Start a podcast today easy and free. Among the free options for podcasting, Anchor is one of my favorite options. And no, I have no affiliation with them. It has everything you need to integrate into one place, from editing with the mobile app to creating segments with its episode builder. Learn how to create a podcast for free and a guide with all the tips for starting with Spotify for Podcasters (formally Anchor).
Registering a Podcast on Anchor (Spotify for Podcasters)
When you click the Sign-Up link in the upper right corner of the landing page, you are taken to a standard form asking for a name (yours, not the podcast’s), password, email, and reCAPTCHA.
Suppose you’re moving from a different host to Anchor. In that case, there is also an Import link at the bottom, which gives you a place to paste your RSS feed from your existing host, and then Anchor will import that media for you and go through the process of getting your information.
Redirecting your feed. That said, most people won’t be going that route, so we will focus on creating a new podcast from scratch.
Free Podcast Number #1
Once you’ve signed up for the account, Anchor shows you a chart of your next steps. Strangely, the first one on the list is Make Your First Episode. To some (we, too), this seems like an odd first step. But there’s a method behind the madness here.
Immediately upon clicking Let’s Do It, you’re brought to one of the main pages within Anchor: the episode audio creation page. You get four options here for the audio, all important, but some are used more than others.
- The record is exactly what it says: “Capture audio right from your browser.” You won’t need external software if you don’t want it. You can press record and make a show.
- Messages let you add a voice message a listener has left for you.
- The library is any audio you have previously recorded or uploaded, and it can be inserted into an episode at any point.
- Transitions are the Anchor catch-all for music and sound effects that you can use for background audio, etc.
Audio Options
To the right of the screen is the Your Episode box, where you can upload pre-recorded audio (what most people will do, honestly). It will also show a timeline of any audio clips or sections in that episode, and you can reorder them as you want.
Note, however, that you cannot move into the next section of the episode without at least some audio on the right side. So if you don’t have anything recorded yet, but want to enter show notes or set up the episode details, you can either Record a snippet as a placeholder or put in a sound effect from Transitions and click Save Episode to move on. This will not publish the episode. Don’t worry.
Episode Details of the Podcast on Anchor (Spotify for Podcasters)
The next screen is where your title, description, season, episode number, and episode art will live. This is the screen from which you can save the episode as a draft or publish it to your Anchor Podcast RSS feed. Learn how to create a podcast for free and a guide with all the tips for starting with Spotify for Podcasters (formally Anchor).
The only required fields are Title and Description because all podcast platforms have to display something about the show. The other fields, found below as you scroll down, are optional. However, we suggest filling them out because iTunes algorithms (and UI) love episodes with full information.
If nothing else, fill in the Season Number. (Always put something here, even if you don’t use seasons). If this is left blank, iTunes and other platforms will show Unknown Season, so even without seasons, having it set at one will make it a better experience for listeners. At this point, you can either save the draft for later or publish it.
Starting Free Podcast: First Episode
When Anchor submits to the podcast directories for you (or you do it manually), they require you to have episodes in your feed. None of them (Apple Podcasts especially) will not approve an empty feed. So Anchor wants to ensure you are set up for success as soon as possible.
After saving the episode as a draft or publishing it, you can return to your Dashboard to find the chart still there.
Set Up Your Free Podcast On Anchor
If you save a draft episode, you can come back here anytime to click Finish Episode and get your feed up. Either way, click on Go To Podcast Setup to put in the details of the overall show — not individual episodes.
A modal will ask for the Podcast name, description, category, and language. These will appear on every podcast directory, so make sure you follow the rules they lay out (no keyword stuffing in titles, appropriate category for the content, etc.).
After this, you will work on your podcast art. Again, it would help if you had a podcast art for submission. But you don’t necessarily need to have your art ready. There’s a placeholder generator that Anchor has. We strongly suggest not using this art for production. Only for submission and approval purposes.
You can search for a photo via Unsplash, upload your own, or let Anchor choose. If you let Anchor choose (and for this, why not, since it’s just for approval), you can put the title of your show on there and approve it yourself. After you click Update Cover Art, you can make your podcast live follow this tips on how create podcast Spotify!
Starting Podcast On Anchor: Free Submission
The next modal will tell you that Anchor is submitting the podcast to all the major directories. Apple Podcasts is the main one, but Stitcher, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and so on are on it, too. At the time of this writing, there are around a dozen places for submission.
Moreover, you want to control your feed and directory submissions completely. Click on ‘Rather Do It Myself’. You will have a series of fields of settings where you can post the URLs for where they can be found upon approval.
That will make the icon appear on the Anchor.fm (Spotify For Podcasters) home page for your show. But it is not a requirement. They show up automatically using the Anchor-submitted feature with this guide for Spotify Podcasters.
Managing Your Anchor Podcast
Gain unique insights into when and where your podcast is being heard the loudest. On your Anchor dashboard. You’ll find detailed analytics to learn about who’s listening and how your episodes are performing. Analytics are available on mobile and web, so you can track your success no matter where you are.
The starting podcast process for free on Anchor is complete! Easy, right? And free! Now, there are other settings that you can explore. Such as enabling Anchor’s monetization options.
However, just setting up a podcast and going live…you’ve done it! When creating a new episode, click New Episode in the upper-right corner. Go through the same process as Step 2 above! Keep reading to learn how to create a podcast for free and a guide with all the tips for starting with Spotify for Podcasters (formally Anchor).
