Start a Podcast

Podcasting has exploded from niche hobby to mainstream media. A podcast is an audio (sometimes video) show where hosts discuss topics, interview guests, or tell stories. With millions of podcasts available, audiences fragment into niches—meaning there's room for focused shows that serve specific communities deeply.

For digital nomads, podcasting is highly portable. A quality microphone, your laptop, and a quiet space are all you need to record. Many successful podcasters record from hotel rooms, Airbnbs, or rented studio spaces around the world. Remote interviews via Zoom or Riverside.fm mean you can feature guests from anywhere without coordination headaches.

The Honest Truth About Podcast Income

Let's address the elephant in the room: most podcasts don't make money directly.

Here's the math. Typical sponsorship rates are $18-25 CPM (cost per thousand downloads). So:

• 500 downloads/episode = $9-12 per episode
• 1,000 downloads/episode = $18-25 per episode
• 5,000 downloads/episode = $90-125 per episode
• 10,000 downloads/episode = $180-250 per episode

Most podcasts get fewer than 150 downloads per episode. The median podcast reaches almost no one.

But here's what matters: Podcast income often comes from what podcasting enables, not from the podcast itself. Podcasters leverage their shows for:

• Consulting and coaching clients
• Course and product sales
• Speaking opportunities
• Networking with guests
• Job offers and partnerships

A podcast with 500 engaged listeners in a valuable niche might generate zero sponsorship revenue but drive $5,000/month in coaching clients.

Startup Costs and Equipment

Good news: starting doesn't require expensive equipment.

Essential (under $200):

• USB microphone: Audio-Technica ATR2100x or Samson Q2U ($80-100)
• Pop filter: Basic foam or mesh ($10-15)
• Free editing software: Audacity, GarageBand, or Descript (free tier)
• Hosting: Buzzsprout, Transistor, or Anchor ($10-20/month)

Nice to have (additional $100-300):

• Boom arm for microphone ($20-50)
• Acoustic panels or portable booth ($50-150)
• Headphones for editing ($50-100)

Skip the expensive XLR setup until you've proven you'll stick with podcasting. USB microphones sound great for most shows.

Finding Your Niche

With millions of podcasts, standing out requires focus:

Too broad: "Business podcast" or "self-improvement podcast" Too narrow: "Left-handed underwater basket weavers in Portland" Just right: "Marketing for indie game developers" or "Career transitions for nurses"

Your niche should be:

• Specific enough to stand out
• Broad enough to have sufficient audience
• Something you can discuss weekly for years
• Connected to monetization opportunities (coaching, courses, services)

The Recording Setup While Traveling

The biggest challenge for nomad podcasters: finding quiet spaces. Solutions:

In accommodation:

• Record in closets (clothes dampen sound)
• Drape blankets over furniture to create booths
• Choose Airbnbs in quiet neighborhoods
• Record early morning or late night when it's quieter

Outside accommodation:

• Rent podcast studios by the hour in major cities
• Find quiet cafes during off-hours
• Use co-working spaces with phone booths
• Book hotel rooms specifically for recording sessions

For interviews, tools like Riverside.fm or Squadcast record guest audio locally, giving you studio quality even when guests use laptop mics.

Content Strategy That Works

Weekly publishing is standard, but consistency matters more than frequency. Here's what works:

Format	Time Investment	Best For
Solo episodes	3-5 hours/episode	Established expertise, flexible schedule
Interview format	4-8 hours/episode	Networking, varied content, guest audiences
Co-hosted show	3-6 hours/episode	Chemistry-based shows, shared workload

Time breakdown for a typical interview episode:

• Guest research and booking: 1-2 hours
• Recording: 45-90 minutes
• Editing: 1-3 hours
• Show notes, publishing, promotion: 1-2 hours

That's 4-8 hours per episode. Before committing, honestly assess if you can maintain this weekly for a year.

Building an Audience

Podcast discovery is notoriously difficult. Most listeners come from:

Your existing audience: Email list, social following, blog readers. Podcast as extension of existing content.

Guest audiences: Interview guests who share episodes with their followers. Strategic guesting on other podcasts.

Search and directories: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google. SEO works but is competitive.

Word of mouth: The most powerful but slowest. Happens when content is genuinely valuable.

Build an email list from day one. Use Notion to track episode ideas, guest outreach, and publishing schedule. Store episode assets and scripts in Google Drive.

Monetization Timeline

Realistic progression for a podcast in a good niche:

Phase	Timeline	Downloads/Episode	Income Potential
Launch	Months 1-6	50-200	$0
Growth	Months 6-12	200-500	$0 (maybe Patreon tips)
Traction	Year 2	500-2,000	$100-500/month
Established	Year 3+	2,000-10,000+	$500-3,000+/month

Most income comes not from ads but from:

• Listener support via Patreon or memberships
• Affiliate partnerships for products you genuinely use
• Premium content (bonus episodes, early access)
• Services and products you sell to listeners

Is Podcasting Right for You?

Ask yourself:

• Can you commit to weekly publishing for 1-2 years?
• Do you have something to say that people want to hear regularly?
• Are you comfortable with your voice and speaking?
• Can you consistently find quiet recording spaces?
• Do you have patience for slow audience growth?

If you want faster income, consider podcast production instead—helping others with their podcasts pays immediately.

If you want similar content creation with different dynamics, explore starting a YouTube channel or launching a newsletter.

Getting Started This Week

1. Choose your niche and validate it has an audience (check if related podcasts exist and have listeners)
2. Plan 10 episode topics to confirm you have enough to say
3. Buy basic equipment (ATR2100x + pop filter = $100)
4. Record a test episode to hear how you sound
5. Choose hosting and submit to Apple and Spotify
6. Commit to 10 episodes before evaluating if it's working

The first 10 episodes are your learning phase. They won't be great—that's fine. Improve as you go.

Getting started: Choose a niche you can discuss weekly for years. Invest in a quality USB microphone like the Audio-Technica ATR2100x. Learn basic audio editing with free tools like Audacity or Descript. Publish consistently—weekly is ideal. Focus on providing genuine value to a specific audience. Build an email list from day one. Promote across platforms where your target listeners already spend time.