Did you ever listen to a podcast, and hear them mention their Patreon? Then, out of curiosity you check, and discover they are making over twenty thousand dollars a month! Consider this; That number isn’t even including their ad reads. Wouldn’t you like to get in on such a profession? You might be asking yourself how.
Well, look no further than me, The Podfessional. In this post, I’ll give you all the advice you need to form a concept, record, produce, and release your first episode. They say the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. So, here is your First Step!
STEP 1
You need a microphone, and access to a computer.
I know you are reading this post right now, so you must either have a computer, or be using a friends computer, or be at the library, or be using a smart phone. If you already have a computer, congratulations! You are one step closer like that Linkin Park song. As a little treat for yourself, go ahead and listen to that song now unless you are Christian.
To you, coming from me; Friend is a 4 letter word. Cake! Both, because those are a take on lyrics of a Cake song, and more importantly, that just made podcasting a “piece of cake!” If you have a friend with a computer, then just ask them if you can come over, and borrow their computer twice a week for 2 hours each time. This is crucial, as you will need time to record, and edit/release the podcast. Another bonus is that they will no doubt hear you podcasting, and want to join you! Then you have what we call a “Friendployee ©” After about a month, when you blow up, you are going to need more time to talk to people on social media, and schedule interviews. (More about this in a future post I’ll link here.)
Say you don’t have any friends with a computer. No sweat, my pet. You can easily get one! There are 3 very good resources for a Podworthy computer— But first, you’re gonna need to know what your computer needs!
What is a “Podworthy” Computer?
Your computer is going to need built in Wi-Fi, A USB input, and it needs to power on/work. That’s all! Some great resources for laptops are thrift stores, Craigslist, and eBay. Though if you are going through Craigslist, you should be careful. Meet in a well lit public place, use a fake name, and wear a disguise. Just like, wear a friends hoody, or work uniform. Extra points if there is a nametag that isn’t yours. It’s a risk, but podcasting isn’t always safe. Also, if you don’t have any money, then you can sell blood plasma, walk up and down different neighborhoods and pick up glass and aluminum out of their recycle bins.
(Pro tip, get a shopping cart and use that to carry it.)
Then just go sell the bottles and cans at a recycling center. If you do go this route, some things to look out for are ants, and bees. They are attracted to the sunbaked sweet liquids, and beer— But again, Podcasting isn’t always safe. So bring your epipen, and a bottle of water!
Now that you have caught up with the computer havers, you can listen to Linkin Park’s One Step Closer. Good job!
So, now you need to get a microphone.
This isn’t really that important to your podcast. After all, a poor carpenter blames his tools right? Let’s take a tip from bitcoin, and the stock market; Buy the dip!
Back in 2007, a company called Harmonix released a video game called Rock Band. This was a wildly popular game. However, unlike the real rock band, The Rolling Stones, time wasn’t on Harmonix’s side. Because now we all know that game sucked— Making the packed-in microphones worthless… but not for us! You can get a rock band microphone for like, 4 dollars on eBay, and they look just like any professional microphone you would get at Guitar Center. Plus, they are good enough for a podcast.
So, that’s the equipment. Now, production!
STEP 2
Just sign up for an account at Anchor.fm.
They will walk you through the process of getting a podcast on the internet.
STEP 3
You’ll need an idea for the podcast.
Make sure it’s something you are either interested in, or know a lot about. It doesn’t matter what it is. If you get stuck, go on Wikipedia, and keep hitting random Wiki articles until you get an idea for what your podcast will be about. Or, take a note from famous improv comedian, and star of the show about nothing, Michael Richards, and make it a podcast about nothing. Just let the ideas come to YOU!
Finally, you will need a podcast logo.
A great way to get one is to draw it, take a picture, and use that. Above is an example that I made in just, like, 45 seconds. Note, this isn’t the logo I use for my podcast. I have a much more professionally designed logo now, but for you just starting out, this is perfect. It’s striking, and stands out amid all the boring same-y logos on iTunes.
I hope you enjoyed this article, and learned some things about the podcast business. I know it would have helped me out a TON when I was first starting. Be sure to follow us on twitter @podfessional for notifications of new articles, and more!
Podfessional.