How to Start a Podcast for Free in 2024? Simple Guide for Aspiring Podcasters

Starting a podcast for free in 2024 is the easiest is has ever been and you can get started by following some simple steps:

1. Smartphones and Desktops can be a good solution for microphone and camera. Headphones often also have a microphone and are good for monitoring your voice;
2. Record video and audio for free with OBS and edit using DaVinci Resolve’s version or Spotify for Podcasters and CapCut if you're using a smartphone;
3. Upload to hosting platforms such as Spotify for Podcasters, Podbean or Buzzsprout;
4. Use Framedrop to automatically create YouTube Shorts, TikToks and Instagram Reels of your podcasts’ highlights with AI;
5. Go viral!

Best Equipment:

As it has been mentioned, you can use your everyday tools to create podcasts. With a little creativity these tools can go a long way and get your podcast on the same level as the big names.

Smartphone

Any modern-ish smartphone can be perfect for your podcast needs. Most have good quality cameras and microphones and can be a great tool for someone starting a podcast. There are also a ton of apps that offer extra processing settings as well as allow you to record and edit the podcast.

Desktop or Laptop

You can record and edit on a desktop or laptop. The advantage of laptops is that most have a camera and microphone built-in. Also, due to being portable, you can easily take your laptop to a room better suited for podcasting.

Headphones

Headphones can be a great monitoring device, allowing you to listen to how your voice sounds and letting you modulate it as you go. More transparent headphones are usually ideal for this since they will translate better to a bigger number of speakers but when starting any headphone should serve you well. Additionally, many modern microphones, especially Bluetooth ones, include a microphone. Also, if you’re a gamer chances are you own a headset which would serve the same purpose.

Synergies Between Equipments

By pairing different equipment together you can have a really versatile set of tools. For example, by using both a smartphone and a laptop you can have 2 camera angles. You can also mix two microphone audio tracks separately letting you balance their volume better. All of these options will allow you to increase the quality of your podcast and show that not spending money is not an impeding factor in starting a podcast.

Software

You will need recording software. On a computer, Open Broadcaster Software (or OBS), a free and open source software popular due to live streaming, will allow you to record and/or livestream your podcast. It has a ton of features that facilitate audio mixing, built-in options for sound processing (like EQ, effects, suppression filters and more which help improve the final sound quality of your podcast) and a very flexible scene system. This system lets users choose the layout of their on-screen elements as well as add text, images, overlays and even dynamic elements.

For editing you can’t go wrong with DaVinci Resolve’s free version. It includes editing, audio post-production and even professional grade color grading. It is a great tool even for more complicated edits and it has everything you need to get your podcast going.

If you’re recording with your phone I recommend you use Spotify for Podcasters (formerly known as Anchor) which is available for both iOS and Android. Spotify for Podcasters will allow you to not only record your podcast but also share it to the biggest listening platforms, for free.

Acoustic Treatment

Treating a room so that it has the ideal acoustic characteristics can be a whole post in itself. There are a lot of different options made of different materials that serve various purposes and, as you’ve probably guessed by now, treating a room can be very expensive.

Lucky for us, we’re going for $0. That means we have to be creative. Foam is often the choice for absorbing the biggest issue most rooms have - flutter echo. With this in mind, home decoration products like couches, blankets, curtains and pillows can be great attenuators of these high frequencies. Mattresses can also be very good for this purpose but unless you are recording in your bedroom or have a spare one, it becomes trickier. Shelves with books are also a frequently chosen option and lastly, a clothing filled wardrobe can also be a great way to treat a room.

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Lower frequencies are quite a bit more difficult to control but for podcasts the above mentioned solutions should suffice due to the average voice sitting around the midrange frequencies.

Alone vs Other People

As you know, there are all kinds of podcasts. Some podcasts have multiple guests, some never do but are in groups and some are just monologues. Knowing how your podcast is going to be is important when setting up your space and equipment. On one side, having a solo podcast will allow you to start with less equipment and will also give you more freedom to record whenever possible. On the other side, having a podcast with 1 other person (or more) can be easier and require less preparation since conversations flow more naturally. Having more than one person run a podcast also means more than one smartphone or laptop so, more options for quality content.

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Lastly, it is important to know if you can have guests on. Just like having a co-host, guests require extra equipment. Guests however can’t be expected to contribute equipment wise so assess if you have the necessary tools and space to have them on and decide accordingly.

Recorded My First Episode. What now?

Congratulations! Now that you have recorded your very first episode you want to upload it to a podcast hosting platform. Some known ones are:

• Spotify for Podcasters (as previously mentioned)
• Podbean
• Buzzsprout
• Acast
• Captivate
• Libsyn
• Hello Audio
• Castos
• Transistor
• Megaphone

Paid options allow you to post unlimited podcasts and monetize them. That being said, and staying within the theme of this article, most platforms offer enough features for a starting podcast for free.

Growing Your Audience

Uploading your podcast is not the end of the process. In order to grow your audience one must share and market it in as many ways as possible. These can also be done for free.

Get To Know Your Audience

This is important, no matter the branch of entertainment you’re on. Learning your audience means you’ll be able to effectively tap into what interests them. It also means you can operate your podcast better with targeted guests, topics, social media platforms and upload at specific days of the week and time of day.

Have Interesting Guests On

Everyone likes a cool personality. Invite people that you and your audience find interesting and let your audience be part of the conversation by asking your guest some community-chosen questions. The more your channel grows the more likely it is prominent figures in your niche will be featured in your podcast. Interviewing guests with established audiences is one of the main growth methods in podcasting.

Social Media

Social Media is one of the strongest tools when it comes to obtaining traffic and engagement nowadays. It is worth sharing it on platforms such as Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to get an initial boost. Also look into sharing it among podcast circles (such as podcast specific subreddits) and do the same for circles of your podcast’s genre.

Repurpose Your Content

Your podcast’s highlights are going to be its best advertisement. You’ve probably seen it. Snippets of big podcasts on TikTok with subtitles added to them. A lot of podcasts post 5-10 TikToks of their latest podcast as promotional material. These moments show the podcast to audiences that would never get exposed to it otherwise and who knows, you might just win them over. To learn more about this topic we’ve made a post on how many YouTube Shorts you should be posting daily to grow your audience.

AI Highlights in Shorts/TikToks/Reels with Framedrop

Running a podcast can be tedious enough with all its preparation, recording, editing and managing. Framedrop is an AI-powered tool that automatically finds the best moments in podcasts (and all talking content in general) and lets users briefly edit and directly post them on all the main platforms. Turn your podcast highlights into TikToks, YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels super fast and save your time focusing on what really matters.

The best part? Yup, it stays within topic as Framedrop has a free plan, go give it a try!