What do I need to start a podcast?
(This is such a popular post, I regularly update it - most recently in April 2024 - happy podcasting!)
“Hey Steve, What do I need to start a podcast?”
“Well, I’d love to tell you but…”
“But you want to keep the secret to yourself”
“No, I’d love to tell you, but a plate of cakes is right in front of us and the next session is about to start - tell you what, I’ll write a blog post about it…”
—————
Because I’ve been doing the Being Freelance podcast since January 2015 (shortlisted for Best Business Podcast at the British Podcast Awards 2022) along with the Doing It For The Kids podcast since early 2019 (WINNER of Best Business Podcast at the British Podcast Awards 2021 and Bronze award in 2020), and I make award winning, Top-10 ranking podcasts for celebrities, businesses and brands for a living…. people think I must know what I’m doing when it comes to podcasting.
As with everything, there’s many ways to podcast - but here’s my answer to those that ask ‘What do I need to start a podcast?’
At the end of this post you’ll find a ‘short’ version of my answer; essentially a list of all the links/tools/services so you don’t have to keep trawling the post to find them. Handy. You’re welcome.
Oh! And if you end up starting a podcast, let me know! I’d love to give it a listen.
What do I need to start a podcast?
USB Microphone
A high quality microphone that plugs straight into your computer. No ‘mixing desk’. It couldn’t be simpler.
Well apart from figuring which way up the USB thing goes - EVERYTIME.
For years I used the Røde Podcaster. It’s what you see me using in that gif at the top and all my YouTube videos. Amazing sound quality, but doesn’t come with an inbuilt stand so you’ll also need a stand and a cradle/shock mount. Shock mounts stop noise vibrating through a stand into the mic - even a laptop humming away can be picked up. That can make it a little pricey so…
Slightly less expensive and used by a lot of podcasters are the Blue Yeti or Røde NT-USB (I have one of these too - it includes a stand). You can save more money and try the Blue Snowball but that’s probably better if you’re an occasional guest rather than a regular host. Blue have also released the Yeti X and the Yeti Pro if you’ve more budget.
I also massively recommend the Røde NT-USB Mini - literally a mini version of that one above. Smaller, cheaper, but also great. And the Shure MV5-LTG is an amazing quality microphone (which looks cool too) that will connect via USB or via lightning cable to your iPhone or iPad. Honestly, I was producing a podcast recently where a guest had this mic and I was so impressed.
By the way, if you’re doing an in-person podcast (where the guest/co-host is next to you) you’ll want something else like this digital audio recorder. I can’t vouch for that particular model but there are lots available. They usually have built in mics and the option to plug mics in (not necessarily USB ones - check compatibility with whatever mic you buy).
Even with a great mic you still need to think about where you record. You want to find a quiet place with little echo. A small room with lots of furnishings (to dampen the sound). Also start becoming aware of noises. Washing machine, dishwasher, loud clocks… shut the window, take off rattling jewellery, etc
Recording software
If, like me, you’re planning on interviewing other people online, there are a few great options that record quality audio (and video if you want it) at both ends of the call. So it doesn’t matter if the bandwidth of the call is a bit shoddy, it will record at their end and then upload.
Try Riverside.fm for starters. Their ability to also create video clips is the best at the moment (more on this later).
I also like SquadCast which is now part of Descript. Zencastr and Alitu.
PS. I always recommend recording a backup of your audio using your editing software and asking your guest if they can record a backup too (for example QuickTime or Voice Memos on a Mac let you record audio). Call it a healthy sense of paranoia.
Tip: Always double check the computer has actually selected your shiny new microphone and isn’t just using the internal one (it’s easy to be fooled!).
Bonus Tip: Don’t forget to hit record! In the excitement to get talking, it’s easy to forget.
Editing software
For years I used Adobe Audition. It’s very powerful, but not actually that ideal for editing a podcast. It’s almost too complicated if you’ve not done this kind of thing before. But if you already have Adobe suite of software, give it a go.
