How to Start a Podcast in 6 Steps

If you’re considering starting a podcast, now is a good time to get started. There are 57 million people in the US listening to a podcast every month. In addition, 25 percent of Americans between the ages of 12 – 55 listen to three podcasts every week on average. Podcasting is quietly growing, and that’s good news for you as an aspiring podcaster.

Like any other project, podcasting requires upfront planning and preparations before you begin. In this article, we will provide you with a comprehensive guide on how to start your own podcast.

第1步：选择主题

选择播客的正确主题可能很困难。作为一个有抱负的波多斯特，您可能会概述在您的节目中讨论的内容，但您可能会努力与细节集中在一起。如果您在这种情况下，我们建议您返回退步并考虑以下步骤来帮助您找到焦点。

Define Your Purpose

除了（希望）赚钱，你为什么要播客？有什么驱使您投入追求该企业所需的能源和资源？例如，篮球爱好者可能希望开始播客谈谈他们最喜欢的NBA团队或球员。把你最深刻的动机放在纸上，因为每一情集都应该从这个目的流动。

Determine Your Audience

您可以从您的目的产生丰富的主题，但它可以同时变得压倒和混乱，这就是为什么识别您的受众很重要。您的受众的年龄范围是多少？他们的目标和兴趣是什么？询问这些问题可以帮助您缩小您的选择，因为您开发与您的受众相关的主题。

一个成功确定其受众的播客的一个很好的例子是Dave Ramsey秀。播客专注于个人财政，但以一种目标普通人的方式编写，这些人可能不会在经济上精明。在其中，Ramsey股票易于与他的听众致敬和可操作的建议，而不是用技术细节或行业术语权衡它。

找到你的利基

2015年，根据发表的一项研究，每月约有5,000个播客添加到iTunes中Medium。换句话说，如果您所在地区的数千名竞争对手，您很可能有数百个。这就是为什么找到您的专业化很重要。

Millennial是一个播客的一个很好的例子，它钉在了它的利基。与其他播客相比，专注于流行文化或喜剧，该节目是关于梅根谭的千禧一代的生活。从她的壁橱播放，谭叙述了大学后等待桌子的经验，以降落她的第一个真正的工作。在整个季节，听众也必须遇到谭的男朋友，因为他们遵循她在申请追求的奖学金并最终获得收音机演出之旅。谭的故事吸引了特定的受众：千禧一代。

第2步：考虑成本和购买设备

开始播客的主要费用包括您的设备，例如麦克风，计算机和耳机以及耳机网络连接和虚拟主机。根据您的预算，您可以选择以下选项：

• Cost-Efficient Option-using the computer you already have and its built-in microphone, you can record and edit a basic podcast for free. You can also register onSoundCloudto get free three-hour podcast hosting. However, you will still require a website and a web hosting service, but you can minimize these costs while you get started.
• Starter Pack-to improve the quality of your podcasts, consider investing in some of the basic equipment used by podcasters who are just starting out. With a budget of $600, you can get quality entry-level gear including a laptop, microphone, headphones, stand and boom arm, and shock mount.
• Business Option- 除了上述设备外，虚拟助手还可以帮助您培养您的内容，以便您可以专注于写作和录制播客。

虽然您可以使用您所拥有的内容，Kristin Marquet，创意开发媒体创始人和创意总监，表示您应该投资质量设备：

“Anyone interested in starting a podcast will need to invest in the proper equipment – a website, a substantial microphone, a Skype account, podcasting hosting, a good pair of earphones, and Canva to design your promo images.”

Proper equipment can range widely in price. Let’s look at some options below.

麦克风

我们建议尽可能多的你的预算分配you can to your microphone as it will have the most impact on your podcasts’ sound quality. You need something that effectively cancels background noises while providing broadcast quality that is free from delay or echo.

Affordable microphonesstart at $69.99.中间人microphones cost around $100 whilehigh-endones start at $229 on Amazon.

Computer

Unlike video editing, audio editing does not require a lot of processing power. Therefore, you can use any Windows, Mac, or Chromebook computer. If you do need a new computer, then we recommend investing in one with decent memory and processing power for good overall performance. A quad core machine with 2 GHz of processing power, 4GB of memory, and 500GB of hard disk storage should do the job. Laptops with good components can费用不到300美元。If you want to invest in top of the line machines, you need to pay around$400-$1,000。

耳机

耳机come in handy when recording as some people feel more comfortable listening to their voice while doing a show. It’s also absolutely necessary when conducting a remote interview so that you can hear your guest. Considering that headphones do not affect the recording sound quality, an entry-level option should suffice.

