March 3, 2025 • 30 mins
Are you dreaming of starting your own podcast but intimidated by the costs? You're not alone! In this week's episode, we dispel the myth that podcasting is only for those with deep pockets. We provide you with practical tips to kick-start your podcasting journey with minimal investment. You will discover that you can begin with what you already own—for instance, your phone’s earbuds can double as a microphone!
We break down the essential gear you really need, including affordable suggestions for microphones that can produce great sound without emptying your wallet. Recording and editing software options are discussed in detail, highlighting free tools like Audacity that make it easy to get started.
Hosting your podcast can be overwhelming, but we recommend platforms such as Buzzsprout that simplify the process, offering free trials to test your content before committing financially. Throughout the episode, we also touch on the importance of branding your podcast, ensuring it captures your unique voice and message without losing sight of what truly matters—your content.
Finally, don’t forget our valuable insights on how to grow your audience organically without resorting to costly ads. Tune in to explore all the ways you can make podcasting accessible and fun. Ready to jump into podcasting? Join the conversation by listening now, and don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share your thoughts!
Buzzsprout and podcast equipment linked below
Amplify your Message and grow your audience with podcasting. Watch this Free Masterclass Undsetanding the Power of Podcasting HERE
Buzzsprout - Your go to Podcast Host!Start for FREE
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
Podcast Equipment Recommendations MY KIT
FEA Create Simple all-in-one web, CRM, email system
For graphics Canva
Join the Pod Squad in the FB Group
My MIC ACTION PODCAST - here is a link to Spotify
Read from My Book Shelf & My Guests Book Shelf
Want to Guest? Apply here >>FORM
Edited and produced by Donna Eade
Thank you for your support:)
Until next week, Bye for Now XoX
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
You're listening to the Mindset in Action podcast,
the place to be to grow andstreamline your business.
I'm your host, donna Eade.
Let's jump into the show.
Welcome back to the podcast,everybody.
Now, before I jump into today'sepisode, I wanted to remind you
(00:23):
that my event is coming up realsoon, so so soon.
It's crazy to me.
We are meeting on the 3rd ofApril.
It's an in-person event.
I'm going to actually get tohug you guys.
It's amazing and I'm so, soexcited.
This event is all to celebratethe fifth birthday of this
(00:43):
podcast, and it is also going tobe an event that is going to
give you tangible, actionabletips that you can take away and
implement in your business.
So we're going to be talkingabout productivity.
We're going to be talking aboutplanning.
We're going to be talking aboutmindset.
We're going to be talking aboutaudience building.
These two regular listenerswill all sound very familiar
(01:04):
because they are the four corepillars of this podcast.
We are also going to be talkingabout podcasting and mindset.
So I have six amazing speakerscoming to talk to you.
I say six, I've got five.
I'm one of them.
Shouldn't really be includingmyself in that, but hey, I'm
amazing, it's fine.
Six amazing speakers coming tospeak to you.
(01:24):
I have two amazing facilitators, catherine and Kat, who are
going to round out ourexperience with some fantastic
energy work.
It's going to be really, reallycool, and then we are going to
also have an afternoon teabuffet and birthday cake.
So, if you want to come, dosome learning, do some
(01:46):
networking there's going to betwo open networking sessions Get
to meet the speakers, get toask some questions, really get
involved.
I would love to have you.
The tickets are available rightnow at donnaeedcom.
Forward slash birthday event orone word Link will be in the
show notes and I hope to see youthere.
Okay, so on to this week'sepisode.
(02:08):
Now.
I did allude to this, I believe, in last week's episode, where
I was going to talk aboutstarting a podcast and the money
that you need to spend to getyour podcast going.
Because this is one thing thatI think puts a lot of people off
starting their podcast is theythink that they have to have all
of the gadgets, everythingneeds to be just right before
(02:28):
they get started, and I've toldyou guys before that I literally
started with the headphones offof my Apple phone, my
headphones from my phone, andthat's how I started with my
computer and that was it, andyou can start as simply as that.
Now you may be thinking, yes,okay, that was all right for you
, donna, but I want to be a bitmore elevated.
(02:49):
So we're going to talk aboutwhat the essentials are, that
you do need, what you don't needto be spending money on, and
ways that you can save money insetting up your podcast.
So that is what we're going tobe talking about.
So make sure that you stay tillthe end.
Find out all of the informationand also, for a little glimpse
into next week's episode, whereI have got a guest coming on
(03:11):
with me.
So I'll tell you more aboutthat at the end.
Hundreds and hundreds of poundsno, you absolutely do not have
to spend hundreds and hundredsof pounds.
There are a few must haves whenit comes to a podcast.
So the first is, obviously youneed a microphone of some sort
(03:35):
to be able to record your voice.
So a microphone that is able torecord, preferably onto your
computer.
It makes it easier for editing.
I don't know how anybody doesanything on their phone.
It's just all far too small forme.
I just my fingers are too big,the buttons don't work, so I
(03:55):
can't do it on my phone, if youcan.
All power to you, but amicrophone that will allow you
to record your voice into yourcomputer.
Now this can be as simple asthe headphones that came with
your phone.
I know these days they don'tcome with phones, but I'm sure
you've got a pair of wiredphones with the microphone on
(04:17):
from a previous pair somewherearound, and they're pretty cheap
off of Amazon.
If you haven't got one Now, Iwould say they need to be the
plug-in ones.
Bluetooth can be a little bittemperamental, a little bit
slightly off with how quickly itrecords and gets your voice, so
I would just go plugged in withthis.
(04:38):
So if you don't want to startwith headphones, if you want to
start a little bit more elevatedthan that, then I would go for
a USB microphone.
So this is one that you canplug into your computer's USB
port.
It's a plug and play.
Don't have to download anything, don't have to like, do
(04:58):
anything weird except plug it in.
You plug it in and you're goodto go.
Except plug it in.
You plug it in and you're goodto go.
Now there are XLR microphonesand my microphone has an XLR
port on it as well as the USBport those.
You have to have another box inbetween your computer and the
microphone to make them work,and that box can be a little bit
(05:21):
pricey.
So for me, a USB microphone ismore than good enough.
This is what I use.
I have used for a long time.
My microphone will be linked inthe show notes for you so you
can go and have a look at it,but it is the one that I have
always used and it worksperfectly fine for me and for
what I need.
