Starting a podcast sounds easy until you actually try to do it. You might have a great idea for a show, but then you start asking questions. What microphone should you buy? How do you record an episode? What software should you use? How do you edit your audio? Where do you publish your podcast? And, perhaps most importantly, how do you get people to listen?
It can feel like there is a lot to learn. The good news is that you don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars on a podcasting course to get started. There are plenty of free courses and learning resources online that can teach you the basics.
Some courses focus on starting your first podcast. Others go deeper into recording, editing, marketing, and growing an audience.
What is the Best Free Podcast Courses ?
I’ve put together some of the best free options below. The goal isn’t to make you an expert overnight. It’s to help you learn enough to start your podcast with confidence.
1. Buzzsprout’s Podcasting Course
If you have never made a podcast before, Buzzsprout is a good place to start.
Its free podcasting course is designed for beginners, so you don’t need to understand complicated audio terms before you begin.
The course walks you through the basic process of creating a podcast. You’ll learn how to choose a topic, pick equipment, record your first episode, edit your audio, and get your podcast ready for publishing.
It also explains how podcast distribution works and how you can get your show onto major podcast platforms.
What makes this course useful is its simple approach. Instead of throwing a huge amount of technical information at you, it breaks podcasting into smaller steps.
That’s helpful when you’re starting because there is already a lot to think about.
You don’t need to understand everything about microphones or audio editing before you begin. You just need to understand enough to record your first episode.
Buzzsprout also covers topics that become important after you launch, such as getting your first listeners and improving your podcast over time.
Best for: Complete beginners who want a step-by-step introduction to podcasting.
2. Pat Flynn’s Free Podcasting Training
Pat Flynn is well known for teaching people how to build online businesses, and podcasting has been a big part of his work.
His free podcasting training is useful if you want to think about more than just the technical side of recording.
For example, you need to decide what your podcast is actually going to be about before you worry about microphones.
Who are you making the podcast for?
What problem are you helping people solve?
Why should someone choose your show instead of the hundreds of other podcasts available?
These are the types of questions that Pat Flynn’s training can help you think through.
You’ll also find guidance on things such as choosing a podcast name, creating your artwork, planning your format, and getting ready for launch.
I particularly like this type of training for beginners because it reminds you that a podcast is more than an audio file.
You are building a show for a specific audience.
Best for: Beginners who need help planning their podcast idea and format.
3. Podcast Insights
Podcast Insights is another useful resource if you want to learn the basics of podcasting.
It covers many of the questions beginners have when they are getting started.
You’ll find information about podcast equipment, recording, choosing a topic, publishing episodes, promoting your show, and growing an audience.
There is also information about podcast monetization. That can be useful if you eventually want your podcast to make money.
Of course, you shouldn’t start a podcast only because you want to make money. Building an audience usually takes time. But it’s still helpful to understand how podcasts can eventually generate income.
You might make money through sponsorships, affiliate marketing, products, services, memberships, or other methods.
Podcast Insights is useful because it gives you an idea of what happens after you press the publish button.
Starting the podcast is only the first step. Getting people to discover and keep listening to it is a completely different challenge.
Best for: Beginners who want to learn about starting, growing, and monetizing a podcast.
4. Castos Academy
Castos is a podcast hosting company, but it also provides educational resources for podcasters.
Castos Academy is worth checking out if you want to understand the production side of podcasting.
One area that beginners often struggle with is editing. Recording yourself talking is relatively easy. Editing that recording can be a different story.
You might have long pauses, mistakes, background noise, awkward sections, or parts of the conversation that simply aren’t interesting. Learning some basic editing skills can make a huge difference.
Castos provides lessons that can help you understand recording, editing, publishing, and promoting a podcast. The nice thing is that you don’t need to become a professional audio engineer.
For most podcasts, you just need to learn the basics and make your episodes clear and pleasant to listen to.
Best for: Beginners who want to improve their recording and editing skills.
5. HubSpot’s Podcast Resources
HubSpot is well known for its marketing and business education, so its podcast resources are especially useful if you want to use a podcast to build a brand or business.
The free resources cover the basic process of starting a podcast. You’ll learn about planning your show, recording episodes, choosing equipment, publishing your podcast, and promoting it.
The marketing side is where HubSpot can be particularly helpful.
Let’s say you own a small business. You could use a podcast to talk about your industry, answer common customer questions, interview experts, and build trust with potential customers.
In that situation, your podcast isn’t just entertainment. It becomes part of your overall marketing strategy.
Learning how those pieces fit together can help you make smarter decisions about your show.
HubSpot also has many other free marketing courses. So once you understand podcasting, you can learn about content marketing, social media, email marketing, and other skills that can help you grow your audience.
Best for: Business owners and creators who want to use podcasting as part of their marketing strategy.
6. Spotify for Podcasters
Spotify is another place where new podcasters can learn.
