There are lots of different podcast tips out there – so what are the best podcast tips to consider to help you draw a bigger audience? Podcast hosting can take years to master but by revising these podcast tips you will find it easy to master with ease.
With these six podcast tips from a professional podcaster!
1. Know the tone of your show
A podcast host’s most important job is to convince people to stick around and listen – and to convince people to stay, you have to let them know what to expect. So if your podcast is upbeat, smile when you speak! If your show is about meditation, don’t sound like an auctioneer! Great podcast hosts change up the tone, rhythm and pace of their speech to fit the show they’re making and the subjects they’re talking about.
2. Think about your audience
Podcasting is an intimate platform – you have a unique opportunity to speak directly into someone’s ear. Think of the people that inspired you to make your show. Try to find new ways of saying things; be articulate and evocative in your descriptions. Your podcast is unique, so make sure that the experience of listening feels as special to your audience as it does in your own head.
3. Plan out each episode
You know your stuff – that’s why you’re hosting the podcast. But what are you going to talk about in each episode? Even if it’s just a few notes, planning ahead can keep the podcast feeling fresh & stop you from going back to the same material week after week. For a longer show, you might want to plan out the arc of your season, especially if you are telling a single story over many episodes.
Another way to keep podcasts fresh is to introduce guests – but if you do have guests, you’ll also need to speak to them in advance, help them feel comfortable and figure out what they’ll be bringing to the table. That way, when you’re in front of a microphone, you’ll both know exactly what to expect.
4. Be organised on the day
On the day you’re recording, make sure your microphone is set up and working. If you have a script for your podcast, practice reading it before you’re on mic, so that you can speak with confidence when you record. Make sure there’s no background noise in your room by recording a quick snippet of audio and then listening back to it – you might be surprised how much you can hear the traffic outside through your open window.
5. Take a breath and hit ‘Record’
Podcast hosting requires energy & vocal effort. Once you’re prepared, give yourself a moment to rest your voice, especially if you’re going to be recording for a long time. Then, try to have fun while you record! Even if you’re not having a great day, bring your best – your audience will thank you.
6. Practice, practice, practice
At its highest level, podcast hosting requires a wide range of technical skills – you’re controlling your rhythm, emotion, projection, pitch and pace, all at the same time. At first, you may find that you have to be disciplined, only focusing on hitting your beats and keeping ‘umms’ and ‘ahhs’ out of your speech. But with a bit of practice, some of those vocal tics will start to melt away; and if you’re working with a skilled editor, they’ll tell you that it’s better to speak naturally and edit later, rather than sound like you’re reading.
Podcast hosting is like any other skill – it takes time and effort to master. But if you keep working at it, there’s no upper limit to how good you can get. Justin McArthur is a podcast producer with Ampel Audio – click here to listen to their original podcast.
For more podcast tips click here to hear from another podcaster.
