How to Start Your Own Podcast (Step by Step)

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Do you want to start your own podcast? What does the perfect podcasting setup look? This guide will walk you through how to create your podcast using WordPress.

This guide will teach you everything you need to know about podcasts and how to Start Your Own Podcast with professional touch, including how they work and the best podcast equipment.

You can start your podcast no matter what your age or technical skills. Follow the steps in this article to get started.

Here’s a summary of what we will be covering:

Start Your Own Podcast

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  • Podcasting: What is it? How do podcasts work?
  • Find a niche or topic to host your podcast
  • You need to set up your podcast
  • How to choose the best web hosting service and domain name
  • Establishing a media hosting company
  • The right podcasting equipment
  • You are now ready to record your first podcast episode
  • Recording your first podcast
  • WordPress allows you to publish your podcast
  • Blubrry allows you to upload your media files
  • Installing Smart Podcast Player Plugin
  • Add your first podcast to WordPress
  • iTunes allows you to preview your podcast
  • Submit your podcast to iTunes
  • Podcasting resources that will help you grow
  • Make money with your podcast

Are you ready? Let’s get going.

What is podcasting and how does it work?

Podcasts are audio files that can be downloaded and listened to by subscribers.

Your podcast must have both an audio file as well as a RSS Feed so that subscribers can stay up-to-date and download new episodes.

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Many podcasters use WordPress’ built-in RSS feed system to publish their blogs. Use WordPress to host their podcast websites.

To make it easy for millions of people to subscribe and listen to your podcast, you can connect it with podcasting apps such as iTunes. This will be covered later in this article.

Let’s now look at what a podcast is and how it works.

Find a niche and topics for your podcast

Podcasts are very popular. There are many podcasts covering many topics. To be competitive, you must first identify your niche and choose the topics that you will cover in your podcast.

Start Your Own Podcast

It is also important to get to know your audience so you can think of what they might find most interesting. This will help you get a clear picture of your podcast and the things you want to share. It’s important to record it.

This allows you to narrow down your podcast to a specific topic. If your podcast is about music, you can now narrow it down to a specific genre, era or region.

There may be podcasts that cover similar topics. Perhaps you are wondering how to compete with them.

By being yourself, you can compete with the big boys. Your podcast will reflect your unique perspective, style, voice, and style. Your audience will enjoy a completely different experience and many would love to listen.

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Focusing on your niche and narrowing your topics will help you plan your podcast episodes. You can win subscribers by following a well-planned content strategy.

Once you’ve decided what you want to share, let us take a look at what you need to do it.

How to set up your podcast

There are some things you need to do in order to start a podcasting business.

A website or blog is the first step to promoting your podcast.

The second is the equipment you use to record your podcast.

Finally, you will need the right tools to publish your podcast online so that you have maximum reach and subscribers.

We’ll walk you through it step-by-step.

Step 1. Website Setup: WordPress Hosting and Domain Name

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The first step in building a website, is choosing the right platform. You’re not going to make rookie mistakes, thanks to your experience.

For setting up your podcasting site, we recommend WordPress.org (also known as self-hosted WordPress).

WordPress is free to use. You can install plugins and customize your site design. And most importantly, you can make money with your site without any restrictions. (See the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org).

Have we already explained why WordPress can be free? In our previous article.

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There is no catch. You don’t have to set it up or host it.

You will need both a domain name as well as web hosting.

Your website’s URL on the Internet is called a domain name. This is what people use to find your website. You can use wpbeginner.com or google.com to search for your website.

Your website’s home on the internet is web hosting. Web hosting is where you store all your files, images, and other data. Web hosting is essential for every website.

Web hosting costs $7.99 per month, while domain names cost about $14.99 per annum.

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For someone just starting out, this is quite a bit. Bluehost has kindly agreed to give our users a free domain and more than 60% off web hosting.

This means that you can launch your podcasting website starting at $2.75 per monthly.

We recommend Bluehost as they are one the most popular web hosting services in the world and an official WordPress hosting provider.

Bluehost will provide a step-by-step guide to help you set up a WordPress blog. In no time, you will be up-and-running.

