Ready to start a podcast for your church?

As I've covered in another post, church podcasts are an important way to connect with members and invite potential guests. If you've decided to start a church podcast, we've got the cheat sheet to help you begin.

We will cover all of the simple steps to plan your church podcast, where to host it, and how you can share it with others!

Plan Your Podcast

Let's start with planning your podcast. This includes choosing your content, capturing your audio, and purchasing any needed equipment.

When it comes to planning your podcast, you’ll need to choose your content and decide how you want to capture your audio.

Choose Your Content

Some churches like to use their podcast as a way to post their weekly sermons. This is a great approach because you can repurpose existing messages rather than recreate new content. However, other churches will use a podcast as a way to post shorter, weekly devotionals. These are great because typically episodes between 20-40 minutes reign supreme, catering to busy schedules and attention spans (Backlinko).

Deciding what content you want to provide can be a difficult choice, but both avenues certainly have their unique benefits. Ultimately, choose the one that works best for your ministry and is attainable with the resources available to you!

Capture Your Audio

Whether you’re using an entire sermon or recording a short devotional, you’ll need to decide how you want to capture the audio. I can't stress enough how much good quality audio can make or break the success of your podcast.

Most churches will approach this either by capturing the audio directly from a mixer or using a microphone. Ideally, if you have a smaller setup (1-2 people), a high-quality USB microphone will be sufficient and more convenient. If you have a larger setup (multiple people) using a mixer with more audio control might be the better choice.

Using a Mixer (best for larger setups and longer sermons)

If you're planning to repurpose your weekly messages for your podcast, capturing directly from your soundboard is the best way to go. Mixers give you the ability to single out the audio from your speaking and tweak the EQ of the voice. If your mixer has a USB input, plug in your computer directly to capture the audio into a DAW software like GarageBand.

If the soundboard/mixer you're using does not have a digital output, you'll need to use an audio interface. An audio interface enables you to capture the audio from a mixer and convert it digitally to your computer.

Using a Microphone (best for smaller setups and shorter devotionals)

If you’re planning to record a short weekly devotional, a microphone will work just fine. I’ve put together a list of some affordable to high-end options to choose from:

Affordable Options

Samson Go Mic: This USB condenser mic is portable, has switchable cardioid and omnidirectional patterns, and is ideal for on-the-go recording. It's priced under $50, making it a great entry-level option for podcasters (Equipboard).

Blue Snowball: Another budget-friendly USB condenser microphone, the Blue Snowball offers three recording patterns (cardioid, omni, and cardioid with -10db pad), providing good sound quality for podcasts. It's a bit more expensive than the Samson Go Mic but still very affordable (Equipboard).

High-End Options

Shure SM7B: This dynamic cardioid microphone is a standard in the podcasting and broadcasting industry. It provides excellent sound quality, minimizes background noise, and is robustly built. It requires an XLR connection and is often paired with a preamp like the Cloudlifter (Podcast Insights).

Rode Procaster: Another excellent choice for professional podcasting, this dynamic cardioid microphone is designed to reduce background noise and is perfect for multi-person setups. It also requires an XLR connection and a preamp (Podcast Insights).

"I'll just record with my built-in phone mic.”

Please don’t! Yes, phone mics may have come a long way, but they lack body, sound “tinny”, and will pick up a great deal of background noise that is nearly impossible to edit out.

Pro Tip: Find a good audio editing software like Audacity to help with basic effects and noise reduction.

Host Your Podcast

Next, let's talk about choosing a podcast host. You need somewhere to upload your podcast for the world to see!

Once you’ve decided how you'll capture your audio, you need to choose somewhere for that podcast to “live” online. This is when a host comes in. A podcast host stores your audio files and creates an RSS feed which makes it easy to upload your podcast and share it across the world.

Choosing the best way to host your church's podcast involves a lot of considerations, so I’ve put together a list of some affordable to high-end recommendations to choose from:

Paid Hosting Solutions

Blubrry: Blubrry features a PowerPress plugin for WordPress, advanced statistics, and a free WordPress website with any plans, starting at $10/month.

Simplecast: Simplecast features unlimited storage, advanced analytics, and responsive hosting, starting at $15/month.

Free Hosting Solutions

Podbean: Podbean features unlimited podcast hosting, customizable themes, an advertising marketplace, and analytics. They have free plans available and paid plans start at $9/month.

Buzzsprout: Buzzsprout features custom domain hosting, automatic directory submission, transcription services, and dynamic content addition. They have free plans available and paid plans start at $12/month.

Just be aware of the limitations that a free subscription will offer. Some limit how many episodes you can store, others limit the total number of hours, or even have caps on audio quality.

Record Your First Episode!

Once you've decided on all the logistics and gathered your equipment, it's time to record your FIRST podcast episode!

To ensure a great first episode, start with thorough preparation. Plan your episode by outlining the main points you want to cover and provide a script if needed to stay on track (especially with multiple hosts). Be sure to test your equipment, including your microphone, headphones, and recording software to make sure everything is working properly.

When it's time to hit the record button, be sure to speak clearly and naturally, enunciating your words and speaking at a natural pace. Remember, you're passionate about the Gospel and excited to tell others about Jesus, smile to convey enthusiasm in your voice!

(*Always remember why you're doing it in the first place. "...whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." (1 Corinthians 10:31) This will take you a long way.)

Sharing Your Podcast

Woohoo! You recorded your first episode. Now, let's talk about how to share it with others.

I'd recommend promoting your church podcast on multiple mediums and ways to ensure that ALL your people (and prospective guests) know how to listen to it. Here are some good ideas:

• Button on your church website
• Link in your church's email newsletter
• Link it in a mass SMS message to your members
• List it on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and others (ideally, your hosting service would do this for you)
• Link in social media posts like Instagram, Facebook or Youtube
• Tell your congregation from the pulpit every week

Quick Podcasting Tips

Before we let you fly on your own, we'll leave you with some quick tips that are sure to turn you into a professional podcaster in no time.

• Define Your Purpose: Determine the primary goal of your podcast. Is it to share sermons, provide Bible Study content, or discuss community events? 
• Create a Content Plan: Plan episodes in advance, outlining the topics you want to cover. 
• Invite Special Guests: Invite special guests to appear in future episodes 
• Invest in Good Equipment: A quality built-in microphone, headphones, and audio mixer can make all the difference in great audio quality 
• Choose a Reputable Podcast Hosting Service: Select a reliable podcast hosting platform (see the list above for some good options) to upload your episodes
• Stick to a Schedule: Release episodes on a consistent schedule to build an audience 
• Engage with Your Audience: Ask for feedback and respond to comments

Church Podcasting Statistics

There are over 464 million podcast listeners worldwide (Backlinko).

The average listener spends 7 hours per week listening to their favorite podcast (Backlinko).

Podcasting isn’t just an American phenomenon. Sweden and Norway have the largest number of monthly listeners by percentage of internet users (Backlinko).

59% of people listen to podcasts while doing something else at the same time (Backlinko)?

Launch Your Church Podcast Today

With the right plan, affordable equipment, and a simple hosting platform, it's time to head to the recording studio for your church's first podcast episode!

Happy podcasting!

Weston Church Engagement