A podcast is a series of audio (or video) episodes people can follow in an app. You can start one with a phone and no money. What makes one last is a clear idea and a regular schedule.
1. Decide the shape
- Topic and listener: who is it for, and why would they come back? "Money conversations for young Ghanaian professionals" is easier to grow than "life".
- Format: solo, two co-hosts, interviews, or storytelling. Co-hosts make it easier to keep talking; interviews bring you your guests' audiences.
- Length and frequency: 20 to 40 minutes, weekly or every two weeks, is a common rhythm. Pick what you can keep up for a year.
- Name: short, easy to say, and easy to spell when someone hears it.
2. Record
You can record a good podcast on a phone.
- A quiet room with soft things in it (curtains, a bed, a wardrobe of clothes) sounds far better than a big empty room. Many podcasters record in a car parked somewhere quiet.
- Hold the phone or microphone about a hand's width from your mouth, slightly to the side.
- A clip-on lavalier microphone for each person is the best cheap upgrade.
- For two people in the same room, record each on their own phone and combine later, or use one phone between you on a table.
- For remote guests, recording a Google Meet or Zoom call works; ask the guest to wear earphones. Better still, ask them to also record their own voice on their phone and send you the file.
See recording clear sound on a phone.
3. Edit
Keep editing light: cut the long silences, false starts and anything you would not want public. Free options:
- Spotify for Creators app: record, edit simply and publish in one place.
- Audacity on a laptop: free and powerful.
- CapCut if you are making a video podcast.
Export as MP3. If a recording came from WhatsApp as a voice note, the voice note to MP3 tool converts it.
4. Host and publish
A podcast host stores your episodes and creates the RSS feed that podcast apps read. You upload once and it appears everywhere.
- Spotify for Creators is free. It publishes to Spotify and gives you an RSS feed to submit to Apple Podcasts and others.
- YouTube is now one of the biggest podcast platforms. Upload each episode as a video, even if it is just a still image with the audio, and add the episodes to a playlist marked as a podcast in YouTube Studio.
- Submit your RSS feed once to Apple Podcasts Connect and other directories. After that, new episodes appear automatically.
You will need cover art: a square image, at least 1400 by 1400 pixels, with the name readable at thumbnail size.
5. Get listeners
- Launch with three episodes so new listeners can binge.
- Cut 30 to 60 second clips of the best moments for TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts and WhatsApp status. This is where most new listeners come from.
- Ask every guest to share their episode.
- Ask listeners to follow and rate the show, and to send questions you can answer on air.
Money
Most podcasts earn through sponsors, their own products, or listener support, once they have a loyal audience. Video podcasts on YouTube can also earn through the Partner Program. See making money on YouTube.
Tools that help with this
Free, and they work inside your browser without uploading anything.