How to Record your Podcast the easy way

Do you want to know how to start podcasting easily? This guide takes you through everything you need to know.

A lot of people want to learn how to start podcasting but worry about cost and complications. This guide requires no downloads, no installs, no audio software, nothing complicated.

You could start a podcast by spending no money, but with this solution, you can have a great sounding podcast with an initial investment of about 45 Euro and as little as 6 Euro a month after that.

I suggest using a one place podcast recording studio that you can operate from any web browser. You can easily invite guests to interview. It will also give you the highest quality of audio (and video), making it far superior to zoom.

The stress-free solution to recording for a Podcast

There are now several remote podcast recording platforms. I have podcast clients who use all, and I have tested each. Not only does riverside.fm offers the best quality in audio recording. You can also use it to record video. Most importantly, it is the best value out of all the podcast recording platforms. So it’s a no brainer for me.

Prices start at $7.50 (roughly 6 EUR) per month on a yearly plan. For this, you can record 2 hours of content each month. This is a great place to start.

Prices increase if you need more time but 2 hours is a perfect target to aim for each month. 1 podcast a week at 30 minutes is the perfect recipe for length and consistency when you start recording for a podcast.

Below is a sample audio recording by one of my partners, which was recorded using riverside.fm

Riverside.fm records at source for you and your guests. This means you get the audio as good as if you were recording directly into Adobe Audition, Garage Band or audacity, and it’s all done without downloading software.

The fact that it does the same for your guests means that, unlike zoom, your podcast will never be ruined by a bad internet connection (sample below). So many zoom podcasts I work on are ruined by glitchy zoom audio, and you won’t have this headache with Riverside.fm.

Is there a way to record a Podcast for free?

Yes, the best free remote recording platform I have found is Cleanfeed.

Cleanfeed’s free plan allows for multiple speakers and unlimited time. The audio quality the it delivers is much higher than zoom or the free version of zencastr.

What about Podcast editing?

Another aspect of recording for a podcast is editing and although my business is primarily Podcast editing, I fully appreciate that not everyone has the budget to pay for an editor. I still like to advise people who don’t need my services because I love podcasting and would never advise anyone not to start podcasting. You can still start your podcast easily, without an editor!

Riverside.fm also offers a handy editing solution so you can do everything from a user-friendly system within your browser at no extra cost. You can combine tracks and make edits. It also has a great background noise removal tool. Once you have everything you need just hit export and you’ve got your Podcast audio ready to publish.

Again, if you are looking for a way to edit your podcast for free then use Audacity. Be aware that if you have no experience in editing this can be a tricky process. Consider what your time is worth vs what it would cost to pay someone to do this for you at a much faster time.

For a 30 minute Podcast a good editor should charge for 60 - 90 minutes working time, depending on the level of editing involved.

What about Podcast recording equipment?

I’ll continue to focus here on assuming you are a Podcaster who doesn’t want to break the bank. I always highly recommend that Podcasters never use an inbuilt PC or Mac microphone.

A headset microphone for podcasting will do an infinitely better job than your standard inbuilt mic. It will make your audio clear and easy to listen to, and you won’t need to worry about microphone technique. If you’re new to using microphones, believe it or not, this is a better option than spending 100 Euro on a podcast microphone.

A headset mic will cost you as little as 25 Dollars and last you for years.

I recommend starting with something like this, and if your podcast goes from strength to strength, you can easily upgrade.

Jabnecter Headset USB Mic - $25 BARGAIN!

Listen to how good a $25 Microphone can sound

In this video, both speakers are using my suggested Jabnecter USB headset. Not only are they cheap but easy to set up and use no matter what your level of technical knowledge. Often a more expensive microphone will sound worse because it’s not being used correctly or not being used in the correct environment. With this mic you will never go wrong:

What about Podcast Cover Art

If you are in any way familiar with Photoshop or Canva, it’s straightforward to create something simple yourself. All you need to do is make sure the size is 1400 x 1400 pixels. If you’d rather not stress about creating artwork, there are some great designers on Fiverr who can do nice designs for a price as low as $10. A small investment for something you will be able to use forever.

Google, Spotify and Apple podcast cover art specs are 1400 x 1400 pixels

How do I get my Podcast recording listed on platforms

So you are now recording for a podcast. You need to get it out into the world for people to discover. Thankfully this is easy and can be done with no budget or a tiny budget. Whichever you feel works best.

You will need an RSS feed to do this. I usually recommend Pobean, which offers a free plan for 2 hours of content per month. If you combine this with the cheapest plan for riverside.fm, you will be podcasting 2 hours of content each month for 6 euro. An ideal goal to aim for when starting.

Suppose you would rather never have to spend money on this than anchor.fm offers a 100% free hosting service with unlimited uploads. However, be aware that anchor technically owns your content, so if you were ever to become the next Joe Rogan, transferring the ownership back to you and moving the RSS would cause all sorts of headaches.

Anchor can also change the rules on what they host, for example, technically they could introduce a rule where dormant podcasts or podcasts without a minimum amount of listens can be removed. Finally, be aware that support on any free platform like this is limited or non-existent.

Now you have to start submitting your feed to the major players. iTunes is the one that requires the most steps, which I have outlined in another article about how to get a podcast onto iTunes. All the others are relatively simple sign-ups and pasting your RSS address:

Submitting to Spotify

https://podcasters.spotify.com/submit

Log in using your Spotify account, or set one up if you don’t have one
Click ‘Get Started’
Enter your RSS feed address and follow any other instructions

Submitting to Google Podcasts

You will need a Gmail/Google account. Go to Google Podcast Manager:

https://podcastsmanager.google.com/

Submitting to Stitcher

https://partners.stitcher.com/join

Join stitcher as a podcast creator. Again you will be asked for your RSS feed and some info:

Submitting to Tunein

https://help.tunein.com/contact/add-podcast-S19TR3Sdf

Using this screen enter all details and RSS feed

Now get podcasting!

You now know how to start Podcasting with the easiest and most cost effective tools.

You are ready to start sharing your podcast with the world. If you find this challenging area or are unsure of anything, comment below, and I will do my best to help you.