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Dream of starting a podcast but feel overwhelmed by the tech, self-doubt, or fear that no one will listen? Podcasting with Hiwi G helps aspiring podcasters gain the clarity and confidence they need to create shows that are as unique as they are, without the unnecessary confusion, overthinking, or perfectionism.
It's 2026, and you're finally ready to create that podcast that's been in your heart and in your mind for months, maybe even years. And you have that mic that you bought that's sitting in a drawer somewhere, but every time you sit down to record, the same thoughts keep coming up. What if my idea is not good enough? What if nobody listens? Is this really something that I can do even though I know I really want to do it?
Hiwote:If that's you, I'm gonna spend the next fifteen walking you through the exact simple framework that you need to follow in order to actually bring your idea to life. Because the truth is those feelings and those questions, they're not going to go away until you begin. But how you begin really matters. And if you're new here, welcome. My name's Hiwi G.
Hiwote:I'm a podcast producer and the creator of the Emerging Voices Podcasting Accelerator. So I've produced shows like Where Should We Begin with Esther Perel or This Is Dating, which was listed as one of Time Magazine's best podcasts of 2022. And there's a whole slew of other podcasts that I've also made. Now, the thing is, when I first started as an independent creator, as a podcaster from my living room, I struggled with a lot of the same fears that you might be feeling right now. I wondered if people would listen and really engage with what it was that I was trying to share with the world.
Hiwote:And that's exactly why I created the Emerging Voices Accelerator. If you are someone who has a great idea, but just doesn't know how to bring it to life and the doubt keeps coming up for you, you might wanna download the 10 step guide to launching your podcast and the link to it will be in the description below. Now, if you don't know your podcast idea or you're just not sure if it's a good enough idea to pursue, then I highly recommend you start with step one, defining what it is that only you can make. Now here's the thing. I've been to so many dinners where my friends and I will chat and eventually someone will say, we should have recorded this.
Hiwote:This should have been a podcast. And the truth is most of us have interesting conversations every once in a while, and we think it would be interesting to transmit it to the world. But is it really so different from the conversations that many other people are having? Oh, I don't know. Okay.
Hiwote:A lot of people also say, just wanna really interview inspiring people. The problem with that is so does everyone else. So the question you have to ask yourself is what is it that I am uniquely positioned to create? And the way you know this is these things usually come from your lived experience, your expertise, or a problem that you have solved in your own life that you know other people are struggling with right now, or a problem that you are actively solving that you know other people are struggling with right now. Okay?
Hiwote:These three things tend to be the places where most good ideas come from, and also they tend to be the places that you have passion and excitement and energy around. So a bad example of this would be you deciding that you want to make a podcast interviewing athletes about their experience. The reason this is not a great idea is because there's nothing specific about it. There are many shows where athletes are coming on to talk about their experiences and their stories and they're behind the scenes of what most people see. Your unique angle though might be that you are a sports medicine doctor and you want to talk to athletes about what it is that they do on and off the field to make sure that they remain healthy and active and have like bodies that they can use for the rest of their lives instead of injuring themselves very quickly.
Hiwote:Super specific. But I just mean, if you have a specific reason why you are uniquely equipped to talk to these people, that makes the show so much more interesting because not everybody is a sports medicine doctor that can do the same thing. Does that make sense? I hope so. Now here's the thing.
Hiwote:When I first started podcasting over ten years ago, I had just graduated from grad school. I was really miserable at my first real adult job, and I kept looking around thinking this cannot be all that life is. Like, we can't just pay bills and die. Like, we have to have some joy in our lives. So my podcast at the time, it was called Depth and Candor, And my curiosity was how do we live deeply vibrant and joyful lives?
Hiwote:And how do we create careers that enable us to do that? So my idea wasn't some vague concept that I just used and tried to appeal to a lot of people. It came very specifically from where I was in my life. Like I was very curious about this thing and I was gonna continue to explore that curiosity for a long time. So this is what I mean when I say your lived experience or your expertise or a problem that you have solved or are solving for yourself that other people also struggle with.
Hiwote:Okay? Alright. So once you figure that out, you might start thinking about, oh, what am I gonna name my And if you start overthinking or you start feeling like, I don't quite have the perfect name yet. I'm here to tell you that you can just use a placeholder name while you develop your idea further. The real thing you need to be aware of at this first stage is does the name make sense and is it searchable?
Hiwote:So it should be something that's quite easy for people to search and find. And if you're like, okay, but I just wanna think about this just a little bit, here is an AI prompt that you can use. Generate 10 podcast name ideas for a podcast about, and then whatever your core topic is or your angle. The target audience is, and then specify your audience. The tone should be, is it educational?