Spotify for Podcasters provides tools and educational information for people who want to create and grow podcasts.
If you’re planning to publish your show on Spotify, these resources can help you understand the platform and some of the tools available to creators.
You can learn more about publishing, audience growth, and promoting your episodes.
One thing to remember is that Spotify isn’t the only place your podcast should be available.
Podcast listeners use different apps and platforms, including Apple Podcasts and other podcast players.
The important thing is to understand how podcast distribution works so your show can reach as many relevant listeners as possible.
Still, learning directly from a major podcast platform can be useful, especially when you’re trying to understand how listeners find and interact with podcasts.
Best for: Creators who want to learn more about publishing and growing a podcast on Spotify.
7. The Podcast Host
The Podcast Host is another great resource for people who want to learn podcasting without immediately paying for a course.
Instead of focusing on only one part of podcasting, it has educational content covering different stages of the process.
You can find information about planning a podcast, recording episodes, improving your presentation, editing, growing an audience, and monetizing your show. This makes it useful even after you’ve launched.
For example, you might start by reading about how to create your first episode.
A few months later, you might return to learn how to improve your interviews or grow your audience. That’s one of the biggest benefits of using free resources. You don’t have to learn everything at once. You can learn something when you actually need it.
Best for: Podcasters who want an ongoing library of free learning resources.
What Should You Learn First?
One mistake beginners often make is trying to learn everything before they start.
You don’t need to know everything about podcasting.
Start with the basics. First, figure out what your podcast is going to be about. Think about the person you want listening to your show. What would they find useful or entertaining?
Then learn about equipment. You don’t need a professional studio. A decent microphone, headphones, and a quiet place can be enough to get started.
After that, learn how to record. You should know how to position your microphone, set a reasonable recording level, and avoid unnecessary background noise.
Next, learn basic editing. You don’t need to become an audio expert. Start by learning how to remove obvious mistakes, long pauses, and unwanted noise.
Then learn how podcast publishing works. You’ll need to understand podcast hosting, RSS feeds, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other podcast platforms.
Once your podcast is live, start learning about promotion. This is where many new podcasters struggle. Publishing an episode doesn’t automatically mean people will find it.
You may need to promote your episodes on social media, build an email list, work with other creators, or simply publish consistently and give your show time to grow.
Do You Really Need a Podcast Course?
Honestly, no. You can start a podcast without taking a course.
There are thousands of free tutorials, guides, videos, and articles available online. But a good course can save you time.
Instead of searching Google every time you have a question, you can follow a structured learning path. That’s particularly helpful when you’re completely new. The important thing is not to turn learning into procrastination.
You could spend three months watching videos about microphones without ever recording an episode. Don’t do that. Learn enough to get started, then learn as you go. Your first episode probably won’t be perfect. That’s completely normal.
You’ll learn more from recording your first five episodes than you will from watching five hours of tutorials without actually recording anything.
Are Free Podcast Courses Good Enough?
For most beginners, yes. Free courses can teach you how to plan a podcast, record your voice, edit episodes, publish your show, and promote your content.
You may eventually want a paid course if you need advanced training or personal feedback. But there’s no reason to spend hundreds of dollars before you even know whether you enjoy podcasting.
Start with free resources. Put what you learn into practice. If your podcast grows and you decide you need more advanced training, you can invest in it later.
A Simple Way to Learn Podcasting for Free
You don’t need to jump between ten different courses. Start with one beginner-friendly course, such as Buzzsprout’s training.
Use it to understand the basic process. Then spend some time learning from Pat Flynn or Podcast Insights to improve your podcast idea and understand audience growth.
After that, learn some basic editing through resources such as Castos Academy. Once you’re comfortable recording and editing, learn about promotion and marketing through resources from HubSpot and other platforms.
Most importantly, actually make a podcast while you’re learning. Don’t wait until you feel completely ready.
Final Thoughts
Learning how to start a podcast doesn’t have to be expensive. There are plenty of free resources that can teach you the skills you need to get your first show off the ground.
Buzzsprout is a good starting point if you want a simple introduction. Pat Flynn’s training can help you plan your show. Podcast Insights is useful for learning about growth and monetization. Castos can help with the production side, while HubSpot is especially helpful if your podcast is connected to a business or brand.
The Podcast Host is also worth keeping bookmarked because you can return to it whenever you need help with a particular part of podcasting. But don’t make the mistake of spending all your time learning.
The best way to become a better podcaster is to actually make podcasts. Record an episode. Listen to it. Find something you don’t like. Fix it in the next episode. Your first episode may sound rough. That’s okay.
Your second will probably be better. After ten or twenty episodes, you’ll be surprised by how much you’ve learned. You don’t need expensive equipment, a fancy studio, or a paid course to begin. You just need a good idea, some basic knowledge, and the willingness to hit Record.