Planning Your Podcast: The Format
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Deciding on a format for your podcast is about as crucial as its contents. For you as the podcaster, it defines you and your podcast’s personality while giving you a firm outline you can rely on which makes it easier to plan topics and segments around in the long run. Meanwhile, your audience will have something to expect at every episode which gives them a sense of stability amidst your plethora of topics. Here are a few elements to remember when deciding on a format for your podcast.
Hosting Duties
There are a multitude of podcasts today doing the one-host shuffle and this works, just make sure that whoever takes up hosting duties is knowledgeable about your brand, your podcast’s general theme, is confident enough to voice out his/her opinions and can speak clearly. Bonus points too if he/she has a great on-air presence and a relatable personality. Remember, the host will be the voice your listeners will associate your brand with so choose carefully and do test recording of your candidates beforehand.
Having two hosts, on the other hand, also has its advantages. Not only will there be actual conversations that are free flowing and organic, but it will also balance opinions as each host can bring different sides of a subject matter to the table. This can result in interesting debates and engaging discussions. When choosing a co-host, always consider your on-air dynamic as a duo. This is subjective really and it varies depending on the personality your podcast has taken on.
All these elements should also apply if you’ve decided to have more than two hosts. Just remember that the listener will not actually see the hosts (unless, of course if you’re including a video version of the podcast) so multiple voices in one audio stream can be confusing at times. To prevent this from happening, establish each one’s identity at the start of the program to give the listeners time to tie a name to each voice and avoid talking over each other.
Segments
As anyone who’s ever listened to FM radio have grown accustomed to, dividing your podcast into various segments can deliver richer content and provides variety to keep your listeners from getting tired of listening to an overstretched discussion. Having said this, it is recommended that you limit the time spent per topic especially if you have an entire list to go over; two to three minutes should be enough per topic but you can go beyond if it really is engaging.
Segments also enable you to cover as much area in your chosen topic as possible, break down the general subject into specific issues which you can tackle one by one and inject promotions or accommodate sponsors should you get one in the future.
Show Length
When determining the length of the podcast, always bear in mind your demographic and from there, gauge how long they will actually listen to you. Also, put into consideration the type of podcast you are creating. Nowadays, it’s a common practice to go with either the 30-minute or one-hour route templates for actual discussion shows on featurized news and lifestyle with commentaries. You can even do a show 20-minute (or even less) if you’re merely delivering straight news.
No matter what you decide on, it is recommended that you keep it at that show length as much as possible. This, again, is setting expectations with your listeners so they know what to look forward to. However, you can deviate from time to time for different reasons and purposes, like when you’re embedding a long interview or when you’re covering an event.
Publishing Frequency
Podcasts are commonly released daily, weekly or even monthly, depending on your podcast’s objectives; just as long as you stick to a specific publishing schedule. Needless to say, if the entire point of your podcast is to deliver the freshest news and quick reviews, then produce your podcasts daily, while specific ballgame and political podcasts can be seasonal.
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RSpears @ April 21, 2010