Hiwote:Is it contrarian? Is it tactical? Is it storytelling? Is it philosophical? And this podcast is is it personal brand driven?
Hiwote:Is it brand driven? Tell us kind of what you envision it to be. The name should be clear, memorable, non cringe, and suitable for long term brand building. Avoid generic buzzwords and overused phrases, and then insert the words or style to avoid. Preferred naming style, short and punchy, descriptive, metaphor based, or mixed.
Hiwote:And then you just ask it to generate 10 distinct podcast name options. Now let's say you have your show angle, your show idea that you feel really good about, and you also have a name that you feel decently about, and you are ready to start recording. Now this brings us to step two because if you don't figure out how to structure your episodes in an engaging way, people will click off within the first thirty to ninety seconds. So step two is structuring your episodes so people will actually listen. So what I see with a lot of beginners at this stage is that they will write their script outlines or their scripts kind of like we used to write term papers when we were in school.
Hiwote:Right? So introduction, point number one, point number two, conclusion, and then you end it. And the problem with that is it sounds quite flat. Like that's not how we talk to each other in real life. And part of what's so nice about podcasts is that it feels like you're talking to a friend.
Hiwote:So in order to do that, I highly recommend you use this framework. Start with the problem, then give us the path and then take us to the payoff. Now, what this means is when you first start, the problem is what's going to hook your listener. This is the thing that they really came for. So you have to hook them with that intrigue, Tell them what it is that we are gonna be solving in our time together.
Hiwote:Okay? And maybe you're making an entertainment podcast that's not really about solving a problem, in which case you're telling us what we are exploring. Right? And to be honest, you should know, even if you're making an entertainment podcast, you are solving the problem of boredom or the problem of not being in the know for people. Okay?
Hiwote:So regardless of what you're making, the problem needs to be at the very top. And then the path is really how we converse with our friends. We don't go from point a to point b. We tell them one part of the story. We reflect.
Hiwote:We talk about it. We go to another part. We reflect. We talk about it. And the actual payoff, the final closeout for the conversation comes at the very end.
Hiwote:So all of the points that were brought up along the path should feel somewhat resolved or on the path to being resolved by the time you get to the payoff. So that's it. Problem, path, and payoff. So if you're making an interview based podcast, you might be wondering how exactly would I personally do this because it might feel like you don't know what's gonna happen in the interview until you're in it, which to some extent is true. But you have to know why you chose the person that you chose to be sitting across from you in that interview.
Hiwote:And if you know that, that means that you have some curiosities already, some questions that you thought would be helpful or interesting to explore with them. And this should be both from your perspective, but then also from your listeners perspective. So they should find this conversation interesting as well. Right? Now, your job in the actual interview is to be the guide on that path.
Hiwote:You should know where it is that you wanna go with this person so that the person is accompanying you and they're exploring with you. And then by the time you get to the payoff, you can make sure that either they give the payoff for the conversation you're having or you do that yourself by summarizing the conversation, by noting key takeaways. And, you know, I don't actually listen to the Mel Robbins Podcast that often, but every time I do, I'm really impressed because I'm like, she does this super well. And I think it's a big part of why her podcast has become so successful because it's very clear at the beginning of every episode why she is interviewing the person she's interviewing. She goes on a path with them and she's very clear about being the guide.
Hiwote:And then by the very end, she gives you your very tangible takeaways that you can do something with. So that means it leaves you transformed in some way. Now, if you're doing a solo episode, you have to carry the whole conversation on your own. So you have to state the problem at the top on your own, and then you have to take us on a path. You have to tell us a story in a way that is engaging.
Hiwote:So it's not point one to point two. It's going deeper into an exploration. It is connecting it back to your audience's experiences back to their problems. It is reminding people that where you began is not where you have to end. And all of those things are what make a good story.
Hiwote:It's painting a scene for someone so that they feel like they were there with you and they can connect with you. Storytelling ultimately is about connection. Like, do you feel connected to this character that is telling you this story? Do you see a part of yourself in them? And then the payoff is how you leave off, reminding them that the transformation they're trying to go on is one that either you are also trying to go on or you have gone on and is possible for them.
Hiwote:Now, once you actually do this, once you know what your, episode structure is gonna be and you feel good about it, this might be the time where the fear of, ugh, the tech is too overwhelming, I don't know how to create this. That might come up, and I'm here to tell you that everything you think you need, you probably don't. Okay? So let's go to step number three, recording your very first episode. Look, you might have watched a bunch of videos on all the tech you need for podcasting, and it might feel like you need a really fancy microphone, a really fancy camera, high quality lighting, a studio where it looks like a perfect set so that you can start your podcast today and it looks outstanding.
