Audio at Home

There are many things that need to be taken into consideration when preparing to record a podcast. You need to decide how long you want your ‘cast to be, if you want to involve anyone else and - most importantly - what you are going to talk about. To ensure the most professional podcast possible, I recommend creating a script your first several times out.

Your script does not need to be word-for-word, it is there to make sure you don’t fill your podcast with “ums” and “likes.” Nothing turns off an audience faster than a poorly organized, poorly executed recording. The best way to approach a script is to move from your podcast idea to a barebones outline and then onto your script - a very fleshed-out version of your barebones ouline.

Choose a topic from the list you created in Part Two: Brainstorming Episode Ideas. You want your first several episodes to be especially memorable, so make sure you choose strong, original ideas for your kickoff.

The next step is to create a barebones outline. Let’s say I am going to do a half hour podcast with a couple of small topics and one main topic, all interrelated. My initial outline might look something like this:

I. Introduction (3 minutes)
a. a note about the podcast topic (1 minute)
b. an interesting overview of what specifically will be covered, in order (1 minute)
c. the benefits of listening (1 minute)
II. Short Intro Topic (5 minutes)
III. Main Topic (15 minutes)
IV. Short Topic #2 (5 minutes)
V. Conclusion (2 minutes)

Notice I have placed time estimates after each section. When you first start podcasting, it will be more difficult to know how long each segment will take. However, this is a skill you will improve the longer you ‘cast. A half an hour might not seem very long, but when it is just you, the mic and some ideas, you’ll find that it is longer than you think. Jeffrey Daniel Frey has an excellent post on his blog listing five ways to determine podcast length.

Now that you have your podcast relatively organized, begin adding to each segment. As I mentioned as the beginning of this article, it is not necessary to write a script out word-for-word. In fact, it is advisable not to treat your podcast like an essay or a report. You want it to be clear that you are speaking to your audience, not reading at them.

With a heavily fleshed-out outline in hand, I would recommend several read-throughs for both time and cadence. You can record these and, if they are good, use them in your final cut. It is important to listen to yourself. Many people do not like the sound of their own voices, so do your best to remain as distant as you can. Is your voice interesting enough? Are you injecting enough energy? Do you have enough original material to engage an audience?

If you can’t answer yes to all of those questions, then you need to revise things appropriately until you can. There is absolutely no point in spending your time creating a podcast if no one is going to have any interest in it. An outline is an excellent tool for asking and answering the questions necessary to create a successful podcast.

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