Continuing his series of insights into podcasting and digital audio, Daryl Moorhouse of Tinpot Productions offers some important tips for companies or brands that are contemplating dipping their toes in podcasting.
In my moments of idleness – and because you never know when you might need to California patch a drywall hole (go look it up) – I have a penchant for watching YouTube DIY videos. One of my go-to DIY home rescue gurus has a phrase which has universal application. Tool belt primed, and standing in the dusty, barely-framed skeletal outline of what will unfold into a stunning bathroom renovation, he will often say “think about the end from the beginning”.
Thinking about where you want to end up helps you to make informed and focused decisions along the journey, not only in the land of power tools, but also in podcasting. Too often we’ve seen podcast concepts expressed and then actioned without due consideration. The idea is there, 4 or 5 potential guests have been identified, the first few episodes have been envisioned and the light is flashing from amber to green.
With bold abandon and admirable confidence, the project is undertaken on the basis of build-it-and-they-will-come.
But will they come back?
The reality is that you need to keep building. The content in Series 01, Episode 12 is just as important as Series 01, Ep 01. In order to ensure your podcast has momentum, you need to keep the furnaces firing.
By way of crude analogy, your podcast needs to be in campaign mode, and your audience is your constituency. You need them to keep voting for you in the spotify elections. Moving from podcast concept to campaign involves all the usual prep and planning that might be associated with any other media or marketing campaign. Below are some pointers to get you on the right track.
Give yourself a runway. Before you go within spitting distance of a microphone, map out what your podcast series looks like. How many episodes will it be, how many interviews do you need, what is likely guest availability?
Production Timelines. Again, the end from the beginning. Think about your ideal drop dates and then reverse engineer your production schedule – factoring for the 3 elements – pre-production, recording and post-production.
Do a Pilot – An idea on paper needs to be tested in principle. Recording a pilot (which may or may not turn into your first proper episode) well in advance of the drop date is the only way to find out how good your podcast will actually sound. That rubber hitting the road will give you singular insights and allow you the time to adapt your thinking ahead of time.
Seasonality and Topicality – Once you have your timelines you can cross check calendars to see what events might coincide with your podcast publications. Ask yourself are there events of interest to your podcast constituency that coincide with release dates. Are there topics that align with seasonality?
Build A Format – This is the general content structure of your series. The format of your podcast might be a conversation with 2 people, or it might involve panel discussions or magazine style reports – or any ideas you think are pertinent. Whatever you decide, it’s best to be consistent for a number of reasons. It’s hard to iterate and improve if you don’t have an initial base to work from. Audiences like consistency and it makes it easier for your production team to find a workflow that will get quicker through repetition.
Find the Right Flex – Mapping out a podcast series doesn’t mean you have to itemise every nanosecond of airtime. The goal is to give your podcast team a view of how the podcast series rolls out over time so that you have focus and momentum. Nothing is written in stone and your plans should have flexibility baked in. Changes and iterations are a positive and necessary part of that process, particularly if they’re driven by audience feedback.
Leaving aside the details, and, like many things in life, there’s a lot to be said for plain old-fashioned hard-headed belligerence and determination. Some of your favourite podcasters might have been 100 episodes deep before they attracted a sizeable audience so the long haul is a good call. Thinking about the end from the beginning could be the difference between podcast series success or failure.
Or, at a bare minimum, it will help you properly California patch that hole in your wall.