You can find one onAmazonstarting at $20. If you want to invest in comfort and quality, expect to spend around70美元to$100。

Stand/Boom Arm

你需要一个将在你面前握住麦克风的立场。支架也应该是坚固且灵活的，所以你可以进行调整并找到合适的高度和角度以捕捉你的声音。桌子夹在播放公司中很受欢迎，因为它们很容易运转，他们节省了空间。

它们可供选择Amazonfor as low as $12.50. You can get better gear for$15-$18。

冲击床

任何书桌运动，如粗略和繁重的打字，产生可能影响音质的振动。您可以将麦克风保持稳定，带有冲击架，将其与振动和支架噪声隔离。

你可以得到一个Amazon超过10美元。更好的质量震动安装成本45美元和$ 130.。

音频编辑软件

说到音频编辑,您还需要软件that can eliminate background noise, cut out unwanted sounds, and add background music among other functions. Audio editing software licenses range from as low a $20 for basic applications to as high as $900 for pro-level licenses, but there’s a free application available for newbie podcasters that offer many of the same features as paid options.

Audacityis an open-source audio software for recording and editing. It offers multiple features such as recording live audio, splicing, editing, and converting files into various formats. Best of all, it’s free.

Website

Your website will serve as your primary marketing tool. This is where your audience can have direct access to your podcasts and articles. Plus, it can help you generate more revenues through banner ads and affiliate links. Which website host you choose will depend on your budget and how much traffic you expect it to receive, but there are many economical options available.

例如，Bluehost.can get you started with a domain name, web hosting, and their website builder tools includingWordPressfor only $2.95/month.

托管

Even though you have a website with a hosting service that lets you store files, it’s still recommended that you get a different host for your podcasts. Podcasts can take up hundreds of megabytes in storage depending on length. Eventually, you will encounter storage or bandwidth issues if you choose to host your podcasts on your web host.

Podomatic每月提供15 GB的带宽和500 MB的储存，无需成本。如果您的预算中有空房，请考虑投资Amazon S3。Prices vary by region, but it costs around $0.022 – $0.026 per GB for standard storage.

Step 3: Record and Edit Your Podcast

The specific details of recording and editing your podcasts may vary depending on your chosen tools and software; however, the general process is more or less the same. Once you have all the necessary equipment, you can follow these steps to start recording your podcasts:

1. Set and test the input volume of your microphone.
2. Open your audio recording and editing software — for example, Audacity. Before you start recording, make sure the software is set to record from your chosen microphone.
3. 单击红色圆形按钮开始录制。不要担心在这个阶段犯错误。录制后，您可以始终编辑播客。
4. 聆听您的录音并使用软件的降噪功能来消除任何背景噪声。
5. Delete sections of your recording where you made mistakes.
6. Use the leveling feature of your software to correct areas where the volume may be louder than others.
7. 将您的音频导出为WAV或MP3文件。这些格式几乎由几乎所有媒体播放器都支持，同时提供良好的质量音频和合理的文件大小。

这是CNET上的视频，用于使用Audacity录制和编辑播客的视频：

As you record each podcast, you might ask yourself whether you have enough material for more than one episode. If you get into this position, you might be tempted to release episodes ahead of schedule. Anand Bhatt of Al & Anand Crack Hollywood Podcast chimes in on the issue:

“最艰难的事情是抵制将播客分解为太多事件并经常释放的冲动。我知道我们努力奋斗，并必须使用意志力。一个录音会话可能产生十几个剧集，您可能会在那天全力以赴。但大多数人只看到你的最新插曲，如果他们错过了太多剧集，那么一些播客聆听平台将自动取消订阅您的受众。所以在剧集之间休息。每周一次，根据您的观众，通常很好。尽管其他人会告诉你，但它也可以花一个月或两个人。而不是像早上的广播节目一样看你的播客，而是像电视节目一样想到它（即使它只是一个音频播客）。你可以在季节做到，只是很好。“

Step 4: Submit Your Podcast on iTunes

After recording a few episodes, you are ready to share your podcasts.Apple的iOS播客应用程序是世界上最大的播客播放器，占市场的60％至70％。这就是为什么许多播放者声称iTunes'Podcast目录是唯一重要的目录。

Before you submit, be sure to have the following:

• Title, author, and description of your podcast
• 1400 x 1400 image file either in JPG or PNG format
• 有效的RSS Feed URL
• 苹果ID
• iTunes

Once you’ve completed the requirements, the next step is to optimize your podcast to improve your ranking on iTunes. While optimization will not help you appear on the home page and “New and Noteworthy” lists, it will definitely help you rank in search results. Here are few tips to improve your iTunes ranking:

