A DIY Guide to Starting Your Own Podcast

This is a no-frills guide to starting your own podcast. No experience required.

Everyone has a podcast and you’ve been thinking about starting one too. As you should! It’s one of the easiest and most valuable evergreen marketing assets you can create, and you can repurpose it up the wazoo!

If you’re a scrappy bootstrapped founder like me, you probably don’t want to pay someone $2000 per episode to produce it for you. I’m not saying there isn’t merit to production services, but it’s probably overkill if you’re on a budget and not even sure if this is something you want to commit to long term.

When I was thinking about starting ProfitLed Podcast (growth strategies for bootstrapped entrepreneurs), I wanted to do it on my own because I’ve always believed in owning the things that are tied to revenue. There’s nothing like controlling your own destiny. I wanted to figure out how to setup a podcast and publish episodes. I wanted to see how difficult it would be to market it.

Admittedly, my goal was not to produce the highest quality, most popular show in the world. I wanted to understand the process and see how viable of a marketing channel this could be for my company ( eWebinar ) and my personal brand. This was going to be my MVP that I could expand on later if I wanted to.

I started ProfitLed from scratch and published 17 episodes in Season One on my own (with the help of some services of course). I did this on a tight budget and learned a ton, so I wanted to put this guide together to help you start your own.

Even though you might not have a ton of money to invest into a podcast, there are some things that are important enough that you should pay for, like audio quality. And certain things you should not be wasting money on, like setting up your own directories (Apple Podcast Spotify, Google Podcasts, etc.).

I did a lot of research on best practices and how to start a podcast so you don’t have to.

This guide will tell you everything you need to know to start your own podcast today.

If you have any questions about anything here, feel free to connect with me!

I’ve divided this guide into five sections:

1. Tips and tricks on producing a great show from a top 1% podcaster
2. 12 steps on starting a podcast on a budget
3. How to publish an episode
4. 12 things I learned from starting my first podcast
5. The best podcasting setup that you can take on the road

1. Tips and tricks on producing a great show from a top 1% podcaster

Before starting ProfitLed, I asked a top 1% podcaster (thanks Andrew Brockenbush ) for tips and tricks on producing a great show.

These were my key takeaways…

On prep:

? Have a framework and outline so you get to the point (your big idea)

? Script a compelling intro/outro with CTA (eg. subscribe to this podcast) and hire voiceover with music

? Record 60 second mid-roll (ad) to talk about yourself (more authentic if you use your own voice)

On quality:

? Audio quality is the most important, pay for editing

? Make sure guests only use wired headphones/mic, no AirPods

? People will bounce if you sound bad, invest in a good mic (Audio-Technica AT2005USD)

On content:

? Make a wishlist of guests and start with people you can get a hold of

? Consistency is key - at least 2 episodes a month, 4 is ideal to keep people interested

? Seasons is the best way to cap episodes so you can take breaks and not overcommit

? People always go back and listen to the first episode so use it to promote yourself

On launching:

? Release a few episodes out of the gate so people can binge

? First episodes should be with influential people who are willing to share

? Apple will feature the show if it has significant downloads at launch (~20-30k)

On marketing:

? Weekday of release doesn’t matter that much

? Upload video on YouTube to get additional views

? Start marketing a few weeks before launch to get people hyped

? Promo swaps with other podcasts in your space (cross-mention)

? Attend Podcast Movement conference if you want to get serious

2. 12 steps on starting a podcast on a budget

1. Come up with a podcast name, concept, and description

2. Get a good mic (Audio-Technica AT2005USB) - $120

3. Use Camo to turn phone into webcam: $40/year

4. Design logo and cover art via Upwork/Fiverr - $100

5. Music via Envato - Royalty free

6. Script and record intro, outro with voiceover via Voice123 - $200

7. Script and record midroll (ad) yourself via Descript

8. Set up directories: Apple, Google, Spotify, etc.

9. Sign up for Buzzsprout (hosting) and connect directories - $12/month

10. Record shows with guests via Riverside.fm - $15/month

11. Edit audio and get show notes (optional) via Resonate Recordings - $159 + $99/episode

12. Created pages on company website to host episodes (optional but good for marketing)

Once directories are setup and linked your hosting service, you can start publishing episodes.

3. How to publish an episode

1. Upload audio file to Resonate

2. Review edited audio and approve

3. Upload final audio and description to Buzzsprout and set publish date

4. On publish date, Buzzsprout will send to all specified directories

5. Upload show notes on your website/blog (optional but great for marketing)

4. 12 things I learned from starting my first podcast

?? On prep:

1. Almost everyone will say yes to being a guest because it's free marketing. Do your own outreach.

2. Using your own voice to deliver the midroll ad is more authentic so people are less likely to skip over it.

3. Scripting your intro and questions make for better conversations. It takes more time, but it's the respectful thing to do for your guest.

??? On content:

4. When the quality of your episode is dependent on your guest, it’s not a good thing. Not everyone is a great speaker.

5. Keeping up with producing new episodes is hard, have seasons so you can take breaks and switch up the format if needed.

6. Use the first episode wisely to talk about yourself and promote your message. People always go back to listen to it.

?? On marketing:

7. Most guests will not share their episode even if they say they will. If they do, consider it a bonus, but don't expect or rely on it.

8. Podcast episodes make for great outreach material, it’s a way to offer value with an indirect sell and promotes your name.

9. Marketing a podcast, like anything else, takes effort and time. But you'll get downloads from being on directories (Apple, Spotify, Google).

?? Afterthoughts:

10. There's a lot of competition, but people always appreciate great content and an engaging conversation.

11. Interview style is the easiest but it's overused. It gives your guests all the air time so it's not great for your own marketing.

12. If you have creative ideas and are a great host, you should produce your own content and give yourself all the air time.

5. The best podcasting setup that you can take on the road

? Camo to turn your phone into a high quality webcam - $40/year

? Selfie stick (as a tripod) to mount your phone - $25

? Audio-Technica AT2005USB mic - $120

? Headphones to plug into mic - Use any

? Ring light for table top (home) - $25

? Lume Cube light (travel) - $80

If you're a minimalist and/or you travel a lot like me, you probably don't want a huge setup taking up all your space. This setup is as small as it gets.

If you want to go heavy on video, you will need a lot more lighting and perhaps a better camera. But this is great for most people, and it's cheap and cheerful!

Starting a podcast is so easy, anyone can do it.

If you’ve been wanting to for a while, don’t overthink it. Just get started.

If you haven’t already, check out ProfitLed from your favorite podcast app or visit profitled.fm where you can also find the show notes of every episode.

ProfitLed is a podcast that focuses on growth strategies for bootstrapped entrepreneurs from proven founders and strategists. There’s so much content out there that features VC backed founders and hyper growth companies. But everyone else? Not so much. These are the unsung heroes of SaaS.

If you have any questions, feel free to connect with me!

I'm Melissa Kwan , 3x bootstrapper sharing stories & lessons weekly.

Follow me + hit ?? to stay tuned.