Day 5

Subject: [firstname]: Podcast preparation is crucial!

Hey [firstname]!

A big mistake a lot of people make when they start podcasting is to simply “wing it”.

This is a BAD mistake!

Like I said the other day, you must at least try to SOUND like you know what you're talking about if you want people to take you seriously, so preparation is key here.

Research your topic thoroughly.  This is particularly true in the early days when you might be a bit hesitant and unsure.  Like I said yesterday (albeit in a different context): If people think you're not very professional, they will turn off, never to return.

Decide ahead of time what you're going to talk about. Obviously, this is going to be something that's in your niche, but you should drill down and concentrate on a very specific topic for each podcast.  Don't deviate from it.

It's a good idea to work from an outline to give your podcast structure – don't read from a script, though, as that will sound stilted.

If you're doing a solo podcast, do a rehearsal first.  Practice makes perfect, so the more podcasts you do, the better you'll get.  In the early days, get some people you trust to listen to your podcasts before you release them and give you some feedback.  It's perfectly fine to do a retake or re-edit – that's what you've got sound editing software for.
 
If you're doing an interview, chat with the interviewee beforehand so you get comfortable talking with them. You might also want to go over what you want to talk about – or what THEY want to talk about if they're the expert – and submit a list of questions beforehand.  This will give them time to prepare coherent answers ahead of time.  You want your interviews and “round table” discussions to sound like a friendly chat.  Unless your podcast is of an investigative journalistic nature, you don't want to run your interviewees through the wringer like on “Face the Nation”! 

Talk soon!

PS. There's still time to grab your copy of my podcasting success guide.  Here's the link [link to sales page].
