Here’s the deal: I have been podcasting since 2014, and in that time, I have produced about 300 podcasts, both with friends and solo. Podcasting is something I fell in love with immediately, not because I make money at it or have an ocean of listeners, but because it’s another outlet for me to share my creativity with the world. There are dozens and dozens of places to give you advice on the ins and outs of what to do and what not to do, but I am coming to you as a regular person who figured it out on my own, over time. And much like modern DIY filmmaking, you can start with a phone and scale up from there.
Now then, let’s begin!
THE WHY
Why do you want to have a podcast? There are literally thousands of them now, and if you are on any sort of social media, you’ll see lots of people rolling their eyes at the idea of people starting a new podcast. That’s ignorant. That’s like saying – oh, there’s enough great books, or music, or art, why make more? If you feel you have something to say, then say it. You do need to have a plan, though.
Why do you want to do this?
For me, it was to be able to talk about movies and horror culture with friends, which was when we started in the first place. When I went solo, it was during COVID-19, and was so I could have another outlet for my thoughts and opinions. In October of 2024, I interviewed a criminologist who was speaking at a local theater, and since then have interviewed some amazing people. A few are people I know, but most are not. I don’t know what that means, other than people want to be on my podcast, and I enjoy speaking with people about their creativity.
So why do you want a podcast?
(And hopefully it’s not to get rich, or become an influencer in the space, as, if that’s the case, you’d better be very well connected, and have a heck of a great pitch).
THE HOW
Once you decide to go for it, start small. If it’s a solo podcast, do it via phone. Use the recorder on your phone. You can get inexpensive Bluetooth lavaliere to make it sound a little better, but phones sound pretty darned good for recording.
Believe me, I have used it for that.
You start small, and you see what you like, what you don’t, and you see what you want to do. If you can, start small. You can always upscale things as your needs change.
And here’s the thing: knowing what you want your podcast to be about will guide how you achieve it. There are all manner of starter sets out there, and professional set-ups, but what do YOU need?
When I started I used freemium software, and USB mics plugged into my laptop through a hub. It was imperfect, but worked. We were able to run to mics at once, record via the app, and then put it together via Audacity. We used music from the band two of the members of our group were in for the intro, and we posted to a free site to aggregate it.
POW.
Since then, I have changed how I do things.
I post the podcasts on my website, then aggregate through the usual suspect podcast sites – this can be a pain in the neck, finding where and how to do this, but if I can do it, anyone can. My new set-up changed considerably. I record in a basement and have a moving blanket on the table to dampen some of the sound. I started using a handheld recorder from Tascam that I still use for work interviews. It’s great quality, wasn’t too expensive, and is super portable. You can also screw in a small stand to set it on a table.
Over time I expanded my set-up and got a Zoom H8, and paired it with three mics and two sets of headphones. It all plugs into the device, which is a bit of an all-in-one, allowing me to push a button for the intro, record, push the outro button, and then I put the file into Audacity and output it for release.
SUPER easy set-up.
If you dig into Audacity, there’s even a way to record directly to that via a mic.
With USB mics, and so many free programs, it can be really easy.
As for music, there are free resources out there, but be sure to find FREE music via creative commons. I had someone make a theme via Fiverr, and love it.
Now, depending on what you are talking about, that’s up to you whether you’ll want a script or not. If you are getting into a topic where you need a lot of facts, you will want to at least have some notes. I go off the cuff with mine, if it’s solo. For my interviews I have questions and notes, and try to have more questions than it seems I would need. I do most interviews via Zoom, so there’s a time limit, but honestly, it’s better to end a podcast too early than too late. You don’t want the guest or yourself getting bored, let alone the audience.
Once you have it recorded, you’ll wanna output it to whatever format works best for you, and throw in metadata, so people can get a little more info about that episode.
WHERE
As I mentioned, I put mine on my website, so there’s a repository that I control, and has a stable address. So many streaming platforms are moving away from free hosting, or are greatly limiting it that I’d rather know I control the episodes being live or not. Saying that, it’s wise to aggregate it through Apple, Spotify, Amazon, and any other platforms you can, like YouTube.
Ideally, you’ll have some sort of social platform to promote the podcast on, whether it’s a personal page, or one you set up for the podcast itself. As long as you have a way to promote the podcast, that’s somewhere to start.
Whether you have guests or not is totally up to what your podcast is about. For me, I don’t pay folks to be on, and I don’t ask for someone to pay to be on. I’d love to be sponsored, and make some money from the podcast, but that isn’t why I started it, and not my focus. I write books, THAT is what I wanna sell. I can use the platform for my own self-promotion – when I do solo shows, or I mention how to find my stuff in the outro for each episode – but I won’t charge someone to tell their story. I know some do, but that’s not something I believe in. Someone is sharing their time, experience, and in my case, art with you, so I am not going to try to charge someone, or expect they’d pay. I was lucky in that people are starting to come to me to be on, but I still have people I know I’d like to get on, because I believe in them, and what they are doing. There are people out there who want to tell their story. If you are honest, genuine, and curious, you’ll find them. If you want to use or exploit them, then friend, you’re bound to have a very short stint as a podcaster.
CAMERA!
Podcasting has moved to vlog style videocasts, meaning you have a sort of set, and it’s more of a production. If you can pull it off, then great. I don’t ingest podcasts as a video format, as for me, a podcast is a secondary thing I have in the background as I do housework, drive, or do something else where it doesn’t have to be the focus. It’s great if people chill out and focus on the podcast, but that’s not me. If you are interested in a videocast, you again need to examine what you want to do, and how video could benefit it. It’s a visual medium so, does your subject require, or benefit from that? Can you take advantage of that?
If so, great!
You can shoot it on your phone, and edit it on an app. If you get really serious about it, you can look at getting a camera that suits you. There are now vlogging specific cameras, but you can probably get one that isn’t going to break the bank.
HAVE FUN!
There are SO many options out there to learn about podcasting, utilize them. In the end though, it’s about you, and about having fun. If you can make a buck doing it, that’s fantastic, so long as you don’t sell out why you did it in the first place to make that money. Start small and see what you’re feeling. The last thing you want to do is spend a lot of money on gear and then not make it past ten episodes. Keep things simple starting out and make yourself a schedule and plan. You want to make sure that if people find your podcast, that they can rely on there being episodes coming out within a certain timeframe.
The easiest thing there is to do is to talk trash about someone doing something. It costs nothing, and you can always feel like the smartest person in the room. The more rewarding thing is to pursue your passions, and yeah, it’s risky, and it’s never easy, but it nourishes the spirit, and gives hope to an often-troubling world.
Be bold friend, and believe in yourself.
Do it.
Find my podcast here – https://spookychris.com/the-spooky-chris-podcast-2/
The Spooky World of Chris Ringler 