Just around one year ago, I took the decision to start my very own podcast. It was a revolutionary decision as it brought new experiences, taught me many skills and ignited a passion for podcasting. In this article, I will be sharing all you need to know about my podcasting journey and how you can start your own podcast too.
What is a podcast?
A podcast is a downloadable audio file which you can listen to from different apps. The most popular podcast platforms which offer a wide range of free podcasts of different topics are Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.
My podcasting timeline:
- The idea of a podcast came from my older brother, who knew that I love to talk and give advice to others. He recommended me to start a podcast.
- In April 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown, my sister and I decided to start a podcast. This podcast would be about discussing all girl problems and their solutions.
- After my sister and I decided on the name (which was originally ‘The Chat Library’) we then started creating podcasts and uploading them on an app called Anchor.
- My sister promoted it on her social media. For me, I felt hesitant to promote it since as a teenager who goes to school, it was a bit awkward to see my friends seeing this. However, I was and am confident to promote it.
- We got quite a lot of positive feedback, but we did realise that some individuals who were supposedly our ‘close friends’ didn’t say a word about it.
- In October 2020, after consistently posting podcast episodes, I received hate/constructive criticism from people at school.
- Fast forward to January, the podcast hit over 1000 streams and it is still growing.
- My sister and I changed the podcast name to ‘Girl, How?’ now.
- My sister and I have been posting one podcast episode every week and we have listeners from over 52 countries, and we have learnt so much about this podcasting world. It has been a great experience.
What I learnt:
- Firstly, I learnt that creating a podcast isn’t as hard as some may think – it is all about researching and keeping consistent.
- I also learnt that when you start something new that no one else in your community has (such as a podcast), you can instantly see the reactions of people near you – those who actually support you, those who keep quiet and those who are secretly jealous.
- I also learnt how to stand up for my own views. Since my sister and I discuss controversial opinions, some people may have disagreed with them, but I kept my head high and learnt to debate.
- Articulating and bringing clarity to my thoughts was something I also learnt to do with this podcast. It also allowed me to give my own advice in this big Internet world.
- Dealing with hate was a major but significant thing I learnt (which now also means that my teachers know about my podcast too).
- And of course, it has taught me the power of consistency.
Tips to start podcasting today:
- If you want to start a podcast, go for it. You need to be confident in yourself and just get started. Don’t let perfectionism or judgements from others stop you.
- Have a good motivation and aim for the podcast e.g. ‘I am starting this podcast about the Indian culture so I can represent Indians.’
- Use a good app to start. We chose Anchor which is completely free and easy to use.
- You need to research quite a lot to figure out how to host your podcast in other platforms.
My final thoughts:
- Just get started.
- Be enthusiastic about starting it.
- You will learn a lot from podcasting if you remain consistent.
That was my detailed article about one year of podcasting as a teenager. I hope you enjoyed this article and gained some insight on podcasting. Please check out my podcast, welcome to all girls out there:
Girl, How? on Google Podcasts or search up Girl, How? on any other podcast platform.
P.S I also do have another Islamic podcast which I also do weekly with my sister but we remain anonymous there.
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Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!