Everything I know about making podcasts

Spoiler alert: It’s not much

What is this?

My podcast is currently getting around 100,000 downloads per month with an additional 600,000+ views on YouTube. I’m not saying any of this to brag — my numbers certainly are not earth-shattering. There are plenty of shows with way higher numbers than mine. Still, though, I have managed to turn this racket into a full time job. I thought maybe I could take the lessons I learned and help others to launch and grow podcasts of their own. Maybe I could even make a course!

Eh, fuck that. The truth is, most of the time, I absolutely have no idea what I’m doing. I know what kinda sorta works in my niche but more than likely I wouldn’t be able to provide you with any sort of special insight or guidance that you can’t already find for free online.

Also, I didn’t want to be just another dipshit guru trying to sell people on my expertise.

So here it is — no click funnel and no gimmicks. I’m not selling anything, nor am I asking for anything in return (although if you wanted to buy me a coffee I certainly wouldn’t turn my nose up).

Without further ado, this is everything I know about creating podcasts. It’s not perfect, and you should question everything and ultimately just pick and choose what works for you. I’m in no way an expert, and I’ve basically just stumbled/lucked my way into getting higher-than-average downloads.

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Temper your expectations

While it may be extremely easy to create a podcast, it’s very difficult to create a good podcast. Matter of fact, podcasting is such hard work that the majority of new podcasts don’t make it past their first six or seven episodes.

It’s not easy, and it’s not always rewarding.

Considering the amount of work, sweat, and tears you’ll put into your show, it can be very demoralizing when nobody listens. And I hate to break it to you, but statistically, there’s a good chance that’s exactly what will occur.

Podcast hosting site Buzzsprout makes the claim — per their analytics — that 75% of podcasts are getting just 107 or fewer downloads per episode. If that’s not discouraging enough, then consider this next stat. Once again, per Buzzsprout, 50% of podcasts only get 28 downloads or less per episode.

I don’t know about you, but I would find it very difficult to remain motivated if only 28 people were listening to my show, especially considering that at least a few are friends and family members who simply listen out of love and obligation.

Podcasting is not a get-rich-quick scheme. As a matter of fact, most podcasters earn zero income from their shows. They pay for all their equipment and hosting fees out of pocket and never receive a return on that investment.

Hell, it took me years to land my first sponsor, even with thousands of people downloading my show each week.

Numbers vary per niche, but you likely won’t see anything in the way of money until you start hitting 5,000 downloads per episode. And, to get over 5,000 downloads per episode, you have to be better than over 99% of all other podcasts. Even then, there’s no guarantee that you’ll be earning enough money to pay the bills.

Starting to get the picture?

It’s also important to remember that the internet — the medium in which your podcast will live — is a hellscape of cynicism and negativity. You’ll pour your heart and soul into the show, serve it up for free for the world to enjoy, only to have some anonymous rando take a big steaming shit all over it. You will get poor reviews. You will have trolls. You will be ridiculed. And you may even pick up a stalker or two. This is just part of the game. If you don’t have a thick skin, you may want to rethink putting yourself out there like this.

Parasocial relationships are real and they can be scary, especially for females. Take steps to protect your privacy.

You can take solace in the fact that haters are to be pitied more than anything else. When a stranger attacks your work it’s more of a reflection on their inner struggles, their lack of fulfillment and purpose in life, than it is on your podcast.

My apologies if I seem pessimistic, but I feel I’d be doing you a disservice not to warn you. I’m not trying to be a Negative Nancy; I’m just keeping it as real as possible before you invest any more time or money.

On the plus side of things, creating a podcast can also be extremely rewarding and addictive! I can say with absolute certainty that I am a changed man and a better person after immersing myself in the world of podcasting. You may not become rich (you almost certainly will not), and you may not crack any of the charts, but you’ll have fun, meet some really awesome people, and doors will begin to open.

Podcasts aren’t YouTube. Podcasts aren’t Spotify

Ok, no for the boring stuff.

Technically, a podcast is an audio file, usually an MP3, distributed via an RSS feed — also known as Really Simple Syndication.

It’s important to note that RSS is not limited to just audio. There are RSS readers that work in the same way as podcast apps, only for news articles and blogs. RSS delivery is just a convenient way to access the latest updates from your preferred source, whether it be podcasts, websites, or blogs.

We will go more in-depth on this later but contrary to popular belief, you do not upload your podcast to Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Once you create your show, all of your files will be stored on your chosen host site. This host site is where your podcast lives. The artwork, the audio files, everything. That host will then use all your files to create an RSS feed.

Spotify, Apple, iHeart, Amazon, Spreaker — all of the places you want your podcast to be are essentially RSS readers. They’ll access the feed from the host site, read the files, and voila! Just like that, your voice will be available to the masses.

Don’t worry; you don’t have to be on camera or create videos to be a podcaster. You don’t have to conduct interviews. You can make the show you want, however you want it to be, and if it’s audio and distributed via an RSS feed, it’s a podcast.

There’s much more involved in the debate about the true definition of podcasting, but, to quote James Cridland from Podnews, a podcast — in its simplest form — is on-demand audio. Like the radio, just on demand. And I think that’s a pretty decent explanation.

Coming up with an idea (aka you’re not Joe Rogan)

I’ll say this in the nicest way possible: Nobody — and I do mean nobody — wants to listen to you and your bros giggle about “anything and everything.”

When Rogan started his show, he had the benefit of decades worth of experience professionally entertaining people, both as a comedian and as the star of two hit TV shows. Just because you can make your co-workers laugh doesn’t mean you can do what Joe — or insert your favorite celebrity podcast host — does. You also don’t have the benefit of a built-in audience.

So, as tempting as it may be to start a podcast discussing whatever happens to be on your mind at any given moment, it’s likely not going to gain any traction.

In other words, if you’re interested in building an audience, it’s important to choose a niche. If you’re a hobby podcaster and you couldn’t give two shits about anyone not named Mom ever listening to your show, then you can disregard this advice.

The discoverability problem

There are ongoing arguments about whether podcasting has a discoverability problem. I happen to believe it does, but wherever you stand on that particular debate, there’s no denying that with millions of podcasts to choose from, it’s very easy to get lost in the noise. Especially if you try to create the aforementioned show discussing “anything and everything.”

If you niche down, however, you’ve got more of a fighting chance.

Riches are in the niches (lol, not really, but it rhymes)

A niche is a narrowly defined topic that interests a specific group.

You can’t please all the people all the time, right? The same rule applies to podcasting. If your show is meant to appeal to everyone, you’ll end up appealing to no one.

Pick a topic — one topic — that you’re SUPER PASSIONATE about. If at all possible, pick another topic WITHIN that topic. Can you read, speak, and write about this topic for hours upon hours? That’s your niche.

