Wondering how to start a nutrition podcast?
Keep reading to learn what I did as a Dietitian who primarily blogs about vegan nutrition (because lets face it, some people prefer listening over the written word).
Lets go!
Disclosure: This post contains Amazon Associate affiliate links and other affiliate links. This means: if you click on the links and purchase, I earn a commission.
Disclaimer: This post is based on the opinion of the writer, and is not legal advice. We do not make any guarantee of results. We are not claiming that any of the tools or resources mentioned here are the only ways to start or grow a podcast. See our Disclaimers for more details.
Why Start a Podcast? (3 Reasons)
It May Help Boost Your Authority
If you have any presence on the online space, you’ve probably noticed that it can be rather difficult to get noticed. Much less, become prominent in your niche!
Having a podcast, book, blog, etc are some ways you can show that you are someone to pay attention to!
The unique thing about a podcast (and blog for that matter) is that people also get a sense of your personality. It’s the thing that is unique to you!
No one else is you.
For example, my The Plant Powered You podcast (my podcast) focuses on nutrition for vegans and features other dietitians.
My style is a bit different in that episodes are more of “conversations” than stuffy interviews. I love to bring some humor into my convos as well!
While there may be several other podcasts that also speak to this topic, no one is me!
Just be sure to keep things credible- a key to boosting your authority.
For example, if you’re not a dietitian but want to start a nutrition podcast, consider having credentialed experts on your show.
Podcasting Can be Monetized
You can actually earn money by placing ads, accepting sponsorship, or promoting affiliate links in your episodes.
Alternatively, if you want to start a podcast to drive traffic to your business or blog, make sure to consistently “plug” your business/blog during the episode!
Make Friends with Others In Your Field (Network Without “Networking”)
My favorite part!
I have met so many other wonderful people in my field that I can now call friends.
Networking is a term I don’t quite like, because it has gotten a bad rep in some circles. This isn’t about finding people to just benefit you.
Is this someone I would enjoy going on a coffee run with? Inviting to a meet up?
And if it just so happens that we both are also vegan and work as dietitians (in reference to my niche), maybe a collab might be in the future!
Finding those you turly vibe might just make for a better episode as well.
Your listeners can probably guess who is and isn’t vibing (just saying).
Finally, everyone can essentially get a benefit from being on a podcast! The interviewer has content, and the interviewee gets to to promote their service.
How To Start A Nutrition Podcast (6 Steps)
Determine Your Why and Pick A Topic
I’m first and foremost a blogger. There is just something about writing that lights me up!
But, the plain fact is that some people prefer to listen.
Or maybe it isn’t convenient at the time to read. Perhaps my listeners are driving to work, or scrolling Apple Podcasts for the next intriguing show.
So, I got into podcasting as a second way to grow traffic to my blog and elevate dietitians specializing in vegan nutrition at the same time.
The topic was easy to pick because my business is centered on vegan nutrition.
What is your business about?
Is it super focused (say, your practice is geared toward helping athletes) or are you more generalized?
If you are more generalized, consider thinking about questions your clients ask you over and over again. Can you make episodes centered around that?
I highly suggest narrowing in on your topic, and writing out at least two months worth of podcast episode topics you can make.
Decide on Episode Frequency, Length, and Host(s)
Next, you’ll want to get super detailed!
How long will your episodes be? How frequently will you publish a new episode?
Will it just be you hosting the show? Or will you have guests (or a combination of both)?
When I was doing my own research on podcasting, I kept hearing over and over again that a schedule matters.
This is because people may be subscribing to your show.
Think of it like a your favorite Youtube show.
Perhaps you are subscribed to their channel and have a general idea when new shows come out.
Likewise, your podcast subscribers may expect consistency as well!
So consider picking a day of the week to post episodes, and stick with it!
When determining the length of your episodes, keep your ideal listener in mind.
Are they super busy people who don’t want to listen to an hour long podcast? If so, consider shorter episodes.
Figure Out Editing Software
Think about how you will edit and record your podcast (something I learned the hard way should not be put off the last minute 😉 ).
I use Audacity to edit my my podcast episodes. It’s a free program that you can find here.
