So you Want to start producing a podcast? 5 steps to help you get started

Podcasts have become hugely popular on a worldwide scale. Did you know that there are over 850,000 active podcasts and over 30 million podcast episodes??? That’s huge!!!

While the act of starting a podcast may seem easy, there are a few skills and techniques that will make your podcast stand out from the rest. Let's take a look at how you can start your successful podcast. 
 
1. Define the theme of your podcast.

Research what already exists. You will need to choose topics to cover in your podcast. To compete with the masses, create a consistent introduction and conclusion that matches your brand, and maybe some music and/or sound effects for sonic branding (think intro and outro).

2. Name your podcast and create overviews.

The name you choose will be fairly important, not just because it's your name but it will let your listeners know what you're about. Write an overview explaining what your show is about. The title should give an idea of what your show is all about, but your overview will tell a little bit more about what people can expect, for example: "Every week I will talk to one of the leading photographers in the industry to share their story" or "Every week I will give you a quick overview of what it takes to become a professional photographer".

3. Record your podcast.

Once you've figured out your topic, it’s time to record your podcast (which I'll cover in my next few posts). If this is your first podcast, you don't really need anything fancy; you can even use your smartphone to record yourself if that’s all you have. For a level up in quality, a recorder, a microphone, a quiet space and a laptop is all you’ll need. Once you get serious, you can invest money in high end equipment or even a full studio set up, but while you're starting it's best to test the waters without dropping big bucks. Alternatively, if you wanted to try out the idea, hiring podcast recording equipment is a cost effective way to get your ideas recorded.

4. Edit your podcast.
 
The next step is to edit what you've recorded including cleaning up background noise, editing out parts you want removed, and adding in your intro, outro, sound effects, music... and whatever else you'd like to add to make it yours. I use and love Logic Pro X but for a free alternative, check out Audacity. Once it's all edited together, export your audio files and upload them to the website or a podcast host to make them accessible to listeners.

5. Unleash your podcast on the world.

Now all you need is listeners to find your podcast. You can submit your podcasts to platforms such as Spotify and iTunes to list your episode series. 

And that's pretty much it!

If you feel like you're not ready to take that step to produce and edit your own podcast, you can outsource the work to an expert. A great podcast production company will assist you with all of the above, and supply files ready for upload.

Keep in mind, like any aspect of marketing, learning how to create a podcast is something you have to invest time and effort in to become good. Keep at it and remember it's all a learning process. If you have any questions, or want some advice feel free to get in contact for a chat.