If you’re having trouble, sit down and make a list of all the shit your significant other is tired of hearing you ramble on about.

That’s what I did. I literally came home from work one morning and made a list. 9 out of the 10 things I wrote down were Old West history related, and here I am, five years later, hosting a history podcast about gunfighters and outlaws.

As far as the money goes (LOL!), I’m told that super-niche audiences are easier to monetize, but I have no personal experience with that, so take it with a huge grain of salt. We’ve all heard stories about some random dude starting a show about port-o-potties and then getting a huge brand deal, thus allowing him to podcast full-time. How common is this? I have no idea but I’m going to going out on a limb and say it’s pretty fucking rare.

Just don’t niche down too much. If you start a show that only caters to left-handed people with astigmatism who also suffer from tourettes and who don’t know how to write in cursive, well, you might not find much of an audience.

What’s your why?

This is the part where I’m supposed to tell you to “define your why” and create a listener avatar. Yeah, I’m already bored just from typing that last sentence.

I’m not a businessman, and I’m not a natural salesman. I can’t help you define your why (I haven’t even defined my why), but I have a sneaking suspicion that by using just a little common sense, you’ll come out A-ok.

Naming your Podcast

Resist the temptation to be too clever when naming your show. Instead, choose a name that clearly defines what your podcast is about.

One way you can do this is by considering the words or phrases someone might use to search for a similar podcast. If your show is about growing apples, then “How to Grow Apples” is way better, SEO-wise, than “The Granny Smith Experience.”

Is “How to Grow Apples” as fun or creative? No, it’s not. But nobody is going to google “the Granny Smith podcast.” They will, however, use search phrases like “how to grow apples” or “podcasts about growing apples.”

Keeping it simple does not mean you should abandon originality

If you come up with the perfect podcast name only to discover another show with the same title, find something else. Yes, even if the other podcast sucks and even if they haven’t released an episode in years. After all, you wouldn’t want someone mistaking their subpar content for yours, right?

Use podcastindex.org to determine if the name you chose has already been taken. I would also recommend searching Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube, along with a good old-fashioned Google search, just to be on the safe side. Take it from me, re-branding is a bitch.

This next part is just a personal preference, but I’d also make sure there’s available .com. I know other domains are popular these days, like .tv or .net, but there’s still something about .com that projects professionalism. I’m 43 (ancient) so, hopefully this advice isn’t just my inner boomer talking.

You can use Namecheap or GoDaddy to check on available domains. This advice goes for social media as well. Is the handle available on Instagram or Twitter? Or are they already taken by people with whom you don’t want your podcast or brand associated?

By the way, I checked, and not only is there not a podcast already called “How to Grow Apples,” but howtogrowapples.com is available for just $12.87 a year! @howtogrowapples is also available on Twitter. Just saying.

And yes, you will need a website. Don’t stress out over it right now, as it’s a pretty straightforward process, but maybe consider that .com when choosing the name of your podcast.

Consider the big picture

Avoid using the word podcast in your show’s name unless your niche is focused on podcasting. No other mediums (movies, TV shows, books, etc) do this, other than maybe Dave Mathews Band, but we ain’t Dave Mathews. You may want to branch out in the future, and podcasting could be your gateway to other ventures, such as writing a book or selling merchandise. Create a name that’s all-encompassing and not just restricted to audio downloads.

And if you’re stuck, you can always try a podcast name generator like Getwelder or even ChatGPT to get your creative juices flowing. Obviously, you’ll still have to double-check that these names are available.

Choose a format

What sort of podcast do you want to create? Will you have a cohost or ride solo? Will you be interviewing people or telling stories? Monologue or narrative?

I can only speak to what I know — solo monologue storytelling-type podcasts. Then again, I am an introvert and prefer keeping things as simple as possible. The more people involved — the more moving parts — the harder and more complicated the process will be—just something to keep in mind. I absolutely LOVE solo podcasting, though, so please don’t feel like you MUST have a cohost to get started. I can assure you that podcasting alone won’t cause you to go blind or grow hair on your palms.

Serial or Episodic?

For 99% of you, the answer is episodic. The only time you want to go with the serial format is if you’re releasing actual seasons, with each season having a different theme, or if your show must be listened to chronologically. A great example of a serial podcast is the aptly titled Serial.

Script or no script?

Many of the gurus will caution against scripting your show, arguing that this will cause you to sound like you’re just reading words from a book rather than speaking naturally.

This is a valid concern. However, you can teach yourself to read in a conversational tone. My show is 100% scripted, and I’ve found that if I practice reading aloud each day and write in the same style that I speak, it’s not too hard to pull off.

If you have a natural gift of gab, you may not need a script at all. If that’s you, then you might be better off simply making a list of bullet points for each episode. Or if you’re really talented, you can just wing it! Me personally, I need a script, or I’ll forget my own name.

You don’t need fancy software or subscription services to write a script. Microsoft Word or Google Docs will more than suffice.

How often will you be releasing a new episode?

It’s your show, so you can release it however and whenever you prefer. That said, most podcasts are either weekly, fortnightly (uppity way of saying they release a new episode every other week) or daily. Some podcasts release just once a month, and there are podcasts like Hardcore History that only release a couple of times a year, but most do fall within either the daily, weekly, or biweekly categories.

My advice is to start off by releasing a new episode every other week, or twice a month.

This way, you don’t get too overwhelmed. If you find that publishing a new episode once a week would be a breeze and you’re certain you can stay on schedule, that’s fine. But take it slow at first. I promise, podcasting is much harder than it sounds and if you’re not careful, it’ll consume you’re entire life.

How long should your episodes be?

I don’t know who said it first (the great Dave Jackson, perhaps?), but a podcast episode should be however long it takes for you to say what you need to say, not a minute longer.

You do NOT have to have a hard time limit. If one episode is 30 minutes and the next 45 minutes, that’s fine. This ain’t network TV. You’ll eventually find your rhythm as you start releasing episodes. I’ve discovered that I can generally say what I need to say within 30–45 minutes. For you, it may be 10 minutes, or an hour and a half. Whatever works.

Some claim the ideal length of a podcast episode should be equal to or less than the average work commute — 28 minutes. I kinda feel like this is a boomer throwback to terrestrial radio, though.

We are no longer tethered by our proximity to a physical radio and people don’t just listen to podcasts when driving to and from work. Earbuds and smartphones allow us to listen on the go — whether at the gym, walking the dog, doing dishes, mowing the yards, or slogging through a long shift at the factory. I have survived many a boring graveyard shift operating a machine or driving a forklift while listening to long-form podcasts.

TLDR: Make your podcast however long or short you want to make it.

What’s the best day of the week to release your podcast?

There’s no magic answer here. It seems like the podcasts that I subscribe to prefer releasing new episodes on Mondays or Wednesdays. If there’s a science behind that, I’m not aware of it.