Hindenburg Journalist is an amazing editing app for podcasters and you can get it for a one off fee ( Hoorah!). or subscription. As the name suggests Hindenburg Journalist is made with audio journalists and podcasters in mind and it’s become a favourite for me.
Lots of people use Audacity for Mac/PC - it’s free software.
Garageband is also an option on the Mac. I started out using this but personally find it a bit clunky and remarkably (at the time at least) it didn’t have an ‘auto save’ function which was very frustrating.
If you’re really not sure about audio editing and your podcast is fairly simple speech based, you may want to check out the new range of editors that let you delete the transcription itself, not waveforms. Riverside, Descript, Adobe Podcast (beta), all have this.
Alitu is also worth checking out. They also have tonnes of helpful info to help you if you’re new to this.
A podcast ‘host’
Your ‘host’ is the company you will upload your audio to. They then process it and keep it on their servers to deliver your podcast to whoever wants to stream/download it. Your host creates the ‘RSS feed’ that you submit to Apple Podcasts, Spotify etc. (Don’t worry - all ‘hosts’ have instructions on how to get your podcast listed in these places).
I’m going to recommend Captivate. Check out their features and also their resources for starting/growing a podcast.
Most hosts will cost around $15 a month for as long as you keep the podcast live, so if you think it may not be something you want to commit to long term, maybe the free hosting of Spotify for Podcasters might work best. (Don’t worry, your podcast won’t just be found on Spotify).
A transcription service
Okay, so you don’t need this one. But getting your podcast transcribed has many benefits. For a start it makes your content more accessible (to people who can’t listen). It also helps you ‘repurpose’ your podcast: for social media or blog posts etc.
These days you can get excellent AI transcriptions where you record (see above, like Riverside, Descript and Zencastr). You just need to check them over.
If you start transcribing from the beginning, it takes far less effort than starting when you have 100 episodes.
A Format
Have a think about what you want your podcast to sound like.
Is it an interview? A co-hosted conversation? A documentary where you piece together pieces of audio and interview to tell a story? Are you discussing topics? The news? Answering questions? A ‘solo’ show where it’s like an audible version of a blog post? A ‘magazine’ style, where you start with news and chat, then have an interview, then take questions?! How long will it be?
For example with the Doing It For The Kids podcast, Frankie and I chose to do a Q&A. It means we get community involvement both with questions and comments on the answer we give. We also deliberately edit it to be 20 minutes max. That’s because we know our audience of self employed parents are time poor.
Don’t worry, you can always change your format later, but in general listeners like to know what to expect week on week.
Think of your favourite podcasts (or ask friends for their’s) - how do they work? What is it you like? Start to analyse podcasts instead of just listening: figure out the recipe. Then go invent your own dish to serve.
An audience
It helps if you already have an ‘audience’. Your social media following, your email list…
Whatever, you need to know ‘who’ your audience is. Who are you aiming it at? Clients? Peers? What will they get out of it? What will you get out of it?
Don’t worry though. When I started the Being Freelance podcast, I had zero audience. It grew episode on episode based on me and my guests promoting it.
Also, I’m not saying you need a ‘big audience’ listening - don’t get hung up on the numbers. What if you have 30 listeners. Doesn’t sound many… but imagine if you were offered to give a talk to 30 people? Every week? 30 people who care about what you’re saying make a difference.
Guests
If you’re relying on guests for the format of your show, I’d suggest getting ahead of yourself. Book lots in advance and record ahead, so if people drop out, you still have episodes ready to publish.
Use a scheduling system like Calendly to avoid email ping pong. It also eliminates doubt over time zones and can even be used to send reminders to your guests.
Ears
Listen to your guest. Don’t talk more than the people you’ve invited on. Don’t just have a list of questions. Make notes as you hear things and come back to them.
