If you think you need to come up with hundreds or thousands of dollars to get started with your very own podcast, then you have another thing coming. You may be surprised to find out you only need a small investment to set up your own podcast show! Here are some of the most essential things you need to get started:

• Microphone

You can use your computer’s built-in microphone, but you’ll probably not like how you sound. You can also use the microphone that comes with your earphones or headset, but they’re only marginally better than your computer’s built-in microphone. For best results, it’s highly recommended you consider buying a good-quality microphone that’s made for podcasting. Some of the best ones, like the Audio-Technica ATR2100 cost less than $70.

• Pop filter

You don’t want your d’s, g’s, b’s, and p’s (called ‘plosives’) blowing into your microphone and degrading your audio quality. The solution to this is you can put a pop filter in front of your microphone. These normally cost well under $10.

• Audio editing software

Professional audio editing software can be quite expensive. However, the good news is you can choose from quite a few FREE options. If you’re on a Mac, then Garage Band is a no-brainer. However, if you’re on a PC (or Linux), then you may want to look at Audacity. It’s the most popular audio editing software out there for non-Mac users.

• Intro/outro for your podcast

Most, if not all, good podcasts have an intro and outro in place. If you know what you want your intro/outro to sound like, you can certainly do it independently. However, if you’re strapped for time, you can hire a freelancer on Upwork or Fiverr to do the job for you.

• Cover art

You can also create your podcast’s cover art yourself. You can use software like Canva or Photoshop to make it. However, if you’re not so artistically inclined and don’t want your art to look like it was done by a 5-year-old, consider outsourcing it to graphic artists. The good news is this doesn’t have to be expensive at all!

• Podcast hosting service

You don’t want to just upload your own podcast audio files to your regular server. This is because audio files can become quite large and can cause problems with your web host. For your peace of mind, get a podcast hosting service like Libsyn their basic plan only costs $5/month.