The only suggestion I’d make — and it’s a soft suggestion — is to not release on Fridays, Saturdays, or Sundays. I have a gut feeling that even heavy podcast consumers are busy doing other things on the weekend and that by releasing Monday through Thursday, you’ll lessen your chances of falling by the wayside.

However, I have no idea if there’s any hard data to back this up, so if you want to publish episodes on Saturday afternoons, be my guest.

As far as time of the day goes, I suppose that ensuring your new episodes are available first thing in the morning — when people are curating their playlists — might give you a slight edge, but I don’t know.

Content is King

Your release schedule and episode length just aren’t that important compared with the actual content. Content is still king, and if your show is good, people will listen. However, we still have to contend with that discoverability problem I mentioned earlier. By choosing the correct format and release schedule, you’ll at very least help make your show more discoverable.

Tools of the Trade

Alright, it's time for the fun stuff.

Technically, you can create a podcast using nothing but your smartphone, but I would strongly advise you not to do so. The truth is, you’ll need to spend a little money. The good news? It does NOT have to cost an arm and a leg.

Allow me to save you a lot of time: Ignore the rest of this section and purchase a Samson Q2U. You can find them on Amazon for between $60 and $90 and it’s an excellent microphone for podcasting.

Could you get an even cheaper microphone or even use the gaming headset you already have? Sure! Or you could do like I did when I first started and use the stock voice recorder on your cell phone. However, your quality will suffer.

It’s my opinion that you’re doing yourself (and your listeners) a disservice if you don’t put in the minimum amount of effort needed to create a somewhat polished and semi-professional podcast.

If you’re just messing around and don’t care about growing an audience — if this is just a creative outlet or a way for you to vent — that’s fine. In that case, use whatever you want.

Also, if there are extreme extenuating circumstances and you truly can’t afford to invest as little as $90 — I get it. Far be it for me to be a gatekeeper. If you’ve got something to say, say it, even if that means just using your smartphone.

However, it would be advantageous to save up what you can — little by little — and do this the right way. It really doesn’t take much to ensure that your audio is listenable, but at the very least, you will need a microphone and access to a laptop.

Microphones

As I previously stated, I advise shelling out $90 for a Samson Q2U.

This is the microphone I used when I first started, and it’s compatible with both XLR and USB, so if you choose to upgrade to an interface in the future, you can do so.

Many gurus will tell you to avoid condenser mics, including the oh-so-popular Blue Yeti. The reasoning behind this — as far as I understand it — is that condenser microphones are super sensitive, and therefore, you’ll sound like you’re recording in a cave unless your recording space is properly treated.

I’ve never used a condenser mic, so I can’t say. The Samson Q2U is a dynamic mic, as is the microphone I currently use — the Electro-Voice RE320. That said, I have heard podcasts recorded on Blue Yetis that sound perfectly fine.

Regarding super-expensive microphones, most big-name podcasters seem to use either an EV RE20 or the Shure SM7B (aka the Joe Rogan mic). Just remember that 1) you don’t need anything that fancy, and 2) you’ll also need an interface of some sort with these more expensive mics — you can’t just plug them into your laptop via USB.

What’s an interface?

An interface is sort of like a bridge between your microphone and whatever software you’ll use to record and edit. The easiest way I know to explain it is that it’s a device you plug your microphone into that turns the audio signals from your mic into the proper type of digital signals to be processed by a computer or laptop.

A good interface will come with built-in pre-amps and headphone jacks and allow you to monitor your gain. Some even allow you to record straight onto the interface with an SD card.

Do you need an interface? Eh, not really. At least not as a beginner podcaster. You can still get decent audio from a USB Mic plugged straight into your computer.

However, if your microphone is not USB compatible — like the RE320 or the Joe Rogan mic — then you will absolutely need an interface, as there’s no other way to connect with an XLR cable.

I previously used the Zoom Podtrak P4, which retails for less than $150. You can connect up to four separate microphones and four separate headphones, and you can even synch your phone via Bluetooth.

Another great option (so I’m told) is the Focusrite Scarlett. You can pick up the solo for just $120 or the Scarlett 2i2 for $160. Both will work fine, especially if you’re a solo podcaster. However, if you need to connect more than two mics, you’ll need to upgrade to something like the Podtrak P4 or a Scarlett with more inputs. Full disclosure: I’ve never used a Focusrite interface but people whose opinions I trust swear by them. I’m currently using a Motu M2 (about $200 on Amazon) and it works amazing.

In summary: At the very minimum, you need a microphone and a laptop. You do not need an interface or a fancy mic when you’re first getting your feet wet. Just pick up a Samson Q2U and start recording. Later on down the road, if you want to continue podcasting, you can think about investing in more equipment.

Bonus tip: If you’d like to try out a few different microphones to hear how they’ll sound with your voice, you may be able to borrow them. This depends on where you live, but many Guitar Centers rent out equipment. Bonus tip number 2) If you don’t mind dealing with Amazon, you can often find package deals with two or more of these pieces of equipment being sold together in a bundle. Like a Samson Q2U with a boom arm stand and an interface. Buying them all together like this could potentially save you a couple of bucks.

Laptop or desktop or neither?

This next part sorta goes without saying, but you’ll need a laptop to edit your podcast properly. As I previously mentioned, there are options available that allow you to do everything just on your smartphone, but they are far from optimal.

You don’t need a Mac, and you don’t need some high-powered gaming computer. I’m not a very tech-savvy guy, and I don’t understand all the lingo, but my suggestion is to get something with some storage, I would say a minimum of 8 GB of Ram. You also don’t want it to be as slow as molasses. As with a microphone, you don’t have to break the bank here, but you should also avoid going to Walmart and buying a cheap Chromebook you can find. That’s what I did when I started, and the damn laptop didn’t even last a year.

You’ll see other podcasters with crazy setups — multiple large monitors, expensive speakers, Herman Miller chairs, a strategically placed copy of James Clear’s Atomic Habits — you don’t need all that—just a decent laptop and the screen that came with it.

Headphones

Go ahead and pick yourself up a pair of headphones.

This will allow you to hear what you’re recording, as you’re recording. Trust me, there’s nothing worse than spending an hour or two on the mic only to find out that your audio is unusable. By using headphones, you'll pick up on any issues immediately.

Full disclosure: I do not record with headphones 99.9% of the time. Naughty Josh, I know. I do keep an eye on my levels, and so far, I haven’t had any issues. Hopefully, this doesn’t come around to bite me in the ass. If you’re conducting interviews or there’s someone else other than you talking, this is not an option — you will need to wear headphones.

I do, however, use headphones to edit and mix. A couple of years ago I invested in the Sony MDR 7506 monitoring headphones, and wow — this was one of the best purchases I’ve ever made. Are they a necessity? No. Do they make editing easier? Yes.

