Here's Your Sign to Start a Podcast in 2024 (and how to do it!)

Have you ever found yourself daydreaming about hosting your own podcast? Maybe you've tucked away this desire deep within, unsure of where to begin or whether your voice would truly be heard. Well, consider this your sign – 2024 is the perfect time to embark on your podcasting journey. 

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Transcript

0:00

Oh, My friends, welcome back to the podcast. If this is your first time listening, my name is Sam DeSavo. This podcast is all about mental health and wellness. Today we're going to take a quick pivot to media side of things. I'm Sam DeSavo. But our usual week to week content is all about mental health, well being, your wellness, and how to navigate life and get out of your own way. So I am so glad you are here. Before we jump into today's episode, we do this thing every single week. It's a newer segment, but it is journal prompt of the week. So this is something you can think about as your week goes on. You can think about it on your daily walks. You can journal about it, whether you journal in the lunch break. Or just something to think about while you're driving, just something to take a little nugget to take with you to get yourself to get to know yourself a little bit deeper and think a little bit deeper. So this week's journal prompt is what's a dream you keep hidden in your heart? So I think we all have some kind of dream or something that we don't even want to tell anybody else about. Like, we have something that we have tucked away. Maybe we think it's not even possible to achieve. It's way out of our league. Whatever it is, I think we all have that one thing that we keep hidden and we don't think it's possible or we don't want to share with anyone because we think they'll They will laugh at us. But I just want you to think about what is that one thing and why, why can't you reach it? You absolutely can. You are worthy of it. And, you know, my go to saying, if someone else can do it, like, why can't I? You know, we're all human. I know there are different opportunities for certain people, but I think with enough hard work, especially if, you know, you live in America, you have So many opportunities ahead of you. It's just, you know, being thinking and knowing you are worthy enough to reach these things. So as You can see from today's title, we're going to be talking about if you want to start a podcast in 2024, here's everything you need to know. This is going to be your go to guide. If you've had the dream, maybe that is your dream is to start a podcast. You just don't know how to get started. The steps that go into it, the software is to use that is everything that I want to with you today. So I've gotten asked Kind of often lately, that's why I thought I'd make a whole episode about this, is you know, people in my life, or people reaching out to me online asking me how to start a podcast, like what's the right softwares to use, what's the right equipment to have, so I thought it'd be fun to, you know, have a podcast episode available for you guys, if this is something that you are interested in but before I tell you like the how to and the step by step guide of how to start a podcast, I want to share with you, you know, the pros and cons of having a podcast. So first things first, why you should start one in the first place. So I want you to think to yourself, like, what would be the reason if you did start a podcast? And there might be a bunch of reasons. But I will tell you that starting a podcast is a lot of work. So your reasoning as for why has to run deep because I'm going to get to, you know, the warning signs are like why you should maybe not start a podcast. But. I'll just tell you up front, like starting a podcast is a lot of work. So you need to have a reason why, and that why needs to be able to sustain when it does get hard. So first things first, why you should start a podcast. This is my why. It's to have a creative outlet. So having creativity in our life is amazing for our mental health. It's a way to channel energy into our life that's works so positive to our wellbeing. And for me, I am a very creative person. I'm not artistic at all. Like, I can't paint or, you know, crafty stuff is quite challenging for me, I think, compared to other girls. But I am pretty creative when it comes to, like, the media aspects of things, obviously. I've done social media for a long time. So like media stuff, I've always found it so fascinating. I love YouTube. I love making videos. I love, you know, podcasts. I love the media side. I love video editing and doing, like, like effects and things like that. So this is my creative outlet and I wanted a place to, you know, be able to channel this energy while also including my other passion, which is mental health and wellbeing. So this is a place that I get to combine like my two passions, have a podcast, talk about all the things I like to talk about and share it with an audience who's willing to listen. So that meets me. That brings me to my next point is. You get to meet a lot of cool people. So in season one, I had a lot of guests on and I was able to meet such cool people. Like whether it be people that I knew in my life and I got to have a deeper