Recommended Inexpensive Podcasting Equipment

With a background in teaching and a love for public speaking and performing, I have fallen head over heels in love with podcasting. It gives my website voice and vision, especially when it comes to connecting with parents and inspiring them to do better each day with their kids. In the process I have had so many other bloggers come to me and ask about inexpensive podcasting equipment and getting started with their own podcast journey.

That’s why I wrote the book “Podcasting for Bloggers: Giving your Website a VOICE and growing an invested audience”. And this resource list is a companion to the book in order to help you implement the steps taken and resources purchased to run a successful and professional podcast.

This list is full of affiliate links for your shopping convenience. Thank you for purchasing through our links!

Programs used and recommended for podcasting

• Libsyn for hosting
• Boomerang for sending scheduled emails to show guests when shows go live and to remind them of upcoming shows. There is both a free and paid version.
• Google Drive for file sharing and brainstorming ideas for the show. The service is free.
• Google Calendar to schedule shows and schedule alarms for yourself and your guests if you add their gmail as an invited guest. The service is free.

Marketing your Podcast

• Thunderclap is a social campaign tool to raise social shares (no money involved) to go out at a selected time. I had mine publish the morning my podcast published with a special hashtag and to my show landing page. Other bloggers, your fans, and family can all pledge a share on their selected social media accounts. It schedule the shares and those that pledge do not have to worry about doing anything after pledging the share.
• ConvertKit is the service I use for newsletters and emails. It allows me to put triggers on links. If they’re clicked then it will put a marker in my files so that I can send targeted emails to your fans and followers both leading up to your launch and after your show is live.
• Buffer is a great tool to use to schedule out your tweets for your podcast, especially in contractual obligations and sponsorship agreements.
• Voicemail Service setup instructions are a way to include the voices of your fans and listeners. (This tutorial is a free way to set it up!)

Monetizing a podcast when you already have a blog

• She Podcasts Sponsorship Course is a great comprehensive course on how to secure a sponsor for both big and small shows.
• J/K Media Agency is a new service for podcasters to have help finding sponsors for their show no matter how big or small they are.

My necessities for recording a podcast

• Audio Technica ATR2100 Microphone is my mic of choice. This is because it’s durable, travels well, and comes with both a USB and traditional microphone cables. It has great sound and is a reasonable price.
• Sony Professional Headphones are important for editing. You can hear small nuances with great headphones that you can’t otherwise. You’ll even see sports broadcasters and professional DJs wearing these and I now even listen to my music on them.
• Windscreen
• Pop Filter – I added this after a few weeks of podcasting because I had hard “P” and “S” sounds that affected my sounds quality. Adding this improved my sound quality significantly.
• Boom Arm – I also added this after a few weeks because it made the logistics of my setup smoother. It placed the mic right where I wanted and it didn’t take up space on a tabletop or my work surface. Plus I could bend it and push it back when not in use.
• Lavalier Microphone – I purchased this for any time I did life events, say at a blogging conference or when I launch my local podcast.
• Mic Spliter – again a great addition for doing interviews on the go. You can plug it into the headphone jack of your phone or into a digital audio recorder.
• IKEA standing laptop Stand – It’s a white, metal desk that I have my boom arm attached to and it’s the perfect solution for a small, but semi-portable space for recording in your home.

Software used for editing and recording

• Google Hangouts on Air is good for multiple people on the same recording, for live shows, and as a back-up for recording. You will have to download the mp4 from youtube when your show is done, convert to audio only and then edit.
• Skype is my preferred method of conducting interviews. I even typically ask my guests to have a free account, but I also have called phones with it too.
• Ecamm call recorders for both Skype and Facetime have been a great investment for both podcasting and recording family videos! Their support service is top notch as I had a problem they had never encountered and they worked with me to find a solution even sending it to 3 people in the chain of knowledge in their company.
• Audacity is the editing software I have used for both podcasting and audio for video for about 10 years. It has been my tried and true editing software and the best part is that it’s free and I have had great success with it on both PC and Mac.
• Auphonic is my preferred final processing. It helped level out audio. This has been great when my guests are louder than me or vice versa. Also it has helped when my intro and outro sound different because I would up being a different distance from the mic or I was talking louder.

My favorite podcasting microphone & accessories

In my home set-up I have each of the pieces of audio equipment listed above. Just remember that when lawn mowers are going, planes and helicopters are going overhead, or snowblowers plowing, you’ll be wanting some sound protection.

During a Boston snow storm, I hid under a pile of blankets to make my audio come out better and it worked but was a less than ideal situation.

What to use when podcasting on the go or on location

What you need to podcast live with more than one person

If you’re setting up a microphone on location, you can use the same Audio Technica ATR2100 microphone! If you’re recording in-person interviews, you can either bring a whole set-up with the mixer above. I know some bloggers actually prefer that when they have a co-host or someone they’re interviewing that they’re not right next to them because it adds extra difficulty in making sure your mic doesn’t pick up them talking and other technical issues.