Back your shit up

I strongly suggest you get your hands on an external hard drive of some sort, as you’re going to want to back up all your files. I don’t really have a recommendation here — I use WD Elements and so far so good. It has an enormous storage capacity that I doubt I’ll ever fill up.

Extra equipment

You’re not going to want to be holding your microphone as you record, despite what you’ve seen your favorite YouTuber or TikToker do. You need some sort of a stand; this is a necessity.

More than likely, if you buy a brand-new Samson Q2U, it’s going to come with a cheap tripod stand you can place on your desk. My advice would be to also purchase a cheap boom arm. They attach to your desk, they’re mobile, and you can pick them up for as little as $15. Will it eventually break? Yes. Will it be squeaky? Also yes. The more you spend, the better the quality will be.

I’d also recommend you pick up what’s called a pop filter. This helps protect against plosives, those popping P sounds your mouth makes that you don’t notice while recording. They’re annoying, and pop filters help mitigate them somewhat. They’re not perfect—you need to learn proper mic technique — but they do help a little. You can get a cheap nylon pop filter from Amazon for around $10. They also make more expensive metal mesh pop filters that (I’m told) work even better.

FYI, these pop filters are not to be confused with foam wind guards — those little snowball things that fit over the end of your mic. As the name suggests, those are for wind protection. I’m not sure if there’s any benefit to using those when recording inside a treated environment.

Be mindful of your recording space

This is much more important than the gear you choose.

If you had a thousand-dollar budget for this entire podcasting venture, I’d recommend spending at least half of it on sound treatment alone. And when I say sound treatment, I’m talking more about sound-dampening or sound absorption than soundproofing.

Although it’s easy to get the jargon all mixed up, soundproofing is more of a way to stop outside noises from bleeding into your microphone. Maybe the neighbor is blowing leaves off the driveway; maybe there’s construction outside, maybe a nearby train, or maybe you live near an airport.

Outside of spending a fortune, you cannot do much about all that exterior noise. If you’re recording and someone starts mowing the lawn, you just have to stop and wait for them to finish. I try to record when I’m home alone or late at night after my daughter is asleep. I also turn off the central AC while I record. There’s no TV playing in the next room, no dishwasher running, nothing. Quiet as a mouse fart.

Sound dampening, or sound treatment, is an entirely different matter. You can control that quite a bit, and not only will it help some as far as those outside noises go, but it will immensely improve your audio quality.

Have you ever walked into a new home or just some big empty building with no furniture and noticed the echo? Once we toss in a couple of couches, maybe a lazy boy, a rug, some throw pillows, or the usual household-type stuff, it’s no longer an issue, right? At least not to our human ears.

Your microphone, however, is VERY sensitive to echoes and reverb. And, in my experience, the more expensive the mic, the more reverb you’ll pick up.

Real quick, I have to say this on the off chance there’s a true-blue audio engineer reading — I’m probably using the wrong jargon here. I’m pretty sure there’s a difference, definition-wise, between echo and reverb, but I think everyone knows what I’m talking about. We hear it on podcasts and YouTube videos all the time. Whatever that THING is — that hollow sound — that’s what I’m talking about. Sounds like they’re recording in a cathedral. They either have no sound treatment, the sound treatment they use is ineffective, or their microphone is on the other side of the room.

You need to add something in your recording space that will absorb some of that sound and stop it from ricocheting all over the place. If not, you will almost certainly end up with hollow, empty-sounding audio.

Coming out of the closet

A temporary solution, the go-to online advice for beginners, is to record in your bedroom closet. All the clothing will — in theory — help absorb some of that sound bouncing off the walls and reduce reverb. I’m not sure how true this is, though. The main benefit here is that you’re just getting less of an echo than you would in a big, open space.

If you want to record in your spare bedroom or home office, that’s fine. But you’re going to need something to diffuse all that reverb. I’ve seen this accomplished in many ways — from those cheap foam squares people buy on Amazon to spending thousands of dollars on sound treatment panels and bass traps.

I decided to DIY it and make my own acoustic panels consisting of 2x4s, Rockwool insulation, and old bed sheets. The room I record in is 10' x 10', and I currently have six of these large panels hanging on the walls. I also supplement them with several pillows (and sometimes even couch cushins).

AND I STILL GET REVERB IF I’M NOT CAREFUL!

This is why mic technique is so important. I don’t understand the technical lingo — I think it’s called proximity effect or some such shit — but I do know that the farther away your mouth is from the microphone, the more susceptible you’ll be to echo or reverb. But, then again, the closer you are to the mic, the more susceptible you’ll be to mouth clicks and pops.

Get up close to that bad boy; just make sure you turn your gain down to avoid peaking (I’ll explain peaking in a bit).

Remember that nothing will replace a professionally built and treated recording studio. That takes money and a whole lot of know-how. There’s a reason legitimate professional recording studios exist. There’s a reason small recording booths for your home can run upwards of $20,000. There’s art to it, and acoustical engineering is a real science. Feel free to dive as deep into this as you want, look into bass traps for the corners and acoustic panels hanging from the ceiling, and go wild. Just know that for podcasting it is not all that necessary.

We’re not doing voice-over for the latest Pixar film. We’re simply attempting to record a somewhat professional-sounding podcast. You don’t have to be perfect for podcasting, but you also don’t want to sound like you’re conducting a Zoom call in a cave.

TLDR: Treat your room with something that will dampen those sound waves bouncing off the walls (build a pillow fort, drape a blanket over your head, build acoustic panels) and ensure your microphone is close to your mouth when you record.

A bit of mic technique and sound treatment will pay off in spades and prove much more valuable than any microphone you can possibly buy. You can purchase the Joe Rogan mic or a $3,000 Neuman, but if you’re recording in an open, untreated space your podcast will still sound like garbage.

Remember, YouTube is your friend. Watch a couple of videos about mic technique and adjust as you go.

Software

Alright, now that we’ve sorted everything out, we’re going to have to download some software, specifically a Digital Audio Workstation, commonly referred to as a DAW. This DAW is what you’ll use to edit and mix your podcast.

You have a lot of choices here: Audacity, Garage Band if you have a Mac, Logic Pro, Adobe Audition, Reaper, Studio One, Hindenburg, Pro Tools, etc. There are others I’m forgetting about. I think Logic and Pro Tools are what I see many “professionals” using.

I’ve only personally used three DAWS — Reaper, Hindenberg, and Audacity. And it’s my humble opinion that you— as a beginner podcaster — should stick with Audacity.

It’s not the most perfect or most robust DAW, but unless you’re creating an audio experience with a ton of music and sound ambiance, Audacity will do everything you need. It’s extremely easy to learn and very intuitive, and if you ever run into any issues, there are a ton of tutorials on YouTube. Also, it’s 100% free!

