How To Start A Podcast. A Complete Step-By-Step Guide In 20 Minutes.

Starting a podcast sounds simple until you actually try to do it. Suddenly you're stuck comparing microphones, wondering if your idea is good enough, and questioning whether anyone will even listen. That hesitation keeps a lot of great voices from ever getting started, even when the tools and opportunities have never been more accessible.

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  If you have an idea for a podcast, but no clue where to start, this episode is your roadmap. You don't need a fancy studio. You don't need to spend thousands of dollars on fancy equipment. And you don't need a huge audience. This podcast has over 300 million downloads, but it started in my closet with a $75 mic and a laptop and an audience of roughly 100 people. People overcomplicate starting a podcast. They get stuck on choosing gear or intro music, and they wait until they feel ready. But starting a podcast is not that hard when you know the basics. And that's exactly what this episode is. Today, I'm going to give you a complete step-by-step guide to starting your own podcast, so you can stop thinking about it and start doing it. Let's go.

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  Welcome back to the $100 MBA Show. I'm your host, Omar Zenhome, where I deliver practical business lessons three times a week, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, to help you start, grow, and scale your business.

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  I'm going to share with you the exact equipment, tools, and process you need to have a podcast as soon as this weekend. I should say that I've been podcasting for over 12 years. And what you see in our videos is the result of a lot of iteration, a lot of growth. This is version 115 of my podcast, not version one. This is not where I started. And in fact, this podcast, $100 MBA Show, is not my first podcast. I actually had a podcast before this. The podcast was called People Who Know Their [BLEEP]. It was an interview podcast where we interviewed experts in business to share their area of expertise. The truth of the matter is, there was no clear reason why somebody would choose our podcast, this first podcast, People Who Know Their [BLEEP], over all the other interview

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  podcasts. Nicole and I got honest about this podcast and why it's failing. It wasn't doing well at all. On the best episode, we had a little over 400 downloads when we had Gary Vaynerchuk on the show. What we realized is that we're not leveraging our strengths. Yes, I was new to podcasting, but I wasn't new to teaching. I was a teacher for over 10 years. I have a master's in education. I taught five classes a day, five days a week, for over a decade. So we decided to leverage our strengths, and instead of interviewing people, I started to teach on the podcast. That shift changed everything for us. Build your podcast around what you are best at, or at least where you have the most experience. You're probably thinking, Omar, that sounds great for you. That's a great story, but where do I start?

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  Well, let's start with pre-production, the planning and the vision of your podcast. And before you buy all the gear, answer one question first. Can you commit to this podcast for two years? Or at least to the concept of podcasting? Now, that might sound intense, but podcasting is a long-tail strategy, meaning that you won't see results until you commit for a long period of time. It's not the same as social media or even YouTube. You won't see instant results unless you already have a huge audience or you're some sort of celebrity. In the early stages, your real job is just getting in the reps, figuring out what resonates with you and your audience before you start growing your audience.

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  And in fact, it's sort of a blessing that you don't have a huge audience, because you're still getting better at podcasting. You're still figuring this out. Lot less pressure and a lot less risk of embarrassment. But as you get better, your audience will grow, which is good, because that means that you're actually serving your audience the best you have. My next piece of advice before you get started is that you need to find your unique advantage. Like I mentioned before, what are you good at? What makes you stand out from the competitive space of podcasting or the space that you're in, whether it's health and fitness, whether it's finance, whether it's business, whatever it might be? You want to leverage whatever you have, your persona, your experience, your past failures, whatever you can share that is unique to you.

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  And once you figure this out, or just at least decided, hey, this is where I can add most value, just start. Start before you're ready, because if it's not perfectly figured out or perfectly polished, it's fine. You will polish it over time. You will have more clarity the more you do the work. Here's the truth. You don't really know what people want until you put it in front of them, until it's out there. You've got to test your ideas in public instead of just waiting for the concept to feel perfect within you. Learn from the data. Learn from what you learn from what you put out there, okay? Meaning that when you put out your first couple of episodes, it might not be perfect, but you're going to figure out which topics resonate with your audience the most.