So for me I feel like that it'sa no brainer that the USB
(05:44):
microphones are good enough,especially when you're starting
out, so that you're looking atunder a hundred pounds for that
starter microphone.
I wouldn't spend any more thanthat on your first microphone
and you know, like I say, I willlink mine in the show notes.
It was voted like the bestpodcast microphone for under
(06:07):
£100 out there, so I would gofor that one if you're going to
buy a microphone.
Otherwise, you can always startwith your headphones, as I said
.
So, talking of headphones, thatis.
Your next option is headphones.
Are they essential?
Do you need them?
Your next option is headphones.
Are they essential?
(06:27):
Do you need them.
You do need headphones, but youdon't always have to wear them,
is what I would say to you.
So I often see on YouTube wherepeople are sharing their
recorded podcasts, which to meis a videocast.
When you put it on YouTube andthere's a video, it's a
videocast.
In my mind, a podcast is audioonly, but I won't get on that
(06:49):
bandwagon too much, honest.
But on those, what I will seeis I will see people who are
sitting in the same room withheadphones on and there is
absolutely no reason to wearthem.
There is absolutely no reasonto wear headphones when you are
in the same room as the personthat you're talking to.
You can hear them without yourheadphones.
So that would be my first thing.
(07:11):
And then the second thing is isit's often for looks?
So in my email signature I'vegot a picture of myself, and
I've got a picture of myself satin front of my microphone with
my headphones on, and I actuallyhad somebody reach out to me
and ask me what headphones theywere, because they wanted to
know what headphones I was using, and those ones were my Beats
(07:31):
headphones, which I haveprobably used once for my
podcasting.
It's just for looks, guys.
Just for looks.
Your headphones do not need tobe you know hugely expensive
headphones.
They really don't.
Your headphones are there sothat if you are recording a
(07:51):
podcast with somebody remotely,that you are hearing the person
in your ears and your microphoneisn't hearing them.
Because if you don't haveheadphones plugged in and your
microphone is plugged in, theirvoice is coming through your
speaker and then it's going toget picked up by your microphone
and so you're going to havethis almost echo to what they're
(08:15):
saying.
And then other thing is, if youget a notification pop up on
your computer, that will alsoget picked up by your microphone
, but if you've got headphonesin, then all the sounds from
your computer are going to gointo your ears and not into your
(08:35):
microphone.
So that is why you wantheadphones, and any pair of
headphones will do for that, andI actually prefer my phone
headphones for that job becauseit's they're smaller.
I can hide them under my hair,you know.
I can adjust them so that theyare not so visible, and I would
rather it didn't look like I waswearing headphones.
(08:57):
So for all of you glasseswearers out there, like me, who
are like I can't wear headphonesover my ears with my glasses on
.
It's painful, you don't have to.
Ok, your normal earbuds willwork for what you need them for.
So don't go spending loads ofmoney on headphones.
You don't need them if you arein the same room as the person
(09:18):
you're them for.
So don't go spending loads ofmoney on headphones.
You don't need them if you arein the same room as the person
you're recording with and youonly need a set that you can
hear.
You know it doesn't have to beamazing quality.
As long as you can hear theother person when they're
speaking.
When you're doing remoteepisodes, then that's fine, okay
, so don't go spending loads ofmoney on that.
So so far we've spent under ahundred pounds.
(09:42):
Then you need your recording andediting software.
So I use Audacity, and I haveused Audacity since day dot.
I am on a PC, so that works fora PC.
It also works on Apple, so thatworks for a pc.
It also works on apple, butapple also has garage band.
(10:03):
So they're both free apps thatyou can use to record and edit
voices.
So those are your free optionsfor that.
Now, if you are doing remoterecording of interviews, that's
when you're getting intosomething that costs something.
So you may already have a Zoomsubscription as part of your
business, you know, forone-to-ones meetings, networking
(10:28):
, etc.
If you already have that, thenyou just use Zoom.
It is good enough.
I have used it since day dot.
I have tried other things,things.
There are other things that Ithink are better out there for
the purposes of podcasting, butthen I can't do the other things
that I do with zoom.
So for me it's one of thosethings where it's one cost and I
(10:51):
can do my podcast interviewswith that as well as everything
else I want to do, or it's goingto be two costs to elevate my
podcast audio, but you know I'mgoing to have to pay two.
Or I can't do the other thingsI need to do in my business,
like my meetings and things, sothere is a cost there.
If you already pay for zoom,then there's no cost.
(11:13):
If you don't already pay forzoom, then you can have a look
at things like Riverside FM.
That's a really good one forpodcasting.
That's the one that I would useif I was going to pay for
something.
So, riverside FM or Zoom, youcan use both of those to record
remote interviews.
So those are your options there.
(11:34):
You can also use OBS.
So OBS is a free platform thatyou can use and you can use that
if you want to record twovoices in the same place.
So if you were together youcould use that as a way of
recording two voices together.
So those are your options therefor recording, there for
(12:04):
recording, then your hostingplatform.
There are some free platformsout there.
A lot of them have gone now butmost of them have some sort of
free option, trial, somethinglike that.
I use Buzzsprout.
You will find a link forBuzzsprout in the show notes.
It's the one I've used from daydot.
I tried Spotify for my otherpodcast and I used the you know
(12:28):
Spotify as a free version.
So I tried Spotify.
I didn't like it.
I didn't like the way it worked.
It is not a podcast host in its.
You know that's not what it wasmade for, so it doesn't flow as
easily as the podcast hosts do.
(12:48):
So I didn't like it and I don'trecommend it because of that,
because of my experience with it.
But Buzzsprout I highlyrecommend.
It gives you 90 days for freeand if you click the link in the
show notes where I shareBuzzsprout with you, you will
also get a $20 credit when youdo start paying.
(13:09):
So 90 days for free is threemonths and that gives you, I
think, two hours a month, whichcertainly in your first month.
A lot of people tend to haveshorter episodes to begin with.
I would say you don't want tobe going over half an hour
anyway, so that gives you oneepisode a week when you start
(13:30):
out.
So I would recommend usingBuzzsprout because it is the one
I know.
I've never had any problems withit.
Their customer service is great.
I've always had great responseswhere things have like gone
awry usually at my own fault, Ihave to say and they've helped
me figure it out and work outwhat I've done wrong.
