How to produce a podcast like a professional
Did you ever watch a magician and find yourself absolutely fascinated by the tricks, yet intrigued about what’s going on behind the scenes? That’s a bit like podcasting. People who’ve never had a chance to be a part of the production process are often curious about what goes into making a successful show, writes Adam Jaffrey, Strategy Director at Wavelength Creative.
The truth is, behind every professionally-produced podcast episode lies a thrilling journey full of planning, creativity and a lot of fun.
Today, we’re going to pull back the curtain and explore the fascinating life cycle of a podcast episode, with actionable tips to help you create a podcast for your small business that people want to listen to.
Planning phase
When it comes to creating a podcast episode, the planning phase sets the stage for success.
Selecting a topic for the show
The first step is like planning a road trip – the destination you choose will guide all your subsequent decisions.
Selecting a topic for the show is rarely a spur-of-the-moment decision. It’s part of a bigger plan – your content strategy – which makes sure you stay consistent and don’t miss important stories. Consider what your listeners want to hear, what stirs their curiosity, and how that fits with your brand story.
Researching and preparing content for the episode
Next up, you need to pack your bags with the essentials – your research and preparation. It’s time to dig deep and uncover the gems about your topic that your listeners will love.
For an interview-format podcast, this is when you shortlist and research your guest – understanding their achievements and interests, and finding a fun fact or two about their life.
This step also involves what we call a ‘pre-interview’. This is where you conduct a quick mini-interview with your guest to ascertain how they speak, unpack some of your ideas for topics, and make sure they are a good fit for your show.
Writing an interview plan
With your bags packed and your route set, it is time to outline your episode. This episode outline, or ‘interview plan’, should contain two or three main topics, with a range of questions written for each.
Think of this as a roadmap – it gives your episode structure, guiding you to ensure you’re engaging listeners from start to finish. It’s not a script, but it’s a plan that helps you make sure you’re covering all your points.
The other key detail is to aim to write each question specifically to elicit stories and examples from your guest. Podcasts are an intimate channel that are most engaging when you can get guests talking in stories and examples.
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Production phase
In the production phase, we take our podcast from concept to reality, setting the stage for an engaging listening experience.
Setting up the equipment and recording environment
First off, get your gear ready and set up your recording environment. If you’re starting from scratch, here’s a helpful rundown of the equipment, costs and planning involved in starting a small business podcast.
Check equipment is ready to go, including microphone positioning, lighting (if recording your podcast episode on video) and volume. Run a few tests to make sure everything’s sounding crystal clear, and you’re ready to roll.
If you’re recording remotely, have your recording software set up and log onto the call early to ensure you are ready when your guest arrives.
Recording the episode
Now comes the moment of truth: recording the actual episode. This is where all our planning comes to life, where we get to hear stories and ideas and capture a really interesting conversation.
It can be a little nerve-wracking, but it’s also a lot of fun. Remember, if something doesn’t go quite right, you can always edit it out later.
Post-production phase
Writing show notes and metadata
After wrapping up the recording, it’s time to create the show notes and metadata. Think of it as a movie trailer that hooks listeners with a teasing summary and the episode’s key points.
You should also optimise the titles, descriptions and tags to make your podcast easily discoverable. With the right cover art and keywords, you can ensure your listeners don’t miss an episode.
Editing the episode
Editing is a little bit like sculpting – chipping away any mistakes, fine-tuning for clarity, and optimising the pacing to keep listeners engaged. The goal is to ensure the content is ‘all killer, no filler’. Every second should be valuable, interesting, educational or entertaining.
Now, you can spice things up by incorporating additional audio elements. This could be catchy intro and outro music, dramatic sound effects or smooth transitions. These touches give your podcast its unique flavour and identity.
Next up, focus on audio levelling and mastering. This is crucial to ensure the sound is consistent and polished, providing a seamless listening experience so listeners don’t have to adjust their volume between different speakers on the show, and the episode sounds consistently loud compared to other episodes.
Lastly, do a final quality assurance review. This is your chance to listen back, make sure you’re happy with every detail, and do any last-minute tweaks so you can put out the best possible version of your podcast episode – your listeners deserve nothing less!
Publishing and promotion phase
Publishing and distribution
We’ve hit the home stretch – the publishing and distribution phase. It’s time to upload your carefully crafted podcast episode and all its accompanying metadata to your chosen podcast hosting platform, essentially laying out the welcome mat for your listeners to enjoy the content you’ve put together.
Once uploaded, submit the podcast to various directories, such as Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, etc. By doing so, you maximise your reach, making it as easy as possible for listeners to find you, regardless of their preferred platform.
Promotion and amplification
Next, it’s time to promote your show. There are many ways to go about this, from sending emails and creating trailers to running paid ads and making guest appearances on other shows you share an audience with.
But some of the most effective promotional methods are:
- Creating audiograms — Audiograms are short video snippets of your podcast which highlight a small segment of your episode. The idea is to use a compelling or controversial grab, and post that as a video to your social channels. Your audience will be intrigued by the snippet, and to hear the full story they have to listen to the full episode!
- Collaborate with your guests — Your podcast interview guests likely have a following of their own, and tapping into their network is often a great way to get new listeners for your podcast and grow your show. It often helps to send your guest an audiogram or other promo assets they can use to quickly post to their channels. The trick is to make it easy for them to promote their episode.
At the end of the day, podcasting is not just about broadcasting your message – it’s about making connections and building relationships.
There you have it
There you have it: the thrilling journey of a podcast episode from concept to mp3. Embracing podcasting as a small business owner can open doors to a new audience, strengthening your brand and fostering a community around a specific brand message.
What unique stories and insights could you share with the world through your very own podcast? Who knows, your next big business breakthrough could be just a podcast episode away.
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