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Didja hear?!? The Confused Millennial Podcast officially ranked in the top 200 self help podcasts on iTunes!!
I had no idea this would happen just a few short months after starting this podcast!! But I'm thrilled!
I'm SO SO SO thrilled and beyond thankful for each and every one of you who have listened, subscribed, rated, and reviewed! And if you haven't subscribed and rated the podcast yet, I'd sincerely appreciate if you could click here and do that (it helps IMMENSELY with rankings!!).
Anyway, enough about me! Let's hop into a question I've been getting a lot lately:
How the heck do I start a podcast?!?
Hosting:
When you start a podcast you need a host! When I first started the podcast I was hosting on Buzzsprout which I really like their interface. It's easy to use, clean and clear and if you sign up with this link you get a $20 amazon gift card! But I ultimately switched away for a few reasons:
- My podcast producers at the time wanted me on Libsyn
- At the time, supposedly the only podcasts getting on Spotify are Libsyn ones (rumored, not confirmed)
So I switched to Libsyn which is one of the most popular (if not the most popular) podcast hosting platforms! It's definitely not as pretty or user friendly as buzzsprout but I'm sticking with it now that I'm there.
Equipment:
Alright podcasting equipment was definitely the most confusing thing for me and I'm still learning at times it feels like! But here are the basics:
A solid microphone
I *thought* the Blue Yeti was a solid microphone because that's what tons of people had said! But alas, not true! The Yeti picks up a TON of background noise and I had a bunch of issues (literally exchanged it 4 times before I realized it was just the microphone!). If you notice, a lot of podcasters who use the Yeti have like a foam box that the mic goes in when recording, so ensure it only picks up their voice. So if you have it and are experiencing issues, pick this foam box up and it should help a ton!
Instead I use this audio technica one now! It's cheaper and works great and I don't need a foam box when recording.
Before I started my podcast, I was a guest on several shows, and had this headphone set with a microphone (basically looked like a telemarketer) for a while since I thought it was easy and overall cheaper, but it broke and didn't sound as great as having the separate mic. I know some top podcasters who do use this set up though (I just don't have a recommendation for which set to purchase since I didn't have luck with it).
Audio interface
If you want really high quality sound it's recommended that instead of recording directly into your computer, you use an audio interface. I have this one which plugs into my computer and I plug the microphones right into it. When purchasing an audio interface, I was really torn between the one I bought and this one (which has a cheaper option here). The latter two I linked are Zoom recorders which allow you to record directly to an SD card, meaning you can record with just your microphone and the recorder – no laptop needed. If you travel a lot this is a great option – but I realized I don't travel that often and didn't want to deal with an SD card and moving it to my computer for editing.
Headphones
It's SO important to listen to the podcast as you're recording with headphones!! I use this pair. They are huge and hurt my ears after an hour but work great since I can ONLY hear what's coming in through them and it's easy to tell if I'm picking up any weird background noises or the like.
The headphones I bought plug right into the audio interface I purchased. You'll notice that my audio interface has two microphone options, but only one headphone plug. In that case either only one of you can hear (which isn't ideal if you have two people in the room) or you can purchase an adapter. This adapter will allow you to convert from the “male” plug to “female” headphones (think the size of your standard iphone headphones) and I'm not sure if there's a “male” splitter for you both to have headphones like mine.
Pop filters/ wind screen
I got these windscreens which go right over the mic and it's all we use now! Before when I was recording on my Yeti and getting tons of feedback I used a windscreen AND this pop filter. You may still want to use both if you pop your SS's or P's are super harsh. It'll def give you a more “radio sound” if you use both!
Stands or booms.
This helps if your microphone picks up a lot of feedback from you holding it. I got this boom set for sitting on my couch while I record (it's also great if you ever plan on doing videos) and have this stand. A stand isn't essential, but I like that I can adjust the height when sitting at my desk and it's more sturdy than the one that came with my mic.
Production:
You can totally produce your own podcast! You can purchase music from audiojungle for your intro and transitions. Then you can edit on Garage Band or whatever software you have on your computer.
Personally, I wasn't into doing all the weekly edits and figure out how to make my “SSS's” sound less harsh. So I hired a podcast production company – which I ultimately switched away from and hired a new podcast producer, Justin! Justin is amazing, you can find out about working with him here. He has his own top rated podcast and REALLY knows the industry! I never worry about the quality of my audio or shows getting up on time. I really couldn't be happier!
Truthfully, when it comes to hiring a podcast producer I would really stress the importance of listening to the quality of their work in advance, making sure you have clear communication channels set up, and just like them! I found myself so burnt out and over my podcast when I was frustrated with my podcast producers – and as soon as I hired a new one I found new life!
Graphics:
You'll need show art (the little thumbnail that shows up). You can leave this as the same for every episode, or upload a unique graphic for each episode to showcase the guest. You may also want to create graphics for sharing on Instagram, Insta-stories, Twitter, Facebook, etc. I make all my graphics on Canva. Here's a blog post for How To Get Started With Graphic Design if you decide to DIY it!
There you have it! That's the basics for getting started with your podcast! Obviously it's great to have an idea of what it'll be about, how you'll share it, growth strategies, potential guests, and alllll the good stuff too!
Do you have a podcast? Are you thinking of starting one? I'd love to hear in the comments and feel free to drop me any more of your questions!!
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