You can find more information about hosting at our guide to choosing the best WordPress hosting.

Bluehost is not the right hosting company for you. You can still follow our step-by-step WordPress installation tutorial.

Step 2. Setting up a Media Hosting Service

Next, you’ll need a reliable media hosting service.

Podcasts are large audio files. Your website will slow down and become unresponsive if you host them.

We recommend using a podcast-specific media hosting platform such as Blubrry for the best user experience.

Podcasters who are smart use separate podcast hosting services to host their podcast files. This is the most efficient and smartest way to host a podcast.

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These are just a few of the reasons we recommend Blubrry.

  • Blubrry is optimized to podcast using WordPress. Blubrry PowerPress is a powerful plugin that makes managing your podcast easy from WordPress.
  • The podcast has a large user base that includes many successful podcasters. For help, join the forums and learn from other podcasters.
  • Blubrry includes great tools such as ID3 tagging and iTunes optimization. It also has automatic media artwork management.
  • Their top-tier content delivery network makes it easier to deliver your content faster and more reliably.

Step 3. Choosing Proper Podcasting Equipment

You will discover new tools as your podcast grows. A good microphone is the best tool for beginners.

Do not use the microphone built into your computer to record your podcast. The poor sound quality will be immediately noticed by your listeners.

Podcasters have three options for their favorite mics.

Buying a professional microphone for podcasting

Samson (USB), Entry Level Microphone

Rode Podcaster – The best USB microphone we have found. It is used for both our WPBeginner videos and our List25 Youtube videos.

Heil PR-40 – This is what Pro’s use. An audio mixer will also be required.

You may also want to buy a shock mount, mic arm, and pop filter. The Rode Podcaster Kit came with a mic arm and shock mount.

A decent headphone is also necessary. We are using Sony DDR7506.

Once you have the correct podcasting equipment, the next step is to plan and record the podcast episode.

Step 4. Planning Your First Few Podcast Episodes

Before you start recording podcast episodes, it is important to plan them in advance. You need to consider several things before you start recording your podcast episodes.

1. Episode content

What are your topics for the first few episodes of your series? It is possible to plan your content in a systematic way. Then, you can start working on the content by creating an outline. Next, dig into the details.

2. Length of Episodes

Podcasts can last anywhere from 20 minutes to more than an hour. Your content and your audience will determine the length of your podcast episodes. There are no set length guidelines for podcast episodes.

Don’t reduce content if it is good. Don’t drag too much content to fill the episode length.

3. Supporting Media

For dramatic effects, you will need to create an intro, background, and other sounds for your podcast.

Here are some places you can find royalty-free music and soundtracks for your podcast episodes. Before using any track on your podcast, please read the terms.

4. Storyboarding and scripting

It is possible to just sit down and write by simply looking at an outline of your ideas. This will give the impression to your users that you haven’t done your research.

It is important to sit down and actually write the script. This will help you stay focused, and it will make you sound more professional and well-prepared.

While you can speak from the script during recording, having an actual script helps to keep you on the right track and produces better content.

It is now time to start recording your first podcast.

Step 5. Recording Your First Podcast

An audio recording software is required to record your podcast. This software can be used to record and edit audio files.

Audacity is the best podcast recording software. It’s free, open-source, and cross-platform software that can record professional-quality podcasts.

After installing Audacity you will need to open it and create a project using the File menu.

Simply click the record button to record your voice.

Record your podcast now. Do not worry about awkward pauses or breaks, coughing, and any other glitches that might occur while you are narrating.

Edit the recording as often as you like.

Audacity

Importing music files can be done from File >> Import Set them as background music

We cannot even begin to cover the basics of Audacity as it is an extremely powerful tool. Team Audacity offers a Wiki that contains detailed tutorials for new podcasters.

These tutorials are highly recommended. Although it will take some time to get used to the software, it is well worth it.

After you have recorded your podcast you will need to export it.

Podcasters prefer to export audio files as MP3s, which creates smaller files with better quality.

Your podcast files must also be named with care. Podcasts are episodic series. Therefore, it is best to name your podcast files using the episode number or serial number.

