How to Start a Podcast (Simple Setup, Tools, and Batch Creation)

Learn how to start a podcast using simple tools like GarageBand and Buzzsprout, plus how to plan and batch create your episodes.

Want to start a podcast but not sure how?

In this episode, we break down a simple setup so you can start recording, planning, and staying consistent without overwhelm.

You will learn:

• The tools you need to start a podcast
• How to record and host your episodes
• Simple alternatives if you are just starting
• How to plan your content by theme
• Why batch creating helps you stay consistent

This podcast is for beginners who want to make money online but are not sure where to start.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:08

Welcome to the Grow with Laura Podcast, where we talk about building income online as a beginner without confusion, pressure, or pretending to have it all figured out. My name is Laura, and this podcast is for digital beginners who are curious about online business, digital marketing, and using social media as a tool to build something meaningful. If you are learning, exploring, or trying to find your footing in this space, you are in the right place. In the last episode, we talked about why podcasting is powerful and how it builds deeper connection. Today we are getting practical. I am going to walk you through how to actually start your podcast in a simple way. So let's get right into it. Okay, let's simplify this right away. Starting a podcast does not need to be complicated. You do not need expensive equipment, you do not need a full studio, you do not need everything perfect. You need a clear idea, a simple setup, and a plan. Let me walk you through what I personally use. Okay, so I'm going to go from my own experience. I stole from starting a podcast, and I explained this to you in earlier episodes, from I don't even know for how long. Because, like I always say, I'm not techie at all. And I just thought I hear about podcast, podcast, podcast, and I always thought, okay, this is something that I cannot do. Never tell yourself you cannot do something. Look at me. I'm 50 episodes in from somebody that said I cannot do a podcast. I started January 7th. Okay, so don't ever sell yourself short. You can. The people like I remember that time growing up, they used to say in my country, they say the person that came first in class, that person doesn't have 10 hands. Well, luckily for me, I didn't get that. My parents didn't pressure me like that. But in other things, they would say, Well, that other person doing X, Y, Z, I don't know if that person is any better than you. I don't think so. So if that person can do it, you can do it too, which is the truth, right? We all can do, you know, whatever it is. But try first. This is what I said. So if you want to go into podcasting, don't let it scare you. Okay? You can start it as simply as I did. I didn't know what to do. I mean, I was part of a community and I reached out. And everybody, that's the thing, when you have good people around you, you know, and they said, Oh, do this, do this, do this, do this. And I was like, Oh my god, I like it. Just seems so overwhelming at first. And then as soon as I started it, I mean, I have one person in particular. I haven't gotten his permission yet, so I can't shout him out. But I mean, he just said, Do this, Laura, try this and do this, and look at this is where I am today. Okay, so I'm just going to, and then as I went along, I stayed fine-tuning. So, what I'm going to do is I'm going to walk you through what I personally use. For recording, I use Garage Band because that came with, I don't know if it came actually. That's that's such a strange thing. I found it on because I found it on my MacBook, so it must have come with it. I don't remember actually purchasing it for full disclosure, but I guess it was one of the programs that were preset in my MacBook, and I never even knew what it was. I remember I would always see the guitar, and I'll be like, Who is like what's app is this? You know, and then look at one or two years down the road, I'm using it. So that's what I use. I'm not paying anything extra for that. So that's what I use. So it's simple, it's easy to use, and it's perfect for beginners. At least it was perfect for me. So you open it, you create a new project, you plug in your microphone, and you start recording. So I have my headset, my mic, um, which I am using now. Now, this is the thing. I went all fancy, and I'm not even going to put that all down here. You don't have to go all fancy. You can use the mic from your laptop if it's a good laptop. Uh, you can use like a regular headset if you want to, but I had gone a little bit fancy, and that's the thing. When you're a beginner, you feel you need to get all these things. No, you don't, no, you don't. Just start with what you have available, right? So you can use the um microphone from your from your laptop if it's a good laptop, right? Now, once I finish recording, I export the export the file to my desktop, then I upload it to my hosting platform, which what I use is Buzz Sprout. Okay, that's what I use, and there's a subscription for that. Uh, so something you have to you know put in mind. So, this is where all those things come in now. You pick and choose. If you're using your laptop, you don't have to, you know, get anything fancy, you just use what you already have, right? I had um the garage band, like I said, but with Buzz Sprout, I had to subscribe for right, but then Buzz Sprout now takes your audio and distributes it to platforms like Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and there's some other ones there as well, right? So instead of uploading everywhere manually, you upload once and it handles the rest. Now, if you do not want to use GarageBand as your editing uh uh platform, uh there are other