How Much Does It Cost to Start a Podcast? (FREE – $13K!)

(Note: This post contains a shitton of helpful affiliate links!)

Confession time…

I once bought a Singer sewing machine and never used it.

Have you ever tried something new because of Tiktok? Because I do it all the time. I’ve tried new recipes, makeup routines, cat enrichment activities, date ideas, you name it.

I looooooove novelty, and my algorithm knows it, so it’s constantly showing me new paths to explore.

So when I came across the wonderful world of sewing on Tiktok, I did what any multi-passionate, slightly impulsive girl would do — I ordered a brand new sewing machine, thread in every color imaginable, and all the accessories necessary to start, spending around $275 on a new hobby I’d never tried before.

I was sure I could do it, that I would love it, and that my closet would be full of my gorgeous new creations in no time.

But alas, I started watching sewing tutorials on Youtube and found them dull.

I tried threading my machine, and it felt complicated.

I never got around to buying fabric.

I could never find the time or the motivation to sit down and learn.

My algorithm moved on to greener pastures, and I no longer felt compelled to watch the sewing videos.

And there my sewing machine sat in the closet, gathering dust for over a year before I finally sold it on Facebook Marketplace.

The moral of the story is NOT to avoid trying new things. I still do, all the time, and a lot of it has stuck.

But before making a money investment, I’m a lot more careful now to try things out first and make sure I have the time for them.

When it comes to starting a podcast, it’s no different! You gotta make sure you have the time for it before you buy a microphone.

So let’s talk about how much it costs to start a podcast, and I’m not just talking about money!

There are two types of podcasters

First of all, the cost of starting a podcast will largely depend on what kind of podcaster you want to be.

A hobby podcaster will start a podcast as a passion project. They’re in it because they love the topic and want to share it with like-minded people. At first, they might not have any expectations of growing or monetizing the podcast. All they want is to try something new and have fun with it. If it grows, then it grows, but it’s not the point.

If you’re this type of podcaster, you might be able to get away with starting a podcast for free or super cheap.

On the other hand, there’s the business podcaster, who wants to monetize their podcast or turn it into a lead generator for their business. This podcaster takes growth super seriously because the point of the podcast is to generate leads and/or revenue.

If this is you, you’re probably also super busy, and a podcast will feel like extra work on top of your regular work.

So depending on what type of podcaster you wanna be…

The cost of starting a podcast can range dramatically

On one end of the spectrum, you have people starting a podcast with only their iPhone, recording / editing on Audacity (which is free), and hosting it on Spotify for Creators (also free!)

On the other end, there are those who buy expensive gear, invest in education, pay for recording software, pay for a hosting platform, or record in a professional studio.

So I think it’s helpful if we split the cost into three tiers, so you can decide which one is right for you.

TIER 1: $0-$223

You can literally start a podcast with what you already have. Use your phone, edit on free software like Audacity, and host on Spotify for Creators.

ESSENTIAL GEAR:

• Microphone: $0 (use your phone!) or $99.99 if you want to upgrade to a USB mic like the Samson Q2U
• Headphones: $0 (use what you have) or $113 for professional ones like the Sony MDR7506

OPTIONAL:

• Pop filter: $10 (Aokeo Professional Microphone Pop Filter)

SOFTWARE:

• Recording/editing: $0 (Audacity, GarageBand, or use the free version of Riverside)
• Hosting: $0 (Spotify for Creators)

PODCAST EDUCATION:

• The Podcast Starter (FREE) – my 11-minute training + Notion workbook to nail your podcast concept before you start recording episode 1

COST BREAKDOWN:

• ONE-TIME COST: $0-$222.99 (depending on if you buy mic/headphones)
• MONTHLY COST: $0

This tier is best for…

Testing the waters, hobbyists, or people who want to see if they’ll stick with it before investing

TIER 2: $400-$2,300

You’re ready to commit but don’t need pro-level gear yet.

ESSENTIAL GEAR:

• Microphone: $99.99 (Samson Q2U) OR $188-$269 (RØDE PodMic USB or Shure MV7+)
• Headphones: $100 (Sony MDR7506)
• Pop filter: $10 (Aokeo Professional Microphone Pop Filter)

OPTIONAL:

• Audio interface: $78.14-$124.97 (Focusrite Vocaster One for solo recording or Focusrite Vocaster Two for two people recording in the same room)
• Mic arm: $117-$119.90 (RØDE PSA1+ or IXTECH Mic Boom Arm Stand)

SOFTWARE:

• Recording/editing: $0-$40/month (Riverside)
• Hosting: $17-$44/month (Captivate)

PODCAST EDUCATION:

• Saturday Morning Launch Plan ($597) – my signature 30-day podcast launch group program

COST BREAKDOWN:

• ONE-TIME COST: $210-$624 (gear)
• MONTHLY COST: $17-$84 (software + hosting)
• YEAR 1 TOTAL: ~$410-$1,664 (without SMLP) or ~$1,007-$2,261 (with SMLP)
• YEAR 2+ TOTAL: $204-$1,008/year (just monthly costs)

This tier is best for… Serious hobbyists or entrepreneurs using podcasting for marketing

TIER 3: $1,300-$13,000+

Pro-level audio and video, plus optional support.

