*This article contains affiliate links
Ready to become the MVP of podcasting?
When we first started podcasting, we had no idea what we were doing, but we figured it out along the way and want to share what we’ve learned to help you on your podcasting journey!
Use our podcasting guide to get started and share your voice with the world!
PLAN YOUR PODCAST
- Choose your podcast topic and get clear on why you want to create this podcast, who your audience is, what your audience wants/needs to hear, and how you’ll structure your show (solo episodes, guest episodes, etc.)
- Decide how frequently you will release new episodes
- PRO TIP: Focus on quality over quantity! Don’t plan to release 1 episode per week if you can’t keep up with it. Don’t compare yourself or try to keep up with others, do what works for YOU and create a plan that you can stick to
- Brainstorm episode ideas and potential guests
- Start by brain dumping all of your episode ideas and then start breaking down each one with points you want to discuss, questions you want to ask your guests, etc.
- PRO TIP: Repurpose content you’ve already created by turning some of your most popular blogs or social media posts into podcast episodes
- Write and record an intro and outro for your show
- If you have the budget, you can also outsource this
PREPARE TO RECORD
- You’ll want to find a quiet place to record, but don’t feel like you need to create a podcast studio for sound quality. Many people record podcasts in their home offices, closets, vehicles, or wherever works for them.
- While you don’t need to make large investments to get your podcast going, if you’re going to invest in something, we suggest a good quality podcast mic:
- We use the Blue Snowball Mic and love the quality of it at a low price point
- You may also want to purchase a ring light if you want to record video as well
SOFTWARE TO HELP YOU
Here’s a list of software programs that we use to create the her Soul Shot Podcast Network
- Zoom or other video recording program for recording with guests
- We’ve tried out special podcast recording programs like Squadcast, which are options as well but have always found Zoom to suit our needs!
- A built in recorder on your computer or phone for solo episodes (you can use Zoom for this as well if you’d like)
- A podcast hosting platform
- A program to edit your podcast episodes
- We use Audacity for editing our episodes and it’s completely free! They also have great tutorial videos to help you learn how to edit.
- A program to create your episode graphics (we love using Canva for this!)
START PODCASTING
Now that you’ve got the basics ready, it’s time to take your shot and get podcasting! Here’s a quick guide that we find useful for our podcast:
- Create your podcast schedule
- Plan your episode
- Record episode
- Edit episode
- Write show notes as you’re editing episode
- Upload episode into your podcast host platform
- Schedule episode release
- Promote episode on social media
SHOW NOTES
Having show notes to go along with your episodes is a great way to get your podcast discovered via SEO on your website, drive traffic to your website, and give your listeners a place to find links, resources, and guest information mentioned in your episodes. Here’s some things you can include in your show notes:
- Break down the episode so listeners know what the episode is about
- Add links to topics, websites, products, etc. you bring up in the episode
- Add information on how to listen + follow you/the podcast on social media
- Add guest information for guest episodes
You can check out examples of our show notes here!
PROMOTE YOUR PODCAST
- Use your website and social media to promote your podcast
- Re-purpose your podcast content by creating sound clips, videos, multi-graphics, quotes and more with a call to action to listen to the podcast episode
- Create website ads for your podcast and place them in your blogs or other places on your website
- Tag your guests in the social posts so they can share with their audiences
- Do interviews on other podcasts in your niche to spread awareness of your podcast
PODCASTING PRO TIPS
- Use your podcast as an opportunity to promote your services/products
- Podcasting can build trust with your audience as it can help them to get to know you and gives them free advice before buying from you
- Use ads within episodes to promote your own products/services
- Set aside time to batch record podcast episodes—you’ll be amazed at how much content you can create with designated time set aside, then you don’t have to worry about recording an episode each time you release an episode
- If you’re able, hire someone to edit + write show notes for you to speed up the process so you can focus on creating the content
- Send guests a prep email before recording the episode
- Make them feel comfortable
- Send topics of discussion to help them prepare
- Give them info for when/how you’re recording
