You know what’s in trend!
PODCASTS
Oh yeah, podcasts were developed in 2004. Mind you the word used here is ‘developed’ because earlier this was known as ‘audio-blogging’ and dates way back in the 1980s.
The question here is – if this is such an old concept then why has it become so ‘in’ only recently?
Well, a simple explanation would be the advent and growth of the internet and its reach.
This article will be all about what podcasts are, how to plan a podcast, and what elements or contents do they include.
They are episodes of a series of audio files that can be accessed through various devices. Usually, there is a host who invites individuals to speak up about some events. These events and/or discussions can include personal stories or any other topic relating to whichever genre.
A podcast can cater to a vast range of fields and may either be a personal one or a business venture or to create a community for like-minded people. These series aren’t always inclusive of a paid subscription and can be available for absolutely no cost in return. At times they may be of a combined format where the consumers are required to subscribe to the series after a certain number of views or episodes.
Amazingly, podcasts do not limit themselves to just voice recordings. They can be of different categories as well, namely – enhanced podcasts, podcast novels, video podcasts, and live podcasts.
- Enhanced podcasts include links to pictures and images that are related to the said recording. When combined this will look like a presentation or a slide-show.
- Podcast novels are somewhat similar to audio books with the difference being in the way they are released. These are made available to the audience at regular intervals in the format of episodes. Podcast novels may involve different people portraying different characters so as to give effect. At times, they may be used as a promotional tool given away free of cost with a copy of the actual book.
- Video podcasts, as the name suggests, are inclusive of videos.
- Live podcasts refer to more than one episode recorded having a live audience instead of pre-recorded sessions. These can act as a means to get the podcast monetized by charging tickets for the live audience.
To understand how podcasting works, it’s simpler to think of them as blogs. Every new blog post is equivalent to every new episode of a podcast.
Before publishing a new write-up on your blog you decide on a topic, do some research, make an outline, start writing, edit and then finally put it out. Similarly, this the way to go for recording your episodes as well!
- Choose your topic of discussion for the particular episode (try to narrow down on a single stream so as to prevent your podcast to sound clustered)
- Now that you know the subject-matter, list down the sub-topics that you need to address.
- If you want a speaker, arrange for one and invite individuals well-versed with your chosen niche and/or if you yourself are taking the lead, well and good.
- It’s better to get it scripted so as to avoid any complications and extra work for editing but make sure while recording you just refer to this script and not actually just read it through or else it’ll sound very mechanical and might lose the essence.
- Record it with whatever effects you want and start with the final editing.
- Try and make it worth such that it adds value to the listeners because the same criteria of blogs apply here as well. Your audience will connect to your podcasts only if you can add value to their time and give them some takeaways.
You know how they say – the introduction to any article can either make or break the reader’s experience. Moreover, it’s the beginning of a write-up that will determine if the reader continues with the article or simply closes out the page. Similarly, the introduction of your podcast should be intriguing enough to catch the audience to hold onto until the end.
Thus, introductions should be scripted in the most effective manner so as to create excitement among the listeners leaving a certain impression that they wait for the entire episode to release. Also, it should be aimed at attracting new listeners and getting the traffic hooked for the long term.
Your introduction can be the teaser of the episode and/or the beginning of the actual episode. The teaser should be of a minute or less and be so effective that the actual release is a hit!
So to speak, make sure that your introduction includes the necessary information that isn’t haywire and speaks the exact precise detail about the podcast.
- Name of the show
- Hostname
- A one-line or appropriate amount of description of what the show is about
- Give a reason as to why people should listen to your show. Make it valuable and relevant.
- Decide and specify the tone of your show. If you want it to be a serious discussion, make sure your listeners are aware of what to expect and how to perceive the content. Similarly, if the mood is light and fun, make a point to convey that as well.
- If you want you can give a disclaimer regarding the target audience that should listen to it or the age group that should refrain from listening to it.
- Mention the sponsors. This could act as an attractive tool since big brands can make the listeners intrigued.
- If the episode is about important or some technical content, you could add in your qualifications that will make this discussion credible and full-proof.
The above pointers are subject to standardizing which means this will comprise the basic standard introduction preceding every single podcast episode.
Are you wondering why an introduction is needed for every episode?
Well because not all listeners follow your podcast so when they come across, say the fourth or the fifth episode, they would require a brief history and/or summary.
Apart from this basic introduction, each episode could have a specifically customized beginning as well. Now, this piece is very different from the above-mentioned details because this will contain everything that is strictly related to this particular episode and will change accordingly.
Alter your introductions and make them special to give a feeling of connect and to display your personality.
