Have you always dreamed of starting your podcast but don’t know how to start?  Do you have these same questions in mind?

• • • What microphone should I use?
    • Who will listen to my show? What are the topics I should discuss?
    • How will I promote my podcast?
    • What about hosting site? Do I need a website?
    • What environment should I have when recording?

Lots of women asked my tried and tested tips in my podcasting journey, and this article is for all of you.  It was not perfect, especially when I was starting.  I had a few mistakes but learned a lot.  I say that it takes a lot of patience and continuous learning to get it all through.   Read through my no-frills checklist below, avoid the same mistakes I did, and get your podcast shows to start rolling.

Microphone

Invest in a decent microphone.  My first three episodes were done using an iPhone headset.  Then, I bought a cheap one which was fine but using it entails lots of audio editing.  So, I bought a new one, a Rode Podcaster microphone, which tells a considerable difference then and now.  The sound quality is way better and makes the audio editing much more manageable.  I also got a table mount, shock mount, and a studio arm.

Choosing your Target Market and Topics to Discuss

Be clear on which type of audience you want to engage.  Who is your target market?  Who are the people you want to reach out and educate? My target market is women entrepreneurs who are dreaming about their business or just started, and they want to listen to successful women and learn from them.  Don’t worry that you don’t have an audience right away, but you can build it eventually.  What matters is you know your audience very well, and your podcast resonates with them.

You have to choose an exciting and relatable topic to your audience as well.  It may be something you want to talk about yourself or discuss with a co-host or invite guests and interview them.

Role of Social Media

Support Groups

It is essential that you join a support group.  You will naturally have many questions in mind, and a support system is very advantageous.  I found terrific groups in my journey and one of them is from Facebook, called She Podcasts.  You can ask stupid questions, and everybody is accommodating.  After all, there are no silly questions when you’re starting.

Advertising using Social Media

Now you get your show started, but how do you get people to listen to you?  Social media plays a vital role in that.  I have an Instagram account, and that’s where I promote my episodes more because I feel more comfortable with it, plus the fact that my target market is there.  I also have my Facebook page, Twitter and LinkedIn pages.  (Check out the links below this page.) I post on them depending on the relevance of the topics to my audience.

Hosting Platform

You need a hosting platform when you start a podcast.  These services support the high bandwidth required for listeners to download or stream your episodes.  But before that, you’ll need a software where you will record your podcast.  I use a free and easy to use software called Audacity.  There’s also Garageband for Mac.  To use this, you need to have your website to publish your recorded podcast from the hosting side.

I use Anchor as my hosting platform because when I started. I wantwd something free, quick and easy to use.  But publishing on your hosting site doesn’t do anything to reach your listeners. There are few good ones like Podbean, Libsyn and Whooska some with free plans to start your journey.

That’s when you need to list your podcast to top directories like Spotify, Stitcher, iTunes or Google to ensure people will listen to your show.

Actual Environment During Podcast Recording

An excellent place to record your podcast shows must be small, with low ceilings and has carpet to reduce the echo.

There’s more to a long list to tick off in starting your podcast.  But these five areas I discussed are the highlights in my journey.  Right now, I continue to improve my show the same way that I’d like to connect more with my audience. And through this episode, I hope you learn a lot.  I love talking in a microphone, and I love interviewing people in the business.  So, if you listened to my shows or you might know someone who has a fascinating journey on their business or someone who’s giving back to their community, or someone who has eco-friendly, organic, sustainable, hypo or whatever kind of business, let me know. I would love to hear from you and your feedback.

If you’re starting a podcast, be clear who you are serving with.  Who is the audience that you’re doing your podcast for?  What’s the reason behind it?  And does it resonate with your audience?

Susanna Heiskanen

Related Episodes

Episode 43 Behind the Scenes of Podcasting World by Karly Nimmo

Episode 55 8 Tips on How to Market Your Podcast Better

Connect With Me

You can connect with me on the following social platforms.

Facebook: @NordicMumSusanna
Instagram: @thenordicmum
Pinterest:@thenordicmum

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