How do you make a podcast done right?

How do you make a good podcast ? Everyone talks about podcasts and everyone, at least on paper, can become a podcaster in an instant. Today, the podcast is the shortest route to truly effective personal branding . You can use them for content marketing , to tell stories, inform, educate, engage . It is too precious a tool to be thrown away. And yet… And yet, more often than not the market is invaded by willing but poorly cared for products, wrapped in a home-made aura that makes you sad. Projects that, even if starting with the best intentions, last the time of a smile.

Instead, I think that a product like this, which manages to take us to another dimension, thanks to the intimacy of the voice, shouldn't be ruined by a mediocre realization. That's why I want to tell you how important it is for your communication strategy to create a podcast that is beautiful to listen to. In two words, done well.

It's easy to say podcasts

Making a good podcast is easier than you think, but even the simplest things need care and attention. A podcast is a real challenge. A marathon that runs on different levels . There is the conception phase, the one in which you try to find your place in the world:

• choice of topic
• tone of voice
• define your audience.

Then there's the one where you have to write your script , find the right words to best express your WHAT to your ideal audience.

After that comes the cut and sew moment , the more technical part where you actually record your words and give them a listenable shape.

Finally, the distribution. Because the best podcast in the world is nothing if nobody listens to it (remember the story of the tree that falls in the forest when nobody listens?).

Yes, but how to do it?

You can find all these topics developed in a more or less thorough way on an infinite number of sites. What is missing in all this? A fundamental element: how to do podcasts well. Not so much to have a successful podcast, but to get your message across in the best way . If a podcast is an important asset of your communication strategy, you need to get it right to make it work.

The podcast is a business card, it tells who you are, what you do and what your values are better than an article or an essay. Your voice, a signature you can't forge, gives you absolute freedom to tell. If you want everyone to watch your podcast with heart-pounding eyes, you need to take it up a notch.

5 reasons why it's good to have a podcast done right

Make the task easier for the listener

Your listeners must be put in the best conditions to enjoy your product . Forcing them to turn up the volume or hear a sentence multiple times because the audio is not intelligible is never a good thing. And the reason is simple: they won't choose you anymore.

You show care towards your audience

This is the direct emanation of point 1. When you give your podcast to the world, you do it for yourself, of course, but also because you want your audience to be transformed by that experience . One of the ways to build a valuable relationship with your listeners is to let them know that you worked hard on that product . And that that product was made especially for them, with their only interest at heart.

As a simple user, I find myself rewarding those digital creators who work with dedication on YouTube videos or podcasts. I'm more inclined to subscribe to their channels or newsletters. And why not, to buy one of their services. I trust them because I trust the care they put into their offerings .

Present yourself in a professional manner

Once a client of mine, the owner of a famous artisan tailor's shop, apologized to me because one of his employees had come to welcome me, wearing a horrible jacket that made him look bad. He explained that he had scolded him because customers might think he had done it. " What figure would I have made? ", She said.

He gave me a very important lesson: professionalism must start from us . If we want to be treated by valuable professionals, our products must be of value.

Showcase the best part of you

You have seconds to let the world know who you are. Or at least, to that part of the world that really interests you. You can't waste time, on the contrary you have to make the most of every opportunity . A careless product will make you a sloppy professional. Instead, it's important to show your real worth .

A bad podcast is a waste

Waste of time and chance. It is not necessary to be quick and arrive before the others. No planning in the world works if what you plan is done badly and therefore needs constant revisions.

Take all the time you need to publish a great podcast . Time you'll spend studying the best formula for writing excellent lyrics, to learn how to record without background noise. Or to do interviews where the guest's voice feels really good.

Done right = perfect?

I'll answer right away: no . No home podcast will ever reach the perfection of a podcast recorded in the room and edited by a professional sound designer and engineers. But you have to make the most of what you have, working through possible difficulties to solve them.

I did too. It happened to me, especially at the beginning of my work, that I had to record audio-video interviews. I tried to do it with the means I had available at the time and I succeeded. The quality of the video and audio? In short. I happened to have to work on it a lot in post-production. Could I have done it better? Certain. Compared to the tools I had available and the situation, I managed. But, I learned from the mistakes I made and tried not to repeat them, but above all in my camera bag, there are always two microphones and a tripod.

Done is better than perfect, true. Only the first time though

Then comes the study. What hasn't worked in my experience: I've tried to do something I've never done before (good), without having the material time to prepare well (almost good), without doing what in theory I know and should have done (no good ) and in a hurry (very badly!!!).

This applies to all professional activities, with particular attention to those related to the world of communication where the medium is as essential as the message you are sending . A video interview must meet certain requirements, in the choice of shot (and what should not be shot), for example, and in the quality of the sound. An audio interview responds to other input . A podcast, too.

How is a professional podcast?

And here we are at the point. What Makes a Podcast a Good Podcast .

Let's talk about something you listen to, right? Then the audio must be as high quality as possible . That is, without background noise and without a cave effect . A disturbance that usually occurs when recording in an empty room and with an ultra-sensitive microphone, which captures every particle of air that flutters in the atmosphere.

• study the set up of your room carefully
• prefer environments with lots of furniture and fabrics that absorb sound
• choose the right microphone for your studio.

A good podcast has almost invisible cuts and soft hooks between sentences. And the sound mix and the spoken parts are harmonious. The base, if you decide to have it, doesn't just pop up suddenly and for no reason.

Is it all about audio, then? Not, of course. A well done podcast fits into a system that consistently offers high quality content . If you publish an episode and then leave it on hold for ten months, you will not retain your audience . Then plan the release of your episodes, even just two a month, concentrating in those episodes important topics for those who follow you.

Another medal to the value of your podcast is an information box full of information and links that can take you where you need it. On your site, in your Facebook group, on your Instagram page. It's also good to publish an article, a sort of written version of the podcast. It's one more piece of content you're offering users (and they can't wait for you to do it).

What can you do

The idea of going to work without a net, experimenting with every single step among dozens of errors and adjustments on the go, is essential as a starting point. In fact, it's downright funny. But if you want a podcast done right – to build your online credibility, sell services, share a passion – then you need to ask yourself a series of specific questions.

The first question is: what am I missing to make a good podcast? At the level of instrumentation, of course, but also of skills related to writing for broadcasting, improvisation and so on.

Find all your weaknesses, the things you just can't do, and start from there.

• dedicate a few hours of your day to the precise study of everything you don't have or don't know
• make a list and slowly tackle each item
• read, deepen, buy good tools (if necessary for your project), study, compare yourself with professionals. In short, invest.

The second: how useful is a podcast in my communication? If the answer is " A lot ", then your study will have to be even more in-depth.

There is a clearly expanding market in which we can place ourselves by making use of our creativity and expertise . At the cost of throwing everything down. Think about how many skills you can acquire by working well on your podcast.

So, when you hear someone tell you done is better than perfect, you already know what to say: it's better done right.