Start my podcast
You have a subject you care about, maybe already a name. You looked at microphones for two hours. Still no episode.
The gear before the episode
The mic, the software, the jingle, the cover, the name, the platform. Every choice feels final, so you compare them all, and episode one waits behind. It waits a long time.
There's also the voice: hearing yourself, not liking it, starting over. The first episode of almost every podcast is bad, and almost nobody listened to it. That's good news.
You need a subject and three ideas. Record with whatever you have at hand, and the rest improves from one episode to the next.
An example of the path
Here's what this project can look like once it's broken down. Yours starts from your answers, beginning with what you already have and what's holding you back. It will come out different, and that's on purpose.
- Milestone 1
Decide the subject and format
- Write the first episode's topic in one sentence, and the three things I'll sayDone
- Pick a length and a frequency I can keep for six months, not six weeks
- Write in one sentence who I'm talking to, and what they leave with
- Listen to two similar podcasts, and note what I'd do differently
- Milestone 2
Record a simple first episode
With the gear I have, and a five-line outline. One take, almost no editing.
≈ 5 steps planned, detailed when you get there - Milestone 3
Publish
A host and a clear title. Live before perfect.
≈ 6 steps planned, detailed when you get there - Milestone 4
Keep it up for five episodes
The chosen rhythm, without skipping. At five, you know whether you'll continue, and you've found your voice.
≈ 7 steps planned, detailed when you get there - Milestone 5
Get it known
Share it where the people I talk to are, and invite someone.
≈ 5 steps planned, detailed when you get there
Your first step, tonight
Write the first episode's topic in one sentence, and the three things I'll say
Fifteen minutes, and you have the outline of episode one. The mic can wait until tomorrow.
How the path adapts to you
You say all of this in the opening questions, and you can change it later.
- Already recorded something? Put it under "What you already have": the second milestone shrinks to match.
- Want guests? Say so at the start: the plan makes room to find and prepare them.
- Short on time? The pace you pick at the start sets how big the steps are and when they're due.
Your project has waited long enough.
Name your goal. It starts here.
In a few minutes, you'll know exactly where to start. The first step takes less time than thinking about it again.
Start this project