You’re getting ready to start a podcast, and things are starting to feel JUUUUST a little overwhelming! But here’s the thing, you really only need these three key things to get started. So get out your planner and let’s start that podcast!
1. A content plan
It’s pretty common to get caught up in the excitement of starting a podcast, and you might actually have loads of topic ideas! But how do they all fit together? Podcasting, like any other type of content, needs a plan. If you don’t know where you’re going with it, you’ll end up driving in a direction that makes no sense for your goals.
And everything starts with your goals.
A business podcast might have a goal to increase brand visibility and awareness, or to promote a big product launch. A content podcast might have a goal to earn 20 new Patreon subscribers per month at the $5 level. Whatever the goal is, it needs to be clearly defined in order to create your content plan.
Next, you’ll want to map out some topics or guest interviews that will support your goals. Or perhaps you want to create a social media campaign to drive more engagement with your audience. All of this can live in your content plan – and once you’ve built it out, the only thing to do after that, is follow it!
Lucky for you, I’ve got a free 52 week content planner that will help you do just that! Download it here and fill it out as you prepare to start a podcast.
2. A podcast host
I’m not talking about you, silly! I’m talking about a place where you upload your episode files every week to be distributed to all the platforms, like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, yadda yadda yadda.
A podcast host is basically the same thing as a website host. For a certain amount of money, you get to store your audio files in one place. Once you’ve got it set up, your podcast host will create an RSS feed for you, which looks like this: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/1314196.rss
Once you’ve got your RSS feed, you’ll submit it to all of the various podcast directories. There are a few more steps involved (like uploading your podcast artwork, writing a description and creating accounts as needed) but this is where it all lives.
I’ve been getting very into BuzzSprout as of late, because they make it super easy to submit to the different podcast directories, and at about $12/mo on the basic plan, it’s very affordable. And, if you want a $20 Amazon gift card, use my affiliate link to sign up!
3. At least one episode recorded
Again, I know this all might sound super basic, but you can’t actually do the rest of what you need to do with your podcast host without a full episode recorded and uploaded. Apple Podcasts recently did away with trailers and has been known to reject feeds that have one short episode with “preview” or “trailer” in the title. Alas, I am a sad experiencer of this experience.
So one episode is fine, but I’ll challenge you to go even beyond that and record four episodes before you launch. Heck, if you really want to start a podcast with a bang, record eight episodes, release four all at the same time to kick off the party (this gets you more downloads and visibility on Apple Podcasts) and then release your next four each week following!
It’s all about planning!
Once you’ve got your content plan sorted out, and the logistical and technical elements organized, you’re good to go. Plan ahead, do a little bit of research, and remember that at the end of the day, everything can be edited and re-uploaded. Heck, you can even change the name of your podcast if you really want to! I’ve done it!
Still need help to start a podcast?
Get instant access to my mini course “Podcast Prep Party” now! Straightforward strategy and tips that will get your podcast launched quickly!