WPB001.mp3 and WPBep001.mp3 are two examples.

You can save the final podcast file to a separate folder.

Step 6. Publishing Your Podcast with WordPress

Once you’ve created a few episodes and are happy with their quality, you can learn how to publish your podcast using WordPress.

Login to the a>Admin Area of WordPress. You can access the admin area of your WordPress website.

The Blubrry PowerPress podcasting plugin must be installed and activated first. You can find more information in our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plug-in.

After activation, you’ll see a PowerPress menu option in the WordPress admin menu. You can click on it to go to the plugin settings page.

Setup Blubrry in Powerpress plugin

To configure Blubrry statistics or hosting services, click the button if you’re using Blubrry for podcasting files.

Clicking the button will open a popup asking you to enter your Blubrry Hosting account email address and password.

Connect Blubrry hosting

Next, fill in the rest of the settings page information. Fill out the iTunes fields and give your podcast a name.

These iTunes fields will be used to create your podcast’s RSS feed. iTunes will use these fields to place your podcast into their directory. (More on that later).

Podcast settings

To save your settings, don’t forget about clicking the “Save Changes” button

Now your WordPress site is ready for publishing your podcast.

Step 7. Upload Media Files to Blubrry

You must first upload your podcast file to Blubrry, your media hosting service before you can publish a podcast episode using WordPress.

Log in to your Blubrry hosting and click on the button to continue. Podcaster dashboard.

Next, click on the ‘Upload New Media Files’ link in the podcast hosting section.

Upload your podcasting files

You will be taken to a new page. Click on the Upload New Media button to start uploading your podcast files.

Uploading your podcast files to Blubrry

Once you have uploaded the podcast media files, they will be available for use on your WordPress website.

Step 8. Setting Up Smart Podcast Player

Podcasters often use WordPress plugins to show a podcast player on a website. This player allows users listen to podcasts directly from their website.

Most WordPress podcast plugins have terrible user experiences for listeners and subscribers.

Patt Flynn is a well-known podcaster who realized the problem and created a solution for his website. This is how Smart Podcast Player was born.

Smart Podcast Player is a beautiful podcast player that allows users to share, download, and play podcast episodes directly from the player.

Your podcast player will look great on any device, and it is mobile-ready right out of the box.

The price for this paid WordPress plugin is $8 per month. You get premium support and access tutorials and videos for this price.

First, install and activate the Smart podcast player plugin. You can find more information in our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plug-in.

After activation, you will need to visit Settings >> Smart Podcast Player Enter your license key on the following page.

Smart Podcast Player settings

This license key can be accessed from your Smart Podcast Player account.

To set up plugin settings, click next on the tab ‘Player defaults’

Player defaults for Smart Podcast Player

Your podcast feed URL will be required. Your podcast feed URL will look something like this if you use PowerPress

http://example.com/feed/podcast/

Do not forget to replace example.com by your domain name

Next, enter your iTunes subscription link. You haven’t yet submitted your podcast to iTunes. Please come back to this page to fill out the form when your podcast becomes available on iTunes.

Next, enter your artist name and show name.

Smart Podcast Player offers beautiful design options. You can match your podcast player to your WordPress theme with Smart Podcast Player. You can select the theme and color of your podcast player from the player design settings.

Choose podcast player design and colors

To save your settings, don’t forget about clicking the Save Changes button

Smart Podcast Player is now ready. You will need to disable PowerPress’s podcast player.

Smart Podcast Player is all you need to embed a media player in your posts.

This can be done by visiting PowerPress >> Settings Scroll down to the section titled ‘Blog posts & pages’. Click on“Disable”Unter‘ Display Media & Links’Option.

Disable PowerPress player

To save your settings, don’t forget about clicking the Save Changes button

Step 9. Adding Your First Podcast in WordPress

Now everything is in order and you can add your first podcast to WordPress.

You need to visit this website to publish your first podcast.Posts >> Add New Page.

It is strongly recommended to create a separate category in order to host your podcast episodes. This will allow your podcast episodes to be kept separate from the rest of your content. Your podcast feed will be easy to publicize later.