conversation with them to get to know their story a little bit more, or it was people I literally met over the internet and maybe they were just like TikTok famous and I got to know their story. And I love the people that I have gotten to meet by doing this podcast and the connections I've grown. So I have loved the people that I've gotten to meet and the connections that have grown from doing this podcast. So I think it's a great way to network and get yourself out there in your community. And then the last one that I have for like why you should start a podcast, like based on my own opinions is becoming an expert on a topic. When you do a podcast episode, each week is basically like a mini research project to come up with information and provide valuable information to your audience. So you need to be really passionate about the topic that you're talking about because each week you're going to have to look up a topic and get very informed on whatever you're talking about. That's kind of like why I wanted to go back to school and become licensed in talking about mental health because I didn't want to be a person who was just like kind of spitting out information that you know, maybe wasn't accurate, true, helpful to the audience. So, You need to be passionate about whatever it is that you are talking about because you're going to be doing a lot of research and coming up with ideas on the topics and things like that. So before we jump into the step by step guide, I want to share, like, I guess my forewarnings to just the realities of starting a podcast. Cause I think looking in from the out, looking from the outside in, it looks really fun and it is a lot of fun. And I think we underestimate what goes into these types of productions. So like, whether it be YouTube, podcasts, any kind of media source, there's a lot of backend stuff that goes in behind the scenes. And I'll tell you right now that recording the episodes, like Me recording on camera right now is the least amount of work that I do. So starting a podcast requires a lot of time and effort. So it's a lot of time of post and pre production. So pre production, you're doing your research, you're coming up with ideas, you're getting your softwares and all your equipment set up. You obviously have the actual recording of the podcast and then post production. You're editing, you're publishing, you're putting the right keywords into everything. and then you're Marketing afterwards to get it to reach as many people as possible so a lot of people are scared to start a podcast to because They're like well Why would I want to start a podcast? When there's six million other podcasts in the world? Like why would anyone want to hear what I have to say and that is a valid thought? But I just wanted to challenge that thought and say that Your experiences are not like anybody else's, whether you are talking about the same topic as somebody else, like what you bring to the topic, and your insight on it, or maybe your sense of humor your style of talking, your segments, they're going to be different. So I want to say, like, don't let that discourage you from starting a podcast. Like, people want to hear what you have to say. People might connect with your experiences, your stories, rather than somebody else. So, like, your voice is needed out here just as much. She has the other, you know, 5, 999, 000, whatever that number is you, your voice is needed here too. Absolutely. So don't let that discourage you. But yeah, my forewarning was. Like I guess the con side of it all. It's a lot of work. It takes a skill set. So you might be learning some skills, but if you are looking to pick up a new hobby, this is a great new hobby for you. And it can get expensive as in like buying the equipment, things like that. And then, Again, you need to be in it for the longterm, the end game of, I love to do this. This is a hobby of mine. This is a creative passion of mine. I'm serving my audience instead of thinking about, I'm just going into this for a monetary value because I'll tell you straight up, you're not going to make money in podcasting for a good amount of time. You need to, you know, be creditable. You need to grow your audience and nurture your audience. And that takes time. And you know, I think going into it and understanding that it'll help you not get as discouraged. Like when you're not making money off of your podcasts right away. And although you might not be making money off of like ad spend and things like that, you know, think about of a way, how can you tie it into your business or how can you use it as a funnel to get people over to your company to, you know, maybe use your services. Or what kind of product can you sell from your podcast? So if your podcast doesn't relate to your job, what kind of valuable download PDF or what kind of product can you sell from your podcast? Like, you can learn how to monetize your podcast in other ways, but again, my forewarning is don't expect to make money off of ad spend, like, immediately. It definitely is going to take some time to grow and, you know, it's So, let's jump in now to my step by step guide on how to podcast. So your first step is to think of your podcast idea. What value do you want to bring people? What topic do you want