How to Start Your Own Podcast

by | Oct 2, 2013

I originally published this blog post in October 2013, just two months after launching my podcast. I now update it a few times a year. 

Back when this post was originally published, I had recently written a guest post for Tanja Gardner’s blog on how to build your business through podcasting. It also included tips on how to be featured as a guest on someone else’s podcast. Do check it out, as I think it’s a great piece for people who have never thought about podcasting.

Now that I’ve got my own podcast (and have released an episode every week for the past 400+ weeks), I often get asked questions about how to set one up. In fact, one of the most frequently asked questions I get from friends is: “What tips would you have for someone who wants to start their own podcast?”

Here’s a basic outline to get you started.

This post is part of a series that I’ve created on podcasts:

Please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions.

I’ve also done a podcast episode on How YOU Can Start Your Own Podcast, which you might find useful.

Disclosure: There are affiliate links in this blog post, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on these links and make a purchase. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I am also a participant in other affiliate programs. 
 

Getting Started

  1. Read. First of all, the best resource is John Lee Dumas’s ebook Podcast Launch. It’s a short ebook that gives you all the info you need, and it’s very reasonably priced on Amazon. It also comes with links to several videos that show you how to set things up step by step. The videos were very helpful for me, especially when setting up the hosting. He also gives you clear tips on how to get your podcast featured in New & Noteworthy on iTunes, which is great for getting exposure. My podcast was featured on New & Noteworthy just one week after launch, which was even better than I had hoped, and it gave the blog extra coverage for about seven weeks. (2017 note: apparently N&N isn’t the big deal that it used to be, but it’s nice to be featured.)
  2. Join. The ShePodcasts Facebook group is a fantastic community for women podcasters. It’s a great place for both new and experienced podcasters to connect, and it’s a place for you to ask any and all questions you may have.
  3. Listen. To the ShePodcasts show to continue to learn about podcasting.

Getting Guests

There are many types of podcasts. You could do an interview show, solo episodes, co-hosted episodes with another person…there are so many options. When I began my show in 2013, I started out doing just interviews.

When I was first getting ready to start my show, I set up a spreadsheet with three pages:

  • Easy-to-get guests: these were people I knew, whom I was pretty sure would say yes to an interview with me.
  • Intermediate guests: people I didn’t know personally, but whom I could easily contact. I also included friends of friends, or people I could get an introduction to.
  • Bigger names: these were well-known people in the online world, some of whom were friends of friends and others who were not connected to me in any way.

I started out inviting women from group one to be on my show. Once I got underway, I moved into group two, and eventually I worked my way up to group three. Each time, I focused on women who would be fun to interview and who had an interesting story to tell my audience.

One of the questions I usually ask guests is whether they have any women business mentors, or whether there are any women entrepreneurs who inspire them that they would like to mention. That’s also been a great source of new ideas for guests on my show.

Now that my show has been around for a while, I regularly receive pitches from people who want to be a guest. I get more pitches than I have slots for guests, so I set up a Google Form for people to fill in their details. It’s been valuable in building up a database of people who are interested in being on the show.

Interestingly, I’d say only about 50% of the people who email me actually fill out the form, which means that it weeds out a bunch of people who aren’t really all that interested, and just want some easy exposure to my audience. Feel free to copy the questions from my Google Form and adapt them for your show. It’s worth setting up something like this from the start if you have an interview podcast.

How to Start Your Own Podcast

Recording

I record all of my episodes on my MacBook Pro.

My first microphone was a Zoom H2N, but after having many problems with it, I switched to a Blue Yeti, which is probably one of the most common microphones used by podcasters. The Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB microphone is also really popular. I record in my office, on my computer, using my Blue Yeti microphone.

Note that the Blue Yeti is a side address microphone. Use it straight up and down. Don’t point it toward you.

