Making a Podcast 101: Planning is Key
So, how on earth do you avoid these mistakes while making a podcast? Well, planning and structuring are essential to the success of any podcast. Even the most natural-sounding podcasts have some level of planning involved: from structuring the conversation flow to the final closing words. Let’s dive into how you can make a podcast that is better by planning, structuring, and managing!
Read this guide to plan your podcast perfectly!
An hour is a long time
Listening to a podcast where the conversation quality deteriorates to the point of waffling on, the topic of interest is no longer being covered, and the overall experience ends up feeling sloppy — a nightmarish and a bootless errand. As a result, even the most organic and lively podcasts have a strategy for talking points and follow-up topics to keep the flow continuing. It’s a running sequence of events, not an entire script to make a podcast.
Make a list of talking topics while making a podcast, including research notes, significant aspects, who will be in them, and where they should appear in the programme. That’s all there is to it; a simple structure to keep you on track and sounding fantastic.
Research your topics and guests
Often the host doesn’t bother to look up their guests or read up on the subject they want to talk about. It’s tedious and often cringeworthy to listen to. Which is why research is a must; even if you believe you know everything, you probably don’t, therefore it’s worth double-checking and scribbling notes. Any speaker you invite should be thoroughly researched.
Even Graham Norton has a list of things he can speak to them about from the obscure party tricks to key moments in their lives and details of what they are promoting and beyond. This keeps the conversation flowing, steers you away from lame questions like “what’s your favourite colour / perfect dinner party guest list.” It also conveys to the guest and the audience that you are professional and know what you are doing which will be noticed by other agents and guests when you pitch them to be a part of your podcast.
Who is actually listening?
Your audience are the reason why you are making a podcast; you want to build a community of like-minded people who have similar interests and passion. It’s worthwhile keeping an eye on audience statistics to make sure you’re tailoring your content to the niche you want to build your community of listeners around.
Before planning an episode it’s vital to think back to what you would like to listen to as someone interested in that subject, what would you like to know more about and how can you make engaging recommendations. Give your audience something to enjoy and stick around for!
Engaging introduction, music and art creation are a must
The start of every episode should have a recognisable and unique opening. All the great movies, television shows, and advertisements have them. Even the best podcasts have them. A memorable and catchy intro, music that is both recognised and relevant to your topic and attention-grabbing cover art, will elicit excitement. Such elements make a podcast a vital part of the audience’s lifestyle and bring about new listeners.
The structure to success
Planning the structure of your podcast involves having regular features, guest spots, information on what’s coming next, releasing teasers of new episodes and other elements all put together. This keeps you on track while making a podcast with no random surprises, adds extra value for your listeners, allows you to engage with your audience, helps them follow the episode and keep up with all the new and exciting things coming along.
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