I created my podcast with the goal of finding another way to interact with my readers – now listeners – and have had a lot of fun getting actionable advice from other successful internet entrepreneurs. I was even featured on iTunes in the New & Noteworthy section for my business category. You can check out podcast session 1 here and session 2 here, but today I wanted to share with you how I actually made my podcast. First let me start with the equipment I use:

My Podcasting Equipment:


I’ve been very satisfied with the overall sound quality I’ve been able to get both by recording the sound directly on my computer and from podcast sessions done over Skype as well.

Hear Samples: Podcast 1 was directly onto my computer and Podcast 2 was via Skype call

My Microphone: Heil PR-40 Dynamic Studio Recording Microphone Cost: Currently $311 (I got a little better price from a local dealer here in Seattle)

Pop Filter: Nady MPF-6 6-Inch Clamp On Microphone Pop Filter Cost: Currently $16.13, but I paid $18.48 Why I Bought This: A pop filter helps to prevent B’s and P’s etc. from popping in the mic.

My Mixing Board: Behringer XENYX1002 10-Channel Mixer Cost: Currently $59.29, but I paid $75.99 Why I Bought This: I have to plug the speaker cable into a mixing board

Misc Equipment: Behringer UCA222 U-Control Ultra-Low Latency 2 In/2 Out Usb Audio Interface with Digital Output And Massive Software Bundle Cost: Currently $30.63, but I paid $37.22 Why I Bought This: I don’t have a good sound card in my computer that could accept a red/white audio cable so I had to use this device to take those two cables and convert the signale into something digital via USB.

Cables I Used: 15ft Male To Female Speaker Cable $8.37
Red / White Audio Cable $3.41

What I Could Have Done Different:

I didn’t need to buy a mixing board along with the USB device I had to buy if I had purchased a better audio card for my computer, or if I bought another device that simply takes a standard microphone cable and converts it to a digital signal via USB; however, I went with the above equipment so I could have a little more control over the sound via the mixing board.

You don’t need to spend several hundred dollars on setting up your podcast. You can also just buy a cheap $50 Logitech USB mic instead.

I picked my equipment based on what everyone else running quality podcasts seem to be using including my San Diego friend and fellow podcaster Pat Flynn as well as the Podcast Answer Man (another great resource). There were a few different things I bought that they aren’t using, but I’m pleased with the results so far.

How To Set Up The Podcast In iTunes

With the equipment purchased and out of the way the next thing was to get the podcast ready for publication on iTunes. Here are the steps I took to get my podcast onto iTunes.
Note: I’m a Windows PC user so your steps may be different if you’re using a Mac

Step 1: Record The Audio

For my Skype recordings I’m using a program called Pamela which cost about $30 and records my Skype conversations in .mp3 or .wav format (I just use .mp3). When I make a call through Skype Pamela provides an automatic prompt asking if I’d like to record the call. I hit yes and the call is recorded.

I then use a free program called Audacity to record some additional intro and outro audio as needed. You can also use Audacity to combine your audio files into a single file. Garage band also works very well for this if you have a Mac.

Step 2: Create And Host Your Podcast

You can create and host your podcast on your own server for “free”, but even with my insatiable desire for not spending any money I decided this could be more easily done with a 3rd party service like Libsyn.com. I picked their cheapest $5 a month solution here. This service hosts your files and you can pay for stat tracking for an additional $2 a month, but I found a free workaround that I’ll explain in the next step.

Inside Libsyn you have the option to create a new podcast episode, add your description, upload your audio file and then publish it. Once published this will go to your Libsyn RSS feed. My Libsyn RSS feed URL is http://mmoti.libsyn.com/rss; however, I didn’t use this feed when setting up my iTunes podcast. I used Feedburner instead.

Step 3: Creating Your iTunes Feed URL and Getting Free Stats:

I took my Libsyn RSS feed and put it through Feedburner as a podcast feed:

After doing this I’m able to configure the next things such as picking a category for my feed in iTunes, putting in the description of the podcast etc. and the best part is that using Feedburner for my podcast RSS feed allows me to get some limited stats about the podcast such as how many subscribers I have.

Step 4: Setting Up The Podcast In iTunes:

After I have my Feedburner RSS feed I simply navigated to this URL (note this will open iTunes) and inserted my Feedburner URL which helps to automatically format everything appropriately for iTunes and continued through the on screen steps.

After you submit your podcast to iTunes it takes about 48 hours to hear back. I submitted mine on a Friday and actually heard back on Monday. Overall, the process took me quite a bit of time to get everything figured out but hopefully this step by step tutorial helps shed some light on the steps you need to take to get your podcast up.

Why Podcast?

I’ve explained how I set up my podcast, but I didn’t really cover why I even bothered to create a podcast.

More Fun To Talk Than Write:

The main reason why I wanted to do a podcast is because I don’t like writing that much, but I love talking to people (I used to be in sales back for my old day job). So I wanted a way to create some great content for readers of this blog without having to spend a bunch of time writing something out.

Great Inexpensive Marketing Tool:

I also believe podcasting can be a great marketing tool as well. You’d be surprised by how many people listen to podcasts on just about every subject. I receive a couple emails a week from people who found my blog via the podcast and have become regular readers because of the podcast.

In fact, if you’re trying to build an authority style blog on just about any topic, I highly recommend you consider creating a podcast as just one additional way to differentiate yourself from your competitors.

If you have any questions about my podcast and how I set it up feel free to ask below.