Viral Podcasting

Should you write a script for your podcast or just wing it. It depends upon you. If you're a subject matter expert and can talk without notes about your topic, then by all means go ahead and don't use one. If not, at least come up with bullit points for your commentary or discussion. When interviewing a guest, often times your guest will ask for a copy of the questions up front. We do this on the show, however with the proviso that we will not be bound by the questions. There's nothing worse and more boring than a canned interview. If you choose to go this route listen to your finished product and see how it sounds? Does it sound canned and pre-planned? You'll know. The answer to these questions will determine your best practices. I always shoot for excellence, however, it's a moving target. Therefore, I'm willing to settle for doing the best job I can. Sometimes, I will write the show notes to an interview before I actually do the interview. This has the effect of focusing the interview and it allows me to visualize the finished performance. Generally these interviews are among my best. The key is to develop techniques that work for you and that allow you to find your comfort zone. 

Air checking is vital to every podcaster, but the odds are you don't even know what it is. Simply stated, you sit down with your producer or other respected party and critically review a recent episode you've done. You cover the good, the bad and the ugly. It's best done in a non-judgmental, constructive manner. The goal is to improve your game, not to crush you. When I sit down with Valerie, we check my use of imagery, how am I using the word "you" to connect with the audience, am I using radio speak, which in today's world is a major no-no. How could I have better done that intro? Air checking plants those seeds in your mind. I never consciously implement Valerie's suggestions, however, they seem to grab hold unconsciously and blossom. Before I know it, my shows have transformed to another level and my analytics and downloads start going up. That's what Viral Podcasting is all about!

There's loads of equipment choices out there for every budget. You can start with a cheap $20 headset and move on from there. We use a Heil PR-40 Microphone, the gold standard of podcasting, a Mackie PRO-FX8 Mixer, a Behringer Gate/Compressor/Limiter and some other things to give the best possible sound. Quality equipment and sound editing practices go hand and hand with high production values. As Cliff Ravenscraft says, "High production values won't get people to listen to your podcast, but it will get them to come back again and again." But there are many choices available to you to produce a quality podcast. You can use a USB microphone, many of which have excellent sound. You have to do what's right for you and your budget. Don't overproduce your show. It will wind up sounding fake and unnatural. Do the minimal edits required, a little bit of compression, a small amount of tweaking and let it go. I know a number of people who cut out every breath and every verbal stumble. That's a big mistake. You're not a rock star. You're not aiming for perfection, just excellence. 

This seems so obvious I almost hesitated to bother with it, and yet there's so many people out there doing podcasts and being inauthentic. Like myself, many of you grew up in the 1970's with the crazy, zaney radio guy. You know the voice. It's as fake as a three dollar bill. There's just no room for it in our society today. And yet so many people try to emulate it and they succeed and