Every business podcast starts with the same question: Why are you doing this? In the first episode of The PR Podcast Edge, Mark and Lindsay walk through the five foundational steps for launching a podcast with a clear business and PR purpose. No fluff, no overclaiming. Just an honest conversation about what it actually takes to get started and keep going.

00:00 Meet The Hosts

00:59 Podcast Goals First

04:03 Why And Audience

06:27 Topic Name Format

08:05 Audio Versus Video

10:47 PR Hooks And Visibility

12:58 Gear And Recording

14:48 Launch And Expectations

16:38 Consistency And Wrap Up

What's covered:

Step 1: Define your why and your audience. Before you record a single word, you need to know what you want the podcast to achieve and who it's for. Lindsay makes the point well: whatever you talk about most is what you'll become known for, so be deliberate. Your audience might be small, a few hundred decision-makers or people with a specific problem. That's not a failure. That's a focus.

Step 2: Choose your topic, name, and format. Pick a topic you know better than anything else in your professional life. Keep the name short, clear, and indicative of the content. Don't let naming become a reason to delay. On format: audio is the foundation, but video is increasingly how podcasts get discovered. Short clips on LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok are now the primary way new listeners find shows.

Step 3: Bake PR visibility in from day one. A new podcast launch isn't news on its own. You need a hook: a milestone, a unique angle, a notable guest, or a message that fills a gap people aren't getting elsewhere. Lindsay explains how to think about what makes your podcast genuinely PR-worthy and how to use social media as the first and most accessible distribution layer.

Step 4: Gear and recording options. Buying equipment on Amazon and getting a great-sounding podcast are two very different things. Audio quality matters more than video quality: ears are less forgiving than eyes. Whether you record in-house or in a professional studio, the listener deserves good sound. That's the minimum standard.

Step 5: Get started and manage expectations. Consistency beats perfection. A podcast that keeps showing up builds an audience. One that chases big numbers early and burns out doesn't. Manage your own expectations and, if you're working inside a business, manage everyone else's too.