I have been podcasting on and off for a decade, and I’ve used many different tools over time. This is what I am using now.
My podcasting process is bare bones – I record in one take and do minimal editing for my current podcast, This is Affiliate Marketing.
The format is a six question interview that runs 10-15 minutes, where I dig into social media accounts for my upcoming guests. I compile those questions and related links in Google Docs.
When it comes time to call, I use Skype (free) and the Amolto Call Recorder for Skype (free).
For my microphone, I have a Logitech Stereo Headset H110, which was about $15. The audio isn’t perfect, but it’s good enough for a podcast.
After I record the podcast, I use Audacity (free), which is easy to figure out, and if you hit any trouble areas, you can typically find solutions on YouTube.
I wanted to have an introduction and closing when I was getting started, so I went to Fiverr and found a gig to create those for me. I also used Fiverr for some promotional graphics for the podcast.
The company I use for podcast hosting is Libsyn. While you can use any hosting company for a podcast, I like Libsyn, because they make it easy to upload and manage podcasts, as well as to syndicate to iTunes and other places where people listen to podcasts.
Libsyn also enables you to schedule podcasts to go live in the future, they provide embed code, option to monetize, custom url, and stats.
That’s all it takes to get started. Let me know if you have any questions.