How to start a podcast: a step-by-step guide for SMEs

Despite first being coined in the early 2000s, podcasts have taken off significantly in recent times, with 69% of the UK population listening to a podcast in 2025.

For those starting a business, a podcast has become a powerful marketing tool for many business owners and entrepreneurs out there, as it’s a popular way for brands to create deeper connections with their audience and boost their online presence.

But starting a successful podcast isn’t as simple as hitting “record”. In this article, we’ll guide you through the key steps of starting a podcast – from defining your concept and target audience and choosing the right format, to promoting and marketing your podcast effectively.

Why should your business start a podcast?

Podcasts can be effective for your business because they can help increase brand awareness, connect with your target audience, and help drive traffic generation and conversion.

According to statistics by Saspod, over 2,300 UK businesses have a podcast as of March 2025. Moreover, businesses with podcasts have reported an 89% increase in brand awareness and 25% brand favourability.

The pros and cons of starting a podcast

With how popular podcasts have become, it’s no surprise that businesses have seen positive results from hosting them.

However, there are some downsides you should be aware of as well. Here’s a quick breakdown of the advantages and disadvantages of starting a business podcast.

8 steps to starting a business podcast

Creating a podcast is just the start. To make it successful, you’ll need the right presentation, tools, and promotion. Here’s how to bring it all together, step by step.

1. Think about your concept and format

First, you’ll need to decide on your podcast’s concept.

To do this, you need to think about why you want to start a podcast, who you want to reach, and what value you’ll bring to them. You should consider:

• Your goals: Are you looking to build brand awareness, share expertise, generate leads, or simply connect with your audience?
• Your target audience: Who are your ideal listeners? This could be industry peers, potential customers, fellow entrepreneurs, or a wider business crowd.
• Your value: What problems can you help solve, or what insights can you offer that people can’t easily get elsewhere?

From there, you’ll need to decide on your podcast’s format. This is the structure your episodes will follow, and it plays a big role in how listeners experience your show. A few popular formats include:

• Interview-based: Bringing on guests (e.g. industry experts, founders, customers) and guiding the conversation.
• Solo/monologue: Just you sharing insights, tips, or stories.
• Co-hosted: A casual back-and-forth conversation with someone else (e.g. a business partner) to add personality.
• Panel/discussion: Multiple people debating or unpacking a topic.
• News recap: A summary/breakdown of the latest industry updates, news, or trends for your audience.
• Narrative/storytelling: Scripted stories, case studies, or a documentary-style production.

2. Decide on a name

Choosing a name for your podcast is just as important as deciding on your business name, as it’s the first impression listeners will have of your brand.

But just like naming your business, this part is notoriously tricky, so we’ve listed some tips to help you out:

• Keep it short and memorable: Aim for 2-5 words if possible. Long titles are harder to recall and awkward in conversation.
• Include keywords (if natural): For example, if your podcast is about startups, leadership, or finance, weaving in those words can help boost search engine optimisation (SEO).
• Show your personality: Is your tone formal, fun, quirky, or authoritative? Whatever your brand personality, the name should match it.
• Check availability: Make sure the name isn’t already taken on podcast platforms, and grab the domain name and social handle before anyone else does.
• Think long-term: Avoid names tied to trends or niches that won’t age well (e.g. “2024 Startup News”).
• Brainstorm ideas: Write down every idea (even silly or unconventional ones). Sometimes, the best names come from combining or tweaking multiple ideas.

3. Set up your equipment and software

Once you’ve got your concept, name and format figured out, you’ll need to invest in recording equipment and decide on editing software. This can be costly, so it’s important to budget for what you can afford.

To help you out, we’ve shared some affordable recording equipment in the tables below.

Microphones

Audio interfaces (for better quality and multiple microphones)

Other essential accessories

But if you’re really strapped for cash, there is plenty of free audio editing software that lets you record, edit, and export your episodes without needing expensive equipment. These include Audacity, GarageBand, Cakewalk, and Waveform Free.

4. Plan your content strategy

A content strategy is important in many areas of marketing because it keeps your messaging on track and your efforts focused on your business goals.

This is also the case with your podcast, as having a plan for topics, guests, episode structure, and promotion makes it easier to stay organised, consistent, and actually give your listeners something useful.