to talk about? And how does your Podcasts differ from other podcasts that already exist, and this doesn't have to be a knockout of the park. Totally different answer. It just needs to be what makes you unique and that can literally be you. Like I said, you bring different values and views to your podcast, so you might be talking about psychology and mental health, just like me. But your views and topics on it and your stories might resonate with a different audience than mine. So figure out what that looks like for you. And then from there, once you brainstorm what your podcast is going to be about, like, now we have to do We have to come up with a podcast name. So something catchy, something short. I would suggest definitely keeping it on the shorter side as possible because of the way it shows up on mobile devices and on Spotify, things like that. Then you have to come up with your cover art. You need to have a vibe in segments. So I feel like vibe and segments go together. So some podcasts are just chatty. They sit down with like a co host, or even by themselves, and they just kind of share about personal experiences. I feel like my podcast is more, educational, informational, like I usually, you'll notice in my podcast as for segments, we do the general prompt of the day, I'll do an intro, and then I'll probably have, you know, one to five points that I'm talking about, summary at the end, and that's about it. Other podcasts, you know, they do different segments, like a podcast I used to listen to did like a Q& A at the end where writers listeners wrote in, and she would answer like people's questions live, so that, like, that's an option. Yeah, like I said, some are chatty, some are educational, some are short, some are sweet, like, some are long form. I would say the sweet spot for podcasting is gonna be between 50 and 30, 15 and 30 minutes, unless you're doing an interview. Interviews can go for like an hour and still be informative and entertaining and engaging, but I think when you're a solo podcaster, you need to just be careful because you're not going to be able to retain people's attention. attention for that long. You're probably just like re saying a lot of words if you're going over, you know, your half hour to 45 minute mark. And then the next thing you need to think about, are you going to have to Co hosts, are you going to do it solo? Doing it solo has its perks because you don't have to schedule a time to, you know, sit down with anybody else and you don't have to consult anybody else about your podcast, it's your podcast. It gets a little harder because you are sitting one on one with a camera and you're only basically talking to yourself. Once you get past that roadblock, You'll be fine, but I think at first that's very uncomfortable, and if you get stuck on words, like having a co host would kind of keep the conversation flowing, you would have your input, they would have their input, so you just need to think about what's your style, what are you looking for, and this kind of goes with, so you have to think of hosts, and then you want to think if you're going to have guests, Are you going to have a guest on your podcast? How many times? Are you going to do like an every other episode kind of thing? Are you going to do, you know, maybe just monthly, once a month? Or is it always going to have a guest? That's something to think about. As far as finding guests, it can be hard. So you can ask for people in your community to come on the podcast and, you know, just like cold DMing people and like asking them like, Hey, I have a podcast, explain it. I think you would have great value on it. And you can grow your audience because X, Y, and Z. Or there's podcasts, forums, or like, group Like Facebook groups that you can join. And this is a good way like to find guests, be a guest. And that's a good way to like grow your podcast. And then I would suggest after you come up with all that, that's like all brainstorming ideas. The next step is going to be to brainstorm podcast, podcast ideas to get the ball rolling. So open up your notes app in your phone podcast ideas. And I want you to come up with like at least 20 ideas, off your mind, like, what could I talk about that sits underneath this topic? I think that will give you a good idea if this is something that you could sustain. Like, you have so much to talk about, you know, within mental health, or you have so much to talk about in the beauty world, you have so much to talk about as a personal trainer. Like, I could make an episode on this, I could make an episode on this, I could talk about this deeper. I think that would be, a really good start for you to think, you know, To say to yourself, like, is this something like I would be able to talk about because 20 20 episodes, one a week, 20 weeks, there's 52 weeks in the year. So that's not even a year's worth, but I would at least get the ball rolling with making a list of podcast ideas. And then. The next step is going to be to get all the equipment necessary to get started. So there are so many different ways you can set up for a podcast episode. So what I share with you today is not the only way that you have, can do a podcast set up. There's so many different ways and there's inexpensive ways. So you