Hiwote:Here is the thing. We are a culture that's so used to buying things to feel like we're creating something. We get the dopamine from consuming, which is why there's so much content around all the things you need to create a podcast. The truth is you need a decent quality mic and really high quality content because a mid level recording with really good content is always going to outperform high quality recording with zero substance. Okay?
Hiwote:So you have already solved for the first part. You know what your content is gonna be because you're watching this video. But if you are like, okay, which high-tech mic do I really need to buy? All you really need is a decent quality microphone that plugs directly into your computer. Okay?
Hiwote:So I'm using the Blue Yeti Nano. I've used it for a very long time. The other one that is a USB, which makes it really easy to record is the Audio Technica AT2020. Make sure you get the USB version. Both of these are really simple to use easy mics that record good enough quality, which is all we want when we're beginning.
Hiwote:Okay. And if you're like, you know what? I really want to spend a little bit more money, then you can get the Shure MV seven plus. It gives you the option of plugging directly into your laptop or your computer, but you can also plug it into an interface later down the line if you decide that that's what you wanna do. The big difference, and it's true that USB mics are not quite as high quality as the ones that you have to plug into an interface and then the audio gets digitized and goes into your computer, blah blah blah.
Hiwote:We don't care about that right now. We care about good enough quality audio, and any of these three mics will give you that option. Okay? So I'll drop links to all three of them in the description below. Next is your studio.
Hiwote:So really all you need is a decent quality mic and a quiet place where you can close the door and record. Right now, I'm recording from my friend's place and it I didn't think too much about like, is it perfect for a podcast recording or is it perfect for YouTube recording? It as long as it has some sort of soft surfaces and as long as it's quiet enough for me to record from, that's really all I need. I don't need phone panels. I don't need anything else other than a quiet place to record.
Hiwote:And then when it comes time to record, I highly recommend using Descript because the starter plan starts at around $16 per month, and you can get your audio transcribed immediately, which then makes it easy to edit your audio as well. And if you're doing an interview, you can record it directly into Descript or you can use Squadcast, which you get for free once you sign up for a Descript plan. Okay? Now here's a question I get very often when people are at the stage where they're ready to record. They wanna know what my lighting setup is like and where my script is and how I bring the whole thing together or how YouTubers bring the whole thing together.
Hiwote:My recommendation for podcasters is actually that you don't. Okay? And if you've watched my videos before this, you know that this is my stance for beginners. Now don't get me wrong. I clearly love YouTube.
Hiwote:I think YouTube is a brilliant platform for long term growth, And I think your podcast should eventually live on YouTube. But do you need to start on YouTube? Absolutely not. The reason for that is because you are gonna have to learn so many additional skills in addition to what we're talking about, by the way. You're gonna have to learn how to speak to a camera really naturally, how to make sure you're dressed appropriately for every video, how to do your makeup, how to get the lighting right, how to memorize your script, how to use a teleprompter.
Hiwote:All of that is a lot. And a lot of people will use a teleprompter and just sound like they're reading because they don't have experience on camera. So why would we make this more complicated for you when you're beginning? Okay. So 2026, audio first is still the move.
Hiwote:And if you're like, okay, but until when? I'm gonna tell you either commit to your first season being audio only or say my first 10 episodes will be audio only and then I will move to video. Okay? Okay. So now you've got your mic, you've recorded your episode and it's time to edit, and you're like, oh, I this is not I'm not technical.
Hiwote:Like, this is not my forte. And at this point, one of two things happens. Either people just never edit what it is that they said they were gonna put out into the world, or they spend, like, forty hours trying to clean up every and ah and like really criticizing how they sound when they listen to themselves. And I'm here to tell you there's a much simpler way, which brings us to step four, editing your podcast. Alright.
Hiwote:So what I tell everybody who is beginning is that if what is being said does not move the story forward, it has to go. Okay? So we're not looking for ums, ahs, things to perfect. We're not trying to, like, clean everything up so that people don't sound like people. We're trying to make sure that the story is consistently moving forward.
Hiwote:And anytime we notice that we're losing interest in the story, and that often happens because the person is repeating themselves or you're repeating yourself or you're going off track from what the whole point of this episode is. If either one of those two things are happening, you can cut the parts where that is happening. Okay? So repetition and going off track are usually gonna be the two places where you're removing whole chunks, which is gonna make your episode super strong. When I was making a Sarah Parel show, where should we begin?
Hiwote:Our original recordings were three hours long. So we took those three hour long episodes, and we cut them down into forty five ish minutes, because we know that there is so much that people will repeat, people will, explore that doesn't actually make the story compelling to listen to as a listener. So that is what you're training your brain to do, to pay attention to what is moving the story forward and then removing anything that is not. Now, in terms of music, you can pick music from Descript. They have a library in there, or you can get Epidemic Sound, which is what I use for most of my music.