If you are new to editing, it may take a few YouTube videos to get the hang of, but can be well worth the time with a free tool!
I’ve also heard that Garage Band (on Mac) is free editing tool, but have not tried it.
Finally, don’t forget about the transcript!
Having a transcript could be useful for those with hearing difficulties or those who prefer to read instead of listen.
Plus, a transcript can double as a blog post on your site!
I use the free version of Descript to populate a transcript for me. It’s pretty awesome. I just upload my audio, add who is speaking, and it populates a transcript! 🤯
I do need to edit it, but it saves me a ton of time. *Update: apparently the free version appears to just be a trial that ends! I think I’ll have to consider paying for descript or finding a new transcription service.
Once I have the transcript, I make a separate blog post on my site that includes show notes, resources mentioned in the episode, and the transcript. Check out an example here.
In the description of the actual podcast episode (such as what you would see on Apple Podcasts), I just link over to that blog post, pretty simple!
Make Sure You Have the Right Equipment
While you don’t need to have fancy equipment to make your podcast, sound quality is probably going to be pretty important from a listener perspective.
Have you ever listened to a podcast that was poor quality and got frustrated because you couldn’t understand what they were saying?
Yeah, I have, and can’t tell you how many times I just stopped listening!
Sometimes using your phone will suffice. But I went with a mic (plus, I think a mic looks super professional too! Something to keep in mind if you have guests or repurpose to a video platform like YouTube)!
I really like how crisp the sound quality is on this one that I use.
You can check out my Apple Podcasts page here to get an idea of how my voice comes through on this mic with the mic cover above.
While not necessary, you may want to consider a ring light and green screen.
These could help reduce the shadows your guests (if you have guests on) see and background items respectively.
And as an FYI- if you are planning to post your podcast episodes on a video platform like YouTube, these items might be even more desirable.
Below is the ring light and green screen that I use!
Secure Hosting, Disclaimers and a Guest Podcast Release
Can a podcast exist without these? Yes-but they were garn well important to me!
I’d highly suggest looking for a podcast hosting platform that creates a RSS feed for your show. This helps your episodes get sent to popular podcast players, like Apple Podcasts and Spotify (after you are approved by them).
As I understand it, if you don’t have a podcast host, you’ll have to make your own RSS feed, and I have no clue how to do that-much less, do it correctly !
The one I use is called Libsyn. This is the platform where I initially upload my episodes with a brief description. They even provide an embeddable player that I can pair with the full transcript on my blog (check out an example here).
Buzzsprout is another podcast host I’ve heard good things about as well.
Finally, I bought a Guest Podcast Release Form template, and Podcast specific disclaimers.
Since I have guests on my podcast, I knew that I would want “legal speak” for my guests to sign. This is the Guest Podcast Release template I use.
You can check out the Disclaimers Templates for Podcasters I use here.
I think they make my podcast look super legit (and ease some of my worries about the legal language- (again, I am not a lawyer))! 😎
Prepare to Plan Way In Advance (and Have Notes Ready)
I’d highly suggest that you have 2 months of content planned ahead at any given time!
This means, if you regularly have guests, try to schedule them well in advance of the episode air date.
Remember, you have to edit your podcast! I bet few of us like the rush of just recording an episode, and then scrambling to get it published the next day!
Have notes handy when you are ready to record (did I forget to mentioned I use Zoom to record? 😅).
And finally, if you have guests on your show, I think its just a decent courtesy to send them the questions you’ll ask in advance and allow them to provide feed back on the questions. You want everyone to be comfortable with the interview!
In Summary
Starting a nutrition podcast can be monetized, boost your authority in your niche, and even make a friend (or a few) along the way!
In summary, the steps I took to start my podcast went like this:
- Determine Your Why and Pick a Topic
- Determine episode frequency, length, and host(s)
- Figure out editing software
- Make sure you have the right equipment
- Secure a podcast host, disclaimers and guest podcast release as needed.
- Prepare to plan way in advance!
Did you find this article helpful? Anything I missed? Let me know below!
If you prefer writing to podcasting, have you considered starting a blog?
If so, then you’ll want to check out this article about how I grew my blog.