(13:52):
So they are really, reallyhelpful, the guys at Buzzsprout.
So I would highly recommendthat.
Like I say, it gives you 90days free to start and then if
you use the link that I've gotin the comments below, then you
will also get a 20 credit whenyou start paying.
But it's really good for thefact that you can try it for
(14:12):
three months and see is thissomething that I'm enjoying?
Is it fitting in, you know,does it work well for me?
You're not necessarily going toget the monetary results or the
return in terms of the numberof people that are subscribing
or getting on your email list,things like that.
You know that stuff kind oftakes time, but it's more am I
(14:34):
enjoying it?
Is this something I wannacontinue with and give a good go
to before you start paying, andI think that's a great way to
do it.
So I highly recommendBuzzsprout for your host.
There are lots of othersthere's Podbean, libsyn, there's
a lot of others out there, andthey're all pretty good, but
I've just had a really, reallygood experience with Buzzsprout
and highly recommend them.
(14:55):
So then, the other thing thatyou definitely will need is
cover art and branding for yourpodcast.
Now, this could range fromDIYing it, which is going to
cost you nothing, up to, youknow, going to a brand designer
to get a whole brand done foryour podcast.
It really depends on whereyou're at in your business and
(15:18):
what you want to achieve withyour podcast as to where you
land on that spectrum.
I would say for most people,canva is a really good option.
Go to Canva, have a look typein podcast cover art.
It will give you loads andloads and loads of options.
What I would say is somethingthat Marie Louise, who is the
(15:40):
host of the lovely Canva crewmembership that she has always
said please don't ever just usewhat you see and just put your
name on it.
Change the colours, changeshapes, change the graphics,
change the stripes for swirls,you know.
Edit it, make it your own, makeit fit with your brand.
(16:02):
Don't ever just take somethingoff of Canva and use it verbatim
, because that's not cricket.
It's not cricket to start with,but it's just not going to be
completely you, so you need tochange it.
The other thing with a lot ofthe podcast covers on Canva is a
lot of them have microphones on.
(16:23):
You don't need a microphone onyour podcast cover.
People will know that it's apodcast.
They don't need to see amicrophone on it.
It's just a bit cheesy and abit outdated.
So if it's got a microphone onit, take the microphone off.
It's taking up valuable realestate.
What you have to remember withyour cover art is that it often
ends up tiny, tiny littlethumbnail on a phone and you
(16:45):
need to be able to read thetitle of your podcast and see a
photo of you or you knowsomething that represents what
your podcast is about.
So try and make it as clear aspossible.
A lot of those cover arts canbe quite busy, and you don't
need it to be busy.
(17:05):
You need it to be clean andsimple.
Choose colours to go with yourbrand and away you go, so that
can cost you nothing.
So where we've looked at that,the essentials you need, really,
we are starting, at least forthe first 90 days, for nothing.
Buzzsprout is $12 a month atits lowest option after that,
(17:27):
and that gives you three hours amonth so you can make your
podcast episodes a little bitlonger after three months and
you get three hours a month onthat tier of $12 a month.
So $12 a month from month three.
But other than that, you'relooking at under £100 to get you
started, and that's if you wantto start with a microphone.
(17:47):
You might decide that actually,for the first couple of months,
while you're working outwhether this is right for you or
not, you're just going to useyour headphones with a
microphone attached, yeah, sothose are your options there.
So what don't you need to bespending money on when it comes
to podcasting?
Well, the first thing you donot need is you do not need a
(18:08):
soundproof room.
Okay, so I've spoken about thisbefore.
We do not need a music studioto get started with podcasting
If you've got the space and youwant to do it absolutely.
But again I would say, giveyourself that three months to
see whether it's somethingyou're enjoying.
So maybe you've got an airingcupboard that you just use as
(18:29):
storage.
It's not really used as anairing cupboard.
I don't know about you, but myairing cupboard used to have the
water tank in and a lot ofhouses don't have water tanks
now.
So it was the water tank andthe water in there that was hot,
that used to warm the airingcupboard and keep the towels
nice and warm.
It doesn't really happen somuch anymore.
My airing cupboard I say inquotation marks is just a
(18:53):
cupboard on top of the stairs.
I can't use my cupboard on topof the stairs as a sound booth
because it is built into theslant of the ceiling that goes
up in the stairs so there's noflat bottom to it so I can't
stand in there or anything.
So I can't use that.
But maybe you have one that isat the top of your stairs.
(19:15):
That is just a cupboard thatyou could stand in.
If it was emptied of shelvesand rubbish and goodness knows
what, that would make a greatlittle sound studio.
But you know it's got to fit inwith what you've got going on.
You can't just get rid of allof your linens and say, well, I
need a soundproof studio, soI've got to put foam all over
this cupboard and then where areyour towels going to go.
(19:38):
So only do that if you have gotthe space to do it.
You don't need a very big space.
Like I said, that kind ofairing cupboard size is perfect.
You'd stand up and do yourpodcasts.
Perfect.
You'd stand up and do yourpodcasts, put in a little shelf
that you can put your laptop onand have your microphone on, and
away you go.
You would probably need a lightin there, especially if you're
(20:00):
going to do interviews.
But I would say the thing is,especially if you're doing guest
episodes, is your guests aren'tgoing to have a sound studio,
they're not going to have asoundproof booth, they're not
going to have that set up andtherefore if you are in your
booth whilst you're recordingwith them, it's going to be very
jarring the difference betweenyou and them.
So I would always try to matchmy guests sound as closely as
(20:24):
possible, although I still willbring in some things, because I
just can't bear the echo that Iget from a lot of guests.
So I'm just like I am going todo the bare minimum to give me
good sound, which is going to benot as good as my normal sound,
but it's still going to bebetter than my guest sound,
because they usually don't havethe setup that I have, which is
(20:47):
fine.
But I would be aware that thatwill be even a bigger difference
if you have got a soundproofroom so you do not need to have
a soundproof room cushions fromthe back of your sofa and when I
say the back of your sofa Imean if you've got a sofa that
is literally you can remove theback cushions, like the back of
(21:09):
the sofa comes away.
So I have one that's got aboutnine massive cushions that sit
on the back of my L-shaped sofaand I can remove them all.
