Starting a podcast might seem as simple as yapping into a mic, and uploading an audio file to Spotify. We definitely thought it was when we started our podcast Behind the Scope. In reality, however, it’s a process that takes up a lot of time, needs planning, and requires persistence. Still want to start a podcast? Well here’s some things to think about before you start.
Surprise! You’re gonna need a niche
Yeah, yeah the world doesn’t need another podcast, but the world doesn’t really need another designer either and there’s still space in the market for new designers who want to start now. Don’t be discouraged by the hundreds of thousands of active podcasts, it just means that when you create a new one it needs to stand out in some way.
Your niche can be narrowed down by thinking of things like:
Who’s your target audience?
What’s your unique angle to a topic that is already being discussed?
How do you tell stories differently to others?
Your personality and your humor
Your expert insight
For creative people, defining a niche is probably the easiest part of creating a podcast. The thing that gets tricky is finding new things to talk about regularly within that niche. So another thing to consider at this stage is are you doing it alone, with another person or are you going to be inviting guests?
Recently we decided to expand the scope of our podcast by having guests join us to bring in fresh perspectives for our audience. If you decide to start your podcast alone there is no reason why you can’t change this later down the line, but whatever decisions you make should make sense within the scope of your niche.
I’m just a girl though…
Is what I was thinking when I suddenly had to learn all the technical stuff involved when creating a podcast. Suddenly I’m researching microphones and recording software and watching YouTube tutorials on editing and sound quality. Poor audio can turn off listeners quickly, and I’ve noticed that even minor glitches can interrupt the flow of an episode.
We got feedback very early on, that the audio quality of our episodes was not great and we got a great tip from one of our listeners on how to fix it. I can highly recommend Adobe’s tool to enhance podcast audio. I have tried a lot of different ones since we started the podcast and Adobe is definitely the best one on the market right now. It ain’t free though, so you’re gonna need a subscription for it.
The technical side of running a podcast is a learning curve. While you could theoretically outsource the editing, you likely won’t have the budget for that when you start out. On average I spend about 1-4 hours a week on editing alone (depending on how many episodes we have prerecorded). It is important to be mindful that the post-production can take up a lot of your time.
Sometimes we just don’t wanna yap
Even as someone who loves to talk sometimes I just need a break. The problem with podcasting is you need to be consistent to grow your audience. If you say you post every Monday, people will expect you to. You can’t just miss a day, because people will lose interest if they feel it is unreliable.
Maintaining a consistent schedule and producing quality content regularly is a major commitment, and it means recording even when you are not in the mood or feel like you have nothing to say.
Podcasting is a long game. You aren’t going to be making money right away, and if that is your only goal don’t even start tbh (more on that later). Many shows fade out after a few episodes due to fatigue caused by the slow death of enthusiasm when growth is slower than expected.
On average, most podcasters quit around episode 7, which has become an industry benchmark for early dropout (Source: Buzzsprout 2023).
So if you are thinking of starting a podcast ask yourself: do I really want to be investing my time in this regularly (weekly, monthly), long term?
Growing an audience takes time too
Not scared off yet by all the time you’re going to be spending on the editing, or the fact that this is going to take over your life long-term? Great! Here’s another thing to consider: growing a listener base is one of the hardest parts.
Growing an audience requires active promotion, cross-platform marketing, engagement on social media, and sometimes even paid advertising (we don’t do this one). In the early days, downloads will probably be discouragingly low, and that’s going to put your patience to the test (trust), which will probably affect your motivation too – FUN!
For a long time it’s going to feel like you are screaming into a void. If you stick to it though, it will get better.
"If I end up making money it will all be worth it"
If your main motivation is making money, please don’t even start (unless you already have a huge audience and ad sponsorships lined up).
Turning a podcast into a source of income is possible, but not a given, and rarely immediate. Ads, sponsorships, or listener-supported platforms like Patreon usually only come after gaining a significant following.
If you’re not making money doing something, then it’s just a hobby. Podcasting is a very time consuming, extremely unrewarding hobby UNLESS you ENJOY doing all the things I have outlined in this post.
TLDR;
Podcasting is a fun and creative medium to connect with your audience, but starting and maintaining one is WORK. It requires technical skills, consistency, and persistence. For anyone who can be bothered with all of that, however, the payoff isn’t just in numbers (money) it’s in community, creativity, and the joy of yapping.
In a nutshell: you’re going to be spending a hell of a lot of your time, doing a hell of a lot of work, with very little return, for a very long time, lmao.
Happy podcasting!