Podcasts can be a great way to engage with your audience—but with the market becoming so saturated, it’s essential to approach the medium with a sustainable and goal-driven plan.

Below are some key considerations for starting a podcast while keeping your investment manageable and ensuring the focus stays on producing quality content that serves your objectives.

Set a Realistic Episode Schedule

One of the biggest mistakes I’ve seen is committing to an overly ambitious podcast schedule, only to find it too demanding to maintain.

Avoiding this pitfall can bring a sense of relief, knowing that you’re not setting yourself up for unnecessary stress.

This can lead to episodes becoming a time sink, distracting from other important initiatives without yielding the expected results.

A monthly cadence is a great starting point. It allows you to maintain control and balance, focusing on producing high-quality content without feeling overwhelmed.

Opting for a monthly episode cadence is a strategic move. It provides a balance between regular content delivery and quality production, preventing you from feeling overwhelmed. Scheduling episodes early in the week is also a smart tactic, as it allows you to tackle any pre-show nerves and avoid carrying that stress throughout the week.

Having your podcast set for the end of the week often creates a “can’t stop thinking about this until it’s over” feeling, which can be distracting and mentally draining.

Define Clear Goals and KPIs

It’s crucial to differentiate between starting a podcast just because it seems like everyone else is doing it and launching one with clear, measurable goals.

The latter is where you’ll find value.

One of your key performance indicators (KPIs) could be tracking the increase in views to a specific website page.

This would give you tangible insight into how well the podcast is driving interest in certain aspects of your business. You can set up page tracking with Google Analytics to keep a close eye on how much traffic podcast promotions are driving to a page.

This kind of clear, data-driven goal will keep efforts aligned with a meaningful ROI, giving you a sense of confidence and purpose in your podcasting journey.

Choose the Right Production Platform

Since most people are already comfortable using Zoom, it makes sense to stick with what we know and can be a great starting place.

Zoom also offers built-in streaming to platforms like YouTube and Facebook, allowing for a simple, low-cost solution to go live.

However, there are pros and cons to consider.

  • Zoom Built-In Live Streaming: This option allows for no-cost, live interaction with your audience. However, it also means the content is live-only, with no opportunity to edit or distribute the recording later. The benefit is the potential for live engagement—audience questions, real-time feedback—but it limits flexibility in terms of post-production.
  • OBS Studio: If the idea of live streaming feels too stressful, OBS Studio offers a more flexible post-production approach. With OBS, you can pre-record your Zoom session, and handle the setup for streaming to YouTube, Facebook, or LinkedIn at a later time. This allows you to add branding overlays and other production enhancements, giving the final product a more polished feel.

Invest in Quality Equipment

Production quality matters, especially as podcasts are often consumed while multitasking.

A clear, professional sound keeps listeners engaged. For Zoom-based production, investing in a few key pieces of equipment can make a very big and significant difference:

  • Logitech Brio 4K Webcam (built-in microphone for basic audio needs)
  • Shure SM7B Microphone (the industry standard for podcasting, though it requires additional equipment)
  • Sony MDR7506 Headphones (to avoid feedback and ensure clear audio)

Don’t underestimate the impact of a quiet recording environment and good lighting. These factors can significantly enhance the professionalism of your podcast, making it more engaging for your audience.

Streamlining the Production Process

From my experience working on professionally produced podcasts, a clear, well-structured plan differentiates between a podcast that feels like a fun, engaging project and one that becomes a burden.

For most purposes, you can simply stream directly from Zoom to platforms like YouTube or Facebook. This lets you gauge audience response and measure the return on investment without overcommitting resources.

As you grow, you can incorporate more advanced production techniques using OBS Studio, allowing pre-recorded sessions with added graphic overlays and editing.

Aligning with Your Broader Marketing Efforts

Once you nail down the podcast schedule, ensure you time your promotions strategically, avoiding any overlap with other content going out on social or email channels.

Pre-promoting the podcast will drive engagement and create promotional text and graphics to amplify each episode’s reach.

By starting with a manageable, low-cost production setup and clear goals, you can explore podcasting as a valuable tool without it becoming an all-consuming project.

Start simple, and as the podcast grows, scale the production and broaden its impact.