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Chapters
Chapter 1: My Favourite Podcasts
Podcasts have emerged as a powerful medium for communication, entertainment, and education. In fact, I am a podcast consumer myself and here are a few of my current favourites.
The Game by Alex Hormozi
You Might Want to Sit Down For This by The Takeaway Table
Deep Dive by Ali Abdaal
The Diary of a CEO by Steven Bartlett
The Koe Cast by Dan Koe
I personally find a sense of joy and satisfaction of tuning in to one of my favourite podcasts when I'm cooking, working out, doing yoga, going for walks, etc.
Data from Spotify and Podcastindex stated that there are more than 5 million podcasts to listen to in 2024. To put it in perspective, that's over 113 times more than the number of radio stations in the world.
So it's clear that podcasts are rising in popularity in 2024 and moving forward.
Chapter 2: How to Name Your Podcast?
Choosing the right name for your podcast is crucial for attracting listeners and establishing your brand. Consider these tips when naming your podcast:
Keep it concise and memorable.
Reflect the content and tone of your show.
Check for domain availability to secure your online presence.
Avoid using trademarked names or overly generic terms.
Conduct research to ensure your chosen name isn't already in use.
Try a FREE podcast name generator like THIS ONE from Riverside.
These tips above can be helpful but in my opinion, the most important box your podcast name needs to check is...
it has to align with YOU as a person or brand. Do you like the name? Do you resonate with it? That podcast name is what you will eventually be known for. So make sure that you LOVE it.
Your podcast name is also often the first impression you make on potential listeners, so make it count.
Chapter 3: How Do You Come Up with Episode Ideas?
Generating compelling episode ideas is key to keeping your audience engaged. Here are some strategies to help you brainstorm:
Draw from your expertise and interests.
Research trending topics in your niche.
Invite guest speakers or experts to share their insights.
Incorporate audience feedback and questions.
Experiment with different formats, such as interviews, solo episodes, or storytelling.
At the end of the day, ask yourself if these topics you are talking about are answering questions or providing solutions that your target audience cares about. Of course, you will get better at this overtime so we recommend to not spend too much time finding perfect topics for your first few episodes.
By staying creative and attuned to your audience's interests, you can continuously develop fresh and engaging content.
Chapter 4: How to Start Producing Podcasts with a Minimal Budget?
If you already have fancy gear and you want to use that, by all means go crazy. However, don't be discouraged if you don't have high end production gear. All you really need to start is a phone, a budget microphone and an Internet connection.
Tip #1: How to get quality audio on a budget
Record in a room and make use of things like blankets, carpets, pillows, etc. to absorb most of the echos to make your audio as clear as possible. If you are recording the visuals too, you have limitations to how you can place these items because it might make your setup messy and unprofessional.
If you are already using your phone as your camera, you can borrow another phone as a microphone using the voice recorder app. Just remember to treat whoever lent you the other phone a cup of coffee.
If you are only recording an audio bite of your podcast without visuals, you can get away with recording in your wardrobe or under a thick blanket. You can even use your phone as your audio recording device since you are not using it as a camera for situations like this. Tip #2: How to get quality visuals on a budget
By far the easiest way to do this is record during the day in front of a window in your home which casts the best natural sunlight.
In the worst case scenario if you do not have a window (I'm not sure why, but let's say that's the case), just record outdoors during the day time. Avoid recording at noon when the sun is right above you because it's the time when it casts the harshest and ugliest shadows.
Take note of what you wear and your background. Make sure nothing is too distracting or messy. Clean your room, rearrange some furniture if necessary, make sure you look good on camera, get a cup of coffee if you want, etc. Remember that you may not have expensive gear, but tiny details like these matter.
Tip #3: Editing the podcast (It's easy we promise)
The only thing we want you to focus on is removing any long pauses. You do not need any sort of flashy editing skills. Here's a guide on how to edit your podcast:
Use any free video editing software and import your video recording to the timeline.
Remove all the long pauses and unnecessary sentences, filler words, or bloopers.
We recommend adding a simple text box at of the corners of the video showing your social media handles to prompt viewers or listeners to follow you.
Listen to your podcast from start to finish at 2x speed to make sure it is good to go.
Export two versions. One video version (.mp4 or .mov) and one audio version (.mp3 or .wav)
Chapter 5: How to Distribute Your Podcast?
Once you've created your podcast episodes, it's time to distribute them to your audience.
I need to make sure you understand one thing first. You cannot distribute your podcast without a hosting platform.
A hosting platform is not a streaming platform. A podcast host is like a big storage place on the Internet for your podcast files. It takes all your episodes and sends them out with an RSS feed to different places (streaming platforms) where people can listen. It's like a middleman between you and the places where your podcast can be found.
Different podcast hosting platforms have different workflow optimisations, growth and promotion features, but they all fundamentally help you achieve the same goal - distribution.
Here are free podcast hosting platforms or paid platforms that have free options you can check out:
Anchor
Spreaker
Podbean
Soundcloud
Buzzsprout
Redcircle
After you've signed up and have a podcast hosting platform, you can use it to stream your podcasts to distribution channels like Apple Podcasts or Spotify. We also suggest to post the video episode to your YouTube channel.
Chapter 6: What now?
Start posting. Keep posting.
Do not, and I repeat, do not, focus too much on the numbers.
In fact, I would suggest you focus on building up the momentum and consistency rather than quality for your first 100 episodes. That's right. Not one, not ten, but a hundred episodes. You do not need to post a new episode every single day, but stick to a schedule that you can maintain at a manageable pace without burning out.
Focus on sharing value for free to your audience without expecting anything in return. This is known as delayed gratification, more on that here.
I'm not trying to demotivate you. I'm actually trying to do the opposite.
If you focus on numbers at the start, you will only put unnecessary pressure on yourself because all you will care about is the numbers instead of actually enjoying the process of podcasting and sharing value for free.
By following these steps and tips, anyone who reads this can launch and sustain a podcast with minimal or zero budget that resonates with your audience and makes a meaningful impact in the digital landscape.
Chapter 7: How we will support you.
We know that getting listeners is one of the most challenging hurdles to overcome and it's one reason why you might not be starting. So, we will help promote your podcast for free. Here's how:
Follow @thecreativepistachio on Instagram.
DM us a link to one of your podcast episodes and tell us how you started and why you started the podcast. It does not have to be well produced as long as it is a podcast. We'll start a friendly conversation there.
We'll share your podcast and account in our Instagram stories.
We know you're itching to start. So just start and let your voice be heard!
The Creative Pistachio's mission
The Creative Pistachio was founded with a mission to help people like you share your ideas online by creating valuable content for your audience. We are constantly finding ways to help you get creating. If this sounds like you and you found this article helpful, we want to connect with you and be friends. Here's how:
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We recently shared how you can improve your copywriting online by avoiding these 8 common mistakes here. It's a good read. We promise. See you soon and keep creating, friends!