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Have you ever thought about starting a podcast? It seems intimidating but trust us, it’s really not! It’s actually the easiest form of content we create! And guess what!? We started our podcast from ground zero. With no subscribers or experience inside the podcasting arena and without hiring a podcast coach or manager. So yes, it’s possible for you too to start a podcast without an audience! The best part— a podcast is meant to be conversational and there is so much less pressure to be perfect (lookin’ at you IG 👀)
So, if one of your goals in 2023 is to start a podcast, you’re in the right place! We’ll tell you everything you need to get started, our exact process for recording and publishing an episode, and repurposing it into other content!
7 Podcast “Things” You Need to Get Started
1. A Good Microphone
Obviously, podcasts are audio-based, which means you want high quality audio production so your listeners don’t cringe at how awful your mic sounds (we’ve all been there). There are plenty on Amazon to choose from, just be sure to look at the reviews before purchasing! Here’s the one we use and love!
2. Any Kind of Recorder
This is something we wildly over-thought… so our biggest advice is don’t overcomplicate it. Loom, Zoom or a podcasting software like Audacity work great for recording your episodes. Or even pull out your recorder on your phone! It doesn’t need to be complicated and don’t let this decision hold you back from starting your podcast.
3. Editing Software
There are so many editing softwares to pick from! Here are a few we recommend:
- Audacity
- Adobe Audition
- Riverside
- Garage Band
- A billion more 😉 just Google “best podcast editing softwares“.
We use Camtasia, which is actually both an audio and video editor.
4. Podcast Hosting Platform
This is where your podcast episodes are stored. We use Podbean (and love it!), which is a super easy platform to create, promote, and monetize our podcast. Plus, they have a free plan for you to get started!
5. Set up Your Podcast Accounts on the Various Platforms
We’re talkin’ Spotify, Apple, Google Podcasts, Amazon, etc. Have you heard the saying “Go to the people”? Meet people where they’re at, and most likely, it’s one of these popular listening platforms.
Podcast launch watch out: We didn’t know that this could take up to a couple weeks to verify your RSS feed, so don’t wait until the last minute. Some people even launch with a trailer just to get started, which is a great idea to make sure your RSS feed is working before you launch your podcast.
6. Determine Your Goals
How often are you going to release episodes? Will you record one at a time or batch record? How will you promote your episodes? What does winning look like to you? When starting a podcast, plan out a workflow or process to make sure you stay on track with your goals. Did you know that less than 20% of the podcasts that launch this year will make it to next year? Tons of podcasts fail every year and it’s because of this lack of clarity and process. Don’t let that be you!
7. Have a Launch Strategy
You need people to listen and review so you can hit the charts which helps to increase your awareness from the start. So be sure to have a launch pad for starting your podcast. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from family and friends! Ask people to listen and review when you launch. Your friends are dying to support you— we promise!
The Duo On Air Podcasting Process
Steal our podcast workflow!
1. Source topics
We think this is actually what inspires people to start a podcast! You have so many ideas for things to share with the world, but you get caught up in the actual starting process.
We still recommend researching hot topics to talk about. You can find ideas…
- From other podcasters (just use your own thoughts and opinions!)
- Repurpose blog or video content (more on that in a minute!)
- Listen to your audience
- Talk about personal experiences
- Bring in guest experts
- Join social media groups (and ask them!)
2. Roughly outline your episodes
We create a general outline before recording an episode so we know the big topics we want to cover, but we never write the episode out word for word. It makes the episode robotic and disingenuous, which listeners can see (or hear) right through!
3. Schedule a batch recording day
Set aside a few hours one day to batch record a few episodes! We usually record as many as we can so it puts us a few weeks, even months, ahead. Then it gives our behind the scenes team time to edit, write show notes, and publish!
4. Edit your audio (we’re lucky, we have Abbey’s hubby)
After your recording days, you have to edit each episode yourself or hire someone to do it for you. Editing usually includes adding in the intro, a teaser clip, the outro and making sure everything in between is crystal clear. This is actually a great thing to outsource! Thank goodness we have Abbey’s hubby and editing genius, Glenn, because he does all this editing for us!
5. Publishing your episode (the final touches!)
You’re in the final stretch! After the episode is edited and ready to go, we:
- Schedule the episode in Podbean
- Create the show notes on our blog
- Share it with our community (social, email, etc.)
A Quick Note On Repurposing Content
Podcasts are a great way to repurpose old content, especially your best performing content! Once you have an audio recording, you can easily transcribe it to a blog (also commonly called show notes like we do!), promote it on social in carousels or reels, share it on YouTube shorts, create an idea pin and so much more. If you decide to create a video while you’re recording the episode, even better! Post that on YouTube for some easy video content. One podcast episode can turn into so many pieces of content and it’s one of our core marketing strategies.
So, are you ready to start a podcast? Thank you for listening and reading ours, and if you liked today’s episode on The Duo On Air Marketing Podcast, don’t forget to leave us a review & subscribe!
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Abbey Oslin and Courtney Petersen are Minnesota-based marketing experts, educators, and co-founders of boutique marketing agency Duo Collective, which specializes in SEO, social media strategy, and branding for small business owners and creative entrepreneurs. To learn more about Duo Collective, or to inquire about working with our team, head over to www.duocollective.com.
To inquire about being a guest on Duo On Air, please fill out this application form.
And to submit a topic or a question for next week’s episode, send us a DM on Instagram! See you on Monday!
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