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  What formats are the ones that are actually getting you more listens or downloads? And you won't know this until you actually do it. Let's start with production, and we're going to start with the simplest setup that works for you. And like I mentioned, I honestly started this podcast in a closet with a $75 mic plugged into my laptop. That's how we got started. Most people that I have spoken to spend way too much time researching gear and not enough time recording and getting started with the podcast. But the truth is, is that a cheap mic in a quiet room will still sound better than an expensive mic in a noisy room. It's actually that simple. Like, if I'm in the middle of Times Square and I have the best mic in the world, if

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  I'm in my closet with no sound with a cheap mic of $75, it's probably going to sound better with the cheap mic, because I have a controlled environment. So today, I'm going to give you what to do and what to buy. You don't need to think about it. You don't need to shop around. Just buy these things, okay? And so that you can get started, and you can start recording and start publishing and have a podcast on your hands. So if you want a budget microphone, if you just want to get started at the lowest price but have a quality mic, I recommend the Audio-Technica ATR. I believe the model number is 2100. It keeps changing because they keep updating the model, but it's called the Audio-Technica ATR. It can plug in via USB right into your laptop. It's super simple. I could just stop there. That's all the mic you need.

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  It's actually the same mic I use when I travel, just in case I need to do some inserts or some pickups or some ads. It's just that good. But if you want to spend a little bit more, you can go with the Shure MV7 mic. It's also a USB mic. It's a little bit more high quality. It's a little bit more expensive than $75. It's about, you know, $200, $300. And it's kind of like the junior version of this mic that we use here on the podcast. I'm a little biased, because I love Shure mics. It's the same mic they recorded Michael Jackson's Thriller, just as a side note. But you don't need to go expensive if you don't have the budget. These days, you can get an answer from the internet, an influencer, or AI in seconds. But when it comes to legal matters for your business or your family, a quick answer is not the same as the right answer.

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  Next, earphones. You literally don't need earphones if you're recording by yourself. But if you're recording on like a Zoom call or a video call, you do need to isolate the audio so the audio is going into your ears through the headphones and not coming out of the speakers of your laptop and into your mic. This is going to cause some bleed, it's going to have some reverb, it's not going to sound so great. So if you're interviewing somebody on a call, on a video call, for example, then any pair of headphones you have lying around will be fine. Now, yes, you could buy some Audio-Technica headphones if you're editing and you want to monitor the audio. That's perfectly fine, but just getting started, any headphones will work. Next, you just need your laptop and a piece of software so that you can edit your audio or even video if you're doing video for your podcast.

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  So you can use GarageBand or Audacity if you're on a PC. GarageBand is the native app for audio editing in a Mac. If you want to do remote interviews, we use Riverside, it's just quite good. It records locally on your machine as well as the local machine of the guest and then you can get it via the cloud. It's very simple. You can also edit via Riverside as well. So these are some options. Now, if you're just going pure audio, you don't need Riverside. But I found when you're doing remote interviews, Riverside is a good tool to get good audio and video so that you can use it later for marketing. Now, we didn't talk a lot about video podcasting, but video podcasting is becoming more and more popular. Apple started to introduce video podcasting as an option as well as Spotify for some time. And of course YouTube is becoming one of the major ways, number one ways,

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  people are actually finding podcasts. It's now surpassed a lot of the podcast apps. So if you are shooting video, you can shoot video via your webcam on your laptop, just getting started. Or you can use any kind of digital video recorder. It could be a GoPro, it could be a DJI, Osmo Pocket. It could be any of these kind of easy to use video recording. But honestly, if you're just getting started, a very good webcam would work very well. Even if you just buy one that's on Amazon that will be able to record in HD. You can edit your video with CapCut or iMovie, which is free on a Mac. And that's pretty much it. It's very, very simple to create the audio or the video of your actual podcast. You'll also need a podcast cover art.

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  This is basically like your album cover for your podcast. And you can use Canva, which is free, to create this. And they actually have templates right inside of Canva for podcast cover arts. Now, what do you do with these files, these audio or video files? Well, you need a hosting platform where you can upload your podcasts so that people can listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or whatever player they want. There are a lot of different hosting platforms out there when it comes to podcasting. Here's the one that I recommend. It's called transistor.fm. And the reason why I recommend it is it's perfect for beginners. It handles audio, handles video, it creates an RSS feed so that you can distribute your podcasts on Apple and Spotify. It's very simple. And it actually builds your own podcast website for you.

