Show Format & Guest Selection

Developing a great podcast actually takes a lot of work -- trust us, it’s worth it -- and there are a few core steps you can take today to save time and money later.

 
 

The right equipment saves time and money

We often get asked, “Do I need to purchase studio-level equipment for recording my podcast?”. The short answer is “No”. The longer answer depends on a number of different factors, such as budget, in-person vs remote recording (eg., are guests going to be in the same room as the host?), and your comfortability with different levels of audio quality. These are integral points to decide in the development of any show.

If you’ve listened to a few podcasts, you’ll likely have noticed a difference in production and audio quality. Can a great editor work their magic in post-production and “fix” many issues? Most likely, but if you have the right equipment in place, then your time (and therefore money) is going to be better spent on other elements that are more productive to your goals for the show.

You’re welcome to spend $000s on equipment if you want but honestly, it’s not necessary. Check out Hardware 101 for a full list of hardware recommendations we’ve curated over the years.

 
 

Show format

How many episodes do you want to release? How often do you want to release them? These are just some questions you'll want to answer when designing your podcast.

Some shows release a new episode every week and even daily (daily is rare but doable), year round. This release cadence results between 52-260 episodes in a year. Do you have enough content to create and distribute that many episodes, especially when starting out? It depends on your objectives, your audience and how the podcast fits into your priorities.

Our recommendation? Start off with a 8-10 episode “season”. At the end of the season evaluate how it went and how you want to move forward. This will also provide an opportunity for listeners and stakeholders to provide feedback.

We typically see clients releasing new content bi-weekly (every two weeks). This seems to be a good cadence for a few reasons:

  1. A podcast is typically one project in a list of other priorities so bi-weekly allows resources and time to be managed accordingly;

  2. This release schedule will have you go from launch to season wrap within 20-weeks (approx. 5 months), allowing a second season within the same 12-month period if it aligns with your goals;

  3. Trying to coordinate schedules can get tricky so bi-weekly allows for a buffer in aligning host and guest calendars.

Bonus tip: Try to frontload the recording of up to four (4) episodes before you launch. This will give you breathing room so you’re not having to scramble for new content and lets you celebrate the new podcast.

 
 

Episode format

For time-efficiency and engagement optimization, our recommendation is to create a casual and informative conversation-style interview format that allows for the listener to consume content in a similar way delivered as in-person.

The good news is that it’s your show so you can decide the length of episode that best fits your goals and audience. That said, we’ve observed a sweet spot between 22-30 minutes. This episode length will assist in increasing the likelihood of a listener completing the episode during the course of a normal daily task such as commuting, exercising and conducting household chores.

Have an episode that runs longer than you typically record? You can keep it as-is (again, it’s your show) but consider splitting the episode into two or more parts. This shakes things up a little and can also create an opportunity to tease the follow-up episode to your audience. If dividing the episode into two or more, be sure to remind your listeners that the conversation continues so as to avoid any confusion. Also, think about whether you stick with the original release cadence for part two or if you release both episodes at the same time.

Key elements

It seems like it should just be a matter of hitting record and stop, right? You could do that but if you think about your favorite podcasts, you’ll find that each show integrates layers of elements that are consistent in each episode and others that are episode or topic specific. Here are just a few we recommend reviewing as you design your show.

  • Create a consistent intro and outro script

    • Decide whether you want a pre-recorded intro/outro or if the host will do a live read in each episode

  • Consider an audio brand (ie., theme music)

    • What musical element best represents the podcast and/or your brand? Is it an existing song or is it a short instrumental?

    • Consider genre, style, cadence, inflection, etc

  • Always mention a call-to-action at the end of each episode (eg., subscribe, learn more, download, etc)

  • Take a break or no?

    • Decide if you want to take a break during the episode; it’s not necessary but it can create an opportunity to slide in a quick announcement for upcoming events, future episode teasers, or even a reminder of where listeners can find out more about the show

    • If you have sponsorship/advertisers, you’ll want to negotiate with them on the ad read placement (pre-roll, mid-roll, post-roll)

 
 

Recording, simplified

If you decide to go into a professional recording studio (stay safe and healthy out there), you’ll be in great hands with the pros. Studio days are really fun and it’s always nice to have sound engineers and producers handle all of the technical details so you can concentrate on your message. That said, we’ve seen a lot of our clients pivot to remote recordings (especially beginning in March 2020 for obvious reasons). Is remote recording the same experience and quality as a studio recording? No, but you can get pretty darn close (see Equipment segment above).

Below are some tips we coach our clients on to optimize their recording (and therefore the time of the host and guest/s). Check out our one-pager for more tips and details.

  • Use headphones or earbuds: Trust us, this makes a difference for a number of reasons but if for nothing else, use them to decrease the feedback you’ll end up hearing in the recording of the other party speaking (it happens all the time).

  • Do a sound check before the recording session begins: Everything will likely be okay but the one time you don’t do a quick sound check before the recording begins, will be the time that an issue will pop up that requires a ton of editing work, or even worse, asking your guest to re-record because the issue can’t be resolved.

  • Individual tracks: Whether you’re recording locally on a computer or via a VOIP (eg., Zoom), record each episode participant under a separate track. This ensures that each recording is saved individually and post-production editing will be more time and cost efficient.

  • Record a local version on your computer or smartphone: This is like an insurance policy. Recording via online services such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, etc render quality recordings, but it doesn’t hurt to have an additional version available just in case. Again, the one time you don’t have this as a back-up will be the time yours or your guests internet connection will quit.

  • Surroundings: What does the room look or sound like? Consider ceiling height and ambient noise (refrigerator, street noise, etc) to start. Listening with headphones on will allow you to isolate any unusual noises you may not necessarily notice during a typical call.

 
 
 

Contact

To schedule a consultation, contact the Lens Group Media team at projects@lensgroupmedia.com.