What will you say? Hopefully, you’ve listened to other podcasts and developed an idea about your podcast show.
Let’s start with a few basics. First, how often do you want to produce a new podcast? Will this be a one time thing (hopefully not)? Or will you be producing podcasts on a regular basis? If you will be doing so on a regular basis, set a schedule for producing your podcast, so that you do it on the same day each week, every two weeks, or each month – however often you will be podcasting.
Next, let’s consider what type of podcast you want to do. There are several choices. Here are the various types of podcasts:
- The Monologue: This is a podcast with only one speaker. This type of podcast can be used for multiple purposes. You can use it simply to be heard concerning topics that you are passionate about, or you can use it to teach a course, which could in turn be broken up into a series of podcasts.
- The Interview: This is a podcast where you interview another person. This can easily be done with Skype. You have a list of questions, and the person being interviewed answers them. It’s a fairly simple concept, and depending on your niche and the person being interviewed, of great interest to your audience.
- The Conversation: This is similar to the interview, and is also accomplished with Skype. However, it has a more relaxed atmosphere, and instead of a series of questions and answers, the people on the call actually conversate about a topic. Think amusing and interesting morning radio shows for this one.
- The Call In Show: This is not one that you will probably start with, as it is more complex. It requires the use of a conference line, and of course the podcast must be promoted in order to get people to call in ahead of time. It could be done with Skype, but it would take a lot of work, because each call in would result in a separate recording, and then the whole thing would have to be spliced together bit by bit.
- News Podcast: You could use a news style delivery for your podcast, where you essentially hit on the top news type stories in your niche. If there is a lot of news to cover in your niche often, this is ideal.
Most people will start with a news podcast or a monologue. Determine which type will be best for you, and then let’s look at the format of your podcast.
The format is essentially how your podcast will be conducted – the overall order of things. Here is a sample format plan:
- Lead in music
- Welcome
- Announcements
- The information you want to present
- Final Comments, wrapping up
- Lead out music.
All of this is fairly simple, except for the information that you want to present. This goes back to the type of podcast you want to present. If you are doing an interview, you would start by introducing your guest, have him say hello, possibly ask him for some background information, and then move right into the interview questions and answers.
What it is important to realize here is that there are no rules. There is essentially only one rule that you must follow, and that is adhering to copyright laws. This includes copyrights that pertain to the music that you use and the content that you use in your podcast. Other than that, the sky is the limit. You can do and say anything that you want to say – this is your platform.
In the beginning, you may want to follow the same platform that other podcasters in your niche follow, but hopefully as you get more into it, you will develop your own unique style and flair. This is, after all, why people will want to listen to your podcast.
Once you’ve written out your platform, and you know what you want to cover in your podcast, the next thing to determine is how long your podcast will be. By determining this, you can assign a time limit to each item on your platform list. It’s easy to get lost in a topic that you are passionate about. Unfortunately, no matter how popular, verbally gifted, or animated you are, nobody wants to listen to you talk for six solid hours.
Ideally, your podcast will be anywhere from thirty minutes to one hour in length. Depending on your niche and the topic of your individual podcast, fifteen minutes may be enough. For some niches and topics, two hours is required, but thirty minutes to an hour is good a good length for most things. Remember, in most cases, this won’t be the only podcast you do – save material for future podcasts! Assign a time limit for each item on your platform list.
Now comes the hardest part. You have two choices. You can make an outline, from which you will work when recording your podcast or you can write out an actual script. Both choices are fine, and it really depends on you, and how well you do in your delivery.
If you are just doing an outline, make sure that you use really detailed notes. You don’t want a lot of pauses, false starts, incomplete thoughts, or jumping around from topic to topic. It cannot be stressed enough. Make an outline, and detail it as much as possible.
If you are writing a script, start with that same outline, and then write it out. You need to know that research has shown that people are very comfortable listening to approximately 150 – 160 words per minute. Use a word processor that counts words, and then do your own measurements. Some people talk slower than others, and some talk entirely too fast. Strive to get your speech to 150 – 160 words per minute.
Do you have podcasters block? This is common, and similar to writers block. You simply aren’t sure what you should say, or just can’t think of a topic. This is not a problem. Have you participated in article marketing? Dig up some old articles that you’ve written, freshen them up, and use that for your podcast.
Visit forums related to your niche and see what the hot topics are. When you find this out, use the Internet to find information about that topic. Information is every where, and free for the taking if you look for it. Just be sure that you put things in your own words in your podcast, or quote your sources. This is vital.
Sometimes podcast block occurs because you are nervous. You want to say just the right things in just the right way. Stop. Relax. Just be yourself. Write like you talk, because you will be talking. Remember that there are no set rules, but that you do want to get your information across in a logical way. Also, think about why you took an interest in podcasting in the first place. In most cases, it is because you do feel that you have something to say, or some information to share.
Write down ideas. Write them down as they come to you, or you will forget. Look at other people’s podcast topics. Determine how you can improve on those. Bring your wife, husband, neighbor or child into the room, and start talking about your topic – use a tape recorder for this.
Ideas are everywhere, and regardless of what many people think, no idea can be ‘talked to death’ if you are offering a fresh new perspective. If you don’t feel that you can fill thirty minutes of time, shorten it to fifteen minutes, or even ten minutes. Whatever it takes. The goal here is not to record the Great American Podcast!
Relaxation is important in not only planning and writing your content, but also in delivering it. Once you’ve got your podcast script or outline written, you can start recording it.
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