Welcome to 2026! In this episode, we're kicking the year off by diving into the nitty-gritty of launching your podcast in 2026 with the first five burning questions that’ll set you on the right path.
We're all about keeping it real, so I’ll share how I podcast on the cheap without sacrificing quality. Plus, we’ll chat about how long your episodes should be, whether you need video (hint: you totally don’t), and how often to hit that record button without turning your creative vibes into a stress fest.
In this episode, we will answer the following questions:
Do you Need Expensive Equipment to Start a Podcast?
You definitely don't need to break the bank on fancy gear to start podcasting; a decent USB mic and headphones will do!
Finding the perfect podcast episode length is all about what works for you and your audience; there's no one-size-fits-all answer.
Video isn't a must for podcasts; if you want to keep it audio-only, embrace that freedom and do what feels right!
Consistency in posting is key, but it should fit your life—don't force yourself into a schedule that stresses you out.
Social media can be helpful but it's not mandatory; focus on platforms you enjoy instead of spreading yourself too thin.
SEO is your best friend for growing your podcast; invest time in optimizing your content to attract more listeners.
Transcripts
Speaker A:
Hello there and welcome back to another episode of Podcast with myself, Verity.
Speaker A:
s about starting a podcast in:
Speaker A:
In this episode I'm going to cover five questions and in the next episode I'm going to cover another five questions for starting your podcast.
Speaker A:
So if you are not already subscribed or following the show on whichever podcast platform you are listening in on at the moment, make sure that you do hit, follow or subscribe so that you are ready for when the next part of this episode drops.
Speaker A:
So let's just dive straight in with the first five questions for this episode.
Speaker A:
How to start your podcast in:
Speaker A:
Simple answers, no fluff.
Speaker A:
Let's go.
Speaker A:
Question number one do you need expensive equipment?
Speaker A:
Absolutely not.
Speaker A:
I podcast very, very cheaply.
Speaker A:
I have done a podcast episode previously.
Speaker A:
As to the total costs of my podcast, if curious, you can go Back to episode 103 where I talk about how I cut my podcasting costs by 65% and how I podcast on the cheap effectively.
Speaker A:
But no, you do not need expensive equipment to start or run a podcast.
Speaker A:
I have got a blue YETI microphone which I know some people absolutely hate.
Speaker A:
I have been podcasting on this microphone for over four years now and I do not feel the need to upgrade.
Speaker A:
You need a decent USB mic, you need some headphones which can be cheap as chips and you need a decent laptop or a phone as anything that you can record onto basically and edit.
Speaker A:
That's enough to get you started.
Speaker A:
What matters is an absolute studio polish.
Speaker A:
It's clarity, it's consistency and having an amazing message.
Speaker A:
You do not need to buy any expensive equipment to get started.
Speaker A:
should podcast episodes be in:
Speaker A:
And this is a great question.
Speaker A:
In episode 12 of this podcast we covered the ideal podcast episode length and if you would like to go back to that, I'll have that linked down in the show notes below.
Speaker A:
But to summarize that entire episode, there is no must length or there's no ideal length.
Speaker A:
It is whatever fits your particular show, you as a podcast host and also what your audience wants or needs from your show.
Speaker A:
So there's going to be some podcasts where five minute episodes are ideal, some 30 to 40 minutes episodes are going to be perfect and others where they're going to go for nearly two hours and that is also perfect.
Speaker A:
It is completely up to you.
Speaker A:
It's also about what's sustainable for you and what you enjoy.
Speaker A:
Question 3 Do you need video?
Speaker A:
Oh, this is so contentious.
Speaker A:
Do you need to have video with your podcast?
Speaker A:
with your podcast going into:
Speaker A:
And I would say, no, you don't.
Speaker A:
If you want to use video, go for it.
Speaker A:
If you don't want to use video for whatever reason, you do not have to.
Speaker A:
We know that video helps if your podcast is being published on platforms such as YouTube.