If I’m doing an interview, I used to record using Skype + ECamm Call Recorder, but now I use Zoom. Whatever you use, it’s important to use something that records each person on a separate audio track, which Zoom now does. If you record both people on one single audio track, and you have problems with the recording for one of the people, you may not be able to fix the problems. If you’ve got both voices on separate tracks, that makes it easier to fix (depending on the issue). You can now record audio files on two separate tracks on Zoom. Learn how to set that up here.

If I’m doing a solo show, I record using Audacity. If you don’t like Audacity, many people use Garage Band.

Here’s a great list of the top 20 most popular microphones used by podcasters.

My office has carpeting in it, and I always close the curtains to improve sound quality. The quality of your recording is very important, so it’s good to avoid recording in places with tile or hardwood floors and huge glass windows. Try to record in soft places (hence the carpeting and curtains). Some people even record in their closet, which is full of soft clothes!

My gear:

How to Start Your Own Podcast

Very Basic Technical Tips

If you’re using Skype, add your guests on Skype (or whatever you’re using) well in advance of the call, so you can make sure that you’ve got their right details. Make sure you have the latest update for Skype.

If you’re using Zoom, send the guest the link for the call.

Encourage guests to find a quiet location for the interview, and ask them to turn off their mobile and/or landline so you don’t get interrupted in the middle of the call (or worse, sit there with the ringing in the background…that’s one thing your podcast editor can’t edit out). Obviously, do the same for yourself. To help improve sound quality, I record in my office, which has carpeting, and I close the curtains so the windows aren’t a problem for the sound.

Use headphones, and encourage your guests to to the same. That way, you won’t get an echo in the background when you speak.

Be sure to test your microphone and headset before your first calls to ensure that everything goes smoothly for the interview (and encourage guests to do the same).

In my experience, the best way to connect on Skype/Zoom is as follows, in order of best to worst quality:

  • On a computer with a wired connection. Meaning: an ethernet cable going between your computer and your internet router. That’s what I always use.
  • On a computer with wifi. I suspect that’s what most people I interview are using, so this is good enough in most circumstances, as long as you have good wifi and a good ISP.
  • On a mobile device, like a phone or a tablet. I’ve only done this a couple of times, and while it works sometimes, there are other times when we just haven’t been able to make it happen.
  • Calling someone on their landline (Skype only). This seems to be the worst connection for sound quality as it sometimes sounds really fuzzy, but it’s doable.

Podcast Hosting

I host my podcast at LibSyn, which was first recommended to me by Natalie Sisson of the Suitcase Entrepreneur. Start with a small plan and then upgrade as you need to. Keep in mind that LibSyn archives your files after a month, so you won’t need a massive amount of space, unless you have a daily podcast like John Lee Dumas.

2023 note: I’m still hosting with LibSyn and have no complaints! I wouldn’t recommend anyone else. 

Editing

I outsource my editing to a fantastic guy in the Philippines, who adds the intro/outro, the intro/outro music, and edits out ahs/ums and background noise, if possible. It’s amazing some of the stuff that goes on in the background at these interviews, like one morning when someone was doing construction work near my home right as I was recording the podcast. Some things you just can’t plan around.

My editor is absolutely fantastic, and he’s been working with me for nine and a half years. If you need a podcast editor and want his contact details, please get in touch and I’ll send them over to you. I highly recommend him!

Best practices for working with an audio editor:

  • Use Asana to set up lists of tasks that need to be done around the podcast
  • Have clear expectations of who does what at each step of the way
  • Inform your editor of the exact day and time you want the episode published each week
  • Get your audio to your editor in a timely manner
  • Tell them what to edit (unwanted noises, uhs/ums, volume regulation, etc.)
  • Make note of any coughs, noises, interruptions, etc. to make it easier for them. If something happens during the interview, I make a note of the time stamp and let him know.

