I get lots of questions about how to create a podcast (and submit it to iTunes). Here's a quick primer.
Update: I've just written a more updated "How to start a podcast" guide here.
The most important step for a new podcaster isn't buying the right gear, choosing the right platform, or even finding guests.
Before you do anything else, you need to pick a topic.
To do this, you're going to answer two fundamental questions:
My show (Build your SaaS) is for people starting a software business in 2018. It's purpose is to share our journey, and help other founders navigate the startup stage.
It's not enough to pick a topic. To really stand out, you'll need to ask yourself:
What unique perspective can I bring to this subject? What hasn't been done before? How can I stand out?
A good tool for doing podcast research is Chartable.
You can use it to browse the different podcast categories, and see what types of shows are ranking highly.
When you see a show at the top of a category, look and see when it was last updated. If it's been months (or years!) you might be able to create a new show to fill that space.
For more about choosing your audience, check out:
Don't run out and buy a bunch of recording gear yet!
Practice by recording something on your phone. You don’t need a fancy mic to start practicing.
You can record test episodes with whatever recording device you currently own. For most people, this means using your phone!
Just follow these steps:
The idea is to start small.
It's easy to fall into the trap of buying equipment. But, having all that gear will delude you into feeling like you've already arrived. Podcasting is about creating compelling audio! If you've never recorded your voice before, you're going to need a lot of practice.
For more on practicing podcasting, read this post.
After doing a lot of research, and getting some great advice from my friend Adam Clark, here's what I recommend for people starting out:
That whole set-up should cost you under $100 USD.
Here are a few other gear guides:
For hosting you'll need two things:
Initially, for my first podcast, I hosted the website + feed on WordPress, and the files on Amazon S3. I thought it would save me money; I was wrong!
I ended up spending $20-$30 per month on AWS bills. It turns out, bandwidth is expensive!
That's why Jon and I started Transistor.fm.
We'll give you everything you need for $19/month:
We also have a podcast player that you can embed on your website, landing page, or on Twitter:
Most podcast interviews (or co-hosting calls) still take place over Skype.
To record the audio on both sides, you can use Skype Call Recorder or Audio Hijack Pro. I also use ScreenFlow, which is screencasting software, but it works really well for recording audio as well.
Where do you get theme music? You can get theme music from Premium Beat and Audio Jungle. I got my music from someone local here in Vernon, BC.
When you're looking to book guests, send people genuine emails that show you know who they are, and what they're passionate about. Also, use Calendly so they can choose a time that works best for them.
I talk more about getting guests in my interview here.
The most important channel for your podcast will be Apple Podcasts.
For step by step instructions, read this guide:
You can watch me create a podcast, from start to finish, in this YouTube video.
If you have more questions, you can reach me on Twitter.