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  So if you are just getting started and you want something that's easy to use every single time you publish an episode, transistor.fm is a great option. I actually know the founder, he's a great guy, Justin Jackson. He's a good friend of mine, old friend of mine. He's built an incredible company and it's one of the best platforms for beginners. Okay, now that you got your equipment sorted, we got to prepare your content so that you create an actually good show, okay? So before you hit record, you have to have a plan, okay? Not a word-for-word script, but you have to have a clear map of where your episode is going, what you're trying to communicate to the audience. Just like I'm doing right now with this episode. You know, I'm reading through some bullet points that I want to cover. I want to make sure that I get through all the content that I want to get through

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  and give you the value that you need, the instructions that you need to have a successful podcast on your hands. And if I don't do this beforehand, if I don't plan this out and have this all written down, I might miss something. And I don't want to have an episode that is missing something. One of the easiest ways to do this is to create what's called a broadcast clock. Write yourself a simple outline on what happens minute by minute in each episode. We're talking about like your intro, how long is your intro? Your main idea, maybe an ad break, maybe a recap. Maybe there's a call to action at the end. What does the time or the actual broadcast of the podcast look like, okay? Step by step, minute by minute. Now, if you're interviewing guests, prep matters.

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  You don't want a conversation that feels loose or repetitive. You want to make sure that you are creating a unique experience for your guests because they're going to have fun, they're going to bring out their best self and it's going to make a great episode. Here on this show, I don't do a lot of interviews. We do an interview maybe once a month. And the reason why I do once a month is because it's not really my forte. But when I do do it, I spend a lot of time preparing for that interview. I do a lot of research. Why? Because most of the time when I have a guest on the show, they've been on guests on other shows. And I don't want to ask the same questions that have been asked a million times. I want to show a different angle of them. I want to make sure they're having a good time. I want to make sure that the audience sees a different version of this guest

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  so that they actually get value from me, unique value from me that they can't get on other interviews. So if you're interviewing somebody, do your homework. Don't throw them the ball and say, "Tell us a little bit about your story." That's very lazy, okay? Anything that somebody can Google is something that you can Google, okay? And that would be a good way for you to be able to prompt them to share a story that you might think is interesting. It's a good idea to have some questions ready that you want to ask. At least a flow of questions that you want to get through. Now, you don't have to ask every single question on your prep sheet, but it actually gives you some guidance or somewhere to fall back to if the conversation kind of starts to die. Here's a little bonus tip.

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  If your guests really enjoyed being on your show, ask them to introduce you to somebody they know that would be a great guest on your show. Why? Because a lot of guests, they have big networks. And they might have somebody in mind that would also be great on your podcast and help your audience out. Quick pause. If this episode is helping you on your journey of starting your podcast, subscribe to the show so that you don't miss the next episode once it drops. We have an upcoming episode called "How to Overcome Self-Doubt." It's probably one of the number one questions I get asked via email. People want to build a business, they want to start something cool, they want to live a better life, but they have so many doubts. They don't know if they can pull it off.

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  So this episode's dedicated to how to build your confidence and get over this whole self-doubt game. Hit subscribe so you don't miss that episode. Lastly, let's get into post-production. We've recorded our episode, now comes the part where we launch and grow our podcast. And a lot of people underestimate this part of podcasting because podcasting is like any kind of product. You need to market it. Let's start with the launch part. When you are going to launch your podcast, you only have one opportunity to launch. So you want to do it right. The first thing I recommend when it comes to launching your podcast is don't launch with one episode. You want to give enough meat on the bone for people to really feel like you're giving a lot of value. If I just give one episode as the only episode you could listen to to this new podcast,

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  it doesn't really give them a chance to really understand what you're all about and the value you can add. So launch with a few episodes, at least three. So people can listen to more than one episode at a time. They can binge a little bit and be like, "Okay, this is worth subscribing to." But I would also record beyond that so that you have some momentum and some breathing room. So for example, right now, currently in our podcast studio, in our office, we have recorded up to six weeks in advance. You might think, "Wow, you recorded six weeks in advance? That's like over 42 episodes." Yes, the reason why is because what if somebody gets sick? What if somebody goes on holiday? What if I want to take a break, right? So by having a little bit of lead time, it gives you a little bit of breathing room. So it's hard to make up for this lead time if you don't have it from the start.

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  So when you're launching, have a few episodes in the can. Three or four episodes or three or four weeks in advance. So that way you're not chasing your tail and trying to catch up from the start. Next, if you want to market your new podcast, get on other podcasts. Try to be a guest on other shows in your niche, in your market. Offer to be a unique guest showing a unique perspective. I did this when we launched the $100 MBA show. And in fact, I was on 12 podcasts. And I had one stipulation when I was a guest of those podcasts. I said, "Hey, I want to give as much value as possible to your audience, but the one thing I need from you is I need you to launch on this date." Meaning, release this episode, this interview on this date. What was the date? What was the date?