Remember that nobody will ever know what DAW you use unless you tell them. There’s not a single person alive who can listen to a podcast and ascertain whether or not you used Audacity or Pro Tools.

Music?

You’ll probably want a jingle of some sort for your podcast. An intro song or ditty to start the show or to help transition from one segment to another.

This is entirely up to you. No rule says podcasts need music. As a matter of fact, I can think of several top podcasts that have no music whatsoever, just spoken word.

Then again, there are plenty of shows that prefer a nice sound bed throughout the entire episode. Again, this is your choice. I do think that a nice short intro song, along with an outro, will serve you well.

Please do not use copyrighted material! A good rule of thumb is that if you don’t own it, you shouldn’t use it.

I’m not just being a goody-two-shoes here and trying to tell you how to live your life. There’s a real chance your podcast will be taken down if you do this, as there are literally bots that scrape RSS feeds looking for copyrighted material. This is especially true when it comes to YouTube.

And no, you cannot use copyrighted songs as long as the clip is less than 30 seconds. This is an urban myth. You can’t use copyrighted material, even just for 10 seconds. If you hear a podcast doing so 1) they just haven’t gotten busted yet 2) they paid good money to use the copyrighted material or 3) they might host with Spotify which, I believe, allows shows to use copyrighted music. The catch here is that those podcasts are only available on Spotify, and — even worse — I THINK that unless the person listening has a paid membership to Spotify, they can’t hear the entire song.

Also note that “Fair Use” is a legal defense, not a rule. In other words, you don’t get to claim Fair Use until you’re in court, which doesn’t sound like a good time.

The safest bet is to commission your own music. Either perform and record it yourself or pay someone to do it. You then own it, it’s yours, and you can use it however you want. That’s a lot of work, though. We’re trying to start a podcast, not conduct a musical.

The easiest option is to use a service like AudioJungle.net. I spent $22 on the song I use for my intro and outro. There are other options on other sites, even free options; you’ll just have to look around and find what works for you. Some of the free options require you credit your source, so keep that in mind.

Artwork

At the bare minimum, you must have some type of cover art for your show. Cover art, by the way, is the tiny square image that shows up in all the podcasting apps. This is a necessity, and there’s no way around it.

There are a few different options here. You could commission someone on Fiverr or Upwork to do this for you, you can do it yourself using Canva, or you can shell out some serious money and have a professional design your branding. I’ve spoken to people who have spent thousands of dollars on their cover art. Is it worth it? Maybe. I think most of us can’t afford that option, so it’s either DIY or Fiverr!

I’ve done both. My first logo was DIY, freelancers did the 2nd and 3rd via Fiverr, and my current was made by the team over at Podcastbranding.co.

Canva is a great choice when designing anything. It’s one of the few services that I shell out money for each month and it’s well worth it but you can just use the free version to make decent cover art.

Keep it simple, though. You want your artwork to compel listeners to click on your show. It should be uncluttered, eye-catching, and convey your podcast's general theme or niche. Scroll through Apple or Spotify and get a good idea of what type of artwork popular shows avoid. Avoid using cartoonish emojis, pictures of microphones (we know it’s a podcast), or hard-to-read fonts.

Regarding the technical stuff, Apple is pretty finicky with their artwork requirements. The good news is that if you follow their rules, you’ll also be good to go on all the other apps.

Recording and Editing

Alright, finally, the moment we’ve all been waiting for—time to record your first piece of audio. And, since your podcast needs a trailer, we’ll start there.

So, why a trailer?

According to Podnews, only 14% of podcasts have a trailer. This means there’s an opportunity. Remember rule number 1 in podcast discoverability: give yourself whatever sort of edge you can to stand out among the crowd!

However, the most important reason to have a trailer is to not disappoint Arielle Nissenblatt. I’m only partially kidding, but you should definitely follow her on social for additional podcasting advice.

The real reason you need a trailer, though — the reason I think it’s most important — is to prepare for your show’s launch.

I touched on this earlier, but you do not upload your podcast directly to Spotify or Apple. You show lives on your host site, which creates an RSS feed, and that feed is read and interpreted by the various aggregators or podcast apps. However, before your show is listed, it must undergo a submission process. And this submission process could take a couple of weeks, especially with Apple. They need to review and approve everything and ensure you follow all the rules.

Oftentimes, new podcasters launch their podcast and then get confused as to why it does not appear everywhere. Well, that’s usually because they didn’t upload a trailer a few weeks ahead of time.

This approval process is a one-time deal, and after that, you’re golden. Your podcast trailer will essentially work as a placeholder or episode zero. Once you launch your actual podcast, your first episodes, you can always delete the trailer. Or, maybe 6 months later, you decide to create another trailer. That’s fine, too. Your trailer isn’t something you’ll be stuck with for eternity, and you can change as often as you like.

So, what should your trailer contain? Think of it as an introduction or a teaser to your show. At a minimum, a trailer should include the name of your show and a brief description. I wouldn’t overthink it too much.

Once you develop your voice and your show takes on a life of its own, you can always record a better trailer. For now, keep it short and simple, introduce your show, tell the audience what it’s about, and you’re good to go.

Ok, by now, you should be ready to record. You’ve created a unique name for your podcast, created your cover art, purchased a Samson Q2U microphone, downloaded Audacity, and written a short script for your trailer.

Just a few considerations.

First off, you need to hydrate. If you record with a dry mouth, you’ll get what’s called mouth clicks. You won’t hear it while you’re recording, but when you go to edit, it’ll be clear as day — it literally sounds like someone’s clicking a mouse directly into the microphone. Sometimes you can remove them in post; sometimes you can’t.

My advice is to begin hydrating a couple of hours before you record. Bringing a bottle of water with you is excellent, but you need to give that H20 time to distribute fully.

Green Apples also work in a pinch, the more sour the better. The acidity does something with your saliva, helping to reduce clicks, but this effect wears off quickly.

Also, it’s a good idea to warm up your vocals. I recently learned that I’m medically tongue-tied so this is very important for me. I flub words all the time and have to constantly repeat sentences and phrases. But that if I warm up first, it’s not as bad. I do tongue stretches (that’s right, ladies), mouth stretches, and then repeat a few tongue twisters. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peckers. Sometimes, I even drive around the block a few times, belting out Johnny Cash or Dropkick Murphy's songs as loudly as possible. Anything to warm the vocals up and my mouth and tongue working in unison.

Just one more thing before we record. Let’s discuss mic technique more in-depth.

Earlier, I mentioned plosives and those harsh P sounds. You can help avoid these by not speaking directly into your microphone.

BUT JOSH, YOU SAID I NEED TO RECORD CLOSE TO THE MIC!!!

