Podcasting is a popular medium for both content creators and businesses alike, with the total listening population growing to over 464 million over the last decade. While it’s taken on additional formats in recent years with the rise of video podcasting, it continues to provide a solid avenue for building or expanding an audience. But for many hopeful hosts, understanding how to start a podcast is the biggest challenge they face.
Which is exactly why Dave Campbell started The How To Podcast Series, an invaluable resource for aspiring podcasters everywhere. In this post, we’ll cover Dave’s background, his tips for starting a podcast, and why Storyblocks is an essential tool for producing his eight podcasts.
About The How To Podcast Series
When Dave Campbell started his podcasting journey just four years ago, he had to learn the ins and outs of podcasting quickly. As his podcasts grew, people began asking him for advice on starting their own, and Dave saw an opportunity to share what he had learned. With that, The How To Podcast Series was born. Helping others and demystifying the process of creating a podcast has been extremely rewarding for him.
Since starting up his first podcast while working a full-time job, Dave’s podcasting network has flourished. He now hosts eight podcasts with over 2,000 episodes collectively. On top of that, he runs TrueMedia Solutions, a company that’s dedicated to helping aspiring podcasters succeed. Combined with The How To Podcast Series, Dave is providing a wealth of knowledge, resources, and support for those who are just starting their podcasting careers.
As he puts it, “As I learn, as I grow, I just share that with others. Helping other podcasters get started is super rewarding, because there’s a lot of people who don’t know how to do this, or don’t have the tools or expertise.”
What do you need to start a podcast?
For anyone wanting to start a podcast but not knowing where to start, Dave recommends first figuring out your “why”. Being clear on why you want to start a podcast in the first place will, as Dave puts it, “Help you identify who your audience is, give you direction with your content, and help you determine if your podcast is headed in a positive direction.” Everything else, he says, you can find online. But knowing why you’re creating your podcast will help center your vision and keep the momentum going.
Tips for starting a podcast
Just start
While creating a podcast can seem intimidating, Dave’s first piece of advice is to simply get started: “There’s a space for everyone. So don’t feel like you’re too late. Don’t feel like you don’t have the skills or talent. You have a story, you have a voice, and people want to connect with you. So the audience is already waiting. It’s just a matter of you starting.”
Authenticity > Technical skills
Dave makes it clear that while podcasting can be challenging, it’s also incredibly rewarding. As he touched on in the previous quote, not having technical skills shouldn’t stop you from launching a podcast. Having your own voice is more important than the hard skills, in his opinion.
Build consistency and community
He also emphasizes the importance of being consistent, especially when you first launch. Post episodes on a regular, predictable schedule. You should also regularly engage with your audience to build up trust and form a genuine connection. Dave uses a tool where his listeners can leave him voice messages, and then he’ll bring those messages into his episodes.
“People get their voice on my show, which makes it highly shareable, especially for someone who doesn’t understand podcasting. They’re just a listener and they’re like, wait a minute, I’m on Dave’s show and I heard my message. I’m going to tell everyone that I’m on a podcast. It’s just a great moment for them. I find that’s a great thing to build community.”
As a bonus, those listeners may turn into future guests for your podcast. “I’ve met some of the most amazing people,” Dave explains. “As a podcaster, I’ve had people on my show that I should never have time in their calendar, ever. I’m sometimes shocked that they say yes.”
Don’t overspend
One of the top questions that people have when they’re starting out is how much does it cost to start a podcast? The real answer is that you can spend as little or as much as you want. Dave insists that podcasting can absolutely be done for free, and has a large list of free resources for aspiring podcasters on his website.
For those who are new to podcasting, one of Dave’s top tips for starting a podcast is spending less: “I always caution new podcasters not to overspend when initially setting up their podcast. Get started, experiment, practice, learn and then decide what tools to add to your podcasting toolbox as you continue podcasting.”
Invest in time-saving tools
Most of the time, creators who start a podcast are doing it all themselves or wearing multiple hats. And if you’re doing it on top of a full-time job like Dave is, your time becomes extremely valuable. So finding tools that help you work faster, get organized, or save time is essential. For Dave, Storyblocks is one of those essential tools: “Every time I do a search, I get exactly what I’m looking for. That saves me time, which is huge for me.”
Storyblocks has helped him so much in his podcast creation journey that he dedicated an episode of The How To Podcast Series to discussing how he uses Storyblocks within his podcasts.
How Dave uses Storyblocks to support his podcasts
Simple, straightforward licensing
When Dave first looked for a music resource for his podcasts, he researched multiple options. In the end, it came down to how clear the terms of use and licensing were. He didn’t want to run into any copyright issues with the music he used.
Dave finds Storyblocks’ simple, straightforward licensing easier to understand compared to the other services he looked into. “The terms of use were the most clear. It’s worded in a way that I can understand. It wasn’t written as if you had to be a lawyer to understand it,” he explains.
Variety of music
While he had hired musicians in the past to record music for him, he wanted to be able to choose from a wide variety of music. Since he uses music to accompany segments in his shows, he needs a range of different genres to choose from, which is what he loves about the Storyblocks library. “I love the music that I have in my shows, the options that I have, and being able to be creative and use it in different ways.”
Sound effects as audio cues
Dave also utilizes the sound effects in Storyblocks’ library in his podcasts, from stingers and bumpers to swipes and beeps. He primarily uses them as audio transition cues for his listeners, explaining: “If I have four points that I’m going to make, I have a sound effect between each point to tell the listener that we’re moving on to the next point.”
Enhance your podcast with Storyblocks
If you’ve been thinking about starting a podcast, this is your sign to do it. With the number of worldwide podcast listeners expected to grow yet again in 2024, there’s tons of opportunity for new shows to find their audience. And if you don’t know where to start, The How To Podcast Series was created to help you find your way with expert tips for starting a podcast of your own.
As Dave puts it, “I love talking to people about starting a podcast or giving people the hope that they can take their voice and reach the world. It’s amazing to know that anybody can do this. Your voice matters. You’re unique. No one else can do your show.”
With budget-friendly and affordable plans, Storyblocks is here to help you on your podcasting journey. You’ll get access to 33,000+ exclusive royalty free songs in our audio library created by award-winning musicians from around the world, on top of 42,000+ professionally recorded sound effects. No matter what your audio needs are, you’ll find everything you’re looking for in our audio library and create with confidence knowing that you’re fully covered from copyright claims.