I got a voice actor for the old intro/outro on Fiverr (though eventually I scrapped that and started doing my own), and I got the royalty-free music at SoundRangers (which I still use). I wanted a woman for my intro/outro, and I wanted a non-American accent so it contrasted with my American accent, and after listening to a few samples on Fiverr, I found the right person. The same for the music: I listened to a few samples, and quickly found something I liked. Years later, my listeners suggested it might be better if I just did it myself, so I did.

Graphics

I use the free version of Canva to create the graphics for my show, and also for the show artwork. If you’re not fond of playing around with design, I do recommend that you hire a professional to get help with this.

I create 3 graphics for each podcast episode:

  • Featured image for the blog post that contains the show notes—I also use this for Facebook posts
  • Square image for Instagram
  • Vertical image for Pinterest

My podcast editor creates a little one-minute video for Instagram using the square image I send him. I think he uses Headliner for this.

Sharing Online

Every week I block out a half hour in my calendar to share the episode online. This is a recurring task that I could probably outsource to a VA, but I do it myself. I have a recurring task set up in Asana, with a checklist:

  • Create Pretty Link. That’s the shorter link: https://hollyworton.com/300, for example)
  • Change Nature image. I have an image of plants, flowers, or trees at the top of each blog post. I sometimes change those according to what’s currently in bloom.
  • Add episode to Podcast page. I add each new episode to the top of https://hollyworton.com/podcast.
  • Post to Patreon. I add each episode graphic, title, and short description to Patreon, with a link to the show notes.
  • Download snippet video. My podcast editor creates a short, one-minute video for me to upload to Instagram. See what they look like here.
  • Share to Instagram. I copy and past my Patreon post into an Instagram post, along with the snippet video. I usually use flower or tree emojis to replace the bullet points. Usually I’ll set this up in Hootsuite.
  • Share to Pinterest. My blogging coach has gotten me into Pinterest, so now I’m being more strategic about how I use it. I make sure to upload every new podcast episode to my Podcast board. Again, I copy and paste the Patreon post as the pin description, and I reformat that for Pinterest. See what that looks like here.
  • Add transcripts. I add the latest transcripts to the show notes pages, and I update on the Podcast page to show that the transcripts have been added.
  • Check MeetEdgar. I use MeetEdgar to regularly share all of my podcast episodes and blog posts on social media. I use an RSS feed to import posts from my website, and then I update them by copying and pasting my Patreon post, then reformatting it.
  • Add to newsletter. I have a section called “On the podcast” every week in my email newsletter, so I open up ConvertKit and copy and paste the Patreon post, reformatting it for the newsletter.

Embedding episodes

You may notice that on the Podcast page, I have a player where you can access every single episode from the history of the podcast. This is something you can generate in Libsyn, if you use them as your podcast hosting service. My podcast editor also includes a single episode player when he sets up the show notes of each episode. Again, this is done in Libsyn.

How long does everything take me?

I block out two hours in my calendar every week to record the podcast episode. This includes deciding on a topic, researching the topic, recording the episode (usually a half hour), creating the graphics, writing the show notes, and then sending everything to my audio editor. He will then edit the audio, upload the episode to LibSyn, set up the show notes, create the snippet video, and program a post on Facebook.

Sometimes it doesn’t take me the full two hours, sometimes it does. But it rarely takes more than two hours. In fact, even when I do a longer episode with someone else, I can usually fit everything into two hours.

I also block out a half hour to share the post online once it goes live, as I detailed above.

All in all, my podcast takes me two and a half hours each week.

Personalized Help

Once you get going on your podcasting journey, if you find that you need help, I’m a HUGE fan of Elsie Escobar. I recently had a session with her as part of her E-League program, and it was such a great investment. She spent hours listening to my show and researching me online, so she could come to the 90-minute session with super specific advice on how I can improve my show and grow my audience.

Other Useful Posts

I’ve written a few other blog posts that you may find useful:

Podcast Episode

I also did a podcast episode on this: 263 Holly Worton ~ How YOU Can Start Your Own Podcast. Listen here. 

