I get a lot of questions about my podcast. Specifically, how I make a podcast episode. There's a lot of confusion around equipment, which sites to post podcasts on, etc.
But here's the truth about podcasting: with the right process and discipline, it doesn't have to be overly expensive or difficult.
In fact, I make my podcasts for a grand total of $0. If you're completely new to podcasting and just looking to get something started, I'm of the opinion that you should spend $0.
Your time is more valuable here than anything fancy microphone or sound studio. You can jazz it up later, but right now, you just need to start.
This is the process I use to create podcasts, and the process I use religiously to make posts.
If you don't feel like watching the video, check out the post below.
Step One: Choose a podcast name.
Sounds pretty basic, but selecting your podcast name is important because it will summarize everything your podcast will cover. Some names are more straightforward, such as:
"Law and Order Podcast" or "My Favorite Murder." Those are pretty generic names that describe the content perfectly. But if you're a painter, an actor, a director, a musician, or even a small business, you might want to discuss a lot of stuff, and not get too specific in your title.
I chose Driftyland because "drifty" appealed to me, but drifty.com was taken. Google Domains recommended "Driftyland" and I loved it, so hence the name Driftyland was born. I'm personally in favor of vague names that describe a feeling or mindset, that are 100% unique to you.
A few other options I could have done could relate to travel, wandering, wanderlust, adventure, exploration, or even motivation, productivity, creativity. Hit up the thesaurus, check a few blog name generators, and look at the names of podcasts that cover similar material.
Step Two: Sign Up For SoundCloud
SoundCloud is my platform of choice for posting podcasts. With SoundCloud, I can upload audio file (mp3) that can easily be embedded (placed) in a blog post on my WordPress site, shared on Facebook or Twitter, and more.
New name in hand, join SoundCloud for free and don't forget to fill out your profile (this will help people find you.) There are a few pricing tiers SoundCloud may push on you, but until you really start recording podcasts, you don't need to pay $15 a month.
After that, you can upload a profile picture, cover photo, etc. which is easy to do with the tools I will share later on in this post.
Step Three: Record Something
If you already have an idea in mind, hit the ground running. Record your first podcast with the minimum amount of planning or effort. I know - what?!
Bear with me. How many times have you made plans to create something - a video, podcast, blog, site, side hustle, and how many times have those plans come to fruition? People are notoriously unreliable as well, so if you center your ideas and goals around someone else's schedule, you will never get anything done.
In the beginning, prove to yourself that you can do it, and that it can be easy. Record a podcast covering your subject in a way that feels fun, comfortable, and natural to you.
I use my laptop and Quicktime to record podcasts. It's easy to start, just go to Quicktime, open "File", select "New audio recording," and go.
I'd advise planning ahead on location so you don't get dogs barking, doors slamming, etc. Basically, if you're in a quiet space for about an hour, that'll do it.
Step Four: Edit Your Audio File
We're having fun now. Take the audio file (.mp3) from Quicktime and get it into an editor. I use iMovie, and your computer will very likely have a standard video editing thing available. Garage Band may be useful, but I've honestly never used it so I can't speak to whether or not it will work for this type of thing.
If you create a new project in iMovie, you can drop the audio file in the editor. From here, it's easy to trim the file, add transitions, or edit out cuss words (that last one is for me.)
This gets a little trickier if you don't have experience in this area. I'd recommend getting the cleanest, most error-free recording (don't worry if you mess up, just own it), before getting it into the editor.
From here, you can record additional files with an intro and outro, such as:
"Hi, I'm Melissa! Welcome to The Driftyland Podcast!"
or
"Thanks for listening! Follow me @driftygal on Twitter!"
Keep it simple. You can add sound effects and all that jazz later. In the future, you can also hire someone on Fiverr or Upwork to make these things for you.
After you feel the audio file is pretty good, with no awkwardly long pauses or hiccups in the recording, you can export it (File > Share > File) and get ready to fire that baby up in SoundCloud.
And honestly, you can also get snazzier in iMovie and make the audio track into a video. If you add an image on top of the audio (details on how to do this in my video guide), you can save the file as a Video/Audio file as well, giving you an audio version and video version to share across the web.
If you're brazen and just want to record yourself talking, go for it. That's a whole other thing that deserves it's own article. If you're dead-set on it starting out - same rules. Quiet room, bright lights - and understand that the quality on a laptop camera won't be 100%. You can also take a screen recording like I did for your podcast, or just upload a bunch of images or video files using free stock photography.
Regardless of which you choose, a video file with the audio track will help you get your podcast up on YouTube, Facebook, and more. But I'd recommend starting small. Get to know the process and add embellishments and extras later.
Step 5: Get That Baby Into SoundCloud
Now you can upload your first track! You go to SoundCloud, upload the audio file, and then fill in the description - with a good summary of what the podcast is about, and the categories it falls into. You also want to upload an image, which is where you can use Canva (see my How To Make A Podcast video) or a basic stock photo from Pexels or Unsplash.
Step 6: Share Your Stuff
To get listeners, don't just leave the file in SoundCloud. Take your file and distribute it. You can embed the file into a blog post, or share it on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. There are a lot of options that depend on your goals and what you want to turn your podcast into. But I would absolutely recommend pushing those podcasts out. Get into a rhythm and share your progress with your family and friends. It'll hold you accountable and force you to create better material going forward.
At the very least, I would recommend getting it on your blog, or turning it into a video post and creating a YouTube account. You want to get new eyeballs on it. You can also set up a RSS feed and get your podcast on iTunes, which is super easy to do. People can subscribe to you there and get your podcasts right to their phone.
Step 7: Keep It Up
After you start posting podcasts and get a rhythm, you can go back and switch up your approach. If you want better audio, you can get a mic. If you want to include video, you can make plans for that. Basically, this is a get up and go version of podcasting. It gets you started and if you follow it, will give you confidence that yes, you can make a podcast and no, it doesn't have to be super difficult.
Just like any creative endeavor, it starts with an idea, a few simple actions, and repetition. From there, you can do anything.