This might be your very first time listening to The Podcasters’ Studio and if so, you're starting in the right place! This episode will talk you through the entire process of getting a podcast started. If this is not your first time, welcome back! So, this is podcasting 101, the steps you need to know to go from wanting to start your own podcast, to seeing your first episode in iTunes/Apple Podcasts, we’re actually in the midst of a naming transition for Apple, iTunes and Podcasts so I’ll refer to both. I’m going to walk you through the basics of getting a podcast started, this will be the extreme 101 version. And if you’ve been a regular listener to The Podcasters’ Studio, you’ll know this as my every 50 episodes Back to Basics refresh. How nice that it falls on episode 101, totally appropriate. Watch the accompanying Video Series. New videos coming soon! Subscribe. ? Here’s exactly what I’ll be covering on this episode: • Choosing a Topic, you have to have something to podcast about - best practices but it’s not for me to say or decide what a good podcast is, that’s the point of podcasting, it’s open to anyone and it’s up to you and your audience, there’s nobody to tell you you can’t. No permission needed. • Naming your Podcast - what are you going to call it?? • The Format of your podcast - will it be just you or will you have a co-host or interviewees, how about audio vs video? yes video is podcasting too but since most of you will want and should start with an audio only podcast, that is what the focus of this episode will be. If you decide video is where you want to go, I’ll point you to a special resource for that. • Your podcast Studio - the place where you’re going to record • Podcasting Gear - a favorite topic but we’ll keep it really simple - works for everyone, produces quality results and allows you to grow • Software - this includes audio editing, post processing, creating graphics etc. • Logos - the artwork for your show • Recording audio - the basics of getting quality audio • Making a podcast-ready audio file, an mp3 • Hosting audio - where do you put it online so people can get it? • Creating an RSS feed - that thing that actually makes your podcast a podcast • Publishing episodes • A podcast website - a home on the web for your show - not required but I think it’s that important so it gets included here • And getting into iTunes/Apple Podcasts which includes the Podcasts App Before we begin going through those steps, I have to preface this with one brutally honest truth, podcasting is hard… and that’s not a bad thing in my opinion. In fact, I think, anything done well is hard work except this is the kind of hard work that you enjoy. You’ll enjoy prepping for your podcast, recording your podcast, publishing your podcast and promoting your podcast and then doing it all over again the next week. That’s not easy week after week or whatever schedule you setup for your podcast but you’ll keep doing it if you love the topic you are talking about. But podcasting is hard work, it’s not a game of fast results, it’s a labor of love that has many returns and in some cases, after putting in the hard work, those returns can be monetary if that is one of the goals for your podcast. I emphasize ONE of the goals because even if you want to monetize, money can’t be the only motivation. For those of you who aren’t in it to make money, you already have the ingredients to succeed which in our case, means to keep publishing episodes over a sustained period of time. And to be even harsher, as it pertains to this specific episode, I actually don’t care what your podcast is about. nor do I don’t care why you are starting a podcast. That sounds mean but it’s because the one thing I want to accomplish with this episode and the one thing I care about right now,