Buy a basic kit

Unlike radio, where high production values are expected, podcasts are much more forgiving. Longworth confesses to recording in her bathroom, while O’Porter is equally low-tech. “It’s just me and a dictaphone,” she says. “I’ve chatted to people on the street, in a bar, in my living room. Sometimes there’s background noise but I don’t mind.” MDWAP’s Levine admits, “Because we are a lo-fi enterprise, we do it wherever’s convenient. Sometimes you can hear my boiler in the background – it adds to the authenticity.”

For your basic DIY kit, Emma Gannon, who interviews high-profile women on Ctrl Alt Delete, recommends a Blue Yeti Professional USB Microphone (£99.99, currys.com) – it lets you record the sound coming from one side if you’re broadcasting solo or both sides if you’re sharing the mic. Improve your sound quality by investing in a basic pop shield (from £9.99, inta-audio.com), which filters unwanted noises, and buy a USB cord (from £33.99, maplin.co.uk) to plug your mic into your laptop to record and edit.

Edit with software

So you’ve bought the gadgets. Recorded your material. Next step? Polishing off your podcast. “You’ll want to lose any waffle or repetition in your recording and make sure your final version is engaging,” says Pearce. “You might also want to add music in the edit.” Mac users can use GarageBand for this, but there are other editing options out there. “I use Adobe Audition, which has a monthly subscription fee of £17.15 but is so worth it,” says audio producer Philippa Tilbury. Marverine Cole of Quintessential Voices, a podcast celebrating women of colour, opts for the free audio software Audacity (audacityteam.org) and says, “You can teach yourself how to edit a podcast on YouTube – it’s the best encyclopaedia in the world.” As a basic rule, Emma Gunavardhana of the beauty show Emma G Podcast reckons you should allow twice as long for editing as the length of your recording, so 45 minutes takes an hour and a half to edit.

Once you’ve edited your podcast, Cole recommends opening a free SoundCloud account for an easy way to upload your content. All you need is an active email address. Use the title of your podcast as your profile name so you’re easy to find, then follow the step by step guide for uploading. From here, you can distribute your podcast via an RSS feed to podcasting apps such as iTunes and Stitcher. If you want to add intro/outro music, check out the rights-free music that’s available on YouTube’s Audio Library or websites such as freesoundtrackmusic.com.

Grow an audience

Now you need someone to listen to you. Gunavardhana advises generating interest through social media. “Having an online presence plays a huge part in getting your name out there,” she says. “Five to seven tweets a day once you’ve published an episode is important to encourage dialogue online.” And how do you get those stellar iTunes reviews? “The iTunes charts aren’t just based on downloads but people starring and commenting – it’s like a trending hashtag,” explains Gannon. So, encouraging people – whether it’s friends, family or your audience – to comment is vital for building a following. “I always say at the end of every episode, please leave a review,” says Gannon. “Be blatant and consistent. That’s the key.”

Join the podcast revolution: the essential guide to getting your voice heard