How Do I Start a Podcast?

HOW DO I START A PODCAST?

I get this question a lot.  I mean… A LOT.  And I do have tips and links below, and I help old and new podcasters as best I can when they ask for my opinion or advice. But before you start podcasting for the first time, I feel I need to tell you something… 

Podcasting is a marathon, and you will not find success after just a few months or a few episodes.  I’ve been podcasting since the early 2000s with a variety of different shows in a variety of different genres.  Weird Darkness was created in late 2015.  But I didn’t start seeing an actual income from any of my podcasts until Weird Darkness finally caught a small spark in 2020 – five full years after I launched it!  And it wasn’t until 2021 that the podcast finally became a reliable income (thank you, Spreaker.com).  Up to that point I was doing it because I loved doing it – and that is still the reason I continue.  I never recommend someone get into podcasting if their goal is simply to make money – because that’s likely not going to happen.  It’s extremely hard to get noticed – and gets harder with each passing year as podcasting grows and more and more people are starting up their own shows and vying for attention.  As of September 2022 there were over 3 million podcasts out there to choose from — not 3-million episodes, but actual shows. As of January 2025, there are approximately 4.4 million registered podcasts worldwide. However, only about 15% of these—roughly 660,000—were considered active, meaning they’ve released a new episode in the past 90 days. Why? Because starting a podcast is easy, being a podcaster is hard – and people give up after four or five episodes.  No matter how much social media you use… no matter how proficient at podcasting you may be… no matter how many friends, family, co-workers, and strangers on the street you tell about your show… no matter how much advertising you purchase… the odds are still against you becoming a well-known and profitable podcaster.  I’m not saying this to get you to change your mind – in fact, I encourage people to get into podcasting if they have the correct mindset, because I absolutely love doing it.  I just want you to know what you are stepping into before you make the commitment.

  1. Podcasting is easy to start, hard to maintain.
  2. Podcasting is time-consuming.
  3. Podcasting is a labor of love, no matter what level of success you may find yourself.

If you don’t agree with the three above statements then podcasting probably isn’t for you.  You must go into this with the mindset that it’s not a career or even a side hustle, but a passion project.  You should want to do it whether you get a dozen listeners, a hundred listeners or a hundred thousand listeners.  If you aren’t doing it simply for the love of doing it, you are going to burn out quickly.  You’ll get frustrated with the slow growth, and give up, thinking it’s a waste of your time and energy. I’m sorry if that’s not what you want to hear from me, but I think it’s best to be honest.

If all of the above hasn’t dissuaded you, and you are still passionate about starting your podcast (and good for you if that’s the case), there is so much information you will need, tips to keep in mind, equipment you might consider using, etc.  To get you started, below are links to videos, articles, etc., that I believe would be beneficial to anyone committed to creating a podcast – beginner or expert.

  • If you’d like, I can introduce you to my friends at Spreaker where I host my show; they can lay out what they do and how they can be the best home for your podcast. Just email me at darren@weirddarkness.com and I’ll be happy to do the introduction. And no, I do not work for Spreaker, I’ve just found them to be the best option for me.
  • Here is a great video with questions to ask yourself before starting your podcast: https://youtu.be/HtNHr4QoquY 
  • An article by Keith Conrad, a good friend of mine, about what he has learned – “10 Things To Know Before Starting Your First Podcast” (online article)
  • Here are a boatload of other great how-to articles about everything pod: https://www.thepodcasthost.com

MY RECORDING EQUIPMENT…
By no means do you need to spend thousands or even hundreds of dollars to get started with your podcast. But for those of you who are curious about what I use personally, here is the list, complete with Amazon affiliate links:
* STUDIO MICROPHONE (Neumann TLM103): http://amzn.to/2if01CL
* STUDIO MICROPHONE PRE-AMP (Icicle): http://amzn.to/2vLqLzg
* STUDIO POP FILTER (AW-BM700): http://amzn.to/2zRIIyK
* STUDIO XLR CABLE (Mogami Gold Studio): http://amzn.to/2yZXJeD
* STUDIO SOFTWARE (Adobe Audition): https://amzn.to/3D5tTFL
* STUDIO HARDWARE (MacBook Pro): https://amzn.to/4154pYf
* STUDIO HEADPHONES: (SilenSys E7): https://amzn.to/3cRzp7o
* TRAVEL MICROPHONE (MXL USB .009): https://amzn.to/3vrj7sn
* TRAVEL SOUNDBOOTH (Porta-Booth Pro): https://amzn.to/3bkXrr1
* TRAVEL HARDWARE (MacBook Pro): https://amzn.to/3POXeeP
* TRAVEL SOFTWARE (Adobe Audition): https://amzn.to/3D5tTFL
* TRAVEL HEADPHONES: (SilenSys E7): https://amzn.to/3cRzp7o
* TRAVEL PORTABLE LAPTOP DESK: https://amzn.to/3PORYrp

PODCASTING RESOURCES I RECOMMEND…

No matter what level you are on in your podcasting journey – beginner, expert, or somewhere in-between, there are always areas in which you can improve, tweak, edit, cut, etc., to continue to improve your show and performance.  Below are resources I’ve personally felt have been helpful in my ongoing podcast and voice over education.

  • The School of Podcasting (website, podcast)
  • The Feed (podcast)
  • Bill DeWees, Voice Over Coach (YouTube channel)
  • Book: “Voice-Over Voice Actor” (Amazon) – if you want to do solo podcasting or storytelling,  being a trained actor is invaluable!

THE SCRAPPY PODCASTING MANIFESTO…

(From the Scrappy Podcasting Newsletter)
Scrappy Podcasters Know…
1. Nothing is given freely.
2. You aren’t owed anything.
3. This is supposed to be hard.
4. But you have everything you need.
5. Constraints breed creativity.
6. Ideas matter more than budget.
7. Big ideas cost the same as small ones.
8. Your perspective is your superpower.
9. No one gets it right the first time.
10. The only way to fail is to stop showing up.
11. It’s easier to be different than better.
12. All growth comes through connection.
13. David beat Goliath once and can do it again.
14. What works for you might not work for others.
15. What worked for others might not work for you.
16. Everything is just a draft. Ship it. Then make it better next time.
17. There’s no competition when you create the show only you can create.
18. The only immutable roadblocks are internal. And even those can be worked through.
Scrappy Podcasters Do…
19. Treat their audience like their livelihood depends on it. Because if you play your cards right, it will.
20. Know their superpowers & build their shows around them.
21. Own their failures, shortcomings, and missteps.
22. Make regular small, smart bets.
23. Set deadlines. And meet them.
24. See opportunity in challenges.
25. Track meaning over metrics.
26. Do things that don’t scale.
27. Play infinite games.
28. Elevate others.
29. Ask for help.
30. Give freely.
31. Persevere.
32. Believe.
33. Trust.
34. Win.

 

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