Scroll down until the bottom of this page and you’ll see the ‘Podcast Episodes’ box.

Adding a new podcast episode

Blubrry users will need to click the folder icon to select the file that they have uploaded to Blubrry media.

Others users will need to enter their media file URL here. To verify that you have entered the correct URL, click the “verify” button.

Scroll back to the post editor section. In the visual editor, give your blog post a title that is appropriate and include a description for this podcast episode.

The visual editor will display two buttons labeled SPP or STP. These buttons were added by Smart Podcast Player plugin.

Insert smart podcast player in your post

You can add all podcast episodes to Smart Podcast Player by clicking the SPP button. You can play them all at once.

You will need to click the Smart Track Player or STP button if you want to create a blog post about a podcast episode.

Shortcode Generator

Select to ‘Play a specific podcast episode’ and then enter the URL of the Media File you wish to be played.

The URL to the media file can be found in the ‘Podcast Episode’ metabox where you have just added the episode.

Media file URL

Once you have added the media URL, click the button to build shortcode.

A a>href=”https://www.wpbeginner.com/glossary/shortcodes/title=”What are Shortcodes in WordPress?” The post editor area will show the shortcode.

This is it. You can now publish your blog post, preview it, and your podcast episode will be live with a beautiful player.

Podcast player in WordPress

Congratulations! Your WordPress podcasting website is now live.

Step 10. Previewing Your Podcast with iTunes

After you’ve set up your podcast website using WordPress, it’s time to submit it for iTunes to get more subscribers.

Before you submit it to iTunes, check out how your podcast will appear in iTunes. Launch iTunes and navigate toRegister to Podcast Enter your feed URL. This is how your feed URL will look like

http://www.example.com/feed/podcast

Do not forget to replace example.com by your domain name

iTunes will retrieve the feed by entering the URL. It retrieved the artwork, description and subtitles, as you can see in this screenshot.

Preview your podcast in iTunes

If all goes well, you can submit your podcast to iTunes.

Step 11. Submitting your Podcast to iTunes

You will need iTunes v1.0 on your computer to submit your podcast. Next, launch iTunes and click the iTunes Store button in the upper right corner.

iTunes Store will now be accessible. Scroll down to locate the Podcasts Quick Links section. You will find a link to Submit your podcast.

Submit your podcast to iTunes

This will open the Podcast submission process. To submit your podcast to the iTunes directory, you will need an Apple ID. iTunes will prompt to log in if you have not signed up.

Your podcast feed URL is the first thing you’ll need. This is your podcast feed URL:

http://example.com/feed/podcast

Do not forget to replace example.com by your domain name

Your PowerPress feed will include the tags required by iTunes Store to podcast.

Your podcast feed will be submitted after submission to iTunes review queue. It will be approved by iTunes review staff and added to the iTunes directory. You will be notified via Email.

Podcasting Resources that Will Help You Grow

Thank you for starting your podcast using WordPress. Join us if you are serious about making your Podcast a success.

Podcaster’s Paradise by John Lee Dumas

John is a friend and an inspiration to all new podcasters. His podcast has grown from a $0 to a 7-figure annual income in just a few short years. You should learn from him if you are thinking about starting a podcast.

WordPress is the platform that you use to build your podcast’s website. These tips will help you drive more traffic to your WordPress website.

Make Money with Your Podcast

To make your podcast a success, it will require a lot of time and dedication. You will need to find ways of monetizing your podcast to make it sustainable over the long-term.

This guide will show you how to make a living online with your WordPress blog. You can use all the items on this page on your podcasting site.

Here are the top podcasting income streams.

  • Sponsorships by direct. Reach out to businesses if you feel they would benefit from sponsoring your podcast. It’s amazing how often this works out for you.
  • Affiliate Marketing allows you to recommend third-party products to your audience.
  • Add an online store on your website to sell your products and services.
  • Ask your subscribers to donate to your podcast. A payment form can be added to your website so that subscribers can make small donations.
  • Allow members to access older episodes. Check out our guide on creating a membership site using WordPress.

We hope you found this article helpful in starting a podcast using WordPress. Check out our list of 24 must-have WordPress plugins for your business website.

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