Looking to start a podcast in 2021? There is no better time to start a podcast, with more people (myself included) indulging in audiobooks and podcasts throughout my day, podcasts are a great way to learn, laugh, and listen to people you admire or are in your business niche. If you have a business that you believe would benefit from podcasting, then see below our top tips on how to start a podcast in 2021.
Starting a podcast isn’t necessarily difficult, but there are a lot of moving parts. Take a look at this list of tools you’ll need to start recording your first podcast:
- You will need a proper microphone to sound clear and provide the best audio experience for your audience. We recommend Audio-Technica for beginners.
- In order to edit, add music, or delete any mistakes during recording, you’ll need editing software like Garageband or Audacity.
- Headphones help if you want to hear yourself recording! We recommend these by Audio-Technica
- Canva is our favorite free option to create lovely cover art!
- A podcast host is where you’ll upload them! The best one our team at Hall Social Media recommend is BuzzSprout.
Plan Ahead for Your Podcast
Assuming your podcast will be based on your business, before you start your podcast, plan out your podcasts in advance! Take out your handy dandy notebook, and start writing out topics for discussion, and titles that align with those topics. Before you know it, you’ll have ideas ready ahead of time, and you’ll never run out of podcasts to record! Yes, even in 2021, writing things down has its benefits.
Say you want to talk about sustainability. There are so many topics that can be discussed underneath that header, so make one episode dedicated to one sector of that topic. It’s important when podcasting not to derail into other topics and make a single episode two hours long. You can easily create a list of 100+ titles if you are careful and plan ahead.
Create a Title
An eye-catching title will help your brand stand out in the sea of podcasts that are sprouting this year. DOn’t worry though! Even though there are tons of podcasts out there, with the right marketing and catchy title, it won’t be long before people discover your work!
Start Recording!
Alright, babe! With all the tools armed and at the ready, it’s time to record your first ever podcast episode! If you are looking for a way to remain on track about a topic, we recommend writing out a script for each episode. This is a great way to keep your episode lengths consistent and to keep yourself from rambling or making mistakes. Once it’s time to edit, the process will be much simpler and require less time to upload.
Another option is to write out bullet points on what you’d like to talk about, and time yourself for each bullet (again to stay on track when recording).
However you decide to record your episodes, be sure to have the right environment around you. That means little to no background noise. So take the puppies outside, put the baby down for a nap, and wait until the hubby is gaming to allow for the optimum setting. And if you need a little extra help in reducing background noise, you can always get a microphone windshield or windscreen.
Upload
After you’ve edited your episode, download it to your computer as an mp3 file, and then upload it to your podcast hosting site. This is where you will add the title, show notes, and links, and as this is your first time uploading an episode, you will also add your cover art and podcast description.
Promote
Like we mentioned earlier, the first stages of starting a podcast is slow, but with the right marketing and being consistent with recording episodes, you will soon have an audience that will be impatiently awaiting each new episode! If you have a blog, website, or social channels, talk about your new podcast, share links, and add a call to action for people to subscribe and get alerts to each new episode! If you need help getting your brand launched, click here to view our marketing services.