This article is aimed at helping normal people like you and me to launch a podcast. I want to take you from no podcast to a successful podcast launch. Using this guide & some DIY grit, you can get your awesome podcast started with minimal costs so that your God-given message can be heard loud and clear!
The 9 Steps to Launch
- Understand WHY
- Establish a Name and Logo
- Decide the Length, Format & Frequency
- Determine A Hosting Platform
- Choose A Microphone
- Set the Environment & Lighting
- Start Recording
- Edit the Audio & Video
- Submit to Apple & Spotify
1. Understand Why
Why I Did It
Before I explain how I launched, let me explain why I did it. And why you should do it. I launched the Presence Pioneers podcast last year. Not because I wanted to gain a following or become a popular influencer (which I haven’t). I was directing a local house of prayer community as well as leading Burn 24-7 local leaders based all across the nation. I considered having a Bible study time with our local prayer community, but I didn’t want to take people away from prayer meetings to teach about prayer!
When I considered the platform of podcasting, I realized I could kill two birds with one stone. I could produce content online that would equip our local Burn 24-7 community, but it could also equip the Burn 24-7 leaders and communities all around America! Of course, the content would be available publicly so those outside of Burn 24-7 could enjoy it too. Plus, having the episodes archived meant there would be a growing library of evergreen teaching & interviews to help encourage and equip people in hosting worship & prayer.
Why You Should Do It
Did you know that over 50% of the homes in the United States listen to podcasts? That’s over 60 million homes. Specifically, religious podcasts listening is growing at an astronomical rate of 85% per year. If you have a desire to share a God-given message, educate, preach, equip or discuss, you should seriously consider utilizing podcasting. It is the radio of the 21st century.
So when I launched the podcast, I had our local and national Burn 24-7 communities in mind as I created podcast episodes. Expanding the podcast audience beyond people I was already leading was a secondary goal for me. As long as the people I knew and loved were being helped, it was a win for me. Obviously your podcasting goals will be different than mine. You will need to cater your podcast plan to match the goals you’re trying to achieve.
Understanding the Podcast Community
If you’re not an active listener to podcasts, it will really help you to start listening to podcasts so that you can better understand the platform and culture of podcasting. The medium is not quite like anything else, and there’s an entire community of podcast listeners and producers.
First of all, be sure to listen to podcasts within your industry or niche. It will be helpful to know what’s already available (or not available) so that you can find a unique lane for your podcast. You’ll also want to develop relationships with other podcasters in your industry, so that you can support each other. Secondly, be sure to listen to podcasts that are successful in general. You’ll pick up lots of great ideas to make your podcast better by following those that are already doing it successfully.
2. Establish a Name and Logo
Your podcast will need a name and logo before you launch. This gets into branding and marketing, which is beyond the scope of this article. There are tons of free blogs and Youtube videos that can help you with branding your podcast, project or business.
What about the logo? If you do not know a graphic designer to help with your podcast logo, you can use a free tool like Canva to design something that looks pretty great. Keep it simple, clear and professional.
Again… if you’re following successful podcasts already, then you’ll have a sense of what makes a good podcast name and logo.
3. Decide the Length, Format & Frequency
Length of Each Episode
There is much debate about how long a podcast episode should be. The reality is, that the length depends on your target audience, the type of content and your goals for the podcast.
Are you going to feature interviews and discussions with multiple people? Or will it primarily be you teaching (or preaching) to the audience? A monologue should generally be short and sweet, whereas a discussion with multiple people on a complex topic could probably linger on longer. Some of the most successful podcasters, such as Joe Rogan, have episodes with conversations that are well over two hours.
I heard somewhere (on a podcast) that it is best to either do a podcast length aimed at a person’s commute (15-20 minute range) or go ahead and do a long-form discussion (over an hour). The average podcast length of 45 minute can sometimes feel out of place – too short to have a long-form, in-depth conversation but too long to get a quick episode in during a commute. The key is to focus on quality over quantity.
Note to church folks: just because someone will listen to a 45+ minute sermon on Sunday morning, does not mean you should do 45 minute Bible podcasts. Most people listen to podcasts while doing something else, so you have less of their attention than you would at a church service. Work to make your podcast episode more concise than a traditional sermon.
Posting Frequency
Another factor is how often you plan to release episodes. If you’re releasing episodes at least once or twice per week, then you can probably do shorter episodes. If you are planning to release 1-2 episodes each month, then a longer format might make more sense.
The key to the episode frequency is to be as consistent as possible. Do not overcommit to a daily or weekly podcast, if you won’t really have time to deliver consistent high quality content that you have promised. If you say a new episode comes out every Thursday, then you need to do it! It is better to surprise people with extra episodes than to fail to keep your word. Personally, I feel like weekly podcast episodes hit a sweet spot for most people. Once a month could feel a bit too spread out, and people will start to forget about you.
