A 12-week podcast launch plan covering concept, gear, format, guest booking, recording the launch batch of episodes, art, distribution, and the launch-day push that gets you onto Apple charts.
Pre-built chart, ready to open and edit.
Open in the app →Apple favors podcasts that drop 3+ episodes on launch day. Launching with one episode is the most common reason new podcasts stay invisible. This 12-week template plans toward a batch launch of 3–5 episodes recorded, edited and ready to drop together, plus the gear, art, distribution and pre-launch audience-building that decides whether a podcast finds an audience or hits the algorithmic wall.
Pick a single, specific niche (broad podcasts fail). Format: interview, solo, narrative, panel. Episode length (the sweet spot is 25–45 minutes for new podcasts). Episode cadence (weekly is the proven cadence). Show name, tagline, and one-paragraph description that goes everywhere.
Microphones (Shure MV7, RØDE PodMic, or Shure SM7B for higher budgets). Interface or USB. Acoustic treatment for the recording space. Recording software (Riverside, Squadcast, or Audacity for solo). Editing software (Descript, Hindenburg, Logic).
Build the launch-batch guest list: 5–8 confirmed guests for the first batch plus 4–6 in the pipeline. Reach out via personalized email or LinkedIn. Book recording slots. Send pre-call brief and tech check 24 hours before. Record. Light editing during this phase, full edit during phase 4.
Edit each episode: cuts, noise reduction, leveling, music beds, intro/outro. Average 4–6 hours of editing per finished hour. Write show notes and timestamps. Generate transcripts (use AI tools such as Descript or Otter, then clean up). Make 3 short audio clips per episode for social.
Cover art (3000×3000 px, simple readable type: Apple shrinks it to a tiny thumbnail). Trailer episode (60–90 seconds). Host on a podcast host (Buzzsprout, Transistor, Captivate). Submit to Apple, Spotify, Google, Amazon, Overcast, Pocket Casts. Set up the show website with RSS embed.
Drop 3 episodes on launch day. Pre-announce via personal social media, newsletter, communities you are part of. Ask each guest to share. Press for reviews: early reviews on Apple are what feeds chart placement. Post one short clip per day for the first week.
Realistic minimum is 8–10 weeks if you already have a niche locked. 12 weeks is the focused middle case. Less than 6 weeks usually means thin production quality.
No. A Shure MV7 ($250) and treated room produces broadcast-quality audio. Cheaper than the SM7B (the gold standard) and 90% as good.
Several. Apple algorithmically favors 3+ episode launches; single-episode launches struggle to escape the new-podcast graveyard.
Open the podcast launch template, fit it to your launch date, and you have a working 12-week plan from concept to charts.
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