Get heard: 9 tips for starting your first podcast

To diversify your audience reach, starting a podcast could be the right move for your brand.

Podcasting is no longer a niche medium. 58% of Americans aged 12 and older now listen to a podcast monthly, according to Edison Research's Infinite Dial 2026 data, meaning more than half the U.S. population is regularly tuning in. Global monthly podcast listeners reached approximately 672 million in 2026, up 145% from 274 million in 2019. The global podcast market is valued at approximately $39.6 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $131 billion by 2030.

The landscape has also shifted significantly in one important way: video podcasting has gone mainstream. 80% of Americans have now listened to or watched a podcast at least once, and 51% have watched a video podcast. YouTube is now the dominant podcast platform globally, capturing roughly one-third of weekly podcast listeners in the United States. If you are planning a new podcast in 2025 or 2026, a video strategy alongside your audio release is no longer optional. It is the expectation.

There are now more than 4.7 million podcasts registered globally, but only an estimated 450,000 to 500,000 are actively producing new content. The majority have gone inactive, a phenomenon the industry calls "podfading." This means the competition is intense, but consistency alone puts you ahead of most.

To help your new podcast get heard and not get lost in the noise, here are nine tips to help you get started.

Set your purpose and goals

It is imperative that you get specific here. Not only do you want to nail down exactly what your show is about, but you want to formalize your goals for the podcast as well.

Typically, the best way to define your niche topic is to think about the cross section of your expertise and your target audience's interests. Who are you trying to reach? Resist the temptation to say "everyone." Any piece of content that fails to target a specific group fails to reach most, and this includes podcasts.

When thinking about your target audience, consider:

• Gender
• Age range
• Employment status
• Hobbies and interests
• Social lifestyle
• Hopes and aspirations
• Challenges and pain points

Do not be afraid to get as specific as possible when deciding what your show is about. Ideally, you want the topic to have enough potential content angles to explore as you grow.

When setting your goals, think S.M.A.R.T.: Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Time-bound. Why do you want to create this podcast? Understanding what ROI you are aiming for will help you not only launch it but make decisions about its direction along the way. Dive deeper with our guide on 7 expert tips to set achievable marketing goals for your small business.

Decide on your format

Your podcast has a variety of options when it comes to its format, including:

• Conversational
• Educational
• Storytelling (fiction or nonfiction)
• Interviews
• Solo commentary
• Panel discussions

Formats largely fall into two categories: structured (with a number of segments strung together) or unstructured (such as a panel conversation or interview that lasts the full duration of the episode). Interviews can make or break a podcast. Your interviewees could be big audience draws and add leverage to your episodic marketing, but they could also reschedule or cancel entirely. The more interview recordings you can bank before you launch, the better.

Also consider: audio-only or video? 31% of creators are now publishing full video episodes alongside their audio content, and a further 32% don't currently make video but are considering it. YouTube is the dominant podcast discovery platform globally. If your format lends itself to video, publishing simultaneously on YouTube significantly increases your discoverability. See our guide on what is the best video platform for marketers for context.

This is also the time to determine your episode frequency. Common cadences are:

• Weekly
• Every other week
• Monthly

Decide whether this is a serial podcast (set number of episodes per season) or an ongoing recurring show. There is no universal right answer. Choose whichever suits your resources and content format, and then stick to it.

Select the right equipment and software

Sound quality is everything in podcasting. Listeners expect clear audio with no background noise. Because competition for listeners is intense, there is no room for muffled or distracting audio.

You do not need expensive studio equipment to start, but you absolutely need more than the built-in microphone on your smartphone or laptop. At a minimum, invest in a quality USB microphone and a pair of closed-back headphones. Useful additions include a pop filter to reduce plosive sounds and a microphone boom stand to position the mic correctly. Find a quiet recording space and account for both outdoor noise (traffic, birds) and indoor noise (HVAC units, appliances).

For audio editing software, current options include:

• Audacity (free, open-source)
• Adobe Audition (professional grade, subscription)
• Descript (AI-powered editing including transcript-based editing, removes filler words automatically, 2025/2026 standard for AI-assisted production)
• Riverside.fm (remote recording with studio-quality audio, built-in video support and AI clipping)
• WavePad (accessible entry-level option)

AI has significantly reduced the barrier to professional audio production. Tools like Descript can now remove background noise, cut filler words, and generate transcripts automatically. Podcast production costs have dropped 60% since 2024 due to AI editing and transcription tools, making high-quality production significantly more accessible.

For podcast hosting (storing and distributing your audio files), current options include:

• Buzzsprout (beginner-friendly, strong distribution tools)
• Captivate (analytics-focused, good for growth-minded creators)
• RSS.com (straightforward hosting with wide distribution)
• Transistor (multi-show support, strong analytics, popular with brands and businesses)

Note: Google Play Music shut down in 2020 and is no longer a podcast distribution destination. Your hosting platform will typically distribute your show to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube Podcasts, Amazon Music, and other directories automatically. Apple Podcasts and Spotify remain the top platforms for audio-only listening, while YouTube dominates video podcast discovery.

Brainstorm episode subjects

Like any other content calendar you would create for a blog or social media, your podcast deserves the same level of upfront planning.

