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Transcript

Starting a

PODCAST

Journalism 3

By: Mrs. Danielle Allen

5 Key things to Decide before starting

Topic and Style

1. Who is your audience?

  • age range
  • country
  • occupation
  • skill level
  • how busy are they?
  • what podcasts do they already listen to?
  • what email lists do they also follow?
  • what websites do they click often?

*Audience is the king not the content

What does your audience want?

* as your audience grows you can ask them what they want from your podcast but when starting you will need to decide what they might want.

* think about what you would want if you were listening to someone elses podcast

2. What do they want?

What problem does your podcast solve?

3. What problem does it solve?

- knowledge should be shared

- no fluff

- people get distracted easily, so be to the point

- always tell them what they will learn from your podcast to establish the purpose right off the bat

What structure will it take?

4. What structure will it take?

*Be clear from the start about the structure so the audience knows what's in store

  • Will you interview guests in your industry/ area of specialty?
  • Will you just give info to educate?

What do you want your podcast to achieve?

5. What do you want achieve?

  • Time commitment - how will you schedule new episodes?
  • What do you want from your audience?
  • How do you plan to market yourself and your podcast?
  • How do you plan to measure your results (Your return on Investment)?
  • How do you plan to achieve the desired outcome?

Why do people listen to podcast?

1. to be smarter - to be stimulated mentally or learn something new

2. to optimize time - people want to get smarter but don't have the time to fully learn. Podcasts allow them to listen while doing other things.

3. personal connections - podcasts are more personal than reading a blog. This requires you to have an engaging tone to keep this connection.

Why do people listen?

Scripting a Podcast

Scripting a

Podcast

  • people lose interest after 20 mins
  • Think about when and where people will be listening to determine the length
  • If you have interviews, your podcast can be about 40-60 mins
  • be consistent with the length of your show
  • consider what length your audience would want
  • create episodes based around that theme or topic for 6-12 episodes, then have a break
  • can deliver articles or blogs as a podcast if

you contact the author

OPTION 1: THE WORD-BY-WORD PODCAST SCRIPT

Word-by-word

  • create a traditional, fully-fledged, word-by-word script which you then read out in full
  • a good way to ensure that you cover everything you need.
  • good for people who are a bit less confident in speaking and who’d rather be methodical about recording.

Downside to word-by-word

Downside

  • The disadvantage of this approach, though, is that it can often lead to a pretty stilted, monotone delivery as you read right off the page.
  • You tend to forget to inject your own tone or personality into that information.
  • There’s also a skill to writing more like you speak, so when you write your script, you should put it together in a speaking tone.

OPTION 2: WRITING A DETAILED PODCAST EPISODE PLAN

Detailed

Plan

  • You can include everything here, point by point, including almost as much as a full script. It’s not word-for-word, but you’d have pretty much all the information you require.
  • You’ll have the detail there, but you still have the flexibility to be conversational, adding a bit more personality.

OPTION 3: A FLEXIBLE, ROUGH BULLET POINT PODCAST PLAN

Bullet points

  • takes the form of a short set of section headers.
  • These headers represent themes or topics within the episode, and are mostly just reminders of where you’re going on the show.
  • In this case, you rely on your expert knowledge on the subject to fill in the gaps.
  • This leads to the most conversational type of podcast and is often the most engaging.
  • The problem, of course, is that there’s a significant chance that you’ll miss things out or perhaps get something wrong. It’s also much more likely you’ll go a bit off-track, talking on a tangent and wasting a bit of time.