Hiwote:I'll put a link to it below. And your job is to find music that is good enough that helps illustrate the point of your episode. Okay? You're not looking for the perfect track. You just wanna make sure that the vibe lines up with you and your topic.
Hiwote:Okay? Now I don't want you to spend twenty hours looking for the perfect track because a, there isn't such a thing and b, it's only once you really spend time with your own show that you're gonna start being able to say, you know what? This track fits better than this one and here is why. At this stage, you want good enough. And if you have good enough, I really encourage you to move forward to step five, which is publishing your podcast.
Hiwote:Now the first thing you need to publish your podcast is your cover art. So this is the square image that people will see when they look up your podcast. You can do this in Canva. You can even get chat GPT to do it for you. Okay?
Hiwote:Here is a prompt we use to create a podcast called Rooted Living, which is about organic food and lifestyle. Create a one by one podcast cover image for a podcast called, insert your name. The theme or topic is explain your theme. The vibe is, is it calm? Is it minimal?
Hiwote:Is it edgy? Is it warm? Give us the vibe. The audience is, tell us the audience, and the cover image visually represents core idea or the emotion that the podcast stands for without looking generic or cliche. And then you can tell it the visual style.
Hiwote:So the overall aesthetic is the color palette is the lighting is the mood is elements to include are the main subject. So maybe it's your face, maybe it's an object, maybe it's abstract symbol or maybe nothing. For background, can tell it what kind of background you want plain, textured, environmental, abstract, typography style, clean, sans serif, handwritten, modern, bold, and then the text placement. Podcast name should be clearly visible and readable at small sizes. And then tell it what to avoid overcrowding, stock photo look, loud gimmicks, or trendy effects.
Hiwote:And the final image should feel timeless, intentional, and scroll stopping, which is suitable for Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube Podcast listings. Next up, you need a podcast host. So a podcast host, you don't know what it is, is basically the place where your audio file lives, and then it distributes your audio to Apple and Spotify and wherever else you want your podcast to be. Now what a lot of people do at this stage is they go and they sign up for something like a Buzz Sprout or a Libsyn or a Captivate, which is perfectly fine. But then you also are gonna be like, I don't have a website, so I need to build a website.
Hiwote:And then, I should probably have an email list, so then you're gonna sign up for Mailchimp. And now you have three different platforms that you're paying a lot of money for. My recommendation to you is that you actually start with something like Substack if you know that you wanna pay $0 when you're beginning. Okay? And if you want to put a little bit more money in, the next step up for me would be Transistor, and I'm a Transistor affiliate.
Hiwote:I'll put a link to them down below, But I really love Transistor because you can build a website for free and you can host your podcast. Okay? So here's what you do if you wanna go down the Substack route. You sign up for an account, you go to the podcast page, you upload your audio, you get your RSS feed and you submit it to Apple and Spotify and wherever else you want to publish your podcast. And you really at that stage are going to be live once you hit publish on the episode that you have just uploaded.
Hiwote:Okay? And you're live, like your podcast is gonna be everywhere and then every other episode that you upload because your RSS feed is now connected to Apple and to Spotify, it's gonna show up on everybody's feed that has decided to subscribe to you. That's quite simple, but I know we overcomplicate it because it feels like, oh, this it can't be this easy. And I promise you, it really is. And listen, if at this stage you're still thinking, but I wanna do video, YouTube is a whole other beast.
Hiwote:Like, you need to think about thumbnails. You need to think about uploading your video separately. Same thing with if you're trying to do Spotify video on Spotify, same thing. You need to upload that separately than you would through your RSS feed. So this is not a tutorial for that.
Hiwote:It's really to say there is a very simple way to get started. So now you have the five steps to actually launching your podcast, and I love that for you. But look, knowing how to do something and actually doing it are two very different things. So I have two things for you because I love you and I want you to do well. The first is the 10 step guide to launching your podcast.
Hiwote:My hope is that it will give you these specific steps so that you can actually launch your show in a way that feels good to you. And the other is the emerging voices accelerator. So if you are someone who has a good idea, but you just feel really overwhelmed and don't know how to get started on it yourself, then I highly encourage you to apply to the accelerator. It is a space where I give you feedback on your work. I help you refine your idea further, and I actually listen to your episodes and I give you my thoughts so that you can continue to improve episode over episode.
Hiwote:And my job is to help you actually launch and grow your show, which is exactly what our members do. So I can't wait to see your application. Links to both resources will be down below, and I will see you in the next video.