Podcasts - it seems like everyone has one.
The types of podcasts are varied and can include single monologues, discussions between two co-hosts, guest interviews by one or more hosts, and so many other options.
Basically the sky's the limit.
In the past two weeks alone, I have been a guest on no less than 3 podcasts. Each with a different style.
One of the main things about podcasts is that they are great for creating short form content.
Whether you’re using just audio, or audio and video, creating shorts from your podcast is an easy way to create content to publish on YouTube, TikTok, and even LinkedIn.
Starting a podcast is as easy as hitting record on any recording app of your choice.
Obviously the better quality your mic, and camera (if you’re doing video), the better the output.
But honestly, even if you’re just recording with your phone, you’re probably good to go for starters.
The problem begins as you start to gain traction.
There are so many nuances to producing a podcast.
I’m not looking to replace production companies. They know what they’re doing. They have the experience and hopefully processes in place. But let’s face it, not everyone can afford to pay for someone to produce their podcast. Especially when you’re just starting out.
So here are a few pointers and tips to help get you started with your podcast production journey.
Define your process
Based on your podcast type, you need to define the process for pre and post production of your podcast.
Pre production is everything that comes before hitting the record button.
Post production is everything that comes after you complete the recording.
Pre-production
If you have guests on your podcast, ask yourself what is the customer journey that my potential guests, and guests go through?
How do you invite them to the podcast?
What happens after they say yes?
How do they book a time?
What do you send them?
How do you prep?
Regarding preparation, what do you have to do before the episode is recorded?
Do you need to do research?
How do you define the questions you’ll ask?
Do you give them to your guests before the show?
Do you need to set up any special equipment or graphics?
Where will you be saving all of these assets for easy access?
On the day of the call, make sure to have time with your guest before (and preferably after) the call. This time needs to be booked in advance. Don’t have your guest book for a time slot but then ask them to be 10-15 minutes early, they may have planned their day differently.
If you plan on using a tool that does not enable a greenscreen or virtual background, let your guests know in advance. This may be a big deal for some people.
Post production
Once the call is over, have a central location to upload the unedited version of the podcast.
Define who does what - are you using an editor to edit the entire podcast?
Will you be creating shorts? Or maybe you’re using an AI tool like Opus or vidyo.ai?
Do you need both video and audio?
Will there be a transcript available?
Where will the podcast be published?
Who will publish it and how will that be done?
Where will all the post production assets be saved?
Understanding these steps will help you identify opportunities for delegation to people and to tools.
Identifying opportunities
Once you have your process in place, go through each step and see if there are any templates you can create to make your life easier.
Then review to see if there are any automations you can put in place. For example, once a guest books a call, send them to a form where they can upload their bio and headshot. It’s easier than running after them after the recording is done.
Another time saving automation is creating a sort of ‘inbox’ for the raw footage. This can then create tasks in your project management tool for your editor and graphic designer (if you need thumbnails). It can also create folders for each podcast in your cloud storage (such as Google Drive). Having an organized filing system will help you find all assets for each episode.
In order for automations to run smoothly, I would recommend using a naming convention (more on that later).
Create a repository
The first thing you want to think about is how to organize all your recordings. Even if you’re not planning on cutting them into short clips, having an organized database for all your episodes will make it easier for you to keep track of what you’ve talked about and when.
I would recommend using a tool such as Airtable (though even a Google Sheet could be good for this at first).
The primary column can be the episode code (made up of season and episode number).
Then you can have a column for the Clip Stage (this is the pre and post production stage and can include stages such as - guest invited, booked, recorded, sent for editing, ready for upload, uploaded)
I would recommend having columns for the episode title, description, notes, thumbnail ideas, uploading/linking to the thumbnail, various links where the episode can be found, important dates, etc.
Having all this information in one central location, will help you find information fast, and give you a central location for managing your podcast.
The importance of a naming convention
The episode code holds lots of value. This is your naming convention. Every episode should follow the same naming structure. This will help you create automations and link the files easily with minimal human interaction.
A good naming convention will also give you information about the episode, season, and possibly date (recording or publishing - up to you). You can use different prefixes for shorts, so every episode can have multiple shorts associated with it, each with its own unique name.
For example, let's say the episode name is BNB010120240505 (BNB stands for podcast name, season 1, episode 1, published on 5 May, 2024).
The shorts can be named BNB0101_SH01 (SH01 is shorts 01, and the number can go up as you create more shorts).
If you’re using a tool like Airtable, it can automatically cross reference the shorts with the long form content. In addition, if you set up a filing system based on the naming convention, all the assets will be saved in the same file structure, so accessing the files and updating the repository automatically becomes a snap.
Tips and tricks
A few things to keep in mind -
- Guest communication is key. Be sure to use a scheduling tool that can easily give you the data you need to collect from guests and push them to your repository. (Hint, Calendly does NOT do this well. I would recommend a tool such as OnceHub). Alternatively, use a form to collect the information. Airtable has great built in forms and using an interface you can even make this on brand.
- Be sure to customize the reminders and follow up emails. Make them personal where possible.
- Build a feedback loop into your system. If you’re doing video, use a tool such as frame.io to easily give your editor feedback on the clips. You can connect the status in the app to automatically update your Airtable database when changed.
This means your editor never really needs direct access to the database (saving cost of seats, but that’s a different discussion for a different day). - If you’re posting to social media using a scheduling tool - check to see if it integrates using Zapier or Make. This will make publishing as easy as checking off a checkbox in Airtable. If you’re not using a scheduling tool, it may be more complex to create automations. Not every social media platform enables direct upload using Zapier or Make. YouTube does. It can save you loads of time instead of downloading and uploading each clip.
The bottom line
In general, the idea is to keep things moving as smoothly as possible with as little direct human interaction as possible.
You should not be thinking about what else needs to be done, and what’s next. Your brain should not be filled with small tasks you can delegate to people or to tools. Instead, you should focus on the content for your podcast, and how to get the best out of you and your guests and make your listeners thirsty for more.
Need help setting this up? Let’s talk.