Audio vs. Video Formats
Podcasting is an audio format by default. However, many people also include video versions of their podcast on platforms like Youtube as well. You will need to determine if you want to include video versions of your episodes or not.
Adding video, even if it is not highly produced, can add a personal element to your episodes for those who watch, and Youtube is an especially powerful platform where people can find your content organically through searches. Including video versions will increase the equipment & software needed to record and edit the episodes, though many people could simply use the camera on their mobile devices. We’ll talk more about equipment in a moment. Again, the focus of podcasts is the audio, with video being a secondary concern.
I chose to include video on my first podcast in order to expand the content onto multiple platforms. It’s also helpful to be able to splice one minute video highlights from your podcast to share on social media.
4. Determine A Hosting Platform
An important decision is choosing your podcast hosting platform. What is a hosting platform?
Let me briefly explain how podcasts work. When you create your podcast episodes (usually in MP3 audio format), you will need to find a way to host those files online so that podcast players can access them. Podcast apps like Apple or Spotify do not actually have copies of the podcast episodes on their servers. These podcast apps read a file called an “RSS feed”, which points Apple and Spotify to the episode MP3 files which are hosted on a server somewhere. That “server somewhere” is owned by your podcast hosting platform.
I chose to use the podcast host called Blubrry, which has worked great for me. It’s one of the oldest and most reliable podcasting hosts, and it only costs me $12/month.
One of the reasons I chose Blubrry is because it naturally syncs with websites built with WordPress, which is the best way to build your website or blog. I already had the Presence Pioneers website setup with WordPress using Bluehost (which starts at $3.95/month for a website). Setting up Blubrry with the existing Presence Pioneers website was cheap and fairly easy, and I’d recommend you consider the same set up.
I don’t have the time or space to go into details of exactly how to set up your podcast hosting, as each platform varies. However, both Bluehost (for a website/blog) and Blubrry (for your podcast) have great information on their websites for details on setup and customization.
Note: we use Blubrry only for the audio version of our podcast. While Blubrry can also utilize video files, the file sizes of videos are so huge that the costs would increase dramatically. Instead, we also utilize free platforms like Youtube and IGTV for the video versions of the podcasts.
5. Choose A Microphone
Because podcasts focus so heavily on audio, getting the best possible audio quality is very important. I would strongly recommend that you purchase a microphone dedicated to podcasting. In theory, you could simply record with the microphone built into your phone, but the potential audience for your podcast might be turned off by muffled or shrill audio quality. A small investment in a good microphone at the beginning of the podcasting journey will go a long way.
My First Podcast Microphone: Movo LV1
When I first started recording my podcast, I had a very quiet, private office space where I could record my podcasts on Saturdays. This $20 Movo LV1 lapel mic plugged right into my phone and worked great. You can hear how it sounds on my first podcast episode.
However, when I used it in a few live situations with audiences, I quickly learned that it did not work great when the environment was noisey. This microphone is an “omnidirectional” microphone that picks up sounds from all around the room. It is loud and clear, but it only worked well for me in a very controlled environment. When I moved into a new office with more background noise, I had to upgrade.
My Second (Current) Podcast Microphone: Samson Q2U
Recording in more noisy environments, I needed to get a “unidirectional” microphone that would only pick up the sound right in front of it. I opted for the $60 Samson Q2U, and it is FANTASTIC! This microphone makes my voice sound strong and present – imagine the typical “radio” voice, and you get the idea. The first time I used this on our podcast was my interview with Billy Humphrey here.
The Movo LV1 clipped to my shirt. This Q2U sits on a stand in front of me. It can connect with a XLR cable like a traditional microphone, or it can connect with USB right into a phone or computer. If you are just getting started, I would strongly suggest going ahead and getting the Q2U immediately.
High-Level Microphone: Blue Yeti or Rode Procaster
For those who want professional quality audio, there are multiple high-end microphone options. A few popular choices include the Blue Yeti for about $130 or the Rode Procaster for about $225. At that price level, you will be reaching the best audio quality that most anyone will ever notice.
6. Set the Environment & Lighting
As I mentioned while discussing microphones, it is very helpful to find a quiet recording environment with minimal background noise. A podcast is all about audio, so getting noise-free recordings is a top priority.
If you’re going to include video, then you’ll also want to consider lighting and the visual setting as well. Thankfully, people are very forgiving of raw videos. It is common for celebrities to record videos on their phones and have a lot of success. However, if you’re going to be regularly producing podcasts with video, it would probably help to invest in some kind of lighting.
