01 · Plan
Planning checklist
Decide who the show is for and what shape it takes before you buy anything. Pick a format and an episode length you can keep up.
- One-sentence description of the show
- Who it's for
- Format: solo, interview, co-hosted
- Episode length and how often
- Name, checked on Apple and Spotify
- List of the first 10 episode topics
02 · Equipment
Equipment and software checklist
Keep it minimal; see the simple podcast setup. Check your microphone with the free microphone test before your first session.
- USB microphone
- Headphones
- A quiet, soft room
- Recording and editing software
- Podcast host or publishing tool
03 · Make
Recording and editing checklist
Record three episodes before you launch so you have a buffer. In Hilite you can record, edit by transcript and enhance the audio in one place.
- Intro and outro (and music you have rights to)
- Three episodes recorded
- Mistakes, ums and long pauses cut
- Audio cleaned and levels even
- Exported as MP3
04 · Publish
Publishing checklist
Submit your show to the directories once, then every new episode appears automatically. Hilite publishes your feed and drafts titles and show notes from the transcript.
- Cover art (3000 x 3000 px)
- Show description and category
- Episode titles and show notes
- Submitted to Apple Podcasts and Spotify
- Launch with two or three episodes at once
05 · Promote
First-month promotion checklist
Your first listeners come from people who already know you. Share personally, then turn each episode into short clips for social.
- Tell 20 people personally
- Ask guests to share their episode
- Post a clip per episode
- Ask for ratings in the first month
- Publish on the same day every time
Tick off recording, editing and publishing in one tool.
Hilite takes you from first recording to a published episode.