Podcasting 101: Getting Started

Good morning and welcome back to…..

Okay, you probably started to read that in a podcaster voice.

You’ve been scrolling through Spotify to find your playlists and you’ve seen more and more podcasts showing up in your home page. Maybe podcasts have been filling your car rides and workouts…. or maybe you’ve become interested in learning how to start one! Being a fairly new podcaster myself, I figured I’d share some easy steps and resources for getting started.

1. It all starts with an idea & a why.

Before diving into logistics, it is important to start with an idea. For me, I had so many ideas, wasn’t sure where to start, and had yet to answer “Why start a podcast?” If you need ideas, there are plenty of genres to draw inspiration from: business, lifestyle, Comedy, Music, Entertainment, and so many more. And what is amazing about podcasts is it can be genre-bending and cover many topics and ideas. The options are truly endless. For me, I knew I wanted to integrate music, life, and coffee, so instead of choosing just one, I chose all three. You will also want to consider whether you will plan/draft out episodes ahead of time and create a “script” or will it be more spontaneous or interview-based. That is personal preference and more tied to what type of podcast you want to create. I started with more of a script at the start, but I now just jot a few notes and have my words be more open to spontaneous thoughts and conversation. One last piece of advice is to focus on the passion and enjoyment of the podcast-making process, not the number of listeners. The most joy will come from reminding yourself of the why, investing in the passion project, and taking a little leap of faith with starting the podcast.

2. Gather your equipment.

Honestly, starting a podcast does not have to cost you any money, if at all. If you aren’t in a place to spend money you can record voice memos into your phone and upload to the software, or record start into the software. I bought two mics: one is a more permanent set-up at my desk (that plugs into my laptop) and the other is a small, portable mic easy to carry on-the-go (that also plugs into laptops). You can certainly invest in more equipment, but this is a great starting point.

3. Choose your software.

There are so many podcasting sites out there that you can use for recording, editing, and distribution, and many of which are FREE! A few options are Buzzsprout, Podbean (what My City Church for recorded sermons), and Anchor. I personally use Anchor and have found it really smooth-sailing and easy to work with, especially considering I am not the most tech-savvy person. Anchor was created by Spotify, so it is super slick if you are embedding songs into your episodes and uploading to Spotify.

4. Press “record” and revise as needed.

Now that you have an idea/plan, equipment, and software, you are ready to record. Upload or record voice memos and segments and edit them together. Sites such as Anchor have numerous options for filler songs, transitions, and intros to help create a flow to your episodes. You can even add Spotify songs to your episode, depending on the type of podcast you are creating. Recording may require a bit of patience. I know for me, I do a few takes for each episode, with the goal of not having to edit or cut out much audio. Once you feel content with your episode, you are ready for the final step!

5. Publish and distribute.

Within the software, there is a button to hit “publish” and you can choose which sites you want them published to. Mine is only on Spotify since I include Spotify songs within my podcast, but most will publish to most music/podcast streaming sites.

Lastly, decide whether or not to monetize your podcast. It is a decision you do not have to make right away. Especially through Anchor, you can change that option at anytime. I would base that decision more so on the amount of listeners you get over time and what your personal goals are for the podcast.

Side note: Before you publish, make sure you have a photo or logo to use for your podcast as cover art. I paid a super talented graphic designer to piece together the design for mine, but you can certainly utilize apps such as Canva to design your own!

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Here are a few podcasts to check out!

The Glory Boys Podcast – This podcast is hosted by Darren Clausen and Austin Hall, two members of our Creative team at My City Church! (Available on Spotify and Youtube)

The Clarity and Caffeine Compilation – My podcast! Most episodes are in the form of playlists where I talk about my favorite songs, memories, and my faith journey. (Available on Spotify and Anchor)

My City Church Podcast – This includes all of the past Sunday messages at My City! (Available on Apple Podcasts and Podbean)

‍I encourage to take this leap and enjoy the ride, or just venture out to listening to podcasts instead of the usual music playlists.

‍Happy Podcasting!