Tutorials Podcasting

How to Start a Podcast in 2026

Beginner · ~90 min

Overview

Starting a podcast is simpler than most people think. The barrier isn't technical. It's decisional. This guide cuts through the options and gives you a clear, practical path from zero to published in one sitting. Some links in this guide are Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase through them, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

What You Need

A USB microphone (Audio-Technica ATR2020 or similar)
Audacity (free) or GarageBand (free on Mac)
A podcast hosting account (Buzzsprout, Captivate, or Transistor)
A quiet room

Steps

Choose a specific topic and audience

The most common mistake is picking a topic that's too broad. Don't make a podcast about "business". Make one about "running a one-person creative studio." A specific focus attracts loyal listeners faster than a wide net. Write one sentence describing exactly who the show is for and what they'll leave each episode knowing.

Pick your format

Solo commentary, co-hosted conversation, or interview? Solo is easiest to start, no scheduling, no guests, no split audio files. Keep early episodes under 20 minutes. You can always add a co-host or interview format once you've built the habit of recording consistently.

Get a microphone

You do not need an expensive mic to start. The Audio-Technica ATR2020 (~$80), Samson Q2U (~$60), or even the Blue Snowball (~$50) will produce listener-acceptable audio. Plug directly into USB, skip the audio interface for now. The room matters more than the mic. Treat the space first.

Record your first episode

Open Audacity, set your sample rate to 44100Hz, record in mono (one track). Speak 6 to 8 inches from the mic at a slight angle to avoid plosives. Your levels should peak between −12dB and −6dB. Record a full episode without stopping to edit, finish, then fix. Use our Voice Over Recorder to make sure your levels are in good shape before you commit to a full take.

Edit and export your audio

Cut long pauses and any restarts. Apply noise reduction if needed, then compress (Threshold: −18dB, Ratio: 3:1). Normalize to −16 LUFS using Audacity's Loudness Normalization effect. Export as MP3 at 128kbps mono. This is the right quality/size balance for voice.

Choose a podcast host and publish

Your podcast host stores your audio files and generates the RSS feed that directories subscribe to. Buzzsprout and Captivate are beginner-friendly. Upload your episode, add show notes, set a publish date. Your host will provide an RSS URL.

Submit to directories

Submit your RSS feed to Spotify for Podcasters, Apple Podcasts Connect, Amazon Music/Audible, and Pocket Casts. Most directories review within 24 to 48 hours. After approval, new episodes appear automatically. You only submit once per directory.

Pro Tips

Record three episodes before launching, publish them all at once to give new listeners something to binge.
Your podcast artwork must be at least 1400×1400px (3000×3000 recommended) in JPG or PNG format.
Use our Podcast Distributor Selector to find the right hosting platform for your budget and goals.

Knowledge Base

What You'll Learn

Launch your first podcast from scratch. Learn equipment needed, recording, editing, hosting, and distribution. No expensive gear required, you can start with just a USB mic and free software.

Minimum Equipment

Microphone: USB condenser mic ($50-100). Samson Meteor, Audio-Technica AT2020 USB.
Headphones: Any headphones ($20+). Needed for monitoring.
Recording Software: Audacity (free) or GarageBand (Mac, free).
Hosting: Anchor (free) or Podbean ($5-8/month).

Recording Workflow

1) Record in quiet room (bedroom, closet, blanket fort). 2) Compress and EQ audio in Audacity. 3) Add intro/outro music. 4) Export as MP3. 5) Upload to hosting platform. 6) Platform auto-distributes to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc.

Episode Structure

Intro (0:00-1:00): Theme music + you introduce episode.
Main Content (1:00-25:00): Your topic. Keep conversational, not scripted.
Call-to-Action (25:00-26:00): Subscribe, leave a review, follow social.
Outro (26:00-27:00): Theme music, sign-off.

First 5 Episodes

Record 5 episodes before you publish the first one. This gives you 1 week of buffer. When listeners find you, they can binge-listen multiple episodes. A show with 1 episode and no activity looks dead.

Where This Fits

This guide covers one specific part of podcasting. The wider picture. The whole setup from equipment and recording through editing, publishing, and handling remote guests, is in Best Podcast Setup for Beginners, which frames the discipline as a whole and links out to the detailed guides underneath it, including this one. If you are starting from scratch rather than solving a specific problem, read that first and come back here.

FAQ

Q: What format should episodes be?
A: Solo talking (you alone), interview (you + guests), co-hosted (you + co-host). Interview format is easiest to start with.