need to think about what your budget is, what you want your quality to look like, but I'm just going to give you the basics of what I used to get started. So again, I am a social media manager. I had a lot of this stuff already. So definitely take that into consideration, but I would say the things that you definitely need to get started are a microphone. And right now I'm using, I actually haven't used this microphone in a while, but it's the Rode Wireless Go 2 mics. So these microphones are not made for podcasting at all, but I love the setup because I don't have any cord. I get to attach just one piece to my camera, and then I have this microphone and I can actually use this mic without the cord. that I have on the top and I could clip it to my shirt and it would look so minimal. So this is one option I have for a microphone. I also have another microphone, which is a blue Yeti and it's a USB one. So it can plug right into a computer. That one is so easy to use. Like you just plug it in, start talking, and that's all you need to do. The setup I have right now is a little bit more, I'd say advanced. So if I was getting started, I would just go get a microphone that could plug into my computer. And besides that, Have some good lighting, and you need to think about if you're going to have it as a video podcast. So you can put your video podcast on Spotify, and also if you want to use it on YouTube to get more views. So, if you're going to do a video podcast, you know, you need a better, like, lighting setup. So for me right now, I have one big, newer light. It's called, Newer, N E E W E R. A newer light, and I have two of these, but I'm only using one right now. I have this light blue, or I think that's like a purple It kind of reminds me of like a lightsaber. It's behind me to give it like a background glow effect, and I have a light on top of my camera as well. It's also night time when I'm recording right now, so I have no natural light to work with right now. So I guess you wouldn't need this extreme of a setup. I have also just used like a ring light before, and it worked perfectly fine. And then if you're doing video recording, you're going to need some kind of camera to use. I mean, I have used my iPhone, the back of my iPhone, Hundreds of times and it works great. I love this camera on the back of this iphone, but right now i'm using my sony camera, so it's like a vlogging camera and this quality is also very great But like this is like the whole setup and I don't always take this out, especially if i'm like short on time But I love this setup for when I want to do shorter clips so it's definitely helpful for that and then the next so once you have all your equipment to get started You And you've learned how to use it. I think that comes with a learning curve itself. It's learning how to use all your equipment. So like when I bought these Rode mics, I didn't know how to use them at first. I had to watch a lot of YouTube videos, get comfortable, practice, play around with it, and then obviously hit record. But before I hit record on all my new equipment, I had to write a script. So I don't think. People understand the power of writing a script for their podcast and it's not a full word by word script I mean some people may definitely do that. I don't think that sounds natural So I at least write a brief outline of like, you know The different points that I want to talk about it keeps me on track Keeps me, you know talking about the things that I want to talk about and I'll even like in the beginning if I want to Share like life updates. I'll write down those life updates because once I hit record sometimes on my camera, I just blank I don't know if it's nerves, I don't know what it is, but sometimes I just blank out. And it's very helpful to have at least an outline ready for you. And then you know, you hit record and don't worry about it being absolutely perfect. If you mess up, you don't have to hit record again and start all over again. We will go into editing in just a second and that's where you can fix a lot of your production work. So record your first episode, get it going, you got this, and then after that we're going to go into the editing process. editing for podcasts is different for everybody. I've seen other podcasters, everyone does it so different. And if you watch YouTube, you're going to find a thousand different Ways to edit it, and there's no right or wrong way. What I have found to be so, so helpful is this software called Descript. And you download it to your computer, and then you upload the file. So whether it's a video or just an audio file to Descript. It transcribes your entire episode. And then you're able to go through and edit the episode by the text. So if I go through it and I mess up, I can delete my mess up by the text and then it'll actually cut it out of the video. So some people when they edit their podcast they'll sit there on like Adobe Premiere Pro or whatever video software or audio software they're using and they'll listen to it through and through and like find the mistakes that way but they really have to sit there and listen and pay attention to it where this app. Or a software called Descript allows you to look for errors in the transcript. So if you notice that you said