What they don’t tell you about starting a podcast
You might want to start podcasting, or perhaps you have already started and you are now wondering, why didn’t I know about this before? In this article, I will give you some tips that may help reassure you that you are on the right track.
You don’t have to be a professional
Podcasting has become a serious business where people get access to production studios, and movie stars and influencers are starting podcasts backed up by huge budgets and teams. This can seem daunting to someone who has an interest in podcasting but might not have the resources. You do not need to be a radio star or known personality to start a podcast. Not everything has to be perfect. Start with what you have and you will get better on your journey, but if you don’t start from somewhere, how can you improve on anything?
You don’t need the most expensive equipment
Following on from the last point, you do not need an established fully equipped studio to start a podcast. Again, start with what you have. Get a simple microphone and get a quiet room to reduce your background noise and you can do your recordings. You can also start with free editing software at the beginning such as Audacity and Garage Band. As you improve, you might want to invest in other equipment if you are capable but do not let that be your barrier to entry.
You will need to put in the time and the work and think of the long game
Nothing worth it comes easy. When you start a podcast, you will need to put in the time. This is from pre-planning your episodes, recording, editing, publishing, and promoting. Also, if you are trying to achieve consistency, this means you need to take a few hours of dedicated time each week to make sure you always have content. The trick is not to expect an overnight success story with your podcast, but rather look at the long game. The work you put in now will put your podcast in a better position to monetize in the near future as it will be more established.
Your podcast audience will be more than your friends and family
Initially, you might think your friends and family are your audiences. While this could be true because they want to support you, you should consider your podcast audience separately. Your podcast listeners could be people all over the world, who you don't even know, so just always know, somebody is listening out there.
Promote your podcast. You don’t know who is listening
This is tied to the last point. You might not know who is listening to your podcast. So promote it by sharing on social media, newsletters, and word of mouth. This will also help you gain a new audience that you were not aware of initially.
It takes time. Don’t give up!
They say the majority of podcasters give up at the 7th episode. Use this as motivation to not be grouped as those who give up!! Keep going!! Your voice is important and needs to be heard.