Start by writing down every episode idea related to your podcast topic. If your format is interview-based, document all potential interviewees at the same time. For inspiration, browse related blogs, books, Reddit communities, and podcast comments sections in your niche. Even a table of contents from a relevant book can be a strong brainstorming seed.

Do not stop planning until you can sketch out at least three months of episodes before you launch. Then revisit the brainstorming process monthly. This discipline is what separates shows that sustain from the majority that podfade. Having a content backlog also means you can bank episodes early, so your publishing schedule never relies on what you recorded that week. See our guide on 8 tips to create an effective content calendar for a planning framework you can adapt for podcast production.

Frame your podcast with intros and outros

Intros and outros are typically 15 to 30 seconds at the beginning and end of each episode. They are an opportunity to set the tone of your podcast and give listeners a consistent experience that builds familiarity over time.

A well-crafted intro typically includes the name of the show and the host's name. Some shows use the same intro for every episode; others update it per season or per episode. Either approach can work, but some consistency is important for maintaining your show's identity. The outro is the wrap-up segment. Include a call-to-action here: where to follow on social, a website to visit, or simply a thank-you and a teaser for the next episode.

Background music is commonly used in intros and outros. Use royalty-free music to avoid copyright issues. Sources for free podcast music include Free Music Archive, Pixabay Music, and Bensound, all of which offer tracks licensed for use in podcasts.

Repurpose your transcripts

Creating and publishing transcripts of your podcast episodes on your website or another platform will not only help your search engine optimization, it gives you additional content to use, promote, and repurpose across every other channel you use.

AI transcription tools have made this trivially easy. Descript, Riverside, and most modern podcast hosting platforms include automatic transcription as a standard feature in 2025 and 2026. A transcript can be lightly edited and published as a blog post, summarized as a social media carousel, quoted in an email newsletter, or cut into short audio clips for social media. One recorded episode, with a transcript, can realistically fuel a week of content across multiple channels.

Check out our 13 tips for repurposing content like a rockstar marketer for a full framework on making the most of every piece of content you produce.

Your podcast marketing matters

Just like you would plan out your podcast episodes, you also need to plan the marketing surrounding each one.

This includes posts across all your existing social media channels, as well as mentions in your regular email marketing. If you have guests on your podcast, ask them to promote the episode they are featured in across their own channels. A single guest share can expose your podcast to an entirely new audience.

Plan a dedicated campaign for your podcast launch. This should be aimed at your target audience and can include paid social media ads to extend your reach beyond your existing following. Think through your visual assets too: audiogram clips (short audio clips with a waveform animation), episode artwork, and quote graphics all perform well for podcast promotion on social.

Whether you need a separate social media presence specifically for your podcast depends on your existing brand presence. If you already have an established, active following where promoting your podcast fits naturally, creating all-new accounts is probably unnecessary. If you are starting fresh, a dedicated account may make more sense.

Check out our 7 tips to level up your content marketing and our guide on what every startup should know about social media for guidance on building the promotional foundation your podcast needs.

Build a community around your podcast

The most successful podcasts are not just shows. They are communities. Building a space where your listeners can connect with each other and with you turns passive listeners into loyal advocates who promote your show organically.

Options for building community around your podcast include a dedicated Facebook Group, a Discord server, a newsletter for subscribers, a Patreon for premium supporters, or simply a consistent commenting presence on your YouTube channel. The right option depends on where your audience already spends time and how interactive your show format is.

Encourage listener interaction within every episode: ask a question for listeners to answer, invite them to send voice messages (tools like SpeakPipe and Podkite make this easy), or run polls on social media between episodes. Even a small, engaged community generates word-of-mouth that no advertising budget can replicate.

For more on building community, see our guide on 12 tips to use Facebook Groups to grow your business.

Measure your growth and iterate

Like any marketing effort, your podcast deserves consistent measurement and honest iteration.

Every podcast hosting platform provides analytics. Key metrics to track include total downloads per episode, listener retention (how far into each episode people listen), subscriber growth across platforms, and geographic data on where your listeners are based. Most hosts now also provide integration with Spotify for Podcasters and Apple Podcasts Connect, which give creator-level analytics including listener demographics and episode-level completion rates.

Set a simple quarterly review cadence. Which episodes performed best? What topics generated the most listener response? Which distribution platform is sending the most traffic? Use what you learn to sharpen your episode planning and doubling down on what resonates. For a practical framework for setting and reviewing marketing metrics, see our guide on how to measure the success of your marketing campaigns.

Take your time

When launching a new podcast, take your time. Podcasting is a marathon, not a sprint.

The key is planning, consistency, quality audio, and topics that truly engage your target audience. You might launch with a small audience and no sponsorship deals, but the more consistent you are, the more you can build your listener base. 72% of podcast listeners finish episodes in their entirety, the highest completion rate of any media format, which tells you the audience is engaged and loyal when the content earns it.

For more on building the broader digital marketing presence that will support your podcast, see our guides on 13 tips to repurpose content like a rockstar marketer, 7 tips to level up your content marketing, and Digital Marketing 101 for Beginners.

As you are considering promoting your new podcast, let DailyStory help you level up your digital marketing process. Our platform features email automation, dynamic audience segmentation, and more. Schedule your free demo with us today.