Start Your Podcast for $250 or Less

0:03
Most businesses have a budget, something you reflect on throughout the year to make sure your business stays quote, in the black. It’s essential, right? Well, your podcast needs a budget as well. And you don’t have to break the bank to do it. But there are some things you don’t want to skimp out on. Today, you’ll learn how to start your podcast for 250 bucks or less. Take it away radio man! Podcast Your Business!

0:37
Hello, hello, everyone. Welcome to Podcast Your Business. I’m Sunny Gault. I am a podcast coach and mentor. I’ve been podcasting forever. Also known as 16 or 17 years, I’m losing track. I’m also a mom, that’s part of the reason I’m losing track. You’ve heard of that mommy brain thing. I’m also the founder and CEO of Independent Podcast Network. And I am here to help you create amazing podcasts specifically for your business. And we do this by mastering the Five P’s of podcasting. So the Five Ps of podcasting is something that I talk about in my online course, How to Launch Your Profitable Podcast in 30 Days. So what I’ve been able to do is think back on all of the podcasts that I’ve created, everything, I’ve produced everything I’ve edited, and really take a holistic look at podcasting. And I have found that there are five different P’s that you should really be focused on. And if you focus on these five P’s, you’re going to master podcasting. The first one is prep, which has everything to do with why you’re starting your podcast and your overall intention. Then plan what is the look and feel for your podcast, your format, all that good stuff produce that is the art of actually creating your content, promote? How are you going to tell everyone about it? How are they going to magically find your show? And profit? How are you going to make money not necessarily through advertising? Because remember, your goal is to promote your business, right? Your podcast is about your business. So how do you get more customers and more clients through the connections that you’re making on your podcast? So Mr. radio man, what are we talking about today? Plan. Cuckoo cuckoo. Because you’re cuckoo, if you don’t plan for your podcast! Part of planning is talking about a budget. So after today’s episode, here’s three takeaways, this is what you’re going to be able to do, you’re going to learn how to create a budget for your podcast, you’re going to determine where you should invest your money and also maybe where it’s not as important to invest your money. And you are going to learn how to hire the right people for the things that you don’t want to do. Or that you’re not really interested. Like, if you’re not really interested in editing your show, hire it out. Okay, do not waste your time you are running a business. That is your focus. Your podcast is here to support your business. So we really got to drill down what’s important here. And we’re gonna get started on that right after this quick break.

3:23
Today, we are talking about how you can launch your podcast for 250 bucks or less. Why are we talking about this today? Because money matters. You guys have a business, you realize you got to stay in the black. Right? Everything needs a budget. And this is really important, especially for podcasters. Because a lot of times people overspend. You don’t know what you don’t know. So like, yeah, I need background music. That’s original. Yeah, I need the most expensive podcast hosting plan. You don’t need most of this stuff to get started. And the truth is, you don’t know how long you’re going to be podcasting for. You are trying out podcasting. Yes, you have a plan, because we don’t get started with anything unless we have a plan. But you also need to have an escape route. Because maybe this isn’t a good fit for you. So I never recommend… I don’t care how much money your business is making. Do not spend a lot of money starting up your podcast. It doesn’t make sense. You can start your podcast for 250 bucks. You could probably do it for less than that. You probably could like wheel and deal and trade and do all this kind of stuff. So for today’s purposes, I’m assuming you’re not going to do that kind of stuff. I’m assuming you’re going to pay for certain services. And what I’m going to do is tell you the things that you really should be focused on what you should be paying about for those items. And then if you want to, I don’t know go all out and spend a bunch of money you can but don’t say I didn’t warn you There are five things that I think it’s worth spending money on in the very beginning with your podcast. And the prices are going to kind of vary depending on what you purchase, what plans you go with all that fun stuff. But here’s my list, you ready?

5:15
The first one- and this is something that people always get caught up on- is equipment. Now, if you’re just starting your podcast, don’t go out behind a bunch of equipment, the only thing you really really need is a decent microphone. And by decent, I don’t mean a $500. Microphone, you’d be way over budget. That’s a separate episode. Okay? If you have a $250 budget, make your microphone about 75 bucks may be 100. If you’re splurging, okay, now this is something you’re going to use over and over again. So it is something that’s worth investing some money in, but don’t go crazy, you’re gonna find out real quickly what you like about microphones and what you don’t like. So you don’t want to spend a bunch of money in the beginning without knowing more about your voice. And ultimately, what you’re going to do with your show, maybe you find out the best way to do your show is on location. So maybe you need a microphone that connects to your iPhone. We don’t know yet. So keep it simple. Now, I know even though I said that you guys are like equipment, talk more about equipment. So I do have a free downloadable that I’m going to give you guys the information is in the episode description. This downloadable is specifically about selecting equipment. And I’ve grouped things into bundles. So if you’re going to do more of the mobile approach, I’ve got a bundle for that, if you’re, you know, just kind of doing things on your computer, I’ve got that if you want to go above and beyond, I’ve got some options there too. Or if you want to include video, things like that. But remember, all you really need in the very beginning is a good microphone.