Yeah, yeah, I know. You should still record with your mouth close to the mic, but when I say you shouldn’t speak directly into it, I mean that you should try recording with the mic “off-axis” at a 30 or 45-degree angle to the side, instead of straight in front. I’ve also heard this described as speaking “past the mic.” I do this, and it seems to help lessen those harsh plosives.

This should go without saying, but do not eat or drink while recording. If you need to take a drink of water that’s fine, you can edit it out in post, finish what you’re saying — pause — take a drink — and resume. There’s no reason you should keep noises like eating or drinking in your finished podcast episode, though. Nobody wants to hear that. Same goes for chewing gum or any other weird mouth noises. There are people out there suffering from misophonia, and they’ll shut off your podcast in a heartbeat.

I’ve encountered a handful of folks who are very adamant about not editing their podcasts whatsoever. They think that editing is a form of being fake, or “not keeping it real,” or punk rock, or whatever the fuck. So if there are mistakes, re-takes, or dead air, they just leave it all in there.

Ok, cool. Good for them. I do think this is annoying as fuck to the listener, though. Let’s say you’ve got an hour of audio, but you could easily cut out eight minutes of dead air without disrupting the pacing. Why wouldn’t you do that? Why waste my time as a listener? A little basic editing goes a long way to creating an enjoyable listening experience; it doesn’t mean anyone’s trying to censor you.

If you get very animated while you talk, you will need to be careful about bumping the microphone, the mic stand, and your desk. Even just a tiny bump can be noticeable. You’ll see many people using shock mounts for their mics for this very reason, and that’s always a good practice if you can afford to pick one up.

Ok, that’s about all I’ve got on mic technique but I do have one big disclaimer before we go any further.

I’ve already said this, but it’s worth repeating. I’m not an audio engineer. Matter of fact, this is my weakest skill set when it comes to podcasting. I SUCK at mixing, and to this day, I still struggle with producing my final product.

The good news is I’m a little psychotic, and most of my audio problems are imaginary. Rest assured, you do not need to be an audio engineer to create a decent-sounding podcast. As much as I cringe at the sound of my own show, I’ve never — not even when I was recording on my cell phone — had a listener reach out and complain about the audio quality.

Do I understand everything I’m doing? Absolutely fucking not. Do I do things that are wrong or unnecessary? I’m 100% positive I do.

Hire an editor if you can afford it, but if not, don’t worry — there are a few simple effects and techniques that will significantly improve your audio.

I won’t bore you with all the technicalities (mostly because I don’t understand them), but I’ve found that it’s easier to fix audio that’s too quiet than to fix a track that you recorded too loud. The reason is clipping, which occurs when your gain or recording volume is too high.

Keep an eye on the decibel meter in whatever DAW you’re using. You want those decibels to be between -12 and -18 when you’re talking. No louder than -6, or you’re getting dangerously close to clipping. Also, watch your waveform. Are there flat spots at the top or bottom? That’s clipping — it’ll sound distorted — and as far as I know, there’s no way to fix this in post. You need to decrease your gain and start over.

Once again, YouTube is your friend. Watch tutorials on how to use whatever DAW you’ve chosen. Make a few test runs. Play around with the different effects.

Should your podcast be mono or stereo?

Unless you’re creating an immersive audio experience with a ton of music and sound effects, I’d urge you to choose mono. With what I’m doing as a solo podcaster or storyteller, there’s no reason to use stereo. Even if you have a co-host and even if you do plan on conducting interviews, mono is more than likely your best choice. However, if you still want to record and export in stereo, that’s absolutely fine.

Ok, now you’re ready. Hit record, speak into your microphone at a slight angle, and adjust your gain correctly. When you’re done talking, hit stop. Congrats, you just recorded your first trailer.

Mixing your audio

The main thing here is to keep your audio as natural as possible. Don’t take my advice step-by-step, as I have no idea what I’m doing, but the following is my usual process:

The first thing I do once I’m done recording is to apply noise reduction. This will eliminate soft hums or very light background noises that may have been picked up while recording. It won’t remove your neighbor’s chainsaw, but it might be of assistance if you leave your air conditioner on.

I’ll then apply a compressor. This is the stock compressor in Audacity that I tweaked, according to a YouTube video I watched. I doubt it’s perfect, but it’s what I use. When I apply this compressor, the waveform will get bigger. I keep an eye on this, and if I think it’s too loud, I’ll decrease it.

I’ll then use an EQ. In Audacity, this is called Filter Curve, but I use a free EQ plugin from Melda. All I’m doing with this EQ is trying to take some of the “muddiness” out of my voice. Watch videos on YouTube about “high pass” filters.

If you have a lot of sibilance in your voice, you should consider using a de-esser. This will reduce some of those ear-piercing harsh “es” sounds. I use a free plugin from Techivation for this.

Full disclosure: I recently splurged and bought Izotope RX 10 Standard when it was on sale. I’m still experimenting, but mostly, all I’m using is their mouth de-clicker and it works like a champ!

The final piece of the puzzle is Loudness Normalization.

Simply put, this is where you ensure that your final product isn’t too quiet or too loud. You want it just right and just right for a podcast, is somewhere between -16 and -19 LUFS.

LUFS stands for Loudness Units Relative to Full Scale. What does that mean? I have no idea. The best way I know to explain it — the way it makes sense in my brain — is that LUFS is what’s used to measure perceived loudness.

Some people say that -16 is perfect. Others claim that if you're exporting or rendering in Mono, then it should be -19. Even the various podcast apps can’t agree. Apple asks for -16, and Spotify wants -14.

The truth is, it doesn’t matter. As long as it’s not louder than -14 and not quieter than -23, you’re probably good to go. You can download a free loudness meter plugin like the one I use from YouLean, or you can use a program like Auphonic and let them adjust your LUFS for you.

Other options to help make your audio sound better include Descript Studio or Adobe Voice Enhance. They’ll automatically analyze your voice and add their own EQ and compression magic. Just be aware that they’re not perfect, and you should definitely give your audio a listen before you hit publish. With the advances in AI, there will soon be no need for audio editors but we’re not quite there yet. Use such devices sparingly as they have been known to hurt more than help.

By the way, Descript is also pretty good when it comes to transcripts. They also have a cool feature that allows you to delete a word from the transcript physically, and by doing so, that word will be deleted from your audio. Depending on your style, this could save a lot of time in the editing process, but as with everything else, it’s not perfect. Use at your own risk, and always keep a backup of your original audio.

Hosting

Now that you’ve got the basics of recording down and hopefully recorded a trailer, it’s time to figure out how to get your work out to the masses. To do so, you’re going to have to choose a hosting site.

Remember, you don’t upload your podcast onto Apple or Spotify. That’s what the host is for. Whatever hosting site you choose will become your podcast's home base. This is where you will upload all of your audio files, your logo, your podcast description, your episode artwork if you have any, your show notes, your trailer, everything. All these files are stored on the host site.

