#BLOG ALERT 3 tips to make great Podcasts

first things first, what exactly is a Podcast? A Podcast is just like a radio show, has many of the same rules and craft skills, it should be episodic - either regularly produced or be a serial - a number of parts reaching a conclusion.

That latter genre can be something dramatic or in the case of one of the most successful Podcasts ironically enough called "Serial" it can be a true story - documentary that again reaches a conclusion.

So having identified what it is, let's look at what it isn't.  A chance for you to air you massive ego and meander and wander and bore me with your life, which is so dull you only bothered making one episode of your Podcast and you did it in a noisy room using your computer on-board mic.

That is not to say the meandering of your life can't be interesting or truly great Podcasting, just listen to Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant and Karl Pilkington wander along life - the difference is they are extremely funny, never boring and I suspect quite a lot of work went into making it all seem as if it was all 'off the cuff.'

Putting aside the cliché's for a moment here are three things to help you make your Podcast shine:

1.  Tell a story, tell a good story make it visual, add some colour (don't lie) help the listener along the journey with your story by filling in the bits they can't see.

2. Have high production values - if you use music or effects they must be there to help the narrative - don't just plop a library track behind your voice and interview work and think that will sex things up a bit - you won't.

3. Feel it here (pushes his fist against his heart) have some passion use some genuine emotion - care.  If you don't care about a story - then how are you going to get a listener to care?

So - STORY - PRODUCTION - EMOTION = You are on the road to making the best Podcast ever, ever.