I have a basic selfie ring light, which is what a lot of Youtubers, vloggers and podcasters use. You can see how it looks for one of my recent podcast teaching episodes here. The ring lights simply bring uniform light to your face and give a sense of polish to your videos. If you have multiple people or want a more professional look, you can get a basic photographer’s lighting kit to create more of a “TV studio” look.
7. Start Recording
Once you have a microphone and your phone or computer, you can start recording! Recording a monologue, lesson or teaching is extremely simple. Just plug your microphone into your mobile device and record using a free camera app (if you want video) or a basic audio recording app to capture your episode. The ease and simplicity of this kind of podcast recording is what makes podcasting so appealing. Just plug up, hit record and start talking!
Recording Interviews & Conversations
Depending on your podcast format, you might want to record interviews or discussions with more than one person. This complicates the technical process a bit.
A simple way to conduct a one-on-one interview is with a dual set of lavalier clip microphones. This microphone pair uses an adapter so that both mics run into your phone and record one audio track. Simple! You can hear exactly how this setup sounds, as my wife and I used that exact lapel mic set to record a video update together here (see below). Similar to recording with my Movo LV1 microphone, you will want to make sure you have a quiet environment if you’re using these lapel mics.
Recording Remote Interviews
Update January 2022:
Since originally writing this article, I have found an incredible tool that I now use for remote podcast interviews. Riverside.fm is the premier solution for capturing high-quality audio and video during a remote interview.
Through its unique technology, it is able to capture very high quality WAV audio and HD video by recording on the user’s end and then uploading the high quality recording files. All of that happens in the background while you are able to carry on a normal conversation, just like you can on Zoom. The whole process takes place within a web browser. Your interviewee does not have to download any special software. I have no idea how they make this work, but it works very well and is quite affordable.
Check out the video interview below that I did with Jonathan Friz for an example of the high quality that can be achieved. This interview was recorded using Riverside.fm.
For recording remote interviews, I have used the video conference app Zoom. Presence Pioneers already had a paid Zoom account for video conferencing, so using Zoom added no cost to our budget. For those without a paid Zoom account, you can also use Skype. There is some debate over whether Zoom or Skype produces better audio quality.
You can learn all about recording a Zoom meeting on their website. I turn on the “Recording Multiple Audio Files” option, which records each person’s audio to a separate file. This feature is very helpful as it enables you to tweak the volume and EQ of each individual person when the audio is edited and mixed back together.
Even with Riverside.fm, it is very important that you prep remote guests on your podcast in order to get the best quality. You’ll want them to have a good internet connection and the highest quality equipment available. Have those that you interview utilize an external microphone, not the one that is built into their computer (even the microphone on earphones is usually better). If you are including video, then lighting and background would also be a factor. If the other people in your interview or conversation are somewhat tech savvy, you can have them record their own audio locally, and then send it to you afterwards. This would provide a major increase to the audio quality from a Zoom meeting. (There’ no need to do this if you use Riverside.fm. They do all this for you!)
For my podcasts, I have recorded all of my interviews and conversations remotely with Zoom Riverside.fm. However, if you’re recording conversations with more than two people in-person, then you’ll need to have multiple microphones and an audio interface to handle multi-track recording. At that point, you’ll probably want to involve an audio engineer into the process.
8. Edit the Audio & Video
Books and courses have been created for audio/video editing, so I will not go into much detail here. When I first launched the podcast, I was doing everything myself. For audio editing, I was using free software such as Audacity or Reaper. Now we have Johan Heinrichs on our podcast team doing the audio editing for us.
For video editing, I have previously used another free program called Openshot Video Editor. It is honestly not the best video editing software, but it is free and allows me to do some basic editing (fading in/out, etc.) for the Youtube versions of our episodes. Most recently, I have just been uploading the original video recording straight to Youtube to save time, rather than doing any video editing at all. Like I said above, people are fairly forgiving of raw video nowadays.
9. Submit to Apple and Spotify
Once you have recorded your first episode, you can upload your new episode to your podcast host and test it out! Assuming everything works with your website, you can then submit your podcast to various apps and platforms for the world to experience your podcast amazingness!
You will need to manually submit your podcast RSS feed (provided by your podcast host, such as Blubrry) to various podcast platforms for people to easily find your podcast.
Apple – Apple has the most popular podcast app by far
Spotify – One of the fasting growing podcast platforms
Google – Submitting here will also help your podcast show up in Google searches
There are other less popular platforms such as Stitcher, Podbean and Tunein.
After your podcast is live on the various apps, you’ll need to then let people know about your podcast through word of mouth, email, social media and advertising. Marketing a podcast is an entirely different article!
There you go! I hope this helps you go from zero to a successful podcast launch! Have any questions? Leave a comment below and I’ll try to help.