Podcasting Over 50 | Podcasting Strategy and Business Growth for Small Business Owners in Midlife

246. What You Actually Need to Start Podcasting (It's Less Than You Think)

• Julia Levine

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Have you been putting off starting a podcast because the equipment lists made your head spin? Today, I'm sharing what you ACTUALLY need to start a podcast... all 3 essentials, what each one costs, and the intimidating items you can happily skip. You'll walk away with a complete shopping list that costs less than $100... yes, really! 

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Somewhere along the way, you've probably picked up the idea that starting a podcast requires a room full of expensive equipment and an audio engineering degree to run it all. And I get it, because if you do a search for podcast equipment, you'll find lists with 15 different items and price tags in the thousands. Well, I've helped more than 1,000 people start a podcast. And I'm here to tell you that you really only need 3 things, and the whole setup costs less than $100. In case we're meeting for the first time, hi, I'm Julia Levine, AKA The Podcast Teacher. Today we are talking about what you actually need to start a podcast, the 3 essentials, what each one costs, and just as important, the items that you can happily skip. By the end, you'll have a complete simple shopping list, and I'd be willing to bet it's shorter than the grocery list that's currently on your fridge. Essential number 1 is a decent microphone.

There's a saying in the industry that garbage in equals garbage out. We definitely don't want to be publishing garbage, so capturing good quality sound from the first moment makes everything else in the process easier, and so it is the most essential investment. The microphone that I recommend is the Samson Q2U. That's Samson, S-A-M-S-O-N, not Samsung with a G. It costs less than $100 and it plugs straight into your computer with a USB cable, so there's no extra audio equipment required. Plug it in and you're ready to record. To this day, I record every single piece of my content on that exact $100 microphone, and it sounds perfectly fine. There are many more fancy and expensive microphones out there, but you don't need them.

I strongly encourage you not to Google best podcast microphone because that rabbit hole is real, and I promise that you'll come out more confused in the end. Just stick with the Samson Q2U and let the decision be done. Essential number 2 is a software program to record and edit your content. I use and recommend a free program called Audacity, so this one costs you $0. Audacity works on both Mac and PC devices, has all of the features you need, and doesn't require an audio engineering degree to navigate. Again, there are absolutely more fancy and expensive options, but you don't need them, especially when you're just getting started. Audacity does everything a beginner needs. And did I mention that it's free? Now, before I share this 3rd essential, if you are listening to this and realizing that starting a podcast is far more doable than you thought, I made something to help you take the next step.

It's my free podcast roadmap, and it walks you through the 5 simple steps to go from, I have an idea, to, I have a podcast. Grab it at thepodcastteacher.com/roadmap. Okay. Essential number 3 is a place to put your finished episodes. That place is called a hosting platform, and it's where your episodes Live on the internet. Your hosting platform also takes care of distributing your podcast to platforms where people can listen, like Apple and Spotify. I use and recommend Buzzsprout because I think it's the most user-friendly platform and they have the best customer service. Their plans cost about $20 a month at the time of this recording, Which, if you're tallying the math, means that a cost to start a podcast is around $120.

But I am a proud partner with Buzzsprout, and using my link will give you a $20 credit. So you essentially get a month free and bring your cost back down to just $100. That link is thepodcastteacher.com/buzzsprout. All right, that's the whole list. A decent microphone, software for recording and editing, and a hosting platform. Those are the 3 essential items. Now let's quickly address what you don't need. You don't need a mixer.

You don't need acoustic panels. You don't need a boom arm or a shock mount or any other audio gear thingamabobbies. You may want to add some of those items down the road, but none of them are essential, and none of them are recommended for a beginner. You also don't need a big audience or social media following either. Most podcast listeners find shows by searching inside their podcast apps. That's how most of my listeners find my show. You do not have to be internet famous in order to grow a podcast. Finally, you don't need to be a tech whiz or have an audio engineering degree.

If you can do things like participate in a Zoom call and attach a file to an email, you have all of the tech skills required. And listen, you have mastered harder tools than these. You have lived through fax machines, VCRs, AOL, BlackBerrys, and smartphones. A USB microphone will not be the thing that stops you. So purchase the Samson Q2U, download Audacity, Sign up for Buzzsprout and you're ready to start your podcast. If this shopping list is shorter than you expected, take that as your sign to get started. Grab the free podcast roadmap at thepodcastteacher.com/roadmap and take step 1 today. Until next time, happy podcasting.

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Julia Levine

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