ESSENTIAL GEAR:

• Microphone: $188-$269 (RØDE PodMic USB, Shure MV7+)
• Audio Interface: $159.99-$224.99 (Focusrite Scarlett Solo 4th Gen for solo recording or Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 4th Gen for two people recording in the same room)
• Headphones: $100 (Sony MDR7506)
• Pop filter: $10 (Aokeo Professional Microphone Pop Filter)
• Mic arm: $117 (RØDE PSA1+ Professional Studio Arm)

OPTIONAL (for video podcasts):

• Video camera: $168.99-$798 (Sony ZV-1 Digital Camera OR Logitech Brio 4K Webcam)
• Lighting: at least this $59.99 (Logitech Litra Glow Premium LED Streaming Light), but lighting costs are highly dependent on the place you’re recording in!

SOFTWARE:

• Recording/editing: $40/month (Riverside)
• Hosting: $17-$44/month (Captivate)

PODCAST SUPPORT:

• Strategy Session: $350
• Podcast Editing: $108-$754 per month for weekly audio-only podcasts
• Podcast Management: $485-$1,131 per month for weekly audio-only podcasts

COST BREAKDOWN:

• ONE-TIME COST: $575-$1,579 (gear, depending on video)
• MONTHLY COST: $57-$892 (software + hosting + optional support)
• YEAR 1 TOTAL:
  • DIY (audio-only): ~$1,259
  • DIY (video): ~$1,488
  • With Editing: ~$6,733
  • With Full Management: ~$12,283
• YEAR 2+ ANNUAL:
  • DIY: ~$684/year
  • With Editing: ~$6,012/year
  • With Full Management: ~$10,704/year

This tier is best for… Businesses, brands, content creators who treat podcasting as a core marketing channel

So, how much does it cost to start a podcast? Anywhere from $0 to $13,000+ depending on your setup and whether you outsource!

These tiers are estimates, and you can certainly adapt each to your needs, but hopefully these give you a realistic idea of what starting a podcast would cost for you.

At least in terms of money.

There’s a higher cost to starting a podcast that you might not be thinking about right now!

And that cost is TIME.

You can start a podcast for free or super cheap, but it usually requires a much higher time investment from your part.

To help you determine if you have the time to maintain a podcast right now, here’s a cheat sheet of how long things usually take per week (assuming you do weekly episodes), based on my experience managing multiple podcasts a month:

1. Planning episodes – 15 minutes – 2 hours. This depends on the length of your episodes, whether or not you’re repurposing content, the type of episode (solo episodes might take longer to plan than interview episodes, for example), and whether you need to do research or not.

2. Recording episodes – 15 minutes – 1.5 hours. This includes the time it takes to set up and test your equipment before you start recording, and it also varies based on episode length.

3. Editing – about double the length of the episode. This also depends on what kind of editing you’re doing. If you start with a high-quality audio recording, speak pretty fluently, and use a text-based editor, this can take way less time. But if your audio needs enhancing and there are various things to cut or silence, it can definitely take double the time or a bit more.

4. Writing show notes – 30 minutes. You can use a template and pass the episode transcript through a trained chatbot to speed things up a bit.

5. Scheduling episodes – 15 minutes. This is pretty straightforward.

6. Promoting episodes – 15 minutes – 2.5 hours. Definitely depends on what you’re doing to promote the episodes. Yapping on Threads or posting on Stories takes less time than creating video clips and writing blog posts.

So maintaining a podcast can take anywhere from 2 hours to 8 hours per week!

If you hire a podcast manager who takes care of the editing, show notes, scheduling, and promoting, you can cut it down to 30 minutes to 3.5 hours per week.

Here’s your final cheat sheet to determine if you can “afford” to start a podcast right now:

Do you have the money?

• What tier fits your budget?
• Are you willing to invest upfront or pay monthly?
• If you’re a business, can you justify the ROI?

Do you have the time?

• Can you commit 2-8 hours/week?
• Are you willing to batch record to save time?
• Would outsourcing editing make this sustainable?

Keep all this in mind when making decisions about:

• Your average episode length (shorter episodes require much less time than longer episodes!)
• Your release schedule (will you release episodes weekly, biweekly, or in seasons?)
• Whether or not you should batch record episodes
• Whether or not you should outsource parts of the process to a podcast manager

If you answer these questions and end up with a plan that you feel good about, I’d say you’re ready to start (and maintain) a podcast that works for you!

(Because the last thing you want is a $300 microphone sitting in your closet like my sewing machine! lololol)

If you found this post helpful, my newsletter is definitely for you! I send a free podcasting tip like this every Wednesday straight to your inbox, and you can subscribe to get it here!

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