I wanted to do a quick walk through my podcast studio. I show all the aspects of my equipment described in my “4 Things..” post. I wanted to show how I use 2 computers in order to have “live” sound while recording a podcast. (you could use a tablet as well — just a source independent from the computer you use to record) It really does make things easier!

Check it out:

Now that you’ve recorded your 1st episode it’s time to get it online! It’s pretty simple. Once you get everything you need to start then it will just be a matter of uploading and publishing! Let’s begin.

1. Find a Hosting Service: This is where your actual audio files will live and be uploaded to. You need a host in order to get your podcast onto iTunes (that’s something I see people getting confused about). All iTunes does is pull from an RSS feed provided by your host. You have to pay for a hosting service  before you can get them onto iTunes. I’ll include some of your options you can use.

Libsyn ($5-$20 per month)

Libsyn is what I have been using for over a year. I saw the most recommendations to go this route and haven’t regretted it one bit since.

How it Works: You pick a pricing plan depending on how much space is needed to host your podcast. Pick a plan depending on how often you plan on publishing episodes and how long the episodes will be.

Example: I currently use the $15 plan which gives me 250MB of storage a month. I uploaded a weekly 45 minute show that take up about 40-42 MB per episode. In an average month I’ll use about 160 – 200 MB’s of storage.  With this plan I could even extend the show to 60 minutes and still have enough storage each month. If you plan on doing more than 1 – 60 minute podcast a week you might want to go to the $20 dollar plan.

PodBean  ($3-$18 per month)

I’ve also heard a lot about PodBean from friends. All the top podcast hosts are going to be pretty similar into what they offer and even pricing. This one seems to be a little cheaper. A cool thing I’ve seen is they offer a great embeddable players which make it easy to share your podcast. It’s all about finding a host that best fits the needs of your specific podcast. All good options here!

PodOmatic

I believe they offer a free version with minimal storage capability. I’ve seen podcasts hosted through PodOmatic but have also heard some mixed feelings about their services. But maybe one you might want to check out anyway though it’s just not at the top of my list right now.

Soundcloud (2 FREE hours of storage)

Souncloud is a pretty popular audio sharing site though mainly used for music. It’s nice because the player is easy to embed onto social media and looks pretty nice on any kind of post. I wouldn’t say it’s the best route to go to host your entire podcast because they only give you 2 free hours of uploads. You could run through that pretty quickly! But I think it’s great for just testing the waters to see if podcast itself is something you’d want to stick with. Maybe upload your pilot episode here and get some feedback before launching your actual podcast. I use it for my podcast for episode highlights. I’ll take a 2 -3 minute clip from our show and upload it here so it’s easy to share on Twitter. There are other services like this such as Audio Boo that let you upload your sound and share.

2. Submit to iTunes

Once you have picked a Podcast hosting site and have uploaded your first episode it’s time to submit to iTunes!

First: Make sure you have uploaded your Podcast Artwork to your hosting service. You art must be 1400X1400 pixels in order to be accepted by iTunes.

Here’s the actual process from Apple

1. Open iTunes.
2. In the navigation bar along the top, click the iTunes Store button on the far right to open the store.
3. Once the store loads, click Podcasts in the navigation bar to go to the Podcasts page.
4. In the right column of the Podcasts page, below the Podcast Quick Links header, click the Submit a Podcast link.
5. Follow the instructions on the Submit a Podcast page.

All you really need to do is submit your RSS feed link. This will be given to you by your podcast hosting site. It should look something like this: http://everydaydestructionshow.libsyn.com/rss

Go through the steps and then you will receive an email saying your podcast has successfully be submitted. Give it a few days to be accepted and appear in the iTunes Store. If you think something has gone wrong you can always send iTunes an email but it shouldn’t take longer than a week.

3. Submit to Stitcher Radio (optional)

Stitcher is another service like iTunes where you podcast can be discovered and shared. Unlike iTunes, it’s available on Android devices so might be used for listeners there. It’s just another place you can submit you show for someone to listen to. The more it’s out there, the easier it is to find and to be listened to by anyone.

The process is just like submitting to iTunes. Go HERE to apply and submit your RSS feed.

4. Test!

Last step is to make sure your episodes are appearing on iTunes. Go to the iTunes store, search for your podcast and first make sure it comes up. Then click Subscribe and download the available episode. Give it a listen and make sure it sounds okay and that the entire episode is there and playing correctly. Sometimes iTunes will not pull a podcast correctly and you’ll have to re-upload the file. If that happens, make sure you SAVE your original file again with a DIFFERENT file name. iTunes will not accept the same file twice so that’s important.

5. That’s it! – Your podcast is now online and is ready for downloading! Share your links and tell people where they can find your podcast!

There isn’t really a set way to promote your podcast. It depends on your type of podcast and your audience on how you should go about it. When it comes to social media, I don’t think there are guaranteed steps that show success but there are things you can try! Find what works for you and what people to respond to. I think it’s more about creating something that people want to be a part of and interact with. There isn’t a set format or rules you have to follow necessarily. Just be interesting and make someone’s click worth it!

Twitter: This is my favorite way to promote and one that I’ve seen some pretty cool results with. The cool thing about Twitter is that you can @mention someone or something that’s related to your podcast. For example: If you talk about a product/issue and include a #hashtag or @mention there are chances that the people you are talking about might see it. It’s effective if you’re talking about a specific person and include them in your tweet. You just might get a response or even a re-tweet!