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2017 Thoughts

When I started the show back in 2013, it was because I couldn’t find a show that fit what I wanted to listen to. I was enjoying a lot of entrepreneurial shows, but what I really wanted was a podcast that featured interviews with just women. At the time, there wasn’t anything like that. I asked around, and after no one could help, I realized that if the show I wanted to listen to didn’t exist, then I’d have to create it myself.

Since then, the world of women in podcasting has expanded greatly, and there are thousands of women podcasters out there, with more shows being launched every day. Things have changed, and there are now many shows like the one I wanted so desperately to find back in 2013. But I’m glad I couldn’t find it back then, because if I had, I might never have launched my own show.

At the time of this update, I’ve released over 195 episodes on my show, which has rebranded over the years along with my business. I haven’t missed a week since I started. It’s the ONE THING that I’ve been consistent with in terms of content. I haven’t been this regular with my YouTube videos, my emails to my list, or my blog.

The show has also evolved over the years, moving from a purely interview based show to including occasional solo episodes from me, and now to a blend of two solo episodes + one co-hosted episode with Jo Casey + one interview each month. The show has evolved and grown along with me, and I think it’s this flexibility that’s kept it alive and thriving for so long.

I’m happy to answer any questions you may have about podcasting, so please pop them in the comments below, or send me a message. I absolutely love my podcast, and I’m so happy that I’m doing it. LOVE it!!

2018 Update

In late 2017, I grew tired of getting constant pitches from people who clearly had no interest in me or my show beyond getting some free publicity for themselves. I realized that, while I used to love doing interviews, I wasn’t enjoying them as much as I had in the past. I wanted to have longer, deeper conversations. Jo Casey and I started doing episodes that went beyond 30 minutes, often stretching between 45 and 60 minutes. I realized that I wanted to have more conversations like that.

This led me to:

  • Quit doing interviews for my podcast.
  • Continue the deeper conversations with Jo Casey.
  • Take on a quarterly co-host that I knew well to have longer, deeper conversations with.

It’s mid-April as I write this, and the new format is working beautifully. I’ve rekindled my excitement for the show, and I’m really enjoying each episode. Some of my own solo episodes have also begun to stretch beyond 30 minutes.

The most important thing to learn here: if you get tired of your show, change things up.

2019 Update

For this year, I’m pretty much following the same format as in 2018. I ended up not doing quarterly co-hosts because I started out with Joanna Hennon, and we made such a great team that I kept her on for the rest of the year.

So here’s what the podcast looks like for 2019:

  • Monthly co-hosted episodes with Jo Casey, where we delve deeper into topics and episodes range about 45-60 minutes.
  • Monthly co-hosted episodes with Joanna Hennon, where we delve deeper into topics and episodes range about 45-60 minutes.
  • 2-3 solo episodes, depending on how many Mondays there are in a month. These episodes are usually about 30 minutes long, though sometimes they end up being much longer.
  • Occasional guests: these are people I know well and who I know I can have a great, in-depth conversation with. These are not interviews, but rather the kind of co-hosted episodes that I do with Jo and Joanna.

2020 Update

For this year, I’m pretty much following the same format as in 2019:

  • Monthly co-hosted episodes with Joanna Hennon, where we delve deeper into topics and episodes range about 45-60 minutes.
  • 2-3 solo episodes, depending on how many Mondays there are in a month. These episodes are usually about 30 minutes long, though sometimes they end up being much longer.
  • Occasional guests: these are people I know well and who I know I can have a great, in-depth conversation with. These are not interviews, but rather the kind of co-hosted episodes that I do with Joanna.

2023 Update

In late 2022, I was starting to feel tired of the podcast. I was struggling to find guests I was really excited about, and I felt like I was running out of things to say for solo episodes. After a conversation with a friend who had been podcasting for even longer than I had and who was planning to pause one of her two shows, I made the decision to press pause on my podcast. In February 2023, after never missing a week during 500 weeks and 500 episodes, I announced that I would be pausing the podcast indefinitely.

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