How to Create a Podcast

When we finally convince our clients that content is king and get them adding pages and SEO blog posts to their sites at amazing rates, many of them come back to us to ask how to create a podcast. And why not? Like vlogging, creating a podcast can seem like work for experts, not novices.

But here’s a secret for you: Creating a podcast is pretty easy once you’re set up, and gives a double whammy when it comes to website SEO because you have your keyword tagged video AND your keyword rich transcript.

How to Create a Podcast in 5 Steps

Creating a podcast is easy if you just follow these five simple steps that I’ve outlined below.

Step #1 – Get Set Up With The Essentials

What do you need to create a podcast? Don’t go overboard just yet. There’s no need to rent out a studio and spend thousands of dollars on equipment when you’re first starting out.

Stick with with the essentials, like:

• Good quality microphone
• Headphones
• Computer or laptop
• Video camera
• Editing software
• Podcast recorder
• Podcast hosting platform

Technically, a video camera isn’t an “essential” tool. But if you’re doing all of this work, you might as well kill two birds with one stone. By video taping yourself while recording your podcast, you’ll be able to repurpose those clips on social media for promotional purposes and you can even upload your podcast to YouTube.

You can get a good quality recorder $150 or even less. If you’re tight on cash, you can always use a free conference call recording software instead.

Freeconferencecalling.com is one example that allows multiple users to call in and for the conference to be recorded in MP3 format. The quality is reasonable, given that phone calls are low-quality, audio-wise, to start with. The service itself is free and the call-in number is a standard U.S. phone number, so no charges beyond the usual cost of a phone call apply.

As a backup, many people use GoToMeeting for online demos and tech support, and that service has a recording feature as well. The resulting audio is slightly lower in quality than what you get with Freeconferencecalling.com and may have some connectivity issues, but it’s something to fall back on in a pinch.

For hosting, I like Libsyn. If you’re interested in going that path, check out my step-by-step tutorial on how to use Libsyn podcast hosting.

Step #2 – Brainstorm Ideas For Your Show

Again, let’s walk before you start running. You don’t need to have dozens of episodes prepared. But at a minimum, you should take 30-60 minutes to simply brainstorm a variety of show topics.

This is a really helpful exercise because it helps give your show a sense or direction.

What’s a logical order for topics? What show makes sense to host with a guest? Are you able to record multiple episodes in a single session?

You need to have a plan or your show will be a disaster.

If you haven’t done so already, now is is also a good time to come up with a name and concept for your show.

Need some inspiration? Check out my list of 50 creative podcast ideas that you can use on your show.

Step #3 – Map Out Your Format and Structure

With your ideas in place, it’s time to map out a path for your first episode. This is essentially a loose blueprint of how your want your episode to go.

Your format is the type of episode, like an interview or an educational “how to” episode. The structure refers to the events during an episode, such as:

• Show intro
• Episode intro
• Guest intro
• Content
• Outro
• CTA

Your notes will vary depending on the type of podcast structure and format that you choose. For example, if you’re interviewing a guest, you’ll need to prepare questions for your podcast guest.

If you’re stuck and not sure how to approach this step, refer to my guide on of the best podcast formats. It includes pros and cons for all the top options, which makes it much easier to decide what’s right for your show.

Step #4 – Record Your First Episode

You shouldn’t be spending weeks or months in the planning stages. To create a successful podcast, you need to start creating content.

This is arguably the hardest step for most people because they want things to be perfect.

Here’s the reality: it won’t be perfect.

In all honesty, your first podcast episode probably won’t be that great. And that’s totally fine. Like anything else, it takes tons of hours of practice and repetition to get good at this.

So you might as well get it out of the way now and start somewhere.

These early episodes are really important. Similar to writing and publishing your first blog, it’s intimidating starting from scratch. But once you have a handful under your belt then things get easier from there.

Step #5 – Distribute, Promote, and Repeat

Once you have your episode recorded, edited, and uploaded to your podcast hosting service, it’s time to distribute those epidotes across various distribtion platforms.

Your podcast host (like Libsyn) is just where your podcast lives online. But listeners don’t actually find it there.

Instead, they go platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, iHeartRadio, etc.

There are slight variations for how to distribute your podcast on these channels. So my best advice is to just start with one for now. If you’re totally stuck, just use YouTube because it’s the easiest.

Set up a cadence for what you’re going to do with each episode, and use that as your promotional strategy. You should be trying to get as many eyes (and ears) on it as possible

• Publish the episode on your blog (and include a transcript)
• Blast it out to email subscribers
• Use your best clips from the episode to share on social media

As you get more involved down the road, you can even be a guest on other podcasts and run ads as a way to get more exposure to your shows. But for now, stick with the platforms you already have and control.

Podcasting For Content: 3 Unique Case Studies and Examples to Inspire Your Show

Stuck? Just talk about what you know know best or interview other experts in your field. The following mini case studies demonstrate some possible uses of podcasting and how you can produce juicy information with ease.

Example 1: Music Store Owner

She’s obsessed with knowing every detail of every product on her site. When she is on the phone, she nearly completes a full-length review of a half-dozen products and makes cross-comparisons. Yet when she tries to write something for the website, she draws a blank.

Solution: Make a list of 15 questions about five models of tenor saxophone. Discuss the metal used in each, the pads, the country in which they were made, etc. Record a 20-minute conversation (interview-style or monologue) using a digital voice recorder. Transcribe the recording and use the resulting text to make a web page. Add images of the store and all the instruments reviewed to make it spicy and give the reader something to look at while listening to the podcast. Then repeat the process with new questions (and/or new musical instruments). Try to develop a theme or angle like product comparisons or features like “Ask Dr. Sax….”

Example 2: Art Gallery Owner

The owner has a passion for art. He devours books on artists and the various styles of art. He has long, long conversations about art with clients and anyone else who will listen. In fact, he’s an artist himself, but not much of a writer. When it comes to the website, he struggles to write quality content—especially given that the art market has some heavy-hitting authors and doctorate-level dealers.

Solution: Interview the artists that his gallery represents or descendants of featured artists who are no longer living to engage in a more natural and conversational way than a formal article allows. Record and transcribe the interviews, then take photos of the artists’ studios and the artists at work, and add them to the text. Consider including images of the sketches and photographs used by the artists, or pictures of what has inspired them. Ask a few offbeat questions to get some anecdotal details that won’t usually be found in an artist’s statement, book, or biography.

Example 3: Retirement Home

The owner of a retirement home is at a loss to create website content, because her business offers a service that many people don’t think about until they must. She blogs regularly, but wants to spice things up and show the world that assisted living doesn’t have to be stodgy or depressing.

Solution: Interview employees of the facility as well as the board members, all of whom are passionate about providing an enriching environment for seniors. In the interview questions, use highly searched keyword phrases to prompt searchable answers (for later transcription). Interview residents of the facility for regular features on what makes a great retirement home and interview the staff for podcasts about elder care issues. If guest speakers come to the facility, ask if they would allow you to record their presentation for a podcast.

Final Thoughts: Creating a Podcast Is Easy

Doesn’t that sound simple? Considering that Google checks for fresh content (updated pages, new pages, growing site size, and changes in text and images) and that people love getting something for free, you really have no excuse for not doing at least a monthly podcast and posting the transcription. It’s a lot easier than writing an in-depth article, but it could eventually give you plenty of ideas for articles if you do decide to sit down at the computer.