7:02
Next, think about the music for your show. Music is a really great transition, it helps just carry the show. Now I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I have some killer music in these episodes. So there is a company that I’ve been, you know, having a subscription with for I don’t know how long several years now called Sound stripe. That is the company I recommend if you are going to get music for your show, go through SoundStripe, I do have an affiliate with SoundStripe. So just want to be very honest with that. But the reason I do is because they’re amazing. And I constantly get rave reviews about the music in my podcasts. Okay, so I’m going to include that information below for you as well. Their subscription plans right now start at 15 bucks per month, you can download as much music as you want. You’re not going to find a better deal than that, I promise you. Okay, so we had our $75 microphone, we have $15 a month to have amazing music in your show.

8:10
And the third item on our list is artwork. So this is the image associated with your podcast, I cannot emphasize how important your artwork is. Think of it like a cover to a book. How many times do you go into a bookstore? I don’t know. Maybe you’re just scrolling online looking for books. That’s the first thing you see. Right for books, you see the cover, it is the exact same thing for your podcast. And with 2 million probably closer to 3 million podcasts out there. Now. Everybody is judging a book by its cover. Nobody has time to go through and click play on every single podcast to see oh, is this really a good podcast? Or do they just have crappy artwork? Come on, you have got to reel them in. Okay, reel them in like a fish you got to reel them in. Right. And as I talked about, I think it was episode one. If you are an expert, which you are your podcast is tied to your business. Have your photo on your artwork. Because if it’s just an audio podcast, it’s a little bit more difficult to connect with your audience. But if they see you, it builds a level of trust. If you are not a graphic designer, do not. I repeat, do not try to create your own artwork. It is not worth it. You will fail. Okay, just being honest with you. Did you create the logo for your business? Probably not. Do not create your podcast artwork either. Now you can go on different sites like Fiverr and places like that you can get podcast artwork for super cheap, just be careful. I’m gonna give this a budget of at least $50 If you really want a really good graphic As I know, you’re probably going to spend upwards of $100. Don’t skimp out on this.

10:06
Number four, the other thing you can spend a little little little bit of money on is your podcast host provider. Now, again, I only give this information, if you’re brand new, starting a podcast, once your show is a little bit more established, you’re gonna want more features. And in that case, yeah, you are going to spend more money for your podcast host provider. In the beginning, you don’t need to do that there are podcast host providers that are free. But I do want to caution you on that, read the fine print, you don’t want any podcast host provider that is going to automatically put ads in your show. So if that’s the exchange, free hosting, for letting us put whatever ads we want to in your show, don’t do it. In that case, it would be better to go with a podcast host provider that’s somewhere between 1015, maybe 20 bucks a month, you can get it for that shape.

11:04
And finally, drumroll please, what you’re going to spend the most amount of money on and you really should, is editing. If you’re not an experienced editor, don’t try to become one overnight, it’s not going to be pretty, you’re going to wind up pulling out all of your hair, it’s going to be a mess, and you’re not even going to have the product you want. Hire someone out. I have seen podcast editors start at 20 bucks for an episode, I’ve seen them start at 50 and 70, and 150. The prices are all over the place. What I have found is that you need to find someone you can trust. And I always recommend when you’re launching a show to have three episodes completed ready to go. So maybe you can strike up a deal with an editor and say, Listen, I’m not just going to give you one, I’m gonna give you three, or maybe commit to doing a whole season with that editor, maybe they’ll give you a little bit of a discount. But don’t try to edit yourself, you will go crazy. And that’s how you create a budget for your podcast that’s 250 bucks or less quick review your microphone, music, artwork, maybe your podcast host provider if you can’t get it for free. But the bulk of it is going to come from your editor, find someone you can trust. And when you add all that up, it might be a little bit more for this guy and a little bit, you know less for this person, you should have something that you’re very proud of, so you can launch your podcast. And you can see if this is really a good fit for you. That’s what we’re trying to do here today.

12:52
So I mentioned earlier that I have a great guide, if you want more information about podcasting gear, and some of the setups that I personally have used in the past. So if you go in the episode description, that link will be there, you can download it, there’s actually direct links to Amazon. So I don’t know if you like Amazon, some people love it. Some people hate it, whatever. Whenever they don’t deliver my stuff on time, I hate them. So I don’t know how you’re feeling about Amazon today. But you can download the stuff you know, add it to your cart, and get it within a couple of days. Whether you are brand new to podcasting, or perhaps you’re an experienced podcaster we all need a coach along the way. There is no shame in that. Many of you may already have business coaches. Well, I am a podcast coach. In the beginning, when we’re starting out, we need a little bit more help, right? We need to be coached a little bit more. As we get more experienced. Maybe we don’t need that as much. Maybe we just need to check in periodically to make sure we’re on the right track and that we’re doing the right things for our business. And that’s what I do. So if you would love to connect with me, that information is going to be below as well. I would love to learn more about your podcast and see what you guys are creating. Until next week, remember….You should start a podcast!