It seems like everyone is creating content these days, but is all content created equal?
There are so many different types of content - audio, video, live-streaming, blog, vlogs, etc.- that is can be confusing to know exactly what a podcast is and why it's different than all the other channels.
Podcasts are defined by their unique RSS feeds. In order for a show to be a true podcast, an RSS feed must be present.
Uploading videos to YouTube does not require an RSS feed.
Livestreaming does not involve an RSS feed, so it is not a podcast.
Don't get me wrong, videos uploaded to YouTube can be repurposed into a podcast, just as videos uploaded as livestream sessions can.
A podcast that has an RSS feed can be either video or audio, but most commonly, they are audio podcasts.
Creating an RSS feed has gotten a lot easier over the last 10 years. Now, we simply set up an account with a podcast hosting company and they create the RSS feed that is compliant with all distribution platforms, and they host those chunky audio files.
Then you distribute that feed by submitting it to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, and tons of other places.
Each time you publish a show, your RSS feed is then updated across all platforms.
You can expect to pay around $20 a month for your podcast hosting service.
We recommend Captivate.FM for podcast hosting. You can get a free trial of the service here.
You can gain a worldwide audience for your show by distributing it across all of the main podcasting destinations.
If you are wanting to develop an online audience around your products or services, you can easily set it up so that your podcast can build an online platform to begin generating revenue online.
Besides a podcast host, you just need a little bit of hardware to begin a podcast.
USB mics have come a long way and some of the best mics are:
Shure MV7 - $249
Rode PodMic - $99
ATR 2100X - $99
If you are recording more than one person on a computer, you can't connect to USB or USB-C mics to one computer, no matter how many USB ports you have. So you will need an audio interface to make this type of recording happen.
We recommend this interface:
Scarlett Focusrite 4i4 - $229
