{"id":30755,"date":"2021-03-12T13:59:17","date_gmt":"2021-03-12T18:59:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sharefaithblog.wpengine.com\/?p=30755"},"modified":"2021-03-17T16:50:30","modified_gmt":"2021-03-17T20:50:30","slug":"how-to-start-a-church-podcast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/2021\/03\/how-to-start-a-church-podcast\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Start a Church Podcast"},"content":{"rendered":"

The growth of podcasting speaks to the desire people have to listen to inspiring and entertaining content on their own time. And this puts the power in the hands of producers. Anyone can create a podcast, and they don\u2019t have to struggle to find an outlet to carry and broadcast it.<\/span><\/p>\n

This levels out the playing field, but it makes podcasters responsible for marketing their own content and cutting through the glut of producers trying to find an audience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The great thing for churches about podcasts is that they\u2019re relatively cheap to start, it\u2019s a fantastic way to inspire members (and others) outside of a weekly service, and it helps promote what\u2019s unique about your church and staff. And as a church, you already have a built-in audience: your congregation. Unlike someone starting from scratch, churches are able to distribute their podcast to a group of people who already care what they have to say.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thinking about starting a podcast for your church? Here is a brief walkthrough of the essential steps:<\/span><\/p>\n

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1. Plan your content\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

What\u2019s your podcast going to be? A host\/co-host discussion format? A broadcast of last week\u2019s sermon? Interviews with prominent community members? Talks about biblical leadership<\/a>? The more unique your idea, the more likely it will get traction inside (and outside!) of your congregation, helping to engage and grow your church<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How long will your episodes be? They don\u2019t have to be 30\u201360 minutes long. There are plenty of prominent podcasts that are only about six-minutes long. If you want each episode to be a daily devotional, a short length makes sense! In-depth episodes that require research and interviews will need to be longer. Find a consistent length that makes sense for your format, and then stick with it.<\/span><\/p>\n

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2. Put together your presentation<\/span><\/h2>\n

What will you title your podcast? You want something unique. Do your due diligence to make sure it\u2019s not taken. You don\u2019t want to have to change it later.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You\u2019ll need some cover art for your own website and places like Spotify or Apple Podcasts. A lot of churches have a designer on staff, so this one is pretty easy. If you don\u2019t have a designer, you can find a lot of agencies online to get one done at a reasonable price.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Then you\u2019ll need a good intro. This is what people are going to hear when your podcast starts. This can be created in-house, or you can find royalty-free options for music online.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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3.\u00a0 Record and edit your podcasts<\/span><\/h2>\n

Another thing that gives churches an advantage in the podcasting world is that they tend to have high-quality sound systems and equipment, and most of them are used to recording their sermons. So you might not need to buy any gear to get a good recording.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For the new podcaster, editing is probably the area with the steepest learning curve. There are plenty of tutorials online to help you learn how to do it with your editing software of choice. You can also find services that will edit your podcasts for a nominal fee. This is an expense, but it can save you tons of time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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4. Find a podcast host and submit podcasts<\/span><\/h2>\n

A podcast host is a place to store and distribute your audio files. There are many options available, and because it\u2019s a reasonably competitive area, you can find one in your price range.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Once you\u2019ve uploaded your first podcast, you can submit it to <\/span>Spotify<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Apple Podcasts<\/span><\/a>. (Many podcasting platforms even handle distribution for you!)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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5. Market your podcast\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

This isn\u2019t an \u201cif we build it, they will come\u201d situation. A lot of the heavy lifting is going to come in the marketing part of the endeavor. This means things like:<\/span><\/p>\n