I of course am no expert on the subject of podcasting and only fancy myself a virtual tutor.  Regina Panelli and I are preparing for the launch of our new podcast, so I have been doing as much research as I can on the subject.  It’s how I roll.  (Insert pimped out gangsta happy pose here.  Do they do happy poses?)  I have a second podcast in the works as well.  More information on both is coming soon!

Our show format, and we are going with the tentative name of Pop Corny, has been set with shows like Regis and Kelly or the View in mind.  By the way, please let us know in the comments what you think of that name.   I think it helps to say it out loud.  At any rate, here’s the information that I’ve accumulated from the research.

The first questions you need to answer when formulating a podcast are who are you and why should we listen to you?  Are you someone with great knowledge on one subject?  Or do you just have an entertaining take on everything going on in the world?  It’s almost like we’re setting up a business plan for the podcast.  Know yourself and know the audience you are hoping to attract.  From those first two answers you get to: what will the listeners gain from listening?  …Is it just pure entertainment or are you hoping to educate?

Still answering questions but focus mainly on yourself now:  What do you expect to gain from having a podcast?  Are you using this as a marketing tool, trying to make money, or hoping to be discovered?  That last one is a long shot however, YouTube has produced fame and fortune for those such as Arnel Pineda (lead singer for Journey) and Justin Bieber.  Finally, how long will your show be?  How often will you post new episodes?  And can you keep it interesting for the amount of time you just answered those two questions with?

Write all of that down.  It’s your mission statement.  Whether you are doing an audio or video podcast it takes a lot of planning to produce a show.  Sure, you have a microphone or a webcam and you’re ready to go.  But one last question, do you want to be successful?  Because I guarantee that the shows that are like Rob Paulsen’s audio podcast, Talkin’ Toonsor YouTube’s Philip DeFranco Show are well thought out.  And they have loyal listeners because of it.

Back to the “How long will your show be?” question, keep in mind that for some reason, podcasts are not as forgiving as radio.  You need to be sharper, keep the audience hooked the entire time, and give them something they want to subscribe to.  With this in mind, shorter is better.  30 minutes is a long time in the podcast world.  Some folks do get away with an hour long show but those are really, really good shows and it’s a little ambitious for a new show.

Something better than the radio, however, is the fact that the FCC doesn’t govern podcasts.  You can say anything you want.  Keep in mind that people of America are sue happy people so don’t infringe on copyrights and use music that you know is podcast safe.  Music would be an entirely different blog and since I’m focusing on a talk show I won’t be sharing that information here.  If you’re interest is in hosting a music show, I would Google the term “podsafe” and start there.  And, since you’re not governed by the FCC, if you choose to have your way with words, mention that in the description.  People at home with the kids or at work will look for “kid safe,” “clean,” or “work safe.”

Some other tips are:

• Start strong
• Mention sponsors near the front (save them for the end, you won’t have a sponsor)
• Set up an email to include your listeners in the show
• Also set up a voicemail so you can play recordings- an involved listener is a repeat listener

Have a separate day to have your production meeting from the filming day.  Go over everything you want to talk about.  You can have a script, or if your show is a co-hosted banter of topics, have an outline.  The point is, have something to work from, especially if you are going for the organic, no edit type show.

Tomorrow’s blog will have ideas for what to do when you are ready to go live with your site.  If you found this helpful and are starting a podcast as well, good luck!  I can’t wait for mine to begin.  The ideas are simply waterfalling.