用关键字优化内容

使用关键字有助于iTunes了解您的播客是什么，所以它可以将内容与相关搜索匹配。这里的关键是要知道你的观众正在寻找什么。您可以使用谷歌的关键字策划工具帮助您将追捧的名单放在一起。出现列表后，在这些区域中添加主关键字：

• Podcast title – the title of your podcast should include two or three relevant keywords for your podcast. For instance:Steve’s Daily Show: NBA | Basketball
• 发布者名称 - 输入您的姓名并在此处遵循播客标题的格式。例如，Steve NashNBA |篮球
• Podcast描述 - 在这里写下您的播客描述，但还包括您在发布者名称和发布者标题中使用的相同关键字集。
• Podcast title and description – also include the same set of keyword terms here.

询问评论和评论

Another way you could influence your ranking on iTunes is to increase the number of comments and reviews of your podcasts. Many podcasters find it difficult to get reviews because their audience often listens while on the go. However, there are ways to motivate your listens to spend a few minutes to leave a review.

You can run contests where you pick a one random reviewer per episode to win a prize such as a session of your service or exclusive content. You can also solicit reviews at the end of each episode to remind your listens to spend some time writing a few words about your show.

分享iTunes链接

在iTunes上发布播客剧集后，请在您的网站和社交媒体渠道上分享itunes链接并分享它。许多人仍然使用他们的计算机来倾听，如果他们点击iTunes链接，则iTunes中的下载次数增加。此外，侦听器无需下载iTunes以打开链接并侦听您的节目。iTunes Web平台完成了作业。

The more downloads your podcast gets, the better chances you have in ranking.

Invite Listeners to Subscribe

获取您的观众在iTunes上听您的播客的一个优势是它使他们能够轻松订阅。在每一次集的末尾，邀请您的侦听器单击“订阅”按钮。获取更多订阅者在iTunes搜索上提升您的排名。

第5步：市场播客

While you may have some great podcasts saved on a hosting service or submitted to iTunes, no one will know they exist until you market them. You need to find an audience and let them know that your show offers something valuable to them. It’s a tall order for someone just starting out, but it’s not impossible. In this section, we provide some tips on how you can build an audience for your podcast.

与其他播放器连接

Have your VA look for other podcasters who can add value to your target audience. Send an email that lets these podcasters know what your show is all about with an invitation to be a guest on your show. You can also add that you’d be happy to guest on their podcast in return.

许多播放者觉得即使你刚刚开始，也会倾向于给予你的请求。首先，采访您提供了有机会提出的几乎免费内容，为他们的听众增加了价值。其次，客人可以通过让他们访问您的听众来提高他们的流行度。至于您，采访带有已建立的受众的播放器会让您接触。另外，您也可以访问他们的受众。

Justin Kerby, Host,Mind Your Marketingagrees:

“Featuring other podcasters on your show, going on other podcasts as a guest, paying to amplify your podcast and soliciting reviews can all help grow your audience. It takes time, but as we learned at Mind Your Marketing, it’s worth it.”

It’s a win-win situation that savvy podcasters will always consider.

Transcribe and Optimize

在VA的帮助下，通过对您的采访中最引人注目的部分进行转录。将转录添加到文章并在您的网站上发布。这篇文章的目的是增长你的观众。因此，您的文章不得分享节目的每个细节，而是引起读者的兴趣。包括最有趣的部件，并让您的受众留下更多，以便他们下载或流播客。

在您对播客传输后，下一步是优化搜索引擎。搜索引擎优化（SEO）是在谷歌这样的搜索引擎中改进您网站排名的实践。SEO涉及用相关关键字发布有用的内容。要将您的网站列入等级，您需要查找观众在搜索引擎中查找的关键字。

我们建议使用Google AdWords'Keyword Planning toolto help you find words and phrases sought by your audience.

Once you’ve identified the right keywords, use them in the following sections of your article:

• URL
• Title
• 身体
• Alt text of images
• 元描述

There are WordPress plugins that can help you optimize your articles and get them to rank on Google, such asYoast。With SEO, you are helping to maximize the chances of your potential audience finding your podcast in their searches. It’s almost as important as the content itself.

促进YouTube的集

After Google,YouTube内容是最大的搜索引擎——不是雅虎or Bing. Nearly5 billion videos每天都在视频共享网站上观看。鉴于YouTube的普及，您试图渗透其市场只有意义。稍后，您可以考虑视频面试或在播客录音的场景后面分享，以便您的受众对您的内容进行更强烈的连接。

Promote Episodes on Instagram

Instagramhas 800 million monthly users and 500 million active daily users. The social media platform generates a lot of attention, which you want to divert some of to your podcast.