They’ll then create an RSS feed for your podcast and send these files to all the places. Apple, Spotify, Google, Audible, Castbox, Podcast Addict, iHeart, Amazon Music, and so on.

When you first register with your podcast host and submit the logo, which you’ve hopefully already created with Canva, along with a podcast description or summary and that trailer you just recorded, they will do a one-time submission to the various sites.

For example, your host will give your RSS feed link to Apple, and they — in turn — will review your podcast, making sure everything is tip-top McGoo. After this, your show will then be added to the Apple directory. It’s a pretty quick process for most sites, but Apple may take 2 or 3 weeks. Plan your launch accordingly.

Pro-tip: I’m pretty sure Apple closes down shop entirely during the Christmas holidays for a couple of weeks. Either plan your launch early or wait until a week into January.

There’s no rule that you need to start uploading episodes in X number of days after you post your trailer. You can upload that trailer, go through the approval process, and then take your own sweet time preparing the rest of your launch. There is no rush whatsoever. And, if I haven’t mentioned it already, you’ll only need to go through that submittal process once.

After that’s done, and you start uploading episodes, all directories will periodically stop by your host site and pull anything new you’ve submitted. It’s quick. Usually, when I upload a new episode, it’s on Spotify within a few minutes.

Now, there may be specific directories you need to opt into yourself if your host doesn’t offer it. I would strongly suggest you do so, as this will make your show available everywhere people listen to podcasts.

You’ll also need to go to Apple Podcast Connect and Spotify for Podcasters and claim your podcast to receive their valuable analytics.

Make sure there’s a 301 Redirect!

The essential function of any podcast host is to create that RSS feed and distribute it to all of the places, but they also need to be able to offer what’s called a 301 redirect. Simply put, if you you don’t like the host you chose and want to move to another one, you’ll be able to do so (mostly) hassle-free with a 301 redirect. I host my podcast on Megaphone, but let’s pretend I want to switch to Buzzsprout. I would initiate a 301 redirect to transfer all my files from Megaphone to the new hosting site — Buzzsprout. Because these are both reputable podcast hosting sights, the process will be seamless, nothing will be lost, and my audience will be none the wiser.

If a host does not offer 301 redirects, run away as fast as you can.

Other than these essential functions, all hosting sites have various pros and cons, pricing and storage fees, and integrations. For instance, when I used Libsyn, they offered free access to Canva and Auphonic. They’ll also upload your podcast to YouTube.

Buzzsprout offers something similar to the Descript Studio Sound to their customers called Magic Mastering, which will automatically EQ your podcast. If I’m not mistaken, they also offer free transcriptions through Descript.

Check out a few hosting platforms, review their storage and pricing plans, look at the perks, and decide what’s best for you. I’ve only personally used three — Anchor, Libsyn, and Megaphone. I’ve heard many very good things about Captivate and Buzzsprout, but you’ve also got Blubrry and Transistor and Omny and Art19. There’s a ton of ’em. Ask around, shop around, and make a decision. They’ll run you anywhere from $5 or 7 bucks a month up to around $20.

Regarding Anchor (now known as Spotify for Podcasters). This may be an unpopular opinion, but it’s an ok option if you can’t afford to pay for “real hosting.” Anchor is free. I used them when I first started in 2019, and I had zero issues. When it came time for me to switch to Libsyn, the redirect went seamlessly.

That said, just a word of caution. If I’m not mistaken, Anchor (Spotify for Podcasters) will control your RSS feed, and you won’t be able to access your Apple analytics. Also, if you want to use Spotify’s music library just know that your show will only be allowed to be played on Spotify. Your feed won’t be distributed to all the other places (Apple, iHeart, etc). It’s free, so that’s always a plus, but remember — oftentimes, you get what you pay for.

Publishing

Here are a few tips on actually setting up your podcast on your host site. It’s a pretty straightforward process, but there are a few things that could cause confusion.

Third-Party consent: This essentially asks if you have permission to use anything in your podcast you don’t own, like music or sound effects. You're good to go if you purchased your intro music from a site like Audiojungle. If you’re not sure, contact the hosting site and ask.

Episodic or Serial: As I stated earlier, you’re probably going to want to choose episodic. The main difference is how your podcast episodes will appear in the various players. If you choose episodic, the most recent episode will appear at the top. If you choose serial, then your very first episode will show up on top, and listeners will need to scroll all the way down to hear you’re most recent stuff. A serial podcast needs to be listened to chronologically, whereas with an episodic show, you can start at the most recent or just hop anywhere.

Explicit: If you use words like hell or damn now and then, you do not have to mark your show as explicit. Choose explicit if you’re genuinely explicit—F-bombs, sex stuff, you know — everything that’s fun. If you’re only using Bible curse words, I think you’ll be alright.

Episode Title: This is your opportunity to use a little SEO. Don’t overpack, and don’t be too obscure. Some podcasts get very creative with their episode titles, and if you’re just scrolling through, you have no idea what the episode is about without clicking and checking out the show notes. Avoid using the name of your podcast in the episode titles, and keep in mind how much of the title shows in the podcast apps. The first few words should catch a new listener’s attention.

Show Notes or Episode Description: This should be brief summary of the episode, followed by whatever relevant links you’d like to share with your audience. Feel free to add in a ton of relevant keywords. ADD YOUR DAMN EMAIL ADDRESS! Most people do not read show notes. Those of us who do, however, appreciate them.

Episode number: In the past, I numbered my episodes, but I no longer do. Does this make a difference? Who knows. Apparently, Apple fucking hates numbers, so there’s that.

Podcast Launch

What I’m about to say next can be controversial. There’s no universal right or wrong answer here, but I strongly urge you to launch with a minimum of five episodes ready. You’ll upload your first three on launch day and keep the other two in reserve.

Not only will this give a new listener something to binge, but it’ll also give you some breathing room. You don’t have to rush out your next episode because you’ve always got a buffer of one or two completed shows ready to release.

Another reason I think it’s a good idea to launch with a minimum of five episodes is that this will help you decide if you like podcasting.

It’s one thing to produce a single episode, but by the time you’ve got five episodes under your belt, you’ll have a decent idea of the process and the hard work that goes into it. Also, before your launch, you can compare your 5th episode to your 1st. Trust me, there will be a HUGE difference, both in audio quality and content quality. At this point, you may choose to go back and re-record your first couple of episodes before your launch.

Hey, if you’ve done all of this, go ahead and give yourself a pat on the back. You have successfully launched a semi-professional podcast! You’re now one of the annoying few — a podcaster!

Now you need a website.

This isn’t 100% necessary, but come on — you do kinda need a website.

As surprising as it may sound, there will be people who listen to your podcast via the player on your website. Why? I got no clue. But I’m not going to tell them NOT to! A listen is a listen!

