Thinking of Starting Your Own Photography Podcast? Here’s How to Begin!

There’s no denying that the humble podcast has become big business, with millions of people tuning into them each and every day.

It doesn’t matter what you want to listen to – if you can think of a topic, chances are there’s a podcast (or a whole series of them) dedicated to that subject.

While the success of the podcast might seem a little overwhelming, it also presents a brilliant business opportunity. If this is a niche that really interests you, why not start your own photography podcast?

The benefits it could have on your lifestyle and business are immense. Not only can it spread the word about your photography, establish yourself as an authority in the industry, and potentially make you money, but it also gives you an opportunity to talk about what you love while offering others with your awesome content. Win-win!

Interested? Keep reading to find out where to begin when starting your own photography podcast!

Where to Begin

Ok, so let’s say you’re really serious about getting your very own photography podcast off the ground and running. You’ve probably got a million ideas swimming around in your mind, or perhaps you’re the opposite, and completely draw a blank about how and where to start.

The very beginning of this process involves you sitting down with a pen and some paper (or your computer and a new Google doc – whatever works best for you!) and brainstorming as much as you can.

You know your podcast will be about photography, but what specific niches, topics, or areas of photography? Narrow this down as much as possible and think about how your podcast can stand out from the sea of other similar podcasts. What can you do differently and how? Where does your passion and expertise lie?

Thinking about your target audience can also help you to narrow these ideas down. Who is your ideal listener? What problems do they want solutions to? How can your podcast help them? Do you want to educate, entertain, or inspire them? A good podcast will probably aim to do all three!

Brainstorm Content

Now that you’ve narrowed down your niche or specific area of photography that you will talk about (as well as who your ideal listener is), you’ll want to continue brainstorming to think of some fun topics or segments you can include in your podcast.

Operating a podcast is very similar to running a blog – you can’t really hit the ground running without some sort of a content plan or outline. For example, will you interview someone in the industry for a particular segment, or will you talk about a certain topic on a specific day of the week?

Try and plan your podcast episodes and what they will contain for at least the first few weeks, so you know what you’re working on and for when.

Keep It Regular

Speaking of episodes, you’ll want to be releasing a new one regularly and sticking to a schedule. Releasing a podcast episode sparingly and whenever you feel like it (i.e. two in a week, then you go a month without releasing any) will have readers forgetting about you pretty quickly.

If you pick a day, or a few days, every week (or even if you release fortnightly) but commit to them, then listeners will know when to expect your next episode. They’ll constantly be reminded of your awesome podcast and it creates anticipation when they know when to tune in next.

Here’s some advice from Pat Flynn, the host of the insanely-popular Smart Passive Income podcast: “There is one thing you must do before you start podcasting: Commit. You must internally commit to podcasting, as you must do with anything that is potentially beneficial but takes some time and effort to do.”

So if you say you’ll release a new episode every Monday, it’s best to stick with it!

Invest in Equipment

Recording your own podcast does require certain equipment, but thankfully, it needn’t be expensive to buy. To get started, you’ll need the following:

• A high-quality desktop microphone, either USB or analogue (XLR)
• A portable XLR Recorder and Audio Interface (only if you opt for an analogue microphone – USB microphones are a more popular alternative, however)
• A computer or laptop with USB ports
• Audio Editing Software, such as Audacity, which is both a popular and free option for podcasters
• Pop Filters (not necessary, but can be helpful if you want your audio to sound even clearer)

Recording, Editing, and Uploading Your Podcast

Although this process takes the most time and effort, the good news is that there are plenty of tutorials online to help you master it from the get-go. A whole book could be written about this topic, so rather than delving into it all here, we’ll direct you to some of our favourite resources to get you started in no time.

Please note that this process also depends on what recording software you choose to use. A quick Google search should give you the answers you need though!

• Lifehacker’s article about how to set-up and record on Audacity
• Income School’s YouTube video – Podcasting 101: From Setup to Publish in 10 mins
• Podcast Motor’s ‘Podcasting on the Go: How to Record a Podcast on your Mobile Device’
• Fire Nation’s ‘The Podcast Workflow’

There you have it – our mini-guide on where to begin if you’re thinking of starting your own photography podcast! We hope this has helped you to get your podcast idea off the ground and wish you the best of luck with this exciting venture!