As users of all types are consuming more and more content online, podcasting has grown exponentially in popularity. In fact, it is now one of the most effective marketing tools you have as your loyal listeners quickly position you as an authority figure in their minds and will try any product or service you recommend in the show. Luckily, it is very easy to get started with your very own podcast, and we are going to show you exactly what you need to do to get yours launched today.

Starting a podcast is really quite simple and you probably already have all of the tools you need, which means you are well on your way to adding podcasts as an integral part of your content strategy. Here is a list of what you will need to get going:

• Microphone/iPhone/Laptop
• AnchorFM Account
• Ideas and opinions

Yep, that's it. You can start your podcast today, most likely. So let's take a look at the steps and what you need to do to get started.

Step 1: Create an AnchorFM account

First, head over to Anchor.fm and create a new account. This is a FREE service and super easy to use. Once you create your account you can distribute your podcast to nearly any platform that has podcasts, such as Spotify, Google Play, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, and many more.

Step 2: Pick a relevant title for your podcast

This is the most difficult step in the entire process. There are strategies for naming your podcast, but here are the main things you want to consider:

• Will the title be relevant to your target audience?
• How easy is it to find if your target audience is searching for it?
• Does another podcast already use that name?

Step 3: Create the cover art and description

This can be changed over time, so don't feel like you have to perfect this right out of the gate. You'll want to consider what brand you are building through the podcast—your personal brand, a company brand, or the podcast—and you will want to be sure to include the title of the podcast in the cover art.

When writing the description for your podcast, be sure to address why the podcast is valuable to your audience. What will listening to the podcast help your listeners achieve? Lewis Howes does a great job of achieving all of these goals through his podcast, The School of Greatness.

Step 4: Record your first podcast

Now depending on what type of content you want to create, there may be a few more steps before you record. For instance, if you want to do interview-style podcasts, you'll have an entire sequence of outreach to your potential guest and preparing that person for the interview. 

But for the sake of simplicity and getting you started quickly, we are going to focus on a simple podcast where you are the star of the show sharing wisdom to your hungry audience.

You can use your computer microphone or a mobile phone to record your episode. Now remember, this article is about how to start your podcast, not perfect it. Yes, you will eventually want to buy a microphone to improve the quality of your audio, but in the interest of getting you started quickly, go ahead and give it a shot with your built in microphone. Once you are ready to upgrade, you can find a microphone over at Amazon for less than $100.

This is probably the part you thought was going to be the most difficult, but it is actually REALLY easy. Remember when you setup an AnchorFM account a few minutes ago? You are going to record and edit your podcast episode right in the same platform, and you're going to sound like a total boss.

You'll notice you have several types of content you can create in AnchorFM. For now, you're just going to Record. Click on Record and you will see a big button to start recording. Pretty simple, huh?

Once you have recorded your audio, you can preview it. If you need to re-record, rinse and repeat until you're happy with it. Then, just drag the segment over to your episode and BOOM, you just created your first podcast episode!

Click Save Episode and now you just have to enter the information specific to that episode. A lot of podcasters like to number their episodes, but you can title them and sequence them however you prefer. You will be asked whether or not the episode is clean or explicit and you can also even schedule your podcast to publish at a future date. Once you are done, hit Publish and you are now officially a podcaster. Congratulations!

Now that you have a shiny new podcast, it's time to tell the world. Share you podcast on social media and integrate it into your email marketing strategy along with your other content. Be sure to head over to the Think Mighty podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, or Stitcher.