Facebook: You have to have a Facebook….bottom line. Most podcasts use a FB page in place of an actual website which for the most part works. The good thing about Facebook is that you can have all your info right there and make some good looking posts to promote your podcast. You can add pictures with links and even tag some friends to help them reach more people. The only bad thing I would say is Facebook tries to encourage you to promote your posts in order to reach more people. It seems like this makes it harder to reach new people and sometimes even difficult to reach people who’ve already liked your page! But it’s good to have because it’s easy to give out and for people to find you on. Maybe you’ll have better luck with it that me!

Instagram: When you think of Instagram, you probably just think of pictures of your friend’s lunches or amateur photography. But more and more I’ve been seeing people use it to promote things and discover people based on their interests. I noticed I would get random likes when I would use certain #hastags. I started to mess around with these and ended up finding a way to get my podcast exposed to people I wouldn’t have found otherwise. I use Instagram to post a weekly promo for my show. Since instagram offers video, I’m able to upload a quick 15 second video promo of my podcast. This gives people a quick 15 sneak peek at what my episode is about. It’s still a new concept but I think you’ll start seeing more and more ads on Instagram. But that’s not a bad thing if it’s actually something fun to look at. I try to make my posts as visually appealing as possible.

Youtube: Anyway you can make your podcast has more visual aspects is a major plus! Find a way to make a cool video that fits your podcast. If someone happens to stumble on your video and thinks it’s cool, then they might check out your podcast to see some more from you. We have bands come one our show from time to time. If they do a performance for us, we’ll record it then throw it up on Youtube. If you link to the full episode in the video descrption, it’s a great way for someone to check out your podcast!

Promo Items: There are only so many people you can reach online when starting out. Sometimes it’s easier just to hit the streets and give away some physical items. I’ve made download cards and stickers to start. This is just fun to do! Someone is probably more likely to check out your podcast if you talk to them about it in person or even give them something for free. Word of mouth is probably the best way to promote!

Some of our current promo items

Alright! So now you have your studio and you’re ready to record your first show, right? Well sorta. Here’s are my tips for you before your first episode.

1. Record a Pilot Episode

You’re NOT going to want to release the first ever podcast that you record. It’s probably going to be a little rough, but that’s okay! You want to practice and get all the initial kinks out. Prevent as many mishaps right off the bat such as technical difficulties and just being able to get through an entire show without a whole of of stalling (all the uhhhh’s and ummm likes). It’s going to take time before you really start rolling but definitely give yourself at least one or two pilot episodes to see how you can approach your show from there.

2. Do some Prep!

It’s simple….just know what you’re going to talk about! It’s different for everyone as far as how much prep you need but at the least jot down some notes and an outline. Make sure it’s enough material to last the length of your show. This will take away lot of the hemming and hawing and help the show be more entertaining for whoever is listening. I’ve developed a schedule that works out nicely for me. It helps me stay on track throughout the show. Also, if I see something isn’t going as well as I planned – I can X it and move onto the next topic. Here’s an example of what a show schedules looks like for me.

I stick to this sheet for the most part. I sometimes skip over things due to time or momentum. Also, sometimes you just have to go with the flow of the conversation and let the show work itself out! But it’s a great guide…especially if you get off track or run out of things to talk about!

3. Imaging and Artwork

Now that you’ve done your prep and recorded your pilot…it’s time to get everything ready for your first official episode! Go ahead and find your self some imaging which can be everything from your intro music (theme song) , voice over, and outro song. You can either find someone to provide you with this audio or record it yourself! If you’re looking for music there are plenty of sources online to find some free music. Or just get in contact with a local  or independent band. They’ll more than likely be cool with you using their music with permission.  Check out r/Podcasts on Reddit for some sources.

For your artwork, find something that fits your show. At this point the artwork isn’t the most important thing. I mean it’s a plus if you can have some professional looking artwork but I honestly don’t think it’s going to make or break your show. Don’t make it too busy to where you can’t understand what’s going on in the image. Make sure the NAME is the most important part and that you can read it even at it’s lowest resolution. If nothing else, just pick a good looking font and type out your shows name NICE AND BIG. Make it a nice clean logo. Avoid cliches like microphones, headphones, cables etc. It’s a podcast: we get it! That stuff doesn’t need to be in your thumbnail.

You can always update it later so don’t worry! Bad artwork might hurt you but also no one is going to stay just because you have a nicely drawn thumbnail. You might get a few clicks here and there but if the show can’t stand on it’s own: the image won’t save you. No one’s going to say “This podcast isn’t very good…but MAN do they have some killer artwork!”

4. HIT RECORD and Have fun!

Once you have all that, you’re ready to go. Be totally in the zone while recording and have fun! Remember you can also edit out later if necessary. But I think you should strive to run a smooth show that doesn’t require you to have to edit out later. It makes for a better show in the long run and helps you to eliminate pointless chatter. But that all comes with time, practice and execution!

Pro Tip: Some people recommend building up a bank of shows (3-4 episodes) then release them all at once. They say it can create a bump in downloads and lead to a “feature” spot on iTunes. Not sure how true it is but it might be something to look into.