Walking into our podcast studio and knowing what we'll be recording always makes our hearts sing a little louder. We even sound more confidently happier, because we brainstormed, researched, and planned our next episode.
Let's be real, most of the time, planning for our podcast is sometimes close to non-existent. In this episode I'll be sharing 3 simple tips to help you with planning your podcast for podcasting happiness.
Jump To What Was Discussed:
01:10 - The tool every podcaster can use.
01:35 - How to start time blocking for podcast content.
02:05 - What to do when you don't know what talk about on your podcast.
02:19 - Brainstorming questions.
02:50 - Tool time!
03:22 - What a episode composer is and how it will help.
04:40 - Episode 3 teaser!
Tip #1 for planning your podcast - Time Block.
This calls for one of the most underestimated podcasting tools - a calendar.
Grab your calendar and time block for planning only. Make sure to time block for future weeks as well...not just this one time. We'll get into recording in the next episode.
Here is what I recommend if you're not sure how much time you need for your planning sessions: 15/30.
Plan 15 minutes for every 30 minutes length (or less) episode you plan to have. Here's the progression: 15/30, 30/60. 45/90, and so on.
Add more time if needed. This is just to get you into the habit of time blocking for planning.
Tip #2 for planning your podcast - Content Brainstorming.
If you're constantly challenged with not knowing what topic to discuss on your show, create a content bank by having a brainstorming session.
Need help brainstorming? Here are some triggering questions:
What are the most frequently asked questions in your niche?
What are the questions your niche should be asking?
What's trending in your niche?
In regards to your topic, what are you curious about?
Here is a very cool tool that I've found to be very helpful for content ideas: Answer The Public
Type in your niche/topic in the yellow box
Select the country
Hit enter
It will then give you an "aggregated view of the questions & therefore a hint of the motivations & emotions of the people behind each search query..." so that you can "prompt a conversation on how you could start answering your public better." Give it a try!
Tip #3 for planning your podcast - Compose The Episode.
Once you've selected a topic from your content bank, start composing your next episode.
Get a sheet of paper or your preferred word processor and write down the topic and your supporting points down. Don't forget to write down what your call to action will be.
This will give you a great episode sheet to use when recording. You'll know what to say and when to say it.
Oh! And, is there someone you can interview on this topic? Try to book them!
Doing these practices will definitely make recording your episodes a breeze and exciting!
Until next time, plan, create and share your voice with the world!
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