Eight Steps to Creating A better Podcast

Let’s assume you already have a podcast. So you know that there are numerous advantages to having a podcast to support your business or blog, beyond the simple self-expression. A podcast will significantly boost your site search rating, it will connect you better to your audience, and it will open another media avenue. These days, most businesses and bloggers have a podcast, but few ask themselves if this is the best use of their professional time. Steve Lubetkin, who is a walking encyclopedia on podcasting and broadcast production (with 30+ years in PR and 7+ years in corporate podcasting), says many companies simply have a brochure in cyberspace. Can they benefit from a professional? Yes. Do they have the funds to do so? Often not. If a podcast is important to your business goals or if you are looking to improve your existing podcast, then this article is for you. Here are eight steps to make your podcast better.

Have a Story to tell

The essence of a good podcast is a great story behind it – good quality content and interesting subject – perhaps something offbeat, or unique, or something that will get your audience’s attention, something that matters to them. Steve says, “You tell people stories – that’s the same advice that Don Hewitt used to give to 60 Minutes reporters when they first started preparing the program 60 Minutes. Four words – tell me a story. And it’s way more effective if you watch people who give really effective pep talks.” Interestingly, most podcasts stew in their own story vs. speaking to their listeners about something that would matter to them. A great example, says Steve, is NPR:

“Not only do they have engaging shows, like Fresh Air with Terry Gross, but they also capture that all important B-roll. The sound effects that go with the content, perhaps location recording, adds an extra layer to the story. This is a lot like effective public speaking.”

Begin with a Good hook

Have you ever seen a pole-vaulter taking the bar at the Olympics? Did I get your attention? Once used as a starting question to a presentation on the importance of taking risks in business, this worked as a hook that got people listening. And this is your first step – get people to listen to your subject matter. “People who are most popular and most effective are not the ones who stand there and read it to you from their powerpoint,” says Steve Lubetkin, “It’s the people who get up and say You know, I was in a hotel in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and I was awakened in the middle of the night by the fire alarm and everybody has to leave the hotel. You got them in the palm of your hand if you start your presentation with the story like that. Because number one, they are not used to hearing anybody start a speech or a presentation by telling a story – most people don’t. Number two, they want to know what happened. You can peak their curiosity with something like that. So just telling people stories that illustrate the key messages can be useful.”

Edit your work

Editing is the number one factor for success in any kind of journalistic work, including podcasts. It may seem easy to just let your podcast recording be and include any of the natural sound effects, intentional or not. But you have to ask yourself, will people find it interesting, or rather tedious and simply turn it off? Would you? “One of the things that got me realizing that it needed a professional look 7 years ago,” says Steve Lubetkin, “I was listening to a podcast. Someone was talking about some area of interest and in the middle of it said Honey, be quiet, I am doing my podcast. I don’t know if it was an accident they forgot to edit it out or they didn’t think they should have edited it out. You have to self-censor and not talk about the technical part of making the program, just talk, just have a conversation with your guest.” Editing out the result and cutting out the superfluous or repetitive part of the conversation can be very helpful. “You don’t need to leave it in just because you recorded it.”, suggests Steve. “If somebody says they think of 3 different ways, they can reduce it to two or maybe just move it around. Sometimes things get said out of sequence. It might fit better if you take this piece of audio and moves it to earlier in the program. You are not misrepresenting it, you are just presenting it in the best possible way. You are not talking about changing what people said by editing words out. You are not talking about taking things out of context. It’s editing for pacing, editing for structure, creating a story that makes sense to the person listening to it. It goes for both audio or video.” So, do not be bound by the timeline – move the content around to fit the story.

Expand your Team

One person talking in the microphone can be incredibly dull. It is always more engaging to listen to a group of people. Having someone as a moderator is another great tip. Often times, having a panel or a few guests will get the conversation going better and in a more natural way. This is a great way to get interesting content from interesting people. You can take interviewing cues from experts in the field, like watching some of the old Larry King or Oprah interviews. The key to their interview success is not only being prepared, but listening and thinking on your feet. “If you listen to shows like Fresh Air with Terry Gross,” says Steve Lubetkin, “she doesn’t say who are you and what do you do? She introduces the guest. And she gives some context around the interview before she starts talking to you. A lot of the time that’s done separately, that’s done in post-production. Most of the interviews I conduct, I just interview the person and I explain to them “I am going to do the intro and when I do the post-production. Let’s just talk.” And we have a conversation that doesn’t include me asking them to do their bio. That’s basic broadcast 101. You can certainly have questions prepared ready but you have to be flexible, listening to the answers the person is giving, thinking on your feet essentially. It is a recorded interview.”

Use the Theater of the Mind

Audio stories leave a lot to the imagination, so if you paint a picture with sound of the things you are talking about, it adds an interesting dimension to your podcast. According to Steve Lubetkin, “One of the other things that is really, really lacking in audio now is the fact that it should be more than just voices, because you can tell the story with sound. If you listen to NPR, when they do a story or an essay, a long form report, there is a lot of sound – what they call in video B-roll – the audio from the farm where they are interviewing the farmer, there is a sound of the cows walking in and out. They capture that stuff and incorporate it into the program. That’s one of the things that is really missing, is people getting out and reporting on location and creating them sound pictures, just the same as they are producing for public radio.” Whether you have the capability to do location recording, or are able to use specific sounds from an existing library, adding this extra touch will make for a more interesting podcast.

Focus on Sound Quality

Partially in line with editing, this speaks to sound recording, compression, match volume. Make sure you edit from one voice to another, from one recorded piece to the rest of the show – avoid fluctuations in sound quality. This all adds up to user experience – if listeners have trouble understanding your audio, it doesn’t matter how good the subject matter is.

Build Loyalty with Consistency

If you are serious about doing podcasts for your blog or company, create a schedule. People that will listen to your podcast will want to know when they can hear it again, assuming the content was interesting enough. Knowing that they will get this podcast every week, they will become more loyal listeners if you keep up their interest. “Do the podcasts consistently, preferably on the same day of the week at the same time,”says Bryan Alvarez who successfully runs www.wrestlingobserver.com with 15-20 subscription podcasts a week. “You need to get people into the habit of listening — the old same bat time, same bat channel. If you do them randomly or you take time off, it’s tough to build an audience because people get out of the habit of listening.  And if you do keep a hard and fast schedule, people quickly get into the habit of listening, it becomes part of their routine, and you build up the loyalty. For people offering a subscription site, the key is to do freebies, occasionally with info on how to hear more.  Again, same time, same day to build the habit.  A huge part of our business is giving away a freebie on iTunes once a week and encouraging people that if they like what they hear, if they sign up for a low price they can hear it every day, sometimes several times per day.”

Distribute Well

As with any service, none of the execution will matter if noone is paying attention. Hence, the subject of distribution. First, make sure that you create an RSS feed for your podcast, so listeners can receive the new podcasts as soon as they go live. Next, submit this feed to a variety of podcast distribution services. “The key to the whole operation was back in 2006 when we got the podcasts up on iTunes.  This was gigantic in terms of exposure”, says Bryan Alvarez. iTunes is unquestionably the largest and should be your first stop. But don’t stop there. A simple search for “podcast aggregators” or “podcatchers” will give you ideas on the most current providers. Some of the best include PodNova, Podcast Alley, Get Juice and Podcast Pickle. Finally, get the word out about your podcast – via social media, newsletter to your subscribers, word of mouth, and any other means available to you.

In the end, if you offer people good quality content that makes them come back for more – unique, interesting, useful, people will listen.

Did you learn something you did not yet know? Leave a comment – your podcast tips, or a great example of a podcast.