If you like to talk and take center stage, there’s no question that starting a podcast can be an exciting and rewarding way to market your business. It positions you as an expert in your field and allows you to share the personality of your brand with listeners—but without needing to be on camera (though you can be these days). A podcast can strengthen the reputation of your business by having guest experts or by sharing information that helps people see the value of the product or services you offer. That said, it does require careful planning and execution—plus a significant amount of time. But, if you have something to say, damn it, here's a step-by-step guide to help you start a podcast for your small business!

Step 1: Define your podcast concept

This one shouldn’t surprise you because you always need to think about where you fit into the market. Start by determining the topic or niche of your podcast—which should be something you're passionate about and have knowledge of—and, in this case, is related to your business.

If you’re wondering how you should start thinking about all this, consider your target audience. Who are you creating this podcast for, and what kind of content will they find valuable or entertaining?

Step 2: You’ve gotta do the research and make a plan

As a part of defining the concept for your podcast, it’s a good idea to research existing podcasts in your niche to identify gaps or opportunities. Because you likely don’t want to basically do the same thing as someone else, right? Then you should sit down and create a content plan (read: calendar of what topics you want to record and when) and outline for your episodes. Decide on the format (interviews, solo, narrative, etc.), episode length, and frequency you’ll publish new episodes at (e.g., weekly, bi-weekly, monthly).

Step 3: Choose a podcast name

Your podcast's name should be memorable and relevant to your content or business. But, as easy as this task might sound, it actually can be quite difficult once you start checking to see if the name is already. Don’t get discouraged if you keep coming up with names that are taken—figuring that out will help you avoid trademark or branding conflicts.

Step 4: Get all your podcasting equipment

Invest in quality audio recording equipment, such as microphones, headphones, and a soundproof space (which sometimes is a closet or room with minimal hard surfaces). This can feel a bit spendy but it’s important to give your podcast a professional sound. You'll also need audio editing software for post-production.

Step 5: Recording and editing podcast episodes

The most important thing here is to maintain good audio quality and consistency—no one wants to listen to a podcast with scratchy or inconsistent audio. Edit your episodes to remove mistakes, add music or sound effects, and ensure a professional sound.

Pro-tip: Hiring a podcast editor is a really smart way to outsource something and save yourself major headaches if you are not an expert in this space. We’ve seen a range in what things cost, but you can expect around $180 for up to an hour-long episode.

Step 6: Create you podcast artwork

How your podcast looks is almost as important as it sounds! Design it yourself or hire a professional graphic designer to create eye-catching podcast artwork that represents your show. This is what listeners will see when they find your podcast.

Pro-tip: When your podcast artwork is done, add it to your brand asset library in Enji!

Step 7: Set up hosting and an RSS feed

This sounds more complicated than it is. Your RSS feed is how podcast directories (like Apple Podcasts and Spotify) will syndicate your episodes. Choose a podcast hosting platform like Libsyn, Podbean, or Anchor to store your audio files and generate an RSS feed.

Step 8: Submit your podcast to directories

The last step before going live is to submit your podcast to popular podcast directories and platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher. Every directory has its own instructions; follow their submission guidelines and wait for approval.

Step 9: Promote your podcast

Now for the fun part! Create a website or landing page for your podcast so you have somewhere to publish show notes, provide additional information, and link to each of your episodes (be sure to optimize this for SEO!). Then share your podcast and every episode you publish on all your marketing channels. Social media and email marketing are great ways to promote your podcast—collaborating with guests or other podcasters to cross-promote your show is also a smart thing to do.

Pro-tip: If you are doing a video podcast, be sure to promote your new videos on all your marketing channels too! You can send email newsletters about new or popular videos, create clips and turn them into Instagram reels or TikTok videos, or share the link to your Facebook, Linkedin, or Google Business page.  

Step 10: Engage with your audience

Like a lot of things you’re doing to market your small business, it’s important to engage with your audience. Interact with your listeners through social media, email, or a dedicated community platform. Encourage feedback, reviews, and listener questions to create a sense of community.

Consider monetizing your podcast

Once you've built an audience, you can explore monetization options like sponsorships, running advertisements, affiliate marketing, merchandise, or Patreon. Just make sure you’ve built up a big enough following (with a solid number of monthly downloads) before reaching out to sponsors or advertisers—they’ll want to see those numbers to justify the price.

Consistency and continuous improvement is important

Life happens, and sometimes you’ll have to miss recording some episodes. But it is important to maintain a regular release schedule to keep your audience engaged—unless you are taking a formal break (which is okay to do). You’ll also want to continuously seek feedback from your listeners and make improvements to your content and production quality.

Do the work and watch it grow

Now sit back and watch your podcast explode to worldwide fanfare! Okay, truth be told, it may take a while to build an audience, so be patient and persistent. As important as it is to build a following and lock in loyal listeners, it’s also important to remember that your podcast is a window into your business. So, even if you don’t have a ton of followers yet, you could see an uptick in clients because a few listeners have gotten a deeper understanding of who you are and what you do. As you gain experience and refine your content, your podcast will grow and could become a valuable platform for your brand and business.

Who knows? Maybe you’ll be the next podcasting powerhouse!