with search engines and title clarity that will attract new listeners interested in your podcast theme.

5.Writing a text or outline

Depending on your podcast type, be careful to write a chart or even some key notes. Even if your podcast is a free podcast that doesn’t discuss a particular topic, writing a talk planner will no doubt keep the conversation on track. Consider an advance writing to welcome listeners to your program and conclude with an invitation to take action for reviews and subscriptions.

6.Collect the necessary equipment

You’ll need some equipment like a microphone, audio filter and headphones. You also need to use one of the audio recording and editing software to produce your own audio content. There are many free audio modification programs that you can download online.

7. Prepare a quiet space for registration

Equip your podcast recording equipment in a quiet place in your home. Rooms with pillows, curtains and carpets absorb echo which can reduce the quality of recorded sound.

8. Podcast Recording

Start by recording the first episode and don’t forget to use the notes you initially wrote as instructions during the recording. If you’re a beginner, you have to be patient, it can take a while to feel comfortable performing behind the microphone. Keep a glass of water nearby and take breaks when necessary.

9. Audio Adjustment

Start by deleting any unnecessary content. Keep your podcast focused on your topic by deleting unrelated passages. Consider rearranging the passages to make the narrative of the loop as clear as possible. At some point
After recording is the right time to remove or fix any sound quality issues you notice during playback.

10. Prepare your podcast for distribution

Write a brief description of your program that includes useful keywords for search engine optimization. Create a simple art cover or use a graphic designer to help. Save the cover image the right size of the file, as the podcast cover image can be as small as 1400 × 1400 pixels or as large as 3000 × 3000 pixels.

11.Upload audio files to podcast hosting service

To be able to post your podcast blog on various podcast apps, you must first download it on one of the podcast hosting platforms such as RSS, Buzzsprout or others. Start by creating a special account on one of these platforms and upload your audio files to it to be stored and provide you with your own sharing link.

12- Send your software to podcast apps

After your audio files are available on the hosting platform, and having got a special post link, you can now share it on diverse podcast apps such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher.

All you have to do here is create a special account on one (or all) of these apps and then enter the podcast information and a proper description of it, and place the link you got from the hosting platform, to finally make your podcast available to the public.

13. Marketing your podcast

Good for you, I posted your first podcast!

But that’s not all… It is now your responsibility to market this podcast and attract the public to listen to it. The marketing method of the podcast is not different from the marketing of any other type of visual or written content.

Start by creating a special page for your podcast on social media platforms, and post it on other groups and pages related to your podcast theme.

You can also invite other podcast creators with similar interests and host them in one of your episodes. Be creative with how to communicate with potential podcast listeners and be committed to your publishing schedule.

Focus on uploading new episodes constantly and regularly so you get used to listeners, and to be able to broaden your audience base.

Producing your own podcast is very rewarding, but as with any goal you seek, it initially needs some hard work and a lot of passion and discipline. These factors, as well as interest in the content provided, will inevitably contribute to building a high-quality audio blog that attracts interested audiences and achieves a suitable source of income.