Speaker A:
It's great to have visual clips when you're promoting your podcast on social media channels or certain social media channels.
Speaker A:
But if you don't want to do video, don't stress yourself doing video if you're not interested in that.
Speaker A:
If you want to do video, great, go for it.
Speaker A:
If you don't, use this as your permission to keep your podcast audio only hint, that's what I do the most of the time.
Speaker A:
Question number four, how often should you produce podcast episodes?
Speaker A:
And the answer to this I would say as often as you realistically can maintain.
Speaker A:
So if you want to do a daily show, go for it.
Speaker A:
If that is sustainable to you.
Speaker A:
If that puts the fear of God in you and you think, I can't produce more than one episode every two weeks, go for that as well.
Speaker A:
Maybe you want to try things out.
Speaker A:
Maybe you want to try out doing an episode a week or an episode every two weeks and then gradually build up to doing more episodes per month or doing a regular episode, maybe with a few bonus episodes in the month.
Speaker A:
It's completely up to you.
Speaker A:
But a few episodes ago, I was talking about how you can end up in a creative slump with podcasting and also talking about how people can get to the point where they're just taking their podcast way too seriously.
Speaker A:
And for me, a lot of the reasons why people either take their podcast way too seriously or they end up in these creative slumps is because of their posting schedule and this schedule that they get into their minds of.
Speaker A:
I have to be posting every week or every fortnight or every day or whatever that looks like.
Speaker A:
Don't force a schedule if it's not working for you, because you need to have that consistency.
Speaker A:
True, but consistency could be every two weeks.
Speaker A:
It could be once a month.
Speaker A:
As long as you're in enjoying what you do, that's going to show more through your content.
Speaker A:
Because nobody wants to sit and listen to a podcast where the host just sounds forced and the content is clearly not enjoyable to make.
Speaker A:
Question number five, do I need social media to grow?
Speaker A:
I would say, not necessarily.
Speaker A:
I put a huge focus on this podcast for SEO, which is search engine optimization.
Speaker A:
If you haven't come across the term SEO before, I put a huge amount of effort into SEO for the podcast.
Speaker A:
So much so that chat GPT I found out actually recommend certain episodes of Lazy Girls Guide to Podcasting when people are asking for certain podcasting tips, which is really interesting.
Speaker A:
And we're actually going to cover that in a few episodes time or a couple of episodes time.
Speaker A:
I can't remember exactly where in my schedule we're going to.
Speaker A:
We're going to cover that, but we will be covering that at some point.
Speaker A:
So I would say if social media or certain platforms on social media completely drain you, don't force it.
Speaker A:
You could have a blog, you could have an SEO strategy, you could use word of mouth.
Speaker A:
Depending on your podcast, it might be that you promote to community spaces where you are physically present.
Speaker A:
It might be that you promote in newsletters.
Speaker A:
What I would say is don't spread yourself too thin and make sure that the platforms, if you do choose to use social media, the platforms that you choose, you enjoy showing up on.
Speaker A:
So I'll give you the example that back when I first started this show, I was promoting it quite heavily on TikTok and I just wasn't really enjoying that.
Speaker A:
And and in episode 63 of this podcast I was actually really real and reflected on why I was stopping promoting the podcast on TikTok and a lot of it was because I just wasn't enjoying it anymore.
Speaker A:
If you want to listen to that episode, I will have it linked down in the show notes.
Speaker A:
But I would say find the channel or the ways of promoting your podcast that you enjoy and build from that and grow from that.
Speaker A:
And don't get stuck in the idea that having your show promoted on five different channels is better than having it on just one social media channel.
Speaker A:
Because it's better, in my opinion, to really concentrate on where your audience is and the social media channel or channels that you enjoy promoting on versus trying to spread yourself really, really thin and then just putting out mediocre content which isn't really gaining your podcast any traction whatsoever.
Speaker A:
s about starting a podcast in:
Speaker A:
I hope you have found this helpful.
Speaker A:
s about starting a podcast in:
Speaker A:
