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Podcasting is a powerful medium for sharing ideas, but many aspiring podcasters hesitate to get started because they think they need a big budget or an existing audience. The truth is, you don’t need either. We will walk you through the 9 steps of starting a successful podcast with no money and no listeners, from concept to promotion.

Define Your Podcast Niche and Target Audience

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The first step in starting a podcast with no audience is identifying your niche. This will not only help you stand out but also help you connect with the right listeners. Ask yourself:

• What topic can you talk about for hours?
• Who is your ideal listener?

You need to create content that resonates for your target audience. Focus on a specific listener persona—what they like, what they care about, and where they spend their time online. For instance if your podcast is about cars, make sure it’s actually talking about cars! Parts, repairs, upgrades, the buying process are all good ways to find a niche within a niche. This will make your content creation and marketing more effective because it will speak directly to an audience.

Create a Strong Podcast Brand

In a crowded podcasting world, branding is essential to capture attention. Start by:

• Designing eye-catching cover art that stands out in podcast directories.
• Choosing a memorable podcast name that reflects your content and resonates with your audience.
• Develop a consistent aesthetic across your podcast artwork, social media profiles, and website.

A cohesive brand helps you attract the right listeners and makes your podcast memorable.

Plan and Structure Your Podcast Episodes

Before you start recording, it’s essential to have a plan. Don’t just “wing it”—here’s how to structure your podcast effectively:

• Outline your episodes: A clear outline or script prevents rambling and keeps the conversation focused. Even a bullet-point list of key points will help improve the flow of your podcast.
• Plan ahead: Record a few episodes in advance before you launch so you have a buffer for those busy weeks.

Having a plan ensures consistency and quality, two critical factors for keeping listeners coming back.

Connect Your Episode to a Traffic Booster 🚀

Traffic boosters are exactly that — they are quick, fast, and easy ways to hook an episode in with something that is actively being sought after.

If you were to look at Google Trends or Google News you’d be looking at exactly what I’m talking about. These are topics or trends that are getting headlines right now, and if you can somehow hook in with something that adds to the conversation you have a really good chance of getting found in search!

Take a look at this screenshot of today’s Google Trends as a perfect example:

Right now these are the top trends hitting Google…

The Buccaneers vs Cowboys is at the top, and it’s already subsided (because the game was yesterday) but there are a ton of searches for that term.

Let’s say your podcast was about football — and if you had a live stream that covered the game… there is a good chance you’d get a listener or two!

Get Crafty With Search

Another way to grow your audience is to create podcast episodes around helping people. Maybe your not so tied to sports, but instead you focus on dating and attraction.

If you wanted to get in front of the right audience (lets say you were angling towards men) then a good podcast episode might be about how to tell if a girl likes you.

Why would that work? Glad you asked…

If you did a little keyword research to see how many times that’s searched for per month you’d see it’s searched for about 10,000 times! That’s 120,000 searches a YEAR!

Then if you did a little Google search on the topic you’d see this:

Did you notice something here?

I’ll give you a hint. It starts with You and ends in Tube.

Courney Ryan (whoever that is, I don’t know!) has almost a million views on YouTube for that exact topic!

Did you notice YouTube shows up very high in a lot of search results. Hint, hint.

Making Content To Meet a Demand

If you’re able to hook your episode to a traffic booster you WILL get an audience. The trick is figuring out the right audience, the right demand, and the right answer for those folks looking the thing up.

Not only will you be helping people, but Google will reward you for doing so! From their perspective they are selling advertising, and doing everything they can to keep people on their platform. That means giving away free email (gmail) free web browsers (Chrome) and basically everything for free to keep you engaged. If you can help them by providing the best solutions to someone’s search query they will reward you with a high rank = audience members that come to watch / listen to your podcast with an interest in what you have to say from the jump! 

If you want to learn a little more about this stuff, please click here to join my mailing list and get a copy of my free monetization guide.

Use Budget-Friendly Equipment and Software

One of the biggest myths about podcasting is that you need expensive gear to produce high-quality audio.

Here’s how to get started without breaking the bank:

• USB Microphones: Affordable mics like the Audio-Technica ATR2100x-USB deliver excellent audio at a fraction of the cost of professional gear.
• Headphones: A decent pair of over-ear headphones will help you monitor your audio during recording.
• Free Recording Software: Tools like Audacity (available for Windows, Mac, and Linux) and GarageBand (for Mac users) are perfect for beginners and offer all the essential editing features you’ll need.

Even a podcast recorded in your living room can sound professional with the right tools. Click here for our equipment helper.

Record and Edit Your Podcast for Free

Recording your podcast is fun, but editing is where the magic happens. Follow these steps for clean, professional audio:

• Choose the right space: Record in a quiet room with minimal background noise. Adding soft furnishings like rugs or curtains can help reduce echo.
• Edit your audio: Use free software like Audacity to remove filler words, balance audio levels, and cut out background noise. If you want an even easier editing process, Descript is an excellent tool for beginners that automatically transcribes and lets you edit audio-like text.

Good audio quality is crucial for listener retention, so it’s worth taking the time to clean up your episodes. Click here to learn about free podcast hosting.

Host and Distribute Your Podcast on Free Platforms

To get your podcast in front of listeners, you need to host it somewhere. Luckily, there are several free podcast hosting platforms available:

• Anchor: A completely free hosting platform that automatically distributes your podcast to major directories like Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
• Spotify for Podcasters: Another free option with built-in analytics allows you to see precisely how your podcast performs.

Once your podcast is hosted, submit it to directories like Apple, Google, and Spotify. These platforms will help you reach a broad audience without spending a dime.

Promote Your Podcast and Grow Your Audience

Promotion is key to getting those first listeners when you’re starting with no audience. Here are a few ways to grow your podcast without spending any money:

• Be active on social media: Share your episodes on platforms like YouTube or where ever your target audience hangs out. Repurpose your podcast content into bite-sized clips for Instagram, TikTok, or LinkedIn.
• Collaborate with other podcasters: One of the quickest ways to grow your audience is to do promo swaps or guest on other podcasts. This allows for cross-promotion and you can tap into an existing audience that’s already interested in your topic.
• Engage with your listeners: Encourage feedback and build a community around your podcast. Reply to comments, answer questions, and involve your audience in shaping future content.

Building an engaged audience takes time, but these strategies will help you grow your listener base from zero.

Monetize Your Podcast Without an Audience

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Once you’ve built a small but engaged audience, you can start thinking about monetization. Here are a few ways to earn from your podcast without needing a massive following:

• Affiliate marketing: Promote relevant products or services related to your podcast’s niche and earn commissions on sales through your affiliate links. If your podcast is about crafts, maybe you promote the Cricut machine or other craft-friendly products.
• Listener donations: Platforms like Patreon allow fans to support you directly in exchange for bonus content or ad-free episodes.
• Sponsorships: Even small podcasts can attract sponsors if they have a highly targeted audience. Consider pitching local businesses or brands that align with your podcast’s topic.

Monetization options grow as your audience does, but you can start small and build from there.

Avoid Common Pitfalls

When starting a podcast, there are a few common mistakes to avoid:

• Neglecting audio quality: Poor audio is one of the quickest ways to lose listeners. Invest time in editing and ensure your episodes sound professional.
• Copying other podcasts: Find your voice and perspective. While it’s okay to take inspiration, your podcast should offer something unique.
• Obsessing over numbers: Growth takes time. Focus on delivering quality content that is valuable and engaging; the numbers will come.

Avoiding these mistakes will help set you up for long-term success.

Conclusion

Starting a podcast without an audience or budget is entirely possible if you have the right plan and tools. By defining your niche, creating quality content, and promoting strategically, you can grow your podcast from the ground up. Focus on consistency, engage with your listeners, and don’t get discouraged by slow initial growth. Your podcasting journey starts now, so get recording!