September 27, 2024 • By Dennis Beaver
“Mr. Beaver, I was told to make a podcast and describe kitchen and food preparation equipment our restaurant supply company sells. I’ve never made a podcast before and told Beth, my boss that, but she said, ‘You’ve seen them before. It’s like filming a family video. Just grab your cellphone, walk around the store and describe our new products, and then upload it to our website.’
“That’s what I did and within a couple of hours, Beth screamed, ‘Take that video down! Are you trying to get us sued by people getting motion sickness watching it!’”
I viewed the “podcast,” which left me queasy after about a minute. Everything was in constant motion. It was a disaster.
“Mr. Beaver, I need help! Can you provide me guidance in making a podcast, or give me some pointers on what not to do? Thanks. Brian.”
Horrible experiences like Brian’s are well known to Christopher “Chris” Mines, formerly the director of partnerships and senior podcast producer with LearnFormula, a provider of excellent continuing education courses for attorneys, CPAs, and other professionals.
He offered these suggestions to anyone interested in producing an effective podcast.
Know where you are going
“Dennis,” Mines says, “I can’t tell you how often I’ve seen podcasts just like the one that Brian put online. Winging it is never a good idea! You can’t wing it. You will wind up losing your audience.”
Mines suggested checking out some good podcasts to see how they were done, especially to learn how to phrase questions and handle multiple guests. He also offered the following suggestions.
(1) Develop a road map – what you are going to discuss?
Podcasts are an extension of radio and television you are tailoring to a specific audience seeking the content that your podcast will deliver. From students to potential customers, they could be located in several countries
“Have a clear idea of your objective — what you plan to discuss or highlight. If you are inviting guests, then match the right topic to the right person. These are the threshold rules.”
(2) Connect with your guest ahead of time.
Be sure you know how to say their name correctly, and make the guest aware that we are recording and this is both audio and video. Especially when you are in a roundtable discussion, being able to play off their reactions makes for a much more lively and inviting experience.
How do they feel about the question? This new development? Are they passionate? Get someone who cares about the topic. If they care about it, the audience will too.
The flip side is knowing who your viewers/listeners are.
“Matching the right topic to the right guest reduces the chances of this being a lackluster experience. A good podcast will be fresh, interactive and reactive, encouraging a stimulating discussion by everyone involved,” Mines points out.
(3) Longer Does Not Mean Better
It is essential to be aware of time. A host should tell the viewers what we are going to talk about today so they know where you are. Failing to set out a road map for the viewer can result in their expectations not being met. That road map is simply: intro, body, outro.
Do not confuse an educational podcast with “Gotcha” journalism, as viewers are generally uncomfortable if a guest is pounced upon by the host or others. Therefore, tailor the session to stay within the borders our guest is comfortable with.
More to Be Aware Of
(1) Always have a backup guest in the event someone can’t make it or is ill.
(2) The interviewer who dominates the conversation, preventing guests from speaking.
(3) Never forget; your guest is the expert, the host is a conduit and not the star, yet should be well acquainted with the topic and able to guide the podcast.
(4) Failing to talk with all your guests equally – do not concentrate on one!
Look Listen Learn
Learn by listening and watching what others have done. Actively listening to podcasts with multiple guests and panel discussions is a great way to see how to phrase questions.
The creative work of others can be your best teacher.
Absolute No-No’s
(1) Bad audio. All should have a headset and a good microphone.
(2) Vulgar language and bringing up politics, unless the episode is intended to be political.
(4) Fail to have a glass of water for each participant.
(5) Forgetting to make clear that this is a conversation and can be edited if someone misspeaks or something unintended happens.
Get an Objective Evaluation
I asked Mines about the single most important tool a podcast host or producer must have:
“You need an objective evaluation – from someone who will tell it to you like it is. Never rush to put your podcast online until you’ve got what amounts to approval from people whose opinions you respect. Go slow and you will learn the craft.”
Dennis Beaver Practices law in Bakersfield and welcomes comments and questions from readers,
which may be faxed to (661) 323-7993,
or e-mailed to Lagombeaver1 – at – Gmail.com.