您可能会想知道如何在照片共享应用程序上浏览音频文件。Theartofcharm.gives us a good idea how. The personal development website uses an appealing graphic and includes a quote from the podcast on top of it to capture the audience’s attention. Then, they provide the main idea of an episode in the caption along with the episode title. More importantly, they have a call to action that encourages the viewer to click the link on their bio to access the episode.

虽然不包含在TheartofCharm的帖子中，但许多播放器也使用Hashtags。这些是＃符号之前的单词或一组单词，例如#podcast或#episode08，其表示主题，主题或其他主题。营销人员使用HashTags索引他们的帖子并放大他们的品牌。

This is a simple marketing strategy that can increase brand awareness and direct traffic to your website.

Jeremy Slate, Co-Founder at命令您的品牌媒体在各种社交媒体平台上呼吁市场上市场：

“In terms of marketing your podcast, it’s important to be on as many social platforms as possible, Twitter and Facebook send the most traffic. It’s also important to fool these platforms where possible as algorithms of most want to keep you on a platform. Sharing things such as links will rank lower on a site than things such as long-form text and images. Figure out creative ways to use images and long-form text to drive traffic to your episodes.”

第6步：货币化你的播客

You may be recording your episodes because you love doing it; but, of course, it’s still great to generate some income from your investment in energy and resources. But before you monetize your website, Halelly Azulay, a Facilitator and Speaker atThe TalentGrow Show建议您应该使您的主要目标进行播客：

“播客是一种待学习和磨练的工艺，您的观众将逐渐构建。作为一个全新的Podcaster，您将忙于练习您的工艺并与您的观众创造一个值得信赖的联系。最有可能的是，当您在早期阶段时，您尚未将您的节目货币化，并且如果您对自己没有创造这些类型的不切实际的期望，那就很好。我的建议是在你准备就绪时开始，建造，磨练，逐渐转移到货币化。“

When you feel ready for monetization, you can pursue various options below:

赞助

Just like a radio show, sponsorships can help you pay the bills. Popular podcasts such asEntrepreneur on Fire和亚当卡罗拉每个月通过赞助每月赚取数千美元。Podcasters使用每次印模模型（CPM）的成本获得报酬，在那里的企业家征用：

• A 15-second pre-roll can generate $18 per 1000 impressions or listens
• 60秒的中卷可以产生每1000次印象或侦听25美元

为了快速定义，将在展会前15秒钟广告该产品的15秒前滚动。同样，60秒的中卷是主机在节目的40％到70％的40％至70％的标记期间向产品广告产品。

Generating $43 per episode doesn’t sound like a lot. However, if you manage to get 10,000 listens per episode, that’s already $430. If you do it for 30 days a month, that’s $12,900. This is the formula that helps popular podcasters make a living out of podcasting.

Affiliate Links

You will eventually find products and services that offer value to your listeners. You can monetize that by using affiliate links.

Instead of mentioning sponsors on your podcast, you can create a quick video, audio recording, or article to promote the product or service. Then, include the link at strategic locations in your content. You generate income every time a listener visits your affiliate’s site and purchases a product. Pat Flynn ofSmartPassiveInd.通过促进Bluehost到他的观众来获得很多会员资金。他如此成功的是，Bluehost在他们的网站上创建了一个页面，以给Flynn的粉丝特别优惠。

In his November report,Pat Flynn.从他的Bluehost联盟营销计划中产生了33,075美元的收入。雷竞技app

书籍和电子书

当您生成免费播客时，您最终将创建足够的有价值的内容，您可以成为书籍或电子书。创造者HackTheEntrepreneur.com, Jon Nastor, did something similar. He used some segments of his podcasts and combined them with new content to create his book. The book’s journey doesn’t end there. He converted it into an ebook and made it a lead generator for his email marketing campaign, bringing his content full-circle.

重新调整您的播客是为了考虑未来，但它有助于提前计划。每个你创造的播客都有可能在沿着线上的某个地方赚钱。

Bottom Line

播客is a growing field with millions of listeners. Before you start podcasting, however, you must consider costs, licenses, advertising, and monetization. You need around $1,000 to get started on equipment and licenses. In addition, you have to spend a little bit more on marketing so your audience can find you. Keep producing quality content, and you may eventually find sponsors and affiliates to help you generate income. With the help of this guide, you can work on making your podcasting business a success.