Advice

Takeaways

*There is cursing in this one

Type of Shows:

  • Solo show
  • Co-host
  • Interview show
  • Round Table
  • Documentary
  • Docu-drama - A mix between drama and documentary. Offering learning and info, but in an entertaining way

Type of shows

Podcast Art

  • should visually relate to your podcast
  • Should state the title of your show
  • Title should not be too wordy
  • Should include the host and brand logo

Podcast Art

Make Artwork Stand Out

  • only use 1-2 fonts
  • make fonts big and bold
  • use only san serif fonts (no feet)
  • pick colors that contrast from other podcast in your niche
  • use a bright background color
  • avoid pictures of audio equipment or podcasting images (no headphones or mics)

Make artwork

stand out

Art Work Size

  • should be a square
  • 3000 x 3000 pixels
  • Itunes minimum size is 1400 x 1400

Size

*Watch the size of your fonts

*Make it stand out in a crowd of other podcasts

*keep it simple

*possibly put the host as the cover image

Intro, Midroll & Outro

  • create a template for all episodes
  • Template will allow a quicker editing time and turn over rate
  • in between the intro, midroll and outro goes your episode

Intro, Midroll & Outro

Intro

  • should be a brief overview of the upcoming episode so listeners know what to expect
  • give a brief description of the your podcast in general
  • add a memorable jingle or music (must be fair trade)
  • May want to put a call to action in (could ask for comments or reviews). Reviews help increase viewership
  • can offer sponsorship or plug an ad
  • should be less than 30 seconds
  • keep it to a few sentences
  • make it unique to hook people

Midroll

  • breaks up the show
  • goes someplace in the podcast that is irresistible
  • get the audience interested then give them a call to action or sponsorship
  • timing is key - don't be too early and don't be too late
  • is sort of the climax of your show
  • function is to make them want more
  • great place to put one is before or after a question
  • isn't long

Outro

  • ends a podcast
  • can be a thank you for listening
  • can be a call to action
  • can be a call for reviews
  • tell listeners when they can expect the next episode

Equipment

-microphone

-boom arm or mic stand

-pop filter

-USB cable / XLR cable

-Audio Mixer/ converter

-headphones

-recording app

-editing app

Equipment

Wrapping a cable

Wrapping cables

Mics for podcasting

Mic placement

Set up of Equipment

Set up

equipment

  • place mic as close to your mouth as possible without touching your mouth
  • you may have to put books under the mic so you can sit comfortably
  • ALWAYS make sure your computer is reading the mic
  • set levels of loudness - should be as loud as possible without sounding distorted
  • look at input volume when you talk - it should bounce around the 3/4 mark
  • Always test the sound first
  • you can always bring the loudness down later
  • if you are skyping with a guest and you are filming your podcast, set up the background
  • where a logo t-shirt and move the webcam to fit the logo in the frame

Continue . . .

Continue

  • move the mic off to the side so your mouth can be seen. This may require you to use a boom arm.
  • If the sound quality is being jeopardized by the mic placement so a logo can be seen, always go with the sound quality.
  • lighting should be behind the computer and should be evenly distributed. If possible put a back light behind you to show depth.
  • have headphones nearby
  • have your script or index cards in front of you but out of the view of the camera when possible. May want to put the index cards on a bulletin board in the order you want to address each one.

Interviews

  • keep it interesting
  • easy to come up with new content
  • opens you up to a larger audience
  • connects you with industry leaders
  • allows you to become more of an expert in your niche

Interviews

Who to interview:

Who to

interview

  • people well known in the field
  • see if this person is launching a new release (new authors love to be interviewed so they can promote their book)
  • who will be an upcoming expert
  • find someone related to your niche even if they have a podcast
  • don't interview the same person to avoid it sounding too similar
  • find people by listening to other people's podcasts
  • search Amazon for new authors
  • read articles and use social media
  • when reaching out to someone - send a formal email. Keep it short and sweet. Compliment them on their accomplishments. Tell them the process and make it sound easy. Send them the questions. Explain how this interview will benefit them.
  • you can make video interviews into podcast

Interview Tips

Interview

Tips

  • Make sure the technology is working before you start (TEST IT). Know how to fix it quickly in a pinch
  • know your stats/ specifics about your guest
  • chat with guest before recording to break the ice. Tell them the process/ format, when the episode should air, ask if they have any questions
  • ask them for a specific intro - ask for a bio so you know what they want you to say and so that the intro is current
  • be genuinely interested in what they are saying
  • prepare questions before. Can Practice asking a few questions before you record.
  • ask follow up questions
  • think about what your audience wants to know or wants you to ask
  • RELAX
  • Have water nearby during the interview
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