something like three times because you messed up trying to say it, you know to delete those two and it automatically deletes it from the video in the audio file. So it's a really streamlined process of editing and it has saved me so much time. I am not sponsored by this, but this just sounded like an ad. So hopefully they sponsor me in the future. And then the publishing process. So after you edit it, you, you think it looks good to go. You're going to need a publishing software or a podcast hosting website. So Spotify for podcasters is one. You can host your podcasts within Spotify for podcasters, and it doesn't just stay on Spotify. It is just the host. It used to be known as Anchor FM, and now they've. Spotify bought them. So now if you post on Spotify for podcasters, it'll post to Apple, Google, Amazon, all the places. And that one allows you to have video podcasts. And then the one that I'm currently using, which I just think it's so user friendly, maybe I'll switch to Spotify just so I can have videos one day. But But it's called Buzzsprout and it's the most easy platform. It was easy to set up. It's easy to hold all my episodes and have all my codes on there. And it teaches you like everything like you need to know about, I don't know, like podcasting, the podcasting world, the different like HTML codes and I don't know, things like that. That, that I still don't think I completely understand, but it just makes it so easy. And I can see all my downloads, who's downloading it. It tells me all my analytics and my insights. So I know where people are listening from. Now I just want to give you a quick overview of kind of like the prices for these kinds of things. So your equipment, obviously it's going to vary by what kind of equipment you're looking for, how high of quality equipment you're looking for. As far as like microphones go, so the Rode Wireless 2 mics, like the ones that I'm using, and these come with two, so I can have a guest with these, and I have had a guest with these microphones. 200 bucks. The Blue Yeti mic I have, around 100 bucks. So, you can definitely find a very reasonable microphone. Camera's gonna be more expensive. You're looking more towards a thousand for your camera. That's if you use a professional one. If not, just use your phone. And then lighting can get expensive. I would just start, if you're a beginner, start with a ring light. Ring light can go a long way. Don't let anyone fool you. These other lights that I have kind of on the pricier side, but the tiny light box I have above my camera right now, it's actually so cheap. I think it was 30 bucks on Amazon. I have on my link in bio, I have my Amazon storefront and you can shop all my equipment on there. And all the links are right there for it. And then the other things that you have to pay for. So you're editing software. I believe I paid for Descript for the whole year. I don't remember what it cost me whatsoever. But if you're doing this within a business, you can use it as a write off. And then, so you have your editing software, your publishing software. You do have to pay for Buzzsprout. I think I paid for it like the 12 or 19 a month one. And then, also I have this platform, it's called Riverside. So anytime you see me with a virtual guest, it's on this platform called Riverside. It's made for podcasters and podcast guests. So instead of using a platform like Zoom, where the quality of the audio is not going to be as good, or the audio, or the video quality, whereas Riverside is made for it so I can do 4K videos. It's really easy to use. I can control their audio levels. Like if they're echoing, I can turn them off from echoing. I have more features. The way of exporting it is so much better. The quality of export is so much better. The way people join. I can, like, send them a private link to my studio and they, like, log into my studio. Whereas Zoom, you have to pay for, like, the premium version now if you're going over 40 minutes. So this allows me to use a software that I'd have to pay for anyways and it gives me way better quality service. So that's that. And then besides that, That, the other thing you might have to pay for is Adobe Premiere Pro. So if you're looking to edit your videos, that's where I edit mine. There's so many other softwares you can use. And I think it's just a really like easy to use, accessible, in depth software. So you have to pay for like Adobe Suite, which that can be expensive too. But if you're into this world, like already, you might already have a subscription to Adobe. And if you don't want to use Adobe, CapCut is awesome. And I could, I could do video editing on Descript. I just don't think it's as like handy. Okay, so that, I wanted to give you guys all the scoop on that because I don't know if I necessarily knew how much was going to go into like starting a podcast. Cause like I said, you don't make money off of it from the start. So it's definitely an investment and you hope to see your money back one day or you at least hope to love it to do it. And then after we launched it, what comes next? I don't know. So, like I said, the recording of the actual podcast is the, not the easiest part, but it's like the most streamlined part. You sit down, you record, and that's it. But, so after