How To Start A Podcast And Make Money In 2023 (2024)

If you’re interested in starting a podcast but don’t know where to begin, completing the following steps will set you up for success.

1. Define Your Niche or Topic

Narrowing down a topic or niche may seem limiting, but doing so will help you better focus your content and build an audience in the long term. It will also help you build trust and more definitively establish yourself as a subject matter expert.

Pick a topic that’s broad enough that you could reasonably talk about for multiple episodes, seasons, etc., but specific enough to draw in a certain type of person or demographic.

Research Existing Podcasts

Before you dive into recording your first episode, it’s a smart move to do a little digging to see if there are any other podcasts that are similar.

You may find that there are few to no podcasts on your selected topic, or that your niche is already pretty crowded. Even if it’s the latter, doing your research can help you figure out how to position your podcast in a way that sets you apart.

Choose Your Format and Cadence

Your podcast can be a solo act or a group one—the choice is up to you. If you want to host your podcast alongside someone else, you’ll need to coordinate how to do so effectively. In a similar vein, if you want to interview guests on your show, you may need to do some initial outreach.

Your cadence is your publishing schedule, i.e., how often will you release a new episode. Some podcasts release new episodes every day, while others release episodes biweekly. You’ll need to determine the best cadence for your schedule. Adhering to whatever cadence you’ve set will help build trust and familiarity with your future audience.

Define Your Audience

Arguably the most important question you’ll need to answer before creating your podcast is: who is this podcast for? Having an ideal listener in mind will help you create content that is both valuable and relevant. Try to nail down basic information about your ideal listener, such as:

• How old are they?
• Where do they reside?
• What do they do for work?
• What forms of media do they already consume?
• Do they already listen to any podcasts?
• What do they do in their spare time?
• What problems do they commonly face?
• What do they wish they knew more about?

2. Build Your Brand and Online Presence

Naming your podcast is a hugely important step. You want your podcast’s name to relate to your subject matter or likeness, as well as be clever or memorable. Avoid using the word “Podcast” in your show’s name—it’s redundant and takes up valuable character space.

Speaking of character space, strongly consider the total length of your title. Longer doesn’t necessarily mean better. In fact, a study by Pacific Content found that most podcast titles are 29 characters or fewer.

In addition to a title, you’ll need to spend time creating your branding elements. Branding elements encompass your show’s cover art, color palette and any custom design or audio work.

You can design your cover art yourself using a free design tool such as Canva, or hire a professional graphic designer to help you capture exactly what you’re looking for.

For custom audio sounds, such as intro or outro music, you can work with a professional musician or studio. Otherwise, you can find sounds that fit your style and vibe from a royalty-free music library.

Create a Website or RSS Feed for Your Podcast

Now that you have an episode or two of your show recorded, you’ll need to make it accessible. One way to do this is to create a website for your podcast. You can build a website using free or paid tools, but we recommend opting for paid ones if you know you want to have more customization options and a professional feel. On your website, you can host download links or embed your episodes so that others can listen and enjoy.

Another option is to create an RSS feed using a podcast-specific hosting site (such as Anchor or BuzzsSprout) instead of a traditional web host (such aslike WordPress or Wix). The term “RSS feed” might ring a bell if you blogged in the earlier days of the iInternet. Modern podcast distribution software still relies on solely on RSS feeds, but you don’t need to have a full- blown website in order to submit your podcast to Apple, Spotify, or other directories.

There are many companies that will host your podcast and create an RSS feed for you for free or at a low cost. All you’ll need to do is upload your episodes and basic information, and you’ll have an RSS feed that you can then use to submit to podcast directories.

Create Social Media Profiles

Typically, if you’re starting a podcast you will want to create social media profiles using the name of your podcast. While it might be appealing to create a profile on a number of different platforms, it’s worth considering which your audience uses most and focusing on those. This is because social media can provide a great marketing opportunity, but only if you actually use it.

Set Up an Account With a Podcast Platform (i.e., Spotify)

This step is optional, but highly recommended if you want to reach as many listeners as possible. To make your podcast more discoverable, you can submit it to a directory. Most major directories rely on your podcast’s RSS feed to verify its legitimacy and ownership, which is why you’ll need to make sure you have one in place beforehand.

Some of the most popular podcast directories worth submitting to are:

• Apple (formerly iTunes)
• Spotify
• Stitcher
• Audible
• Google Podcasts
• iHeartRadio

After your podcast has successfully been uploaded to a directory, anyone who uses the directory will be able to find your podcast if they search for it by title or keywords.

3. Source Recording Equipment and Editing Software

It’s very likely that you can record audio using the computer, tablet or phone you already have. However, for a better, clearer sound, most podcasters recommend investing in a separate podcast microphone. Podcast microphones can cost as low as $20 to as much as $10,000.

You don’t need to pay for podcast editing software if you don’t want to or are unable to. GarageBand is a great free option if you have an Apple device, and so is Audacity, which is free on any device. Otherwise, you can invest in more advanced, premium software such as Adobe Audition, Logic Pro X or Hindenburg Journalist.

If you don’t feel comfortable or have no interest in editing your podcast, outsource it to a freelancer. You can find a freelance podcast editor to work with through sites such as Fiverr, Upwork, Craigslist or Facebook.

4. Record and Edit Your First Podcast

Once you’ve nailed down your equipment, you’re ready to record. Some podcasters write scripts beforehand so that they know what to say ahead of time, while others wing it. The choice is up to you.

Even if you write a script, you’ll likely have to take breaks, pause, re-record and/or edit your audio to produce a final, polished version. As with anything else, the more you do it, the better you’ll get. Podcasting is a skill in itself that takes time and practice to do swiftly.

Name Your Episode Titles

Each episode you record should have a unique name. Your episode titles should accurately describe what the episode talks about and, if applicable, who the guest speaker on the episode is.

While it may be tempting to create clever or witty names for your episodes, it’s more strategic to name your episodes aptly and accurately. Doing so will aid your podcast’s SEO, meaning it will be easier for listeners to discover your podcast in search engines or on podcast directories.

Craft a Compelling Show Description and Episode Descriptions

To tell potential listeners what your show is all about, you’ll need to write a general synopsis as well as descriptions for each of your episodes. For your general synopsis, be as clear and concise as possible while answering these basic questions:

• What is your podcast about?
• Who is your podcast for?
• What can listeners expect to hear?
• Why should people listen to your podcast? What will they gain from listening?
• How often/when do you release new episodes?
• How/where can people connect with you other than by listening to your podcast?

Your episode descriptions should be similarly concise, but you’ll have the opportunity to insert relevant links to resources, products or anything else you talk about.

Submit Your Episode to Directories

Once you have your podcast ready to go, the next step is to submit (or upload) it to your podcast platforms of choice.

5. Promote Your Podcast

Once your podcast can be discovered and downloaded, it’s time to spread the word about it. You can take a grassroots approach, such as sending direct links to your close friends and family, creating a paid social media ad campaign or anything in between—the choice is yours.

One popular method of publicizing your podcast is via social media channels such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and TikTok. If you already have an established following on social media, you can use your existing accounts to promote your podcast. If not, you can create new accounts for the sole purpose of promoting the podcast and connecting with your community.