(Sometimes I forget the stuff I’m doing IRL would make good blog fodder. I’ll fish up the notes from previous chapters and backfill.)
Chapter 4: Planning
“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” -Antoine de Saint-Exupiry
To have the best chance at creating a successful podcast, plan out episodes weeks and months ahead, and continue to adjust the plan based on different circumstances.
Editorial calendars and notebook planners are great options for planning your podcast episodes. You get a great overview of the year and can easily view upcoming and past topics.
Did a specific episode reach more listeners? Adjust your plan and create more content similar to that success.
Is a certain episode no longer relevant? Adjust your plan and no longer create content in that direction.
Start by publishing once or twice a week. This schedule keeps your audience’s attention, it’s a realistic time commitment in perpetuity, and you can always increase it later. Your audience will respond better to an increase in production than a decrease.
The general length of your podcast can vary. You may want to provide short and snappy episodes that are below 10 minutes or have long-form discussions that near 2 hours in length. In the end, it’s all about giving your audience what they want and keeping them engaged.
Most podcasts are organized as follows:
- Quick introduction from the host describing with will be covered in the episode.
- Musical introduction.
- Introduction – Introducing the host(s) and possibly the guests giving all the necessary background information.
- Segue into the first topic.
- Topic 1: Talk/discuss for 5-20 minutes.
- Segue into the next topic.
- Topic 2: Talk/discuss for 5-20 minutes.
- Segue into the next topic.
- Topic 3: Talk/discuss for 5-20 minutes.
- Closing comments – Thank the guests and audience. Give the listeners updates on upcoming episodes/events. Ask for a subscription and rating.
- Musical outro.
The number of topics can be modified and if you get the opportunity to work with a sponsor, advertising breaks can also be included.
Interviews
Giving great interviews is not as simple as it seems. If you simply read off of questions you wrote down, it will turn into a very boring episode that your audience won’t appreciate. It is best to try to keep the interview conversational and naturally segue into different topics and questions you want to cover.
Aeoli Pera 