So I bring in two of those, oneeither side, so you can either
go and get two cushions that arethat big if you don't have them
, or you can just bring insmaller cushions but more of
(21:31):
them.
I tend to layer them up aroundmy computer so that I kind of
create a little booth for myselfwhen I have guests, I just
usually have one and have mymicrophone facing it so that the
sound that I'm speaking goesinto the cushion and that
absorbs the sound, and that willhelp provide you with better
sound quality.
So that's what you can do forfree.
(21:54):
You don't need expensive editingsoftware so you can pay people
to edit your podcast.
You're looking at around£75-ish per episode for an
editor.
There will be people out therecheaper than that.
There are people out there moreexpensive, but you're looking
at roughly that, so you don'tneed to do that.
You can edit it yourself.
(22:16):
You don't have to use expensiveediting software.
Audacity is free and you canuse that to edit Paid ads for
growth.
So you do not need to bespending money on ads,
especially in the beginning.
Now you can obviously run lowcost ads to your podcast as a
(22:36):
way of increasing yourvisibility.
It makes for a great visibilityadvert, but you don't need to
start with that.
So, networking, getting guestson your show to reshare,
repurposing your podcast on yoursocial media platforms these
are all ways to organically growyour podcast.
And, of course, making surethat your SEO is spot on from
(22:57):
the beginning that is reallygoing to help your podcast to
land with the people that youwant it to land with.
So that is a great way of doingit as well.
So don't go wasting money onthings that you don't need.
I know there are people outthere that want all the fancy
things, want the studio, wantthe microphone set up, you know,
(23:18):
want all of the expensiveheadphones, the little boxes
that do all the fancy stuff andthey want all of that jazz and
they spend so much time gettingthat organized before they get
started and then when they start, they realize that they don't
actually like doing it.
So I don't want you to wasteany money.
Start with what you've got, andthat brings us on to smart ways
(23:41):
to keep costs low.
So start with what you've got.
Use an existing microphone oruse your headphones that have a
microphone.
Leverage those free tools.
So there are scheduling toolsthat you can use for your social
media promotion.
You can schedule in Buzzsprout.
You get the 30 days free withBuzzsprout.
(24:03):
Leverage what you can for free,especially in the beginning.
You can also look at swappingservices or collaborating to
save money.
So if editing is something thatyou really don't want to do,
maybe you can get a trade withsomebody who will edit your
podcast for you in exchange forbeing the series one sponsor of
(24:28):
your podcast.
So you will mention them onevery episode of the podcast and
they will edit your podcast forfree for however many episodes.
There are ways to do that Batchrecord as well, because that
saves you time and unnecessaryexpense.
So oftentimes when we areelongating the process by doing
(24:51):
it bit by bit, that is taking upmore time than if we just sat
down and did it all in one goand that is taking time away
from the money making activitiesthat you could be doing.
Six episodes over six weeks andit takes me three hours per
(25:12):
episode.
That's going to take howeverlong.
That is three times six, 18, 18hours.
But if I sat down and I did allmy recording together in one
session, it wouldn't take me the.
I'm going to cut it into three.
So if it's three hours to do anepisode, it's going to take me
one hour to if it.
If it's three hour, three hoursto do an episode, it's going to
(25:33):
take me one hour to record, onehour to edit, one hour to
schedule.
I'm just giving you a roundednumber two so it's easy to work
with.
But if it takes me an hour torecord.
That's me setting up, gettingmyself ready, getting the script
up, recording and then, youknow, taking everything back,
(25:53):
putting it on the sofa, packingaway my microphone, all of that.
If I don't have to do thatbeginning and end bit more than
once, then I could do sixepisodes and I'll probably save
myself an hour in that, becauseit's going to take me five, six
minutes to set up at thebeginning, five, six minutes to
take it down at the end.
It rounding it up sort of 15minutes in total with going
(26:16):
through um, gmail, my googledocs to find the scripts for
them all and everything.
If I've got all of that set upin one hit at the beginning and
then I bash through six episodesand then I close it down at the
end, that is going to save metime instead of setting up and
taking down six times Again withthe editing.
If I'm sitting there and I'mbatching my editing and I'm just
(26:38):
going through and I just editall the episodes, then I go in
and add the beginning and end toeach of them.
That is going to be quickerthan me opening up a single doc,
editing that doc, putting thebeginning on, putting the end on
exporting it.
I'm going to save some time bydoing all of the editing first,
then going in and quickly addingthe beginning and end to them.
(27:02):
So things like that really aregoing to save you time, and your
time is money.
So if you can save yourself,you know, three hours of
podcasting time by batching sixepisodes instead of doing them
individually, then you'll beable to take that three hours,
and that's three hours you canspend with a client.
That's going to be money inyour pocket, so really important
(27:24):
to think about how yourprocesses work with your podcast
as well.
So I hope that has given you agood idea of how you can start a
podcast for little to no money.
It really is one of thosethings that it doesn't have to
be a huge expense.
My ongoing costs for my podcastare my hosting, and I do pay for
the AI add-on to that justbecause it saves me time.
(27:47):
If I didn't pay for it, I coulduse ChatGPT to do what the AI
within Buzzsprout does, and thatwould be for free.
However, I would have to do abit of cutting and pasting for
that, so I don't want to do that.
So there are your options.
You don't need a fancymicrophone to get started.
(28:09):
You don't need fancy headphonesto get started.
You do not need a soundproofbooth to get you started.
Start with what you've got andgrow from there.
Okay, so that is it for thisweek's episode.
I hope that has helped you.
If you've got any questions,please do reach out to me.
You can find me on LinkedInunder Donna Eade.
(28:31):
That is where I spend most ofmy time these days.
You can dm me on instagram andI should be able to pick it up.
I don't spend a lot of timeover there anymore, but that is
you know where you can find meto ask questions.
I also have a facebook groupcalled start a podcast uk with
Donna Eade.
You can come and find me overthere and ask questions and find
(28:54):
out more from other podcasters.
And yeah, that's it.
So we will be meeting in personon the 3rd of April.
Do come to my event.
I would love to say hello andthank you for listening in
person.
It's DonnaEadecom forward slashbirthday event and next week I
have holly scott she is aninterior designer coming in to
(29:18):
talk about how we can design ourspaces for better productivity.
So come and join me for thatone.
That's going to be episode 299.
Guys, you know what that means,don't you?