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  Was the launch of my podcast. And the reason why is because I want to create the illusion that I'm everywhere on that day. So people will hear about me, see my name on different podcasts, 12 in my example, on the same day. And then what happens is that if I give enough value and people like what they hear on that show, the call to action at the end of the episode is like, "Hey, if you want to learn more from Omar, check out his new podcast, $100 MBA Show." And it creates a lot of traffic to my podcast and allows me to kind of grow or start my podcast with a bit of a boost. When you're starting out, you have to use everything to your advantage. So tell everyone. In the early days, Nicole and I handed out free sodas out of a cooler

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  on the boardwalk of San Diego just so we could talk to people about our podcast. We had a whiteboard that said, "Free cold drinks for iTunes love." And we would just open up cold drinks and give them to people and talk about our podcast and get them to subscribe on their phone. Yeah, it's guerrilla marketing, but it got us a chance to talk to the people that would actually listen to our podcast. So we had a face to the people that we're talking to and serving on the podcast. It also was a great market research and a chance for us to get some extra subscribers and listeners on the show. And listen, the launch is just the beginning. You want to promote consistently, create content about your episodes, create intentional reels and share them on social media. Email your list about your new episodes when they come out in your newsletter.

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  Tell people why they should listen, what they will get, what they will miss out if they don't listen. You've got to treat your podcast like it's a product. Because at the end of the day, when you serve your audience through the podcast, if you give them value, you're going to build trust and they're going to keep coming back for more. A few more tips before we wrap up today's episode. Number one, know what you're optimizing for. Before you worry about downloads, get a clear understanding of what your goal is of starting this podcast, right? Are you trying to get more customers through your podcast? Are you using this as a creative outlet? Are you trying to earn ad revenue through your podcast? Choose one, don't say all, right? Choose one and optimize for one. Your answer will change how you develop your podcast and what the call to action is at

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  the end of your podcast. With podcasting, the details matter. Make sure you make it easy to find your show. Don't skip creating show notes for your show because that will show up through SEO and Google search. Don't forget that you and your voice, your physical voice is your instrument when you're podcasting. Watch your pacing, cut down the filler words as much as possible, and avoid breathing heavily into the mic like you're Darth Vader. Consider your voice as the medium where you are delivering your value to your audience. Make sure that you understand that, hey, if I'm out of a big night out, I won't be able to podcast the next day. My voice is something I have to protect constantly. When I go to a big conference and it's really loud and I have to network with people and

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  shout, I know the next day my voice will be hoarse and I can't record. So I either try to speak softly in these gatherings or I plan my week so that I have some, a few days to recover from, you know, using my voice very harshly. And another small hack is learn outside your niche. Listen to podcasts that are outside your genre. For example, I'm in the business niche, but I listen to a lot of podcasts outside of that niche. I listen to a lot of comedy podcasts because comedians are great at ad reads, in fact, right? Doing ads and having fun with it and creating really interesting stories around the product or service. I listen to podcasts like Smartless that are comedy. Hasan Minhaj, who is like a political comedian, he's really good at keeping the interview

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  light even though they're talking about serious topics. I love dramatic podcasts because it gives me a different angle about storytelling. One, my favorite podcast is Business Wars. Yes, it's in the business genre, but they're really acting on the mic and storytelling in a new way. So try to broaden your horizons a little bit when it comes to listening to podcasts. You'll learn a lot from other people. That's it, my friends. Uncle Omar has given you everything you need to create your own podcast. Pick your idea, keep your setup simple, start recording, start marketing your podcasts, and have fun with this. Podcasting has opened up more doors than anything else I've done in business and in life in general. I've spoken on stages I should not be speaking on.

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  I was able to meet my heroes and my favorite authors and speakers throughout the process because I have a podcast and now I'm part of the media. There's so many opportunities that come from this concept of podcasting, so enjoy the journey. If you want to keep learning here on the podcast, we have a recent episode that we published called "How to Stand Out From Your Competition." Just scroll back on whatever app you're using, Spotify, Apple, YouTube. This is an episode we recently recorded. It's going to help you know how to really be your own self, but at the same time, add unique value to the marketplace. If you found today's episode helpful and you want more practical business lessons to help start, grow, and scale your business, subscribe to the podcast. All you gotta do is hit subscribe or follow on your favorite podcast app, the one that

• 23:19Speaker 00

  you're using right now. By hitting subscribe, you get our next episode automatically. It's absolutely free and it's a way for you to commit to growing your business. I'll check you in the next episode.

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