If you've ever thought about starting a podcast, this series is for you. And even if you aren't planning a podcast, you can get a lot out of the questions we'll be covering in this episode.

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April 24, 2023

166. How to Start a Podcast

PART I
These are some questions you should ask before you start your podcast.

What is your goal?
Are you going to focus on education, entertainment, documentation, or something different entirely?

Who is your audience?
You want to know who you will be speaking to before you start forming episodes.

You don't need a big following before you begin your podcast. While having followers may help with initial downloads, you can grow quickly if you know you're speaking to and if you get out in front of them.

10-15 minute long episodes are great for quick topics and tips.
20-45 minutes is longer form conversations, and 1-2+ hours gets into the long conversations and deep topic dives.
Keep in mind that anything after 20 minutes, most listeners will drop off.

Having guest interviews is a great way to grow your podcast audience through cross-pollination. Your guest will bring over their audience to discover you, while your audience is hearing from your guest and discovering them.

Weekday podcasts are nearly even when it comes to the amount of downloads, so pick a day of the week and stay consistent when releasing new episodes.

There is a spike of listers between 10am-6pm on weekdays, so posting your episode during that window is helpful.

Batch record your episodes if you can. That way you have multiple weeks of content out of just one day.

PART II

Microphones:
USB mics are on the less expensive side and they hook up directly to your computer, so it's a good starting point.

XLR mics are better quality and connect to a mixer before hitting your computer and recording software.

When looking for a mic for podcasting, look for condenser mics as they record a more crisp sound and pick up less background noise.

Adrianna Reed asked "Do you need a separate website for your podcast or just use your established website?"

If the topic of your established website and the topic of your podcast overlap (i.e. photography and a podcast about photography) then just make a page on your website about the podcast.

If they are different, create a whole new site designated to your podcast.

Podcast Hosting platforms you should check out.
Captivate.fm
Podbean
Libsyn

Podcast recording platforms
Riverside.fm
Anchor.fm
Zencaster
Zoom

Youtube has a new podcasting feature where you can create a playlist of your podcast videos and mark it as a podcast, which adds your podcast to the list of YouTube podcasts.

Be consistent with your cover art, and with which day of the week you post your episodes.

To monetize your podcast, the best way to start is with affiliate links to products you already use and love.

You can also point toward resources you provide so that listeners can either joins your email list or purchase products from you.

If you plan to have guests on your show, be prepared to get ghosted. But don't be discouraged. Keep asking more people. Other podcasters are great to have one your show too.