Without a plan, episodes can end up feeling random or disorganised. Here’s how you should go about it:

• Plan your main topics: Write down 5-10 core themes your podcast will cover. These should tie back to your goals and audience interests.
• Create an episode calendar: Even a rough schedule helps you stay consistent. You don’t need to plan months in advance – a few weeks is enough to start.
• Repurpose your content: Think about how you can turn each episode into blog posts, social media clips, or quotes for your LinkedIn page.
• Track and adjust: Keep an eye on downloads, listener feedback, and engagement. Use what you learn to tweak topics, formats, or style.

5. Record and edit your first episode

Now that you’ve got everything you need to start, it’s time to record your first episode. This part can be daunting, and you’ll likely make a couple of mistakes before you get in the flow. Don’t worry about perfection – you can always edit and improve future episodes.

But to get the best possible outcome from your first episode, you should consider the following:

• Find a good place to record: This should be somewhere quiet, with minimal background noise and echo. Furnishings like carpets, curtains, and cushions help absorb sound, and closing windows can cut out distractions.
• Check that everything is working: Make sure your microphone is connected properly, your recording software is set up, and levels aren’t too high or too low.
• Conduct a sound check: Do a quick test recording to listen for background noise, echo, or distortion to ensure that your first episode sounds as good as possible.

Once your recording is complete, you’ll need to edit it and put your episode together. Here are a few practical tips to help you get started:

• Cut out mistakes and dead air: Remove long pauses, “ums”, stumbles, or repeated words.
• Balance your audio: Make sure voices are at a consistent volume and background music and effects aren’t overpowering.
• Use noise reduction: Tools like Audacity, GarageBand, or paid software can help reduce background noise.
• Add intro/outro music and transitions: A short music clip or sound effect can make your podcast feel more polished and professional.
• Keep it natural: Don’t over-edit your episode – you want it to sound clear and smooth, but still like a real conversation.
• Export in the right format: MP3 is standard for podcasts. Make sure the file size isn’t too large (around 128-192kbps), but that the sound quality isn’t compromised.
• Double-check your final file: Listen all the way through before publishing to catch anything you missed.

6. Design your cover art

Cover art is a crucial component of a podcast, as it’s the first thing your listeners will see on social media or your chosen hosting platform. After all, 62% of people are more likely to listen to a podcast if they like the cover art.

To come up with an effective cover art design, you should:

• Choose the right sizing: Ideally, it should be 3000 x 3000 pixels, 72 dpi resolution, a JPG or PNG file type, and have an RGB colour space.
• Don’t use too many words: Don’t overload the image with too many words. Stick with your podcast’s name, and if needed, a short tagline or episode title.
• Use appealing typography: Make sure the font you use is easy to read, and only use a maximum of two fonts to maintain consistency.
• Keep your branding in mind: Listeners should be able to recognise your brand in your cover art, so make sure to use your logo, brand colours, and fonts consistently.
• Use high-quality images: Any imagery used should be sharp and clear, even when scaled down for podcast apps. Low-resolution or blurry images can look unprofessional and turn listeners away.

7. Choose your podcast hosting platform

Platforms like Spotify and Apple Podcasts are the most popular platforms to host your podcast. You could also upload it in video format on YouTube (just with the cover art and sound) to reach a wider audience.

You’ll also need a podcast hosting service like Anchor, Podbean or Buzzsprout to store your audio files, generate your RSS feed, and distribute your episodes to these platforms. Choosing a reliable host will make publishing easier and ensure that your podcast is available wherever listeners tune in.

8. Promote your podcast

Promoting your podcast is just as important as creating it, as even the best content won’t get heard if people don’t know it exists. Just like how you would promote your business, there are many effective ways to spread the word about your podcast. These include:

• Social media sharing: Post episode announcements, short clips, or quotes on LinkedIn, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), or TikTok to reach a wider audience.
• Email communication: Promote episodes through email marketing or your newsletter with a short summary and link.
• Collaborating with guests: Partner with guest speakers and encourage them to share the episode with their own network. You can also appear as a guest on someone else’s podcast to reach a new audience.
• Optimising for search engines: Use relevant keywords in your episode titles, descriptions, and show notes.
• Running paid ads: Use targeted advertising on social media or within podcast ads to reach potential listeners who fit your ideal audience profile.
• Repurposing your content: As mentioned above, you can turn episodes into blog posts, quotes, or short videos for social media.

Conclusion

Starting a podcast can feel like a big project, but breaking it down into steps – from planning your concept and format, to recording and promoting – makes it totally manageable.

Just remember that it doesn’t have to be perfect from day one. The key is to get started, keep at it, and learn as you go. Over time, your podcast can become a powerful tool to grow your brand, connect with your audience, and share your expertise with the world.