So I'm really excited for allof what is to come, with us
hitting 300 episodes, with ushitting a fifth birthday on the
(29:38):
podcast, and that is why it's soimportant to celebrate with
this birthday event.
All the links are going to bein the show notes, and all the
links are also on the blog postas well.
If you can't find the shownotes, go down to the bottom of
the blog post.
They will all be there as well,and I will see you next week
with Holly Bye.
(30:06):
For now.
You're listening to the Mindset in Action podcast,
the place to be to grow andstreamline your business.
I'm your host, donna Eade.
Let's jump into the show.
Welcome back to the podcast,everybody.
Now, before I jump into today'sepisode, I wanted to remind you
(00:23):
that my event is coming up realsoon, so so soon.
It's crazy to me.
We are meeting on the 3rd ofApril.
It's an in-person event.
I'm going to actually get tohug you guys.
It's amazing and I'm so, soexcited.
This event is all to celebratethe fifth birthday of this
(00:43):
podcast, and it is also going tobe an event that is going to
give you tangible, actionabletips that you can take away and
implement in your business.
So we're going to be talkingabout productivity.
We're going to be talking aboutplanning.
We're going to be talking aboutmindset.
We're going to be talking aboutaudience building.
These two regular listenerswill all sound very familiar
(01:04):
because they are the four corepillars of this podcast.
We are also going to be talkingabout podcasting and mindset.
So I have six amazing speakerscoming to talk to you.
I say six, I've got five.
I'm one of them.
Shouldn't really be includingmyself in that, but hey, I'm
amazing, it's fine.
Six amazing speakers coming tospeak to you.
(01:24):
I have two amazing facilitators, catherine and Kat, who are
going to round out ourexperience with some fantastic
energy work.
It's going to be really, reallycool, and then we are going to
also have an afternoon teabuffet and birthday cake.
So, if you want to come, dosome learning, do some
(01:46):
networking there's going to betwo open networking sessions Get
to meet the speakers, get toask some questions, really get
involved.
I would love to have you.
The tickets are available rightnow at donnaeedcom.
Forward slash birthday event orone word Link will be in the
show notes and I hope to see youthere.
Okay, so on to this week'sepisode.
(02:08):
Now.
I did allude to this, I believe, in last week's episode, where
I was going to talk aboutstarting a podcast and the money
that you need to spend to getyour podcast going.
Because this is one thing thatI think puts a lot of people off
starting their podcast is theythink that they have to have all
of the gadgets, everythingneeds to be just right before
(02:28):
they get started, and I've toldyou guys before that I literally
started with the headphones offof my Apple phone, my
headphones from my phone, andthat's how I started with my
computer and that was it, andyou can start as simply as that.
Now you may be thinking, yes,okay, that was all right for you
, donna, but I want to be a bitmore elevated.
(02:49):
So we're going to talk aboutwhat the essentials are, that
you do need, what you don't needto be spending money on, and
ways that you can save money insetting up your podcast.
So that is what we're going tobe talking about.
So make sure that you stay tillthe end.
Find out all of the informationand also, for a little glimpse
into next week's episode, whereI have got a guest coming on
(03:11):
with me.
So I'll tell you more aboutthat at the end.
Hundreds and hundreds of poundsno, you absolutely do not have
to spend hundreds and hundredsof pounds.
There are a few must haves whenit comes to a podcast.
So the first is, obviously youneed a microphone of some sort
(03:35):
to be able to record your voice.
So a microphone that is able torecord, preferably onto your
computer.
It makes it easier for editing.
I don't know how anybody doesanything on their phone.
It's just all far too small forme.
I just my fingers are too big,the buttons don't work, so I
(03:55):
can't do it on my phone, if youcan.
All power to you, but amicrophone that will allow you
to record your voice into yourcomputer.
Now this can be as simple asthe headphones that came with
your phone.
I know these days they don'tcome with phones, but I'm sure
you've got a pair of wiredphones with the microphone on
(04:17):
from a previous pair somewherearound, and they're pretty cheap
off of Amazon.
If you haven't got one Now, Iwould say they need to be the
plug-in ones.
Bluetooth can be a little bittemperamental, a little bit
slightly off with how quickly itrecords and gets your voice, so
I would just go plugged in withthis.
(04:38):
So if you don't want to startwith headphones, if you want to
start a little bit more elevatedthan that, then I would go for
a USB microphone.
So this is one that you canplug into your computer's USB
port.
It's a plug and play.
Don't have to download anything, don't have to like, do
(04:58):
anything weird except plug it in.
You plug it in and you're goodto go.
Except plug it in.
You plug it in and you're goodto go.
Now there are XLR microphonesand my microphone has an XLR
port on it as well as the USBport those.
You have to have another box inbetween your computer and the
microphone to make them work,and that box can be a little bit
(05:21):
pricey.
So for me, a USB microphone ismore than good enough.
This is what I use.
I have used for a long time.
My microphone will be linked inthe show notes for you so you
can go and have a look at it,but it is the one that I have
always used and it worksperfectly fine for me and for
what I need.
So for me I feel like that it'sa no brainer that the USB
(05:44):
microphones are good enough,especially when you're starting
out, so that you're looking atunder a hundred pounds for that
starter microphone.
I wouldn't spend any more thanthat on your first microphone
and you know, like I say, I willlink mine in the show notes.
It was voted like the bestpodcast microphone for under
(06:07):
£100 out there, so I would gofor that one if you're going to
buy a microphone.
Otherwise, you can always startwith your headphones, as I said
.
So, talking of headphones, thatis.
Your next option is headphones.
Are they essential?
Do you need them?
Your next option is headphones.
Are they essential?
(06:27):
Do you need them.
You do need headphones, but youdon't always have to wear them,
is what I would say to you.
So I often see on YouTube wherepeople are sharing their
recorded podcasts, which to meis a videocast.
When you put it on YouTube andthere's a video, it's a
videocast.
In my mind, a podcast is audioonly, but I won't get on that
(06:49):
bandwagon too much, honest.
But on those, what I will seeis I will see people who are
sitting in the same room withheadphones on and there is
absolutely no reason to wearthem.
There is absolutely no reasonto wear headphones when you are
in the same room as the personthat you're talking to.
You can hear them without yourheadphones.
So that would be my first thing.
(07:11):
And then the second thing is isit's often for looks?
