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| 1. |
Choose a topic you're passionate about
You’re not going to be able to create an interesting, attention-grabbing podcast about something you’re not deeply inspired by…and if your heart’s not in it, your listeners will know! |
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| 2. |
Keep your focus
When you get in front of a microphone and start talking, it’s easy to have the topic drift all over the place. Sometimes this can be interesting, other times…well…let’s just say if your podcast is scattered, it may be hard to hold onto listeners. |
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| 3. |
Strive for great audio quality
Expectations are getting higher with podcasts; many are intended to compete with radio programs. You don’t have to invest a fortune in equipment, though a few nice toys will help a great deal. The big things are to avoid distortion, not compress too heavily, use EQ sparingly, and make sure any voiceovers are clearly audible against background music. Remove any clicks, pops, or noise from your audio. Be sure to clean any noise or dead space from the head or tail of your podcast as well. |
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| 4. |
Keep the length down
We live in the age of short attention spans…why create a 60-minute podcast if no one has the attention span to listen for longer than 5 minutes? I recommend staying at 30 minutes or under; 10 or 15 minutes is even safer. Remember that you can do multiple episodes (giving listeners a reason to come back), so you don’t have to include everything in one podcast. Spread it out over several installments and keep them wanting more. |
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| 5. |
Pace it
Record your podcast, then listen back before you upload it. If you’re like me, you may find you speak very quickly; I have to consciously slow down when speaking for a podcast. On the other hand, you may speak very slowly, allowing listener attention to wander. Try to achieve an easy, comfortable speaking pace that listeners can focus on for extended periods of time. |
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| 6. |
Plan out what you’re going to say
While it can be fun to “free-style” a podcast, your listeners may get more out of it if you have a clear plan in mind of what you’re going to cover. You don’t have to script every word, just have a path in mind that you can follow. |
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| 7. |
Add interesting transitions
If your podcast consists of spoken “segments,” each with different (or maybe related) topics, use music or signature sounds to transition from segment to segment. Listen to the radio to hear how the “pros” do it. |
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| 8. |
Create a “donut”
Find or put together identifiable music or sound that you can use as the intro and outro for your podcasts. This opening and closing material will quickly become your trademark, so choose carefully (and watch out for copyright issues). |
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| 9. |
Clean it up
When you’re listening to yourself in #5 above, be on the lookout for common speech ailments, such as saying “um,” “uh,” “like,” or other things too much. These things may not bother anyone when you’re having a casual conversation or talking on the phone, but they quickly become annoying in a recorded program. |
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| 10. |
Be yourself!
Most important of all, remember your audience downloaded your podcast to hear YOU. Be yourself, don’t worry about following the rules (even these rules), and above all, have fun! |
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| One final thought: If you’re using music or signature sounds in your podcast, be careful to observe proper copyright. If you’re using only music and sounds you’ve created yourself, this won’t be a problem. But as soon as you include someone else’s music or sounds in your podcast, copyright becomes an issue. Play it safe, and stay legal. |
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