Podcasts have become all the rage lately – as they should! They’re a great way to entertain yourself, catch up on pop culture, or even seek out inspiration if you’re feeling in a rut. Once podcasts became popular, I jumped on the bandwagon and was immediately hooked, so much so that I considered starting my own. Flash forward one month, and I’ve published 5 podcast episodes! Sure enough I have a friend who’s crazy enough to start a podcast with me (which makes recording that much more fun!), but whether or not you have a co-host, there is nothing that should stop you from starting if you’re interested! I’ll walk you through everything you need to know to get your podcast up and running!
The Equipment
You’ll need a decent-quality microphone to record the podcast. If you have a Macbook, look no further than GarageBand! This is the platform I use to record my podcast on and the sound quality is great! It’s very user friendly and awesome that your recording automatically saves to your laptop. If you do not have a Macbook, there are a ton of affordable microphones on Amazon! Here are some good options (1, 2)
You will also need to find a podcast host. This is a site that you will upload your podcast to and share with platforms like Apple Podcasts and Spotify. I use Buzzsprout and it’s great for up-and-coming podcasts! Many podcast providers will require you to pay per minute that you upload. This is common, so don’t be turned away by it, but be sure to check the reviews of the site you’re considering using to make sure it’s safe!
Your Message
While it’s awesome (and encouraged) to start a podcast for fun, it’s important that you establish a message or a feeling that you want to give to your listeners after each episode. Do you want your listeners to feel entertained? Knowledgeable? Relaxed? Energized? Do you want your topics to be lighthearted that someone could listen to while driving to work? Or would you want to talk about heavier topics that someone would need to sit down and listen to? The awesome thing about deciding on your message is that you’ll probably come up with a good name for your podcast too! (This is exactly how I came up with the name ‘Flip The Switch,’ because I wanted listeners to feel like they were flipping the switch to a better day after listening)
Gather Your Thoughts Before Each Recording
Once you start recording, one of two things will happen. You’ll either get microphone anxiety and not find the words that you were meaning to say, or you’ll be so eager to say everything that you’ll lose your focus, and hence, lose your listeners. The best thing you can do it make a rough outline of your episode theme with specific points that you know you want to say. This helps you keep your train of thought recording and also keeps your podcast at a reasonable time lengthy. Your listeners are more likely to listen if they know they have the time to listen to a whole episode.
Share your Podcast!
For some of us, this is much easier said than done, but it shouldn’t be! I was extremely nervous to tell people I was starting a podcast, let alone actually sharing my episodes on social media. Your podcast should be something you’re proud of. If you’re proud of something, you should want to share it with those around you! You will be surprised at the people who support you and the amount of people who will admit to always wanting to start a podcast.
My beautiful co-host, Haley, was the person who pushed me to start our podcast. Without her, I would still be listening to endless episodes of my favorite podcasts just wondering if I would ever start my own one day. If you sound like me, talk about your passions with your friends! You never know if you’ll find someone crazy enough to take risks with you.
I hope that these tips gave you a clear guide as to how to start a podcast. It’s incredibly easy and is a fun, stress-relieving side hustle that takes me away from the pressure of school and personal life. If you’re interested in listening to my podcast, check us out on Spotify and Apple Podcasts at Flip The Switch!