you edit it, and then you post it, now the thing is, We need to know, like, we need to get viewers. We need to get listeners. And the places that you post it are only going to do so much. Like the algorithm is only going to do so much. So when you're publishing it, you need to make sure you're using keywords in your descriptions. But more than that, you need to be doing your own marketing outside of your podcast hosting website. So this might look like this. social media clips for you. So that's why like I also do a video podcast is to use these clips as reels and tech talks for, you know, growing this podcast, like getting more exposure to it, like teaching people, like this is out there. Go take a listen. If you want to hear more of what I just said, go listen to the full episode. So, you know, taking these clips editing them into short form videos and then publishing these that helps with marketing a lot. And then just try to get the most exposures possible, you know, use word of mouth, you'd be surprised how many people, like, some close people in my life are like, you have a podcast? Or like, people I see at my church are like, you have a podcast? So just start talking about it, like, start talking about my podcast, my podcast, my podcast, just start talking about it to everybody because Some of your closest people, like they'll support you, they'll listen to you. Like my best friend was like, I haven't seen you in like a week, like I just listened to two of your podcast episodes because I guess that's as good as it's going to get right now for me. So, you know, don't be afraid to put yourself out there and just try to get, you know, ears listening to your podcast. It'll help it grow. And then I want to encourage you to just be consistent and be patient. Consistency is definitely going to be your hardest thing. Obviously you guys have seen with me that there's been times that I've gone. I went MIA a couple times and not even meaning to, just life got in the way. So try to stay as consistent as possible because if you listen to podcasts, you probably refresh them every week looking for a new episode to come out. And so your audience will be looking for the same from you. And be patient. This takes so much time, so much effort, and so much patience. I think I almost have a mental breakdown every time I record a podcast episode because something goes wrong. Something goes wrong with my setup or my lighting or, you know, my battery dies halfway through. Or I can't get my words out that day, and it is extremely frustrating most of the time. But what is not frustrating is the reward that I get from podcasting. Like, I do genuinely love it. Like, I love the final product. I love having a podcast and, like, having a library of experiences I've had over the years. And I guess, you Like a little case study of all the stuff I've learned and grown in. And I'm excited in how the things that I learn in this next season of like mental health and wellbeing, like the value I'm going to be able to bring you guys. And I just hope like this podcast encourages you in different ways every single week and that. You just leave feeling a little bit better than when you started listening to this podcast. So if you enjoyed today's episode, I want to Encourage you don't leave just yet because I have a little freebie for you I have a free starting your podcast checklist guide. You can grab that by going to the link in my bio or in the show notes below and grab that for you. So if you're getting started, it's basically summarizing all the different things that we said in the direct links to everything that I talked about, all the softwares, all the equipment, all that good stuff. You can find it in this checklist. And then if you are still feeling a little bit overwhelmed with it, Starting your podcast. I would encourage you to come over to the social hub. So the social hub is a branch underneath the wellness hub and we can help you start your podcast. We can get you off the ground. We can help you with your cover art. We can help you with all the smaller details that you need to get started. So if you haven't checked us out yet, we are at the social hub dot Rhode Island on Instagram. You can check us out online too. I'll link that in the show notes down below. But the social hub is your social media management and media help platform. And we would be happy to help you and walk alongside you as you launch this stream of yours and get your podcast off the ground. I hope in 2024, this is the year. that you start this podcast and that this dream in your heart finally comes alive. So I'm praying for you that this does come alive for you this year. And I'm here to help you. If you need it, check us out at the social hub and I will go back to my regular content next week. And if you guys love the media content, let me know. I can definitely dabble these episodes in more in the future, but I really appreciate you guys listening to this podcast episode today. And I hope you have a great week. I really hope you guys enjoyed today's episode. And real quick, if you guys could do a huge favor and share this episode with somebody that you think would be blessed by it. And you can catch me during the week on Instagram at Sam DeSalvo. Have a great week guys. Bye!