Creating a website for your podcast will also lend an air of professionalism and show that you’re not simply a hobbyist.

It’s also a way for people to contact you. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to contact another podcaster, either for collaboration or just to reach out and say “Hey, love your show” only to discover they don’t have a website, no email listed — nothing.

Your website will be your home base of operations — your lair. This is where people can contact you, leave reviews for your podcast, buy your merch, read your blog posts, and on and on and on. You can also have affiliate links, collect emails for your newsletter, and even pimp your Patreon.

And finally — and most importantly — your podcast website will aid in discoverability. I use Podpage. When I release a new episode via my hosting site, it’ll also automatically be added to my website. This includes all those SEO and keyword-rich titles and show notes. You can even turn your show notes into blog posts or post your full transcripts. Google will pick up on all this and start showing your website in their search results.

Most hosting sites offer a free website that’ll work in a pinch. My suggestion would be at least to purchase your own domain name (dot com).

As I said, I use Podpage. I think I spend $15 per month on it, and it is EXTREMELY EASY. This would be your best bet if you’re looking for the least hassle. There’s another service called PodcastPage.io that appears to do the same thing. I’ve never used them, but I know people who do, and they love it. Depending on your level of expertise or geekiness, you can use Squarespace or WordPress. However, if you don’t want all that fuss or hassle, Podpage is your best bet.

Regarding your custom domain name, you can always go to Namecheap or GoDaddy and purchase one, usually for 10 or 15 bucks. And that will be a recurring yearly fee, by the way. You can even set it up to receive and send email from your domain name.

If you’re noticing a trend here, hosting a professional-sounding (and looking) podcast does NOT have to cost a ton of money.

Let’s say you chose Libsyn as your hosting site and went with their $7 plan, which will be sufficient for most of us. Then, you opt for a website with Podpage. That’s another $15 a month. Next, you buy a custom domain for $15 a year, which comes out to what? $1.25 a month? For less than $24 per month, you have a fully functioning podcast, a website with a custom domain, and your own professional email. It doesn’t get any easier than that.

And I know you’re spending over $23 monthly on Starbucks.

So please, do yourself a favor, future you will thank you. Create a website for your podcast and start building that SEO.

Growing your podcast

Kevin Coster is a goddamn liar — if you build it, they will NOT come. You need to personally take steps to grow your podcast and help your audience discover you.

The best thing you can do is use all of the tools at your disposal. Create great content, write keyword-rich titles and show descriptions, and be consistent. Keep creating content and keep publishing regularly.

You should also strive to improve each episode, even if it’s in some small way. Can you do something this week that’s 1% better than your last episode? Tweak the intro, maybe? A more clear call to action? Complacency kills. Keep improving.

Also, you should regularly submit your show to be featured on Apple and Spotify. Listen to Lauren Passel as she describes the best way to make this happen. And when you’re done, listen to her again here! Apply all of her tips and follow Lauren on social for more helpful advice. If I know that Lauren has appeared on a podcast, I will listen to that episode — that’s how valuable I find her guidance. Here’s a link to Lauren’s 100 Podcast Marketing Tips. I’d also advise you to sign up for her newsletter.

You may be thinking about paid advertisements, but I’d hold off on this at the beginning. That said, at some point, you’ll likely need to spend some money to help people discover your show. I’ve only done a little of this, and had the most luck advertising on Podcast Addict. Your mileage may vary.

Social Media

Your show should have a presence on social media, but keep in mind that you do NOT have to be active on every platform. Also, know that your podcast may not fit well on each platform. My advice would be to use whatever social media that your audience is most engaged on. Let’s pretend it’s Instagram. Focus on Instagram completely, and don’t worry about Twitter, or Facebook, or Linkedin. If you try to focus on all of the different platforms, you’ll just burn yourself out and waste time that you could be using to create more content.

Avoid circle-jerk situations. I’ve seen a lot of this on Twitter. Indie podcasters with thousands of followers — who also happen to be indie podcasters — and all they do is retweet each other. Is this fun? Sure. But does it grow your audience? Not at all. In my opinion, Twitter is best used for networking and keeping up with industry news instead of promoting your show.

UPDATE: Things in social media have changed quite a bit since I first wrote this article. They’re increasingly becoming more and more toxic and utterly clogged with AI nonsense. Please don’t feel pressured to have a presence on social unless you really want to. In all reality, it doesn’t do much to grow your podcast.

Want to know how to use — or how not to use — social media to grow your show? Follow Arielle Nissenblatt. She is one of the nicest people in podcasting and has helped me immensely. And even if you don’t want to follow her, at least read this thread!

Personal experience: I love Twitter (previously, not so much anymore) but have found very little audience growth via that platform. I’m not a huge fan of Instagram, but I’ve found that by posting Reels, my downloads have slightly increased. At one point I had around 25,000 followers on Tiktok and some of my videos got over half a million views with no discernable uptick in podcast downloads. I don’t use Facebook at all because I hate Facebook. Should I? Probably. (Update: I now post videos of my show on Facebook but see very little in the way of a return.)

YouTube

It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of posting your podcast on YouTube, even if it’s just audio-only and a static image. I share my thoughts on the topic here and here, but long story short, you need to treat YouTube as a different entity. YouTube audiences differ from podcast audiences, so you may need to tweak your show to make it YouTube-friendly. Spend time creating quality thumbnails, save the fun banter for the end of your episodes, and take your time crafting keyword-rich video titles.

Additional resources

Books that I’ve found helpful: Make Noise by Eric Nuzum, Storyworthy by Mathew Dicks, and everything non-fiction that Steven Pressfield has ever written, especially The War of Art and Turning Pro.

Podcasts that I find helpful in no particular order: Podcast Bestie with Courtney Kocak, Podcast Accelerator with Mark Asquith, Tube Talk with Vyyyper, and Dave Jackson’s The School of Podcasting.

Learning by example: I’m a big fan of learning from those who have done what I’m attempting to do. Guys like Jack Rhysider from Darknet Diaries and Julian Dorsey are extremely helpful. These guys were not professional entertainers or anything like that, and now they’re podcasting as a full-time gig. I study people like them to learn what sets them apart from others.

Words of encouragement

The best thing you can do now is focus on your show’s monthly growth and year to year. A positive gain is a positive gain. The growth of my podcast was slow yet steady. It took me three years to reach 300,000 total downloads. Then, in my 4th year, I doubled that number in less than 12 months. Now, five years in, and I’ve surpassed two million downloads.

You’ll build up steam if you stay consistent and keep going. It’s all about your content, though. Don’t get slack, don’t just phone it in, and always — no matter what — look for ways to tweak and improve your content.

Ok, with that, go forth and get to podcasting! Good luck!

Wait — hold on. Listen to this first. Also, feel free to email me with any questions.

Ok, now go out there and share your story with the world. They’re waiting.