options. You can use Zoom to record. That was some other idea somebody gave me, and I had Zoom as well. You can use Zoom to record yourself, you can use simple voice recording apps, you can use other podcast tools. The point is not the tool, the point is getting started. Okay, so and I just wanted to, you know, sort of walk you through what I use. Now, there's other places where you can get your intro music, like I use uh in Vactor, like it's entirely up to you. Uh, there are other places you can get your intro music from. Uh, you can do that, you can add to it. If you notice my podcasts, they always have my intro music and my outro. Now I use a particular framework and I'll share that. So I have my um my intro, then I have my main script, and then I have my outro, and then I have the bus scrout, uh, uh bus sprout description, which I now put on the bus scrout as on my show notes, and I put whatever notes that I want to have in there, right? So, and then I I I record it uh from there. In my intro, if you notice my intro and my outro are kind of always the same, not kind of, they are always the same. The only difference is that in my intro, I tell you what you're going to expect for that episode, so that it's an introduction to what you're about to listen to. And in my main script, I will tell you what to expect in the next episode, right? It's like a teaser into the next episode, and these are things that you learn. That's just my method, that's the framework that I use. So when I'm writing uh what topic I want to talk about that day, I already know. Okay, yesterday I talked about this, I want to expand on this, I want to follow to the next thing. So it gives me something, and it just helps you to be organized. That's what works for me. So I hope that that's uh something that's you know that would work for you people. So now, so we're talking about the tool. Sorry, I sort of went off in a tangent, but I hope that helped too, right? So, uh, like I said, if you don't have garage bands, you can use Zoom, right? The point is not the tool, really, the point is getting started. Okay. Now, let's talk about something that will make or break your consistency, planning your content. Okay. What I do is I think in themes. I've said this before, that's just how I function. I think in themes. So, for example, this month is all about systems. That's all you're gonna be hearing from me this month. We're talking about systems. I might interject one or two other things, but most of the time we're just gonna be talking about systems. Then I break that theme into smaller topics because I want to make this as simple and as easy and as straightforward as possible. Okay, those topics now become episodes. Right? So if you if you've been following me, you see that, right? Those topics become episodes. So instead of trying to think of something new every day, I already know what I'm talking about, I already know what I'm gonna talk about tomorrow, right? Because I've broken it down. That removes pressure. I don't know whether it's the way my brain works, but that's just kind of how like everything has to follow a step for me. It's easier, right? And then now let's take it one step further. Batch creating. This is one of the most important things you can do. One of the most important things. Instead of recording one episode at a time, I sit down and I record multiple. Okay, sorry, that was my mic, right? I sit down and I record multiple. I have my outline, I have my topics, I go through them one by one. Even if I'm wearing the same thing, like I mean, this is all clothing, doesn't matter, right? Right? So I sit down and I go through all of that. So it's it's very important to do um the batch creating. Okay? Now keep this simple and you're more likely to follow through. Right? So always just remember this, right? You you have to be always prepared because sometimes life happens, right? When you batch create, you build ahead. So when life happens, you're not falling behind, you are already prepared, and that is how you stay consistent without burning out. Now, let's quickly bring this all together. You need a simple recording tool, a hosting platform, I mean your your other accessories like your mic, your headset, so you can hear what you're doing, right? Um, a clear plan and a batching system. That is it, not complicated, but just structured. And when you keep it simple, you are more likely to follow through, like I said, and that is what matters. Because starting is one thing, but continuing is what builds results. In the next episode, we are going to move into YouTube and talk about its potential, even if uh you are not using it yet. I'm not using it yet either, but I've done my little research because that is going to be my next platform. But like I said, I start with one, I get you know comfortable, good with that, and then I add another one. Make sure that my plate can take it. If my plate can't take it, I wait. Right now, my plate can't take YouTube, right? It can't take that platform. I'm not ready to pivot to that, which is okay. But we're going to talk about it tomorrow. Okay. Thank you so much for spending this time with me. If this episode resonated with you, I would love to stay connected. Don't forget to hit subscribe and leave a review. Your feedback helps us reach more listeners. You can find me on Instagram at Grow With Laura or on TikTok at Grow With Laura or with an extra A at the end, where I share lessons, reflections, and behind the scenes for beginner digital marketers. I will also leave some resources in the show notes as a thank you for listening to. So make sure to grab those and uh make sure to check it out and grab a few goodies. This is part of the systems series designed to help beginners move forward without pressure or perfection, but with a strong and simple foundation. We are building this together.