Beginner ⏱ 1-2 hours

Launch a Podcast

Record, edit, and publish your podcast with studio-quality audio

RiversideRecording

DescriptEditing

What You'll Build

A professionally produced podcast episode published to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms.

Studio-quality remote recording via Riverside
Edited episode with intros, outros, and clean audio
Show notes and transcript
Published to all major podcast platforms

Prerequisites

A decent USB microphone (or even AirPods work for starting)
A Riverside account (free tier includes 2 hours)
A Descript account (free tier includes 1 hour of transcription)
A podcast hosting account (Spotify for Podcasters is free)

Architecture

Riverside records high-quality audio and video locally on each participant's device, then syncs the files. Descript imports the recordings for text-based editing, transcription, and cleanup. The final audio file gets uploaded to a podcast host.

Record (Riverside) → Edit (Descript) → Host (Spotify for Podcasters) → Distributed to all platforms

4 Steps

1Plan your first episode 2Record with Riverside 3Edit in Descript 4Publish to all platforms

Plan your first episode

~15 min

Define your podcast format, prepare show notes, and invite your guest (if applicable).

Decide on your format: solo, interview, or co-hosted
Write a rough outline (not a full script - bullet points work best)
Prepare 5-7 questions or talking points
If interviewing, send your guest the Riverside link and a brief prep doc
Do a quick tech check: test your microphone and internet connection

💡

Tip: Your first episode doesn't need to be perfect. Many top podcasters delete their first 5 episodes. Just start.

Record with Riverside

~30 min

Record your episode with studio-quality local recording.

Log in to Riverside and create a new Studio
Name your studio and choose Audio + Video or Audio Only
Share the studio link with your guest (they don't need an account)
Do a quick sound check - Riverside shows audio levels for each participant
Hit Record and have your conversation
When done, Riverside automatically uploads the local recordings

💡

Tip: Record in a quiet room with soft surfaces (closets work surprisingly well). This matters more than an expensive microphone.

Edit in Descript

~30 min

Import your recording into Descript for text-based editing, filler word removal, and polish.

Download your tracks from Riverside (separate tracks per speaker)
Create a new project in Descript and import the audio files
Descript auto-transcribes your audio - review and correct any errors
Delete filler words: Edit → Remove Filler Words (ums, uhs, you knows)
Cut any sections you don't want by simply deleting text in the transcript
Add intro and outro music (Descript has a stock audio library)
Export as MP3 at 128kbps (standard for podcasts)

💡

Tip: Descript's "Studio Sound" feature can make a cheap microphone sound professional. It's worth enabling.

Publish to all platforms

~15 min

Upload to a podcast host and distribute to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere else.

Sign up for Spotify for Podcasters (free hosting)
Create your podcast: name, description, cover art (3000x3000px), and category
Upload your exported MP3 and add episode title, description, and show notes
Copy the RSS feed URL from your host
Submit your RSS feed to Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Amazon Music
Most platforms approve within 24-48 hours

💡

Tip: Your podcast cover art is the #1 factor in browse discovery. Invest in a good design - Canva has podcast cover templates.

🎉 You're Done!

A professionally produced podcast episode published to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms.

Done for you

Want this built for you?

Get a step-by-step checklist, setup order, and the exact config for every tool in this guide. Or let me build it for you.

Get the checklist → Want this built for you?

Launch a Podcast - Step-by-Step Guide