Podcasting has evolved over the last couple of years. The platforms have become user friendly and the technological advancements of our era have made it incredibly easy to access and create podcasts. A podcast can be about any subject – whatsoever but how to make it successful? How to get your listeners to dive into the deepest of your archives? How to get them binge through all of your episodes? Here are a few tips to make your podcasting better:
1. Concoct and Prepare!
When producing a podcast, be it a sequential, roundtable discussion or an interview; make sure the subject is catchy. Even though no topic is too niche for a podcast, ensure that it has a huge fandom/listeners/community of the same interests.
Furthermore, prepare an outline of what you’re going to say. It is always a good idea to make a list of things you’ll include in your show so that you stay on track. It should include your research and notes so that you know what you’re talking about. Whether your outline is a rough brainstorming or an organized list, it should be easy to read while you record.
2. Be Yourself…
The listeners don’t want you to sound flat or well-rehearsed. Some podcasters can write an exact script and sound natural, but this takes experience. However, an outline allows you to be flexible. The listeners don’t want a forced script so the best way is to try not too hard. Go with the flow and live the podcast. Be witty, amiable and enjoy recording it. If you have fun recording the podcast, the listeners will have fun listening to it.
3. Edit
Do not record the podcast in one go. This way you won’t have to think about so many things at once. Record clips and edit out any awkward silences, yawns, jokes that do not land and any type of conversation killers. Talk about things that would invite further explanation and discussion so that the conversation won’t shut down. No listener is entertained by your aahs and uhms so, edit! Edit! Edit! Then collect all your clips, jokes, soundtracks you want to play and compile them into one audio.
4. Feedback
As a podcaster you basically live in your listener’s head. They listen to you when they’re at the store or travelling in a bus, while gym-ing, doing house chores, or driving to work. The listeners feel attached to you in a way. Create a platform, for e.g a Facebook group where you and your listeners can interact with each other. Feedback is a powerful technique because listeners won’t only boost your confidence but also comment about ways you could make your show better. This way you will know what the listeners want and you could reach up to their expectations.
Hence, you can’t swing a wand and “avada kedavra” yourself to be a successful podcaster but these are a few traits that most successful podcasts share.