A schedule
There’s no golden rule. Do what suits. Having a set day that you release episodes will help you stay on track when other things are distracting you. And remember doing a podcast in ‘seasons’ is pretty common place, so you can always plan in breaks. Having a rest is good for you.. but it’s also a chance for new listeners to catch up on old episodes. It also means you can ‘shout’ about when you come back from your break.
A Name
You will mull this over for ever! Hahahahaha. Good luck.
Above all, just like with a business name, double check it doesn’t already exist. Are the url and social channels available?
A Tagline
Okay. You don’t need this. I don’t have one. But it is a good idea.
It should explain neatly what your podcast is.
Ever heard Sara Tasker say “This is Hashtag Authentic, a podcast for creatives online…”?
Or Femke & Charli: “Welcome to Design Life, a show about design and side projects for motivated creatives…”
It helps tell your listener what the hell they’re listening to. That also gets drummed into them, so when they’re telling a friend/colleague about your podcast they will be likely to repeat those words. If you can’t summarise your show in a sentence, you’ve probably not thought about your podcast enough.
Artwork
Podcast artwork should be 3000x3000 pixels, 72dpi, JPEG or PNG. This is the standard.
It’s worth considering hiring a designer to do this for you. It matters.
Bare in mind what it’ll look like when it’s small on a phone, or social media. Can people see your face? Your text?
Take a look through the Apple Podcasts or Spotify lists of top podcasts and see what you like design wise. What works? Why? Don’t copy, but get a feel for it.
A Category
Do a bit of research into Apple Podcast categories. You can choose a few to be listed under.
Take a look at podcasts that you might think are your ‘competition’ (not that we’re in competition right?) - what are they listed as?
A website
Earlier I recommended Captivate to host your podcast - it’ll also give you a website if you’d like it. Whatever, you’re going to want to have somewhere that your podcast can call home.
Each episode can have its own page and you can embed your podcast host audio player on it for that episode (don’t worry, its’ easy).
Will it be on your own site? If it’s to do with your business, that’s not a bad idea: adding quality content to your site regularly makes Google happy.
I built my Being Freelance site using Squarespace. Great news: you can also buy urls via Squarepsace. It couldn’t be easier.
And when you’re doing your ‘listening to other podcasts’ research I can guarantee you’ll hear someone give you a promo code to save money on Squarespace! Finally time to use that deal.
Promotion
Honestly… for me, creating a weekly podcast has been the (relatively) easy thing. It’s the promotion which is another job in itself. Be prepared for putting in the work to build your audience! The great thing about a podcast is it’s a goldmine for ‘repurposing’. It should be easy to create social media posts and blogs from quotes.
Make the most of tools like Canva for images and Headliner and Veed for videos.
Increasingly, these tools are being built into the recording platforms. The ‘Magic Clips’ function on Riverside at finding and creating social media clips is a brilliant time saver.
Some people even create a full length video of their podcast episode for YouTube (Riverside is brilliant for this).
You may want to consider hiring a VA to help you. Don’t skip the promo step or all your hard work will go to waste.
A smile
Put a smile on your face. Speak to ‘you’, instead of ‘listeners’. Enjoy creating that personal connection with your audience as they get to you know YOU. It’s a brilliant thing!
THE SHORT VERSION
USB-Microphones for podcasting
*It’s amazing but you also need some kind of stand and cradle/shock mount. I use those ones.
Less expensive USB microphone alternatives (that all have built in stands):
Recording software
Riverside, Descript, Zencastr, Alitu
Note - you can also record using your editing software if just yourself.
Editing software
Adobe Audition
Text based: Riverside, Alitu, Descript
Free alternatives:
A podcast host
A Transcription Service
Promo Tools
A Scheduling System for Guests
A website
Squarespace
Captivate (you get a site with your podcast hosting to help you get started)
A note: Some of the links above are affiliate links which means I may get a small bit of money from the company if you click through and purchase. However, I’ve only listed what I believe in and I’ve been recommending these products/services for years without affiliate links (because I’m rubbish at making money online, but thankfully good at making podcasts).