Episode Summary: The full start-to-finish process for launching a podcast — planning, assets, production, hosting, RSS feed setup, directory submission, and promotion — the exact steps used to launch this show.
What You'll Learn
- The full 7-step process to launch a podcast, start to finish
- Why media hosting and RSS feed setup are the trickiest steps to get right
- How to actually submit a podcast to iTunes and other directories
- Why promotion doesn't stop once the first episode goes live
The Podcast Launch: Start to Finish
Steps to launching a podcast:
- Planning
- Graphics & assets
- Production & tagging
- Media hosting
- RSS feed creation
- Submitting to podcast directories
- Marketing
1. Planning
Start date: pick one to give yourself a real goal. At least 4-6 weeks is recommended, more if an interview format is planned. Mike Murphy Unplugged launched in one month — a couple more weeks would have helped. Everyone knows their own pace best, but picking a start date is what actually gets things moving.
Show planning (very important): What is the show about? What value gets delivered to listeners — knowledge, humor, insight? What's the format — solo, interview, co-host? What's the frequency — daily, weekly, monthly? Be consistent. What's the approximate length — 10 minutes, 30 minutes, an hour? Be consistent. Who is the audience? This one's big, and it's genuinely okay not to know exactly at first.
Tip: when recording, imagine speaking to one person, not an entire audience — it changes the tone for the better.
2. Graphics & Assets
Website: every podcast needs a home. Divi by Elegant Themes is the best WordPress theme used to date, and highly recommended.
Podcast cover art: genuinely important, and worth outsourcing if needed — Fiverr is one option among many designers who specialize in podcast cover art.
Music: Incompetech, AudioJungle, AudioBlocks.
Sound effects and voiceover intros: Fiverr again.
Tip: don't get stuck gathering assets — done is better than perfect.
3. Production
Write a script — developing a repeatable template, like a story, helps a lot. Scrivener is the writing tool of choice.
Record the podcast. Adobe Audition is the tool used here; other popular editors include GarageBand, Reaper, Pro Tools, and Audacity.
Edit, add music and sound effects, export as an MP3 file.
Tag it. ID3 Editor handles this — the metadata embedded in an MP3 file. To see it in action, open iTunes, right-click any song, and selec…
Read the complete show notes and resources on mikemurphy.ai.
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