Q: I’m a writer and working on a new blog, where I’ll post a new article every week. A friend suggested that I do a weekly podcast, too. How do I do that? What kind of equipment do I need, and how do I market my podcast?

I’m not very good at tech terms, so when I looked up this question on the web it just confused me. Is there someone who can walk me through the process and give me a better understanding about podcasts, and blogging in general? I have a “computer guy” but he doesn’t know anything about podcasts.

A: Great question, Karen. Here at Deemable Tech we are actually able to record in a professional studio, but that’s not an option for most people. However, you can still record a great podcast right in your own home.

At the bare minimum, you need a computer and a good microphone. If you have nothing but that, you can start recording a podcast. It doesn’t matter if it’s a Windows or a Mac, both have plenty of software available to do the job. Macs, however, come with the software you need built-in. And, those software programs are a bit easier to use that their PC counterparts.

The kind of microphone you should get depends a lot on your budget, and the amount of time you want to invest in learning about sound production. On the simple end of things, you can get a microphone that plugs into the USB port of your computer for anywhere from 50 to 200 hundred dollars. Most of the major microphone manufacturers make a USB model.

The Audio-Technica AT2020 is one we like, and we’ve always had a soft-spot for the Blue Microphone Yeti.

Once you have a good mic, the next step is to record your podcast. You’ll need some software to do that. As we mentioned before, on the Mac there is a built-in program to do the job – it?s called GarageBand. You can also download a free program called Audacity for Windows or Mac. It does a great job recording, and it is pretty easy to use it to edit your recordings.

Once you have your podcast recorded, you are ready to take the big step of putting it out on the internet.

Now, here’s where it can get nerdy. You’ll need to either setup a website that can host an RSS feed, or you’ll have to use a service to publish your podcast for you. If your blog is a WordPress site, you can just create a new category named podcast, and then you’ll publish all of your podcast episodes in the podcast category. WordPress creates an RSS feed for you, which is the technical term for what a podcast really is. If that sounds too complicated for you, there are services that will set it up for you. One good one is called BuzzSprout. You have to pay for BuzzSprout in addition to your website hosting, but it gets the job done, and it’s really easy to set up.

Once you get it published, then you need to advertise it. The best way to advertise it is to get it listed in podcast directories, like the big one, iTunes. It doesn’t cost anything to be listed in iTunes, but you practically have to be listedthere if you are ever going to be heard. More people listen to podcasts listed on iTunes than anywhere else. But there are other great podcast services like Stitcher and Slacker Radio as well. List your podcast in as many places as possible.

Hopefully that will get you pointed in the right direction, Karen. Another great resource to getting a podcast started is, ironically, a podcast. Download the Podcast app for iPhone or iPod or just open iTunes and search for Podcasting for Dummies. This is the companion podcast for the book Podcasting for Dummies. There’s a lot of great information in the podcast, and it’s completely free.

Check that out and you’ll be on your way to internet stardom in no time.