So in my email signature I'vegot a picture of myself, and
I've got a picture of myself satin front of my microphone with
my headphones on, and I actuallyhad somebody reach out to me
and ask me what headphones theywere, because they wanted to
know what headphones I was using, and those ones were my Beats
(07:31):
headphones, which I haveprobably used once for my
podcasting.
It's just for looks, guys.
Just for looks.
Your headphones do not need tobe you know hugely expensive
headphones.
They really don't.
Your headphones are there sothat if you are recording a
(07:51):
podcast with somebody remotely,that you are hearing the person
in your ears and your microphoneisn't hearing them.
Because if you don't haveheadphones plugged in and your
microphone is plugged in, theirvoice is coming through your
speaker and then it's going toget picked up by your microphone
and so you're going to havethis almost echo to what they're
(08:15):
saying.
And then other thing is, if youget a notification pop up on
your computer, that will alsoget picked up by your microphone
, but if you've got headphonesin, then all the sounds from
your computer are going to gointo your ears and not into your
(08:35):
microphone.
So that is why you wantheadphones, and any pair of
headphones will do for that, andI actually prefer my phone
headphones for that job becauseit's they're smaller.
I can hide them under my hair,you know.
I can adjust them so that theyare not so visible, and I would
rather it didn't look like I waswearing headphones.
(08:57):
So for all of you glasseswearers out there, like me, who
are like I can't wear headphonesover my ears with my glasses on
.
It's painful, you don't have to.
Ok, your normal earbuds willwork for what you need them for.
So don't go spending loads ofmoney on headphones.
You don't need them if you arein the same room as the person
(09:18):
you're them for.
So don't go spending loads ofmoney on headphones.
You don't need them if you arein the same room as the person
you're recording with and youonly need a set that you can
hear.
You know it doesn't have to beamazing quality.
As long as you can hear theother person when they're
speaking.
When you're doing remoteepisodes, then that's fine, okay
, so don't go spending loads ofmoney on that.
So so far we've spent under ahundred pounds.
(09:42):
Then you need your recording andediting software.
So I use Audacity, and I haveused Audacity since day dot.
I am on a PC, so that works fora PC.
It also works on Apple, so thatworks for a pc.
It also works on apple, butapple also has garage band.
(10:03):
So they're both free apps thatyou can use to record and edit
voices.
So those are your free optionsfor that.
Now, if you are doing remoterecording of interviews, that's
when you're getting intosomething that costs something.
So you may already have a Zoomsubscription as part of your
business, you know, forone-to-ones meetings, networking
(10:28):
, etc.
If you already have that, thenyou just use Zoom.
It is good enough.
I have used it since day dot.
I have tried other things,things.
There are other things that Ithink are better out there for
the purposes of podcasting, butthen I can't do the other things
that I do with zoom.
So for me it's one of thosethings where it's one cost and I
(10:51):
can do my podcast interviewswith that as well as everything
else I want to do, or it's goingto be two costs to elevate my
podcast audio, but you know I'mgoing to have to pay two.
Or I can't do the other thingsI need to do in my business,
like my meetings and things, sothere is a cost there.
If you already pay for zoom,then there's no cost.
(11:13):
If you don't already pay forzoom, then you can have a look
at things like Riverside FM.
That's a really good one forpodcasting.
That's the one that I would useif I was going to pay for
something.
So, riverside FM or Zoom, youcan use both of those to record
remote interviews.
So those are your options there.
(11:34):
You can also use OBS.
So OBS is a free platform thatyou can use and you can use that
if you want to record twovoices in the same place.
So if you were together youcould use that as a way of
recording two voices together.
So those are your options therefor recording, there for
(12:04):
recording, then your hostingplatform.
There are some free platformsout there.
A lot of them have gone now butmost of them have some sort of
free option, trial, somethinglike that.
I use Buzzsprout.
You will find a link forBuzzsprout in the show notes.
It's the one I've used from daydot.
I tried Spotify for my otherpodcast and I used the you know
(12:28):
Spotify as a free version.
So I tried Spotify.
I didn't like it.
I didn't like the way it worked.
It is not a podcast host in its.
You know that's not what it wasmade for, so it doesn't flow as
easily as the podcast hosts do.
(12:48):
So I didn't like it and I don'trecommend it because of that,
because of my experience with it.
But Buzzsprout I highlyrecommend.
It gives you 90 days for freeand if you click the link in the
show notes where I shareBuzzsprout with you, you will
also get a $20 credit when youdo start paying.
(13:09):
So 90 days for free is threemonths and that gives you, I
think, two hours a month, whichcertainly in your first month.
A lot of people tend to haveshorter episodes to begin with.
I would say you don't want tobe going over half an hour
anyway, so that gives you oneepisode a week when you start
(13:30):
out.
So I would recommend usingBuzzsprout because it is the one
I know.
I've never had any problems withit.
Their customer service is great.
I've always had great responseswhere things have like gone
awry usually at my own fault, Ihave to say and they've helped
me figure it out and work outwhat I've done wrong.
(13:52):
So they are really, reallyhelpful, the guys at Buzzsprout.
So I would highly recommendthat.
Like I say, it gives you 90days free to start and then if
you use the link that I've gotin the comments below, then you
will also get a 20 credit whenyou start paying.
But it's really good for thefact that you can try it for
(14:12):
three months and see is thissomething that I'm enjoying?
Is it fitting in, you know,does it work well for me?
You're not necessarily going toget the monetary results or the
return in terms of the numberof people that are subscribing
or getting on your email list,things like that.
You know that stuff kind oftakes time, but it's more am I
(14:34):
enjoying it?
Is this something I wannacontinue with and give a good go
to before you start paying, andI think that's a great way to
do it.
So I highly recommendBuzzsprout for your host.
There are lots of othersthere's Podbean, libsyn, there's
a lot of others out there, andthey're all pretty good, but
I've just had a really, reallygood experience with Buzzsprout
and highly recommend them.
(14:55):
So then, the other thing thatyou definitely will need is
cover art and branding for yourpodcast.
Now, this could range fromDIYing it, which is going to
cost you nothing, up to, youknow, going to a brand designer
to get a whole brand done foryour podcast.
It really depends on whereyou're at in your business and
(15:18):
what you want to achieve withyour podcast as to where you
land on that spectrum.
