Podcast: Five things to keep in mind before recording your first episode
A beginner's guide to online audio
You're probably thinking that you should have a podcast. After all, many people are talking about them. Your timeline is full of invitations from your friends, contacts, and accounts you follow on social networks to listen to their latest production.
You may feel like you're missing something because you aren't riding that wave yet. Or you feel a little guilty because what you've heard so far seems boring, too abstract, or too long.
My first recommendation: do not do a podcast because you fear being left out. Or because it is fashionable, or because an article you saw claims it will be a billion-dollar industry over the next three years.
Whether you are a modest blogger or the Chief Communications Officer of a large corporation, keep in mind that a podcast needs a concept and objectives and stands fully justified within a broader strategy. Just like any other communication product.
A podcast? Yes. As long as you are clear why and for what. If you're not there yet, keep listening, exploring, and learning. If you've already made the decision, check out this list of the five things you should keep in mind to make a podcast.
What is it about?
Like your start-up or job hunting 'elevator pitch,' you should be able to describe your podcast in as few words as possible, to catch the listener's attention. One of the most efficient exercises to achieve this is to define it in an original manner, in 10 words or less. This definition can also become the slogan of your podcast. It will also help you think of a good name.
What is the format?
Are you going to do interviews with specialists? Documentaries? Journalistic reports? Will you use music? Special effects? Will you have sections, or will it be monographic? Will it have a specific duration? How often do you want to post? These are questions that you should know the answer to before sitting down to record your first episode.
How are you going to do it?
Think about the technology, the time, and the people you will need. Do you want to do it in a professional studio or with the devices you have on hand? Do you need support from other people? Who will take care of the production? How much time do you have available to dedicate to doing it?
How are you going to distribute it?
This has to do with the purpose of your podcast. If it is for internal consumption, it may be enough to put it on your company's intranet. If you want to reach a specific audience, it would be good to spread it through the networks that audience uses. Are you going to broadcast live or with recorded episodes? What platform are you going to use in each case? Will you use your own networks for broadcasting, or will you open new accounts? Being on the internet, podcasts also have a visual component. Will you have a professional logo designed, or do you plan to use a free online tool?
How are you going to finance it?
As you have seen by now, producing a podcast takes work, time, and resources. You should know that before you start recording. Even if your podcast is a hobby, it still comes at a cost. And if it is for your company, then the logical thing would be to include those costs in your marketing budget. Knowing this figure is essential in case the possibility of monetizing your podcast arises.
This should be it. If in doubt, get in touch! :-)