Five Things to Keep in Mind Before Making a Podcast
During the closing years of the decade, podcasts were hailed as the next big thing. Since everyone could now download files of their liking, play it anywhere and, most importantly, get these files without the hassle of having to scout for it with the aid of automated download through say, RSS or Atom, podcasts appeared to be a gift from the gods for an entire generation. Since then, the podcast has only gained in strength, inviting many debates over what makes a podcast good, what is the bare essential that one must get right to make his podcast a success.
Here, we look at 5 essential things that one must keep in mind before making a podcast-
- Making sure that the topic you choose is relevant-As much as you would want to tell the world your story, about your house, your wife, your children, your pet, your washing machine, the Jacuzzi you could not buy, you have to keep it in mind that they really don’t have the time to do that! Make sure that you pick a topic which is of relevance to everyone, be it sport/news/finance. Something they can relate to as encompassing their sphere of interest.
- Do not ramble! – This is something the experts swear by. You have picked a topic of interest for not just you but of your targeted audience, great! Now what? The only thing that you now need to follow is a strict code-talk about one area but do not focus on it for more than five minutes. Having said that, do not start with the Gulf War and then waver to Game of Thrones. Have a basic script ready, list down the areas you want to cover. Deliver it crisp and with panache.
- Sound quality check– Imagine you returning from your office after a backbreaking, gruelling day at the office, then sitting down to see your daily news on TV, only to find the audio distorted. That is a thing you definitely do not want to let your audience experience. The audience should always walk away with a good experience, if you want them to come back. Bad audio definitely kills any chances of that happening.
- Quality versus quantity-Congratulations! Your podcast is a hit. Immediately, your now-exhilarated mind would experience an influx of ideas and chances are that you may sit down to shoot your next one immediately. Here’s a piece of advice – DON’T. It is good to be regular; it keeps the audience from drifting away. But if you lack in substance, even a hundred of them won’t produce the desired effect on your audience. Remember, quality always triumphs over quantity, always has and always will.
- Involve other people– The podcast doesn’t need to feature only you, blabbing about something at length. The media industry always thrives on innovation and as a creator of a podcast you must constantly toil to come up with new ideas. They need not be a very difficult thing. The simplest thing is to involve other people. Interview them or just invite someone to do a gimmick with you. Involving other people means more opinions, a different take on things and a whole lot of fun! The audience thrives on variety.