I would say for most people,canva is a really good option.
Go to Canva, have a look typein podcast cover art.
It will give you loads andloads and loads of options.
What I would say is somethingthat Marie Louise, who is the
(15:40):
host of the lovely Canva crewmembership that she has always
said please don't ever just usewhat you see and just put your
name on it.
Change the colours, changeshapes, change the graphics,
change the stripes for swirls,you know.
Edit it, make it your own, makeit fit with your brand.
(16:02):
Don't ever just take somethingoff of Canva and use it verbatim
, because that's not cricket.
It's not cricket to start with,but it's just not going to be
completely you, so you need tochange it.
The other thing with a lot ofthe podcast covers on Canva is a
lot of them have microphones on.
(16:23):
You don't need a microphone onyour podcast cover.
People will know that it's apodcast.
They don't need to see amicrophone on it.
It's just a bit cheesy and abit outdated.
So if it's got a microphone onit, take the microphone off.
It's taking up valuable realestate.
What you have to remember withyour cover art is that it often
ends up tiny, tiny littlethumbnail on a phone and you
(16:45):
need to be able to read thetitle of your podcast and see a
photo of you or you knowsomething that represents what
your podcast is about.
So try and make it as clear aspossible.
A lot of those cover arts canbe quite busy, and you don't
need it to be busy.
(17:05):
You need it to be clean andsimple.
Choose colours to go with yourbrand and away you go, so that
can cost you nothing.
So where we've looked at that,the essentials you need, really,
we are starting, at least forthe first 90 days, for nothing.
Buzzsprout is $12 a month atits lowest option after that,
(17:27):
and that gives you three hours amonth so you can make your
podcast episodes a little bitlonger after three months and
you get three hours a month onthat tier of $12 a month.
So $12 a month from month three.
But other than that, you'relooking at under £100 to get you
started, and that's if you wantto start with a microphone.
(17:47):
You might decide that actually,for the first couple of months,
while you're working outwhether this is right for you or
not, you're just going to useyour headphones with a
microphone attached, yeah, sothose are your options there.
So what don't you need to bespending money on when it comes
to podcasting?
Well, the first thing you donot need is you do not need a
(18:08):
soundproof room.
Okay, so I've spoken about thisbefore.
We do not need a music studioto get started with podcasting
If you've got the space and youwant to do it absolutely.
But again I would say, giveyourself that three months to
see whether it's somethingyou're enjoying.
So maybe you've got an airingcupboard that you just use as
(18:29):
storage.
It's not really used as anairing cupboard.
I don't know about you, but myairing cupboard used to have the
water tank in and a lot ofhouses don't have water tanks
now.
So it was the water tank andthe water in there that was hot,
that used to warm the airingcupboard and keep the towels
nice and warm.
It doesn't really happen somuch anymore.
My airing cupboard I say inquotation marks is just a
(18:53):
cupboard on top of the stairs.
I can't use my cupboard on topof the stairs as a sound booth
because it is built into theslant of the ceiling that goes
up in the stairs so there's noflat bottom to it so I can't
stand in there or anything.
So I can't use that.
But maybe you have one that isat the top of your stairs.
(19:15):
That is just a cupboard thatyou could stand in.
If it was emptied of shelvesand rubbish and goodness knows
what, that would make a greatlittle sound studio.
But you know it's got to fit inwith what you've got going on.
You can't just get rid of allof your linens and say, well, I
need a soundproof studio, soI've got to put foam all over
this cupboard and then where areyour towels going to go.
(19:38):
So only do that if you have gotthe space to do it.
You don't need a very big space.
Like I said, that kind ofairing cupboard size is perfect.
You'd stand up and do yourpodcasts.
Perfect.
You'd stand up and do yourpodcasts, put in a little shelf
that you can put your laptop onand have your microphone on, and
away you go.
You would probably need a lightin there, especially if you're
(20:00):
going to do interviews.
But I would say the thing is,especially if you're doing guest
episodes, is your guests aren'tgoing to have a sound studio,
they're not going to have asoundproof booth, they're not
going to have that set up andtherefore if you are in your
booth whilst you're recordingwith them, it's going to be very
jarring the difference betweenyou and them.
So I would always try to matchmy guests sound as closely as
(20:24):
possible, although I still willbring in some things, because I
just can't bear the echo that Iget from a lot of guests.
So I'm just like I am going todo the bare minimum to give me
good sound, which is going to benot as good as my normal sound,
but it's still going to bebetter than my guest sound,
because they usually don't havethe setup that I have, which is
(20:47):
fine.
But I would be aware that thatwill be even a bigger difference
if you have got a soundproofroom so you do not need to have
a soundproof room cushions fromthe back of your sofa and when I
say the back of your sofa Imean if you've got a sofa that
is literally you can remove theback cushions, like the back of
(21:09):
the sofa comes away.
So I have one that's got aboutnine massive cushions that sit
on the back of my L-shaped sofaand I can remove them all.
So I bring in two of those, oneeither side, so you can either
go and get two cushions that arethat big if you don't have them
, or you can just bring insmaller cushions but more of
(21:31):
them.
I tend to layer them up aroundmy computer so that I kind of
create a little booth for myselfwhen I have guests, I just
usually have one and have mymicrophone facing it so that the
sound that I'm speaking goesinto the cushion and that
absorbs the sound, and that willhelp provide you with better
sound quality.
So that's what you can do forfree.
(21:54):
You don't need expensive editingsoftware so you can pay people
to edit your podcast.
You're looking at around£75-ish per episode for an
editor.
There will be people out therecheaper than that.
There are people out there moreexpensive, but you're looking
at roughly that, so you don'tneed to do that.
You can edit it yourself.
(22:16):
You don't have to use expensiveediting software.
Audacity is free and you canuse that to edit Paid ads for
growth.
So you do not need to bespending money on ads,
especially in the beginning.
Now you can obviously run lowcost ads to your podcast as a
(22:36):
way of increasing yourvisibility.
It makes for a great visibilityadvert, but you don't need to
start with that.
So, networking, getting guestson your show to reshare,
repurposing your podcast on yoursocial media platforms these
are all ways to organically growyour podcast.
And, of course, making surethat your SEO is spot on from
(22:57):
the beginning that is reallygoing to help your podcast to
land with the people that youwant it to land with.
So that is a great way of doingit as well.
