How To Start Your Own Podcast
Hello family, my name is Haji! Haji the poet, Haji the activist, Haji the entrepreneur, Haji the limitless transient being traversing this earth in the hopes of empowering and spreading what connects every single one of us and that is love. I hope you guys have been staying hydrated, minding your business, living your life, cleansing your soul, going within all that! I have a question for you today if this question doesn’t apply to you then feel free to continue reading to support my art and potentially get my article in front of someone who is interested, if it does apply to you then remember to take some notes where needed. Okay? Cool!
Have you ever wanted to start a podcast?
Assuming that your answer is yes allow me to aid you in your journey. I remember when I first started my podcast in late May 2019 I was so excited because It was something I’ve always wanted to do. At first, the objective was for it to be a space where I shared my poetry. Over time my podcast transitioned into what it is now and that is essentially a platform created by me for creative to express their philosophies, challenge the status quo, and empower revolutionary change to their art. Starting my podcast came with its challenges but through trial and error, I realized what worked for me and what didn’t, after speaking with a variety of people I noticed that one of the biggest hurdles people had to overcome was starting. Starting something may seem simple but many factors contribute to this process. I want to make it easier for you by giving you some tips. My podcast was created and distributed by the Anchor app. The anchor app is a platform for aspiring podcasters to create their own podcast at no cost and with zero minimum listenership. What this means for you is that with consistency and quality uploads you too can get paid to start your own podcast without needing a massive following as you build and grow over time. The first question you should consider is what will your podcast be about? So many people want to have a podcast but many haven’t considered what they want it to be about. Your options are limitless. Do you want your podcast to be one where you talk about cryptocurrency? I’m currently listening to a podcast made on anchor about crypto because that’s something that I’m interested in as far as building wealth which is something that I want to achieve, I also listen to a podcast on real estate another form of creating wealth. Do you want your podcast to be informative, investigative, will it be only you or will you conduct interviews, will you have a co-host or a group of people that will be a part of it. Like I said the options are limitless. The first step however is taking that leap with the first episode.
Equipment & Launch
What you’ll need to get started on the technical side will be a laptop, I use a MacBook. The specific platforms I use to record include GarageBand and Logic Pro. If you don’t have either of those there are online sites that can assist you. The options available to you include BandLab, or sound trap, amongst many others, fun fact I actually used Soundtrap to start out with my music so if that’s something you’re interested in check them out for that too. A microphone and headphones are helpful but honestly, they’re not needed to get started for the online websites at least. Over time I would recommend investing in quality equipment if being a podcast host is something you truly want to do. The technical stuff aside I’d highly recommend creating a mission. What’s the purpose behind your podcast? I found that when I created my mission which I mentioned before it became easier to create episodes and have fun with it. I gave myself enough room to grow and made sure not to limit myself in what I could do. My podcast Blk Phoenix’s mission is to create a free space where creatives can express their philosophies, challenge the status quo, and empower revolutionary change through their art. A mission statement isn’t necessarily required but I recommend it because I feel as though it’ll give you the momentum to create something that will engage your audience to support your podcast. What is it that you’re trying to build with your podcast? If you’re doing it just for fun by all means have fun with it and go about it how you decide I'm all for taking your time and choosing what works for you because at the end of the day this is your art, you ultimately decide the path you want to take! Now for the challenging part. How often do you plan to upload an episode, and how long will each episode be? I've listened to podcasts that are over an hour long and some that are just 10 minutes long or even shorter than that. I’ve listened to podcasts that have over 100 episodes and some that don’t have as much but still provide quality and consistent uploads. It’s up to you to decide how often you want to upload or how long you want the episodes to be. I found this specific part to be challenging for me but it might not be for you depending on what you decide on. For me personally, I want to upload on a weekly basis specifically on Wednesdays. Committing to that has proven to have its moments because sometimes I may not have ideas or even the time to write out a script and upload during those days. When it comes to that I try not to be hard on myself. If I can’t upload one week I go ahead and catch up the next week. What works for me is creating space in my week designated for my podcast, whether it be an hour or 2 or even a couple of minutes to brainstorm my next episode. All in all, no challenge is hard enough to overcome.
I try my best and that’s all that matters because my goal is progress and progress is not linear, it looks different for different people & circumstances.
Last but not least recording and editing the podcast. You’d be surprised what goes into recording and editing. Do you know how many times I lose my breath and I have to pause and record the next couple of lines? Enough times to make me wonder if it’s a sport. You’re bound to run out of breath when you’re recording you’ll realize how many times you breathe deeply. I’ve edited out so many in-between breaths it’s crazy. Trust me go back and listen to your podcast and see the times that you take a deep breath in and it catches in the recording like damn I’m breathing that heavy. Yes yes, you are which is why editing is so necessary, you’re able to cut out the parts that you don’t need and keep the parts that you do! I hope my tips and experience can be of help. Please feel free to comment below the names of your podcasts if you have one already or if you decide to create one.
Link To Podcast Version of This Article
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5gT6vRy3M3yX1hO0Gqx8QW?si=prGT8N2bRTaTgOOuE7-1Ww&nd=1
Thank you for your support! As always much love and light.
With love, Haji