Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide to Start Your Podcast [2026]

Over 90% of podcasts don’t make it past episode 3 — but yours won’t be one of them. In this step-by-step guide, I’ll show you everything you need to start a podcast in 2026, from choosing a niche to editing and distributing your show with ease. Key takeaways: • How to start a podcast even if you’ve never recorded before • What equipment and tools you actually need (and what you don’t) • How to publish and distribute your podcast the right way in 2026 🌟Try Riverside Today: https://riverside.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=organic_social&utm_campaign=youtube_description 📺 Videos Mentioned https://youtu.be/Lv9TMD_K9js?si=9JT-0gD8O8GOqQ_X https://youtu.be/14CYZu-CUpg?si=OX7ZuAWncLaaaiEo https://youtu.be/vhupiBubCRY?si=LyQJrLfgtPeXg0sd 🛒 Gear Mentioned Samson Q2U https://a.co/d/7gR6pLD Shure MV7+ https://a.co/d/bDIUIrk Joby Mobile Tripod https://a.co/d/7qHIUAr SmallRig LED Light https://a.co/d/eKCRojV amaran Verge Bi-Color LED Light Panel https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1894482-REG/amaran_mp0100007y_verge_bi_color_led_light.html amaran Verge Max Bi-Color Round LED Light Panel https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1894484-REG/amaran_mp0100008b_verge_max_bi_color_round.html Mobile Tripod https://a.co/d/6eyswUp -------- 🎙️ FREE 1+ HOUR PODCAST COURSE Learn everything you need to start a podcast, from choosing your topic, branding, artwork, gear, recording, editing, publishing, monetizing, and growing your first 10K downloads in this ONE video: https://youtu.be/LbtwpRzqRKo?si=eGKAokGn6g9hnk6m -------- JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER 83,200+ creators rely on our newsletter to grow their podcast. Join for Free: https://creators.riverside.com/newsletter -------- JOIN OUR COMMUNITY Join over 26K creators who are learning together, supporting each other, lending advice, finding guests, and connecting with other creators https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1A7u9kShVj/ -------- ON SOCIAL Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/riverside.fm LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/riverside-fm X: https://x.com/RiversidedotFM Threads:https://www.threads.com/@riverside.fm Our Blog: https://www.riverside.com/blog -------- DOWNLOAD OUR APPS 📲 iPhone and iPad: https://apps.apple.com/app/id1554443872 🤖 Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=riverside.fm -------- FREE TOOLS 🎙️ Transcribe Audio File https://riverside.com/tools/audio-transcriber 🔠 Animated Captions https://riverside.com/captions 🎥 Create Vertical Reels https://riverside.com/magic-clips 📝 Transcribe Video File https://riverside.com/tools/video-to-text ⎙ Free Teleprompter https://riverside.com/teleprompter -------- RESOURCES 🎙️ Step Up Your Setup FREE Course https://riverside.com/courses/step-up-your-setup 💻 FREE Notion Video Creation Template! https://beardfm.notion.site/Video-creation-template-1f238b70a53849fd914613fb5d6cce5e ✅ Checklist for Your Interview Guests https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=1d0k_fOOWMaiU2e65JejwBiRR7OeW8_at 🎥 Best Podcast Equipment for All Budgets https://riverside.com/blog/podcast-equipment 💸 Monetize Your Podcast No Matter the Size https://youtu.be/14CYZu-CUpg?si=Yyht5mxVB9LxHpAz 💻 Learn to Use Riverside in 8 Min https://youtu.be/r1k_REnFYTU?si=htVK9ZdA8-WL1OpV -------- CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction 00:49 Choosing Your Niche 01:21 Choosing a Microphone 02:34 In-Person or Remote? 03:29 Headphones 04:10 Plan Your Episodes 04:59 Choose Your Recording Space 05:50 App to Record 07:19 Editing Your Podcast 08:40 Add an Intro 09:21 Using Background Music 10:38 Export Your Podcast 11:09 Distributing Your Podcast 11:59 Making Great Podcast Artwork -------- ABOUT US Riverside.com is the leading remote recording platform that makes professional podcast and video creation achievable by anyone, anywhere. The platform has easy-to-use tools to help you record, edit, and promote your show. Podcasters and companies, including Guy Raz, Gary Vaynerchuk, Marvel, Spotify, and The New York Times, already use Riverside to record studio-quality interviews from anywhere, with no loss in recording quality.