So don't go wasting money onthings that you don't need.
I know there are people outthere that want all the fancy
things, want the studio, wantthe microphone set up, you know,
(23:18):
want all of the expensiveheadphones, the little boxes
that do all the fancy stuff andthey want all of that jazz and
they spend so much time gettingthat organized before they get
started and then when they start, they realize that they don't
actually like doing it.
So I don't want you to wasteany money.
Start with what you've got, andthat brings us on to smart ways
(23:41):
to keep costs low.
So start with what you've got.
Use an existing microphone oruse your headphones that have a
microphone.
Leverage those free tools.
So there are scheduling toolsthat you can use for your social
media promotion.
You can schedule in Buzzsprout.
You get the 30 days free withBuzzsprout.
(24:03):
Leverage what you can for free,especially in the beginning.
You can also look at swappingservices or collaborating to
save money.
So if editing is something thatyou really don't want to do,
maybe you can get a trade withsomebody who will edit your
podcast for you in exchange forbeing the series one sponsor of
(24:28):
your podcast.
So you will mention them onevery episode of the podcast and
they will edit your podcast forfree for however many episodes.
There are ways to do that Batchrecord as well, because that
saves you time and unnecessaryexpense.
So oftentimes when we areelongating the process by doing
(24:51):
it bit by bit, that is taking upmore time than if we just sat
down and did it all in one goand that is taking time away
from the money making activitiesthat you could be doing.
Six episodes over six weeks andit takes me three hours per
(25:12):
episode.
That's going to take howeverlong.
That is three times six, 18, 18hours.
But if I sat down and I did allmy recording together in one
session, it wouldn't take me the.
I'm going to cut it into three.
So if it's three hours to do anepisode, it's going to take me
one hour to if it.
If it's three hour, three hoursto do an episode, it's going to
(25:33):
take me one hour to record, onehour to edit, one hour to
schedule.
I'm just giving you a roundednumber two so it's easy to work
with.
But if it takes me an hour torecord.
That's me setting up, gettingmyself ready, getting the script
up, recording and then, youknow, taking everything back,
(25:53):
putting it on the sofa, packingaway my microphone, all of that.
If I don't have to do thatbeginning and end bit more than
once, then I could do sixepisodes and I'll probably save
myself an hour in that, becauseit's going to take me five, six
minutes to set up at thebeginning, five, six minutes to
take it down at the end.
It rounding it up sort of 15minutes in total with going
(26:16):
through um, gmail, my googledocs to find the scripts for
them all and everything.
If I've got all of that set upin one hit at the beginning and
then I bash through six episodesand then I close it down at the
end, that is going to save metime instead of setting up and
taking down six times Again withthe editing.
If I'm sitting there and I'mbatching my editing and I'm just
(26:38):
going through and I just editall the episodes, then I go in
and add the beginning and end toeach of them.
That is going to be quickerthan me opening up a single doc,
editing that doc, putting thebeginning on, putting the end on
exporting it.
I'm going to save some time bydoing all of the editing first,
then going in and quickly addingthe beginning and end to them.
(27:02):
So things like that really aregoing to save you time, and your
time is money.
So if you can save yourself,you know, three hours of
podcasting time by batching sixepisodes instead of doing them
individually, then you'll beable to take that three hours,
and that's three hours you canspend with a client.
That's going to be money inyour pocket, so really important
(27:24):
to think about how yourprocesses work with your podcast
as well.
So I hope that has given you agood idea of how you can start a
podcast for little to no money.
It really is one of thosethings that it doesn't have to
be a huge expense.
My ongoing costs for my podcastare my hosting, and I do pay for
the AI add-on to that justbecause it saves me time.
(27:47):
If I didn't pay for it, I coulduse ChatGPT to do what the AI
within Buzzsprout does, and thatwould be for free.
However, I would have to do abit of cutting and pasting for
that, so I don't want to do that.
So there are your options.
You don't need a fancymicrophone to get started.
(28:09):
You don't need fancy headphonesto get started.
You do not need a soundproofbooth to get you started.
Start with what you've got andgrow from there.
Okay, so that is it for thisweek's episode.
I hope that has helped you.
If you've got any questions,please do reach out to me.
You can find me on LinkedInunder Donna Eade.
(28:31):
That is where I spend most ofmy time these days.
You can dm me on instagram andI should be able to pick it up.
I don't spend a lot of timeover there anymore, but that is
you know where you can find meto ask questions.
I also have a facebook groupcalled start a podcast uk with
Donna Eade.
You can come and find me overthere and ask questions and find
(28:54):
out more from other podcasters.
And yeah, that's it.
So we will be meeting in personon the 3rd of April.
Do come to my event.
I would love to say hello andthank you for listening in
person.
It's DonnaEadecom forward slashbirthday event and next week I
have holly scott she is aninterior designer coming in to
(29:18):
talk about how we can design ourspaces for better productivity.
So come and join me for thatone.
That's going to be episode 299.
Guys, you know what that means,don't you?
So I'm really excited for allof what is to come, with us
hitting 300 episodes, with ushitting a fifth birthday on the
(29:38):
podcast, and that is why it's soimportant to celebrate with
this birthday event.
All the links are going to bein the show notes, and all the
links are also on the blog postas well.
If you can't find the shownotes, go down to the bottom of
the blog post.
They will all be there as well,and I will see you next week
with Holly Bye.
(30:06):
For now.
Popular Podcasts
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy And Charlamagne Tha God!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Decisions, Decisions
Welcome to "Decisions, Decisions," the podcast where boundaries are pushed, and conversations get candid! Join your favorite hosts, Mandii B and WeezyWTF, as they dive deep into the world of non-traditional relationships and explore the often-taboo topics surrounding dating, sex, and love. Every Monday, Mandii and Weezy invite you to unlearn the outdated narratives dictated by traditional patriarchal norms. With a blend of humor, vulnerability, and authenticity, they share their personal journeys navigating their 30s, tackling the complexities of modern relationships, and engaging in thought-provoking discussions that challenge societal expectations. From groundbreaking interviews with diverse guests to relatable stories that resonate with your experiences, "Decisions, Decisions" is your go-to source for open dialogue about what it truly means to love and connect in today's world. Get ready to reshape your understanding of relationships and embrace the freedom of authentic connections—tune in and join the conversation!