How I Honestly Started My Podcast

Podcasting has emerged as a powerful medium for sharing stories, insights, and knowledge with a global audience. And honestly, what self-respecting millennial hasn't considered starting one?

Whether you're passionate about a particular subject or simply want to connect with like-minded individuals, starting a podcast can be an exciting and rewarding personal project.

This guide will walk you through the essential steps to kickstart your podcasting journey by describing what I've learned through trial and error over the last few years.

Step 1: Define Your Podcast Concept

What message or topic are you passionate about?

Identify your target audience and understand what kind of content will resonate with them. Your podcast should offer value and a unique perspective to those intended listeners.

On a post-it write down:

• The Topic (what you care about)

• The Audience (whom you will imagine speaking to while recording)

• The Value (what your audience can expect to gain out of each episode)

This post-it should act as a reminder and a source of inspiration throughout the rest of the steps.

The beginning of the pandemic was when the idea of starting a podcast first emerged into my consciousness.

I wanted an excuse to interview successful small business owners and entrepreneurs to ask them about the many hats they wore to keep their brands visible during a global time of transition.

I even found a great software called SquadCast to record and edit the few interviews I held with some friends that were willing to be my guinea pigs.

Step 2: Be Ready to Pivot

The long and short of that initial podcast idea is that it went nowhere.

I researched and invested in the necessary software, equipment, and even cover art (yes, I commissioned a local artist feeling that it would be on-brand for the concept).

Here is it if you're curious:

But alas, despite all the good intentions there was something missing.

And that's ok.

If this happens to you don't despair or quit, just take a break.

Now looking back, I think a part of me knew that my interest in marketing was wavering, which is why I never published a single episode of my initial concept.

When I finally found my spark of curiosity again (after learning about UX), it renewed my interest in starting a podcast.

This leads me to circle back to step 1, defining my concept:

The Topic: Take listeners along my learning journey and career jump into the field of UX

The Audience: Those who are curious about UX or who are themselves navigating a career change

The Value:

Provide an unfiltered look at the effort that goes into a career pivot and the craft that is UX (design and research)

Step 3: Choose Your Podcast Format and Style

Podcasts come in various formats, such as interviews, storytelling, panel discussions, educational content, and more.

Decide on the style that best suits your concept and audience.

Generic advice will remind you to keep your episodes engaging, well-structured, and well-paced to maintain your listeners' interest.

But what does actually mean?

You won't know until you start practicing and finding your unique voice and perspective through trial and error.

From my experience, that means that you can't let perfection be the enemy of good. If you expect to be Joe Rogan from your very first episode you will never post a single take.

Sometimes you have to just ship the MVP (minimal viable product).

That is how Joe did it, and 2240 episodes and 13.5 years later, The Joe Rogan Experience is now making $100k per podcast episode.

You can't compare your chapter 1 to someone else's chapter 20, or 2000. You just have to push through the discomfort and vulnerability that come with being a beginner.

If you do, you will be able to find a style and format that sounds like you and will resonate with those it was meant for.

Step 4: Planning and Content Creation

It's important to create a content plan that outlines episode topics, key points, and any potential guests.

Research and gather relevant information to ensure your content is providing value to the listener. There're enough sources of misinformation out there, you don't want to be one of them.

It might just be the inner content marketer in me, but I know it's usually at this step that I go a little overboard in the planning department.

I mention my personal Achilles' heel as a warning to avoid planning out every single one of your ideas. At this point, it just wastes a lot of time and stalls you from getting your idea off the ground.

It's important to remember that only 26% of podcasts have over 10 episodes.

Meaning, if you plan and create just 11 episodes, your podcast will have more content available than 74% of the two million podcasts available online.

To set yourself up to be part of the top percentage of podcasters, all you need is a list of your top 10 ideas. That feels like a very reasonable bar and concrete milestone to me.

At this point, you can focus your energy on the details of just a small batch at a time. Scripting or outlining one or two episodes at a time can help maintain a coherent flow and prevent rambling when you do inevitably start recording.

And as the SEALs say "Slow is smooth, smooth is fast". You will achieve your personal podcasting goals in due time by planning one small achievable step at a time.

Step 5: Selecting Equipment and Software

Quality audio is important for a successful podcast... But is it crucial?

Most blogs I read before starting my podcast said to invest in a good microphone, headphones, and a pop filter to ensure clear and professional sound.

And I totally get it. Podcasts are primarily sound so you want to make sure the quality is good.

But as I mentioned before, you don't have to let perfect get in the way of good. Cause it can really start to cost-ya if you do!

I was able to record my first episode by plugging in my wired earphone to my laptop, opening free software like iMovie and that's it.

Like with any new hobby, there will always be varying levels of fun gadgets and add-ons that will come with a high price tag, but my recommendation before spending any extra money is to first try to get to the 10-episode benchmark to know that you're really serious and invested in the project.

All you really need to start is a quiet and controlled environment for recording to minimize background noise, a little mic and whatever free software you have on your laptop or phone to record with.

Editing is where you refine your content and boils down to your own creativity in the beginning, unless you want to start paying for copyrighted music and jingles.

My advice is to get comfortable with the software you have access to by removing mistakes, pauses, and any unnecessary sound elements to create a seamless listening experience.

That alone will increase the quality of your podcast and only cost you some time while you get to practice a new fun skill.

The rest of the add-ons can come later.

Your podcast can evolve with you. You don't need to buy everything right out of the box before you know if you even really enjoy creating episodes yourself.

Step 6: Branding and Podcast Artwork

Creating a memorable podcast name that reflects your content and resonates with your target audience is a fun step because you get to be as creative and original as you want.

I say the simpler the better, but in the end, especially if this is a personal project that you are doing for fun, do you boo!

In the era of AI, you don't even have to make a shortlist yourself. There are a ton of free tools that can help you find a name based on what your podcast is about.

I'm not sure if you're sensing a theme yet, but free tools are kind of my biggest recommendation when you're first getting started.

When it came down to designing my own logo, I decided that I wasn't going to pay for custom artwork until I hit a certain amount of episodes just to be sure I was really serious about the project.

So I kept it simple and poked around Canva until I designed something that felt right.

What's great about Canva is that they have a number of free templates you can play with so no need for a design degree to end up with something pretty cool.

The best part is many of their templates are free!

It's a tall ask, but when you are testing out different designs, try to convey the essence of your podcast at a glance.

Podcast platforms like Apple Podcasts and Spotify have lots of competing artwork that is vying for people's attention.

The clearer you are, the easier your concept will be able to stand out in the crowd.

Step 7: Hosting and Distribution

Select a podcast hosting platform to store your audio files and generate an RSS feed. This feed is what allows your episodes to be distributed to various podcast directories.

Popular hosting platforms include Libsyn, Podbean, and Anchor (which is now part of Spotify for Podcasters).

I first heard about Anchor because it was being used by podcasters I listen to. That gave me the vote of confidence I needed to try the platform and it is what I still use to this day.

It's a great podcasting software for beginners who are just getting started in podcasting. Anchor is user-friendly, free to use, and allows for easy distribution across multiple platforms.

Step 8: Launch and Promotion

Before launching, it would be great to have a few episodes ready to release to build consistency.

I personally did not do that and batch recording is how I'm now planning to course correct.

Creating a launch strategy that includes promoting your podcast on social media, reaching out to friends and family, and leveraging any existing online presence you may have is a great place to start if you are looking to attract some immediate traction.

As you script your episodes, you can also encourage listeners to subscribe, rate, and review your podcast to improve its visibility.

Consistency is key in podcasting like it is in most things in life. But don't be too hard on yourself if you need a break.

Sticking to a regular release schedule sounds great if it was your full-time job. But as a hobby or just something you're experimenting with, don't forget that it should be more fun than stressful.

Step 9: Continuous Improvement

As you gain experience, consistently seek opportunities to improve your podcast. Pay attention to listener feedback, track your podcast's performance metrics, and evolve your content to stay relevant and engaging.

Starting a podcast is an exciting venture that allows you to share your passions, insights, and expertise with the world.

By following these steps and learning from some of my mistakes, you can establish a podcast that resonates with listeners and grows over time.

Remember that patience and perseverance are key, and enjoy the journey of creating meaningful audio content. You got this!

And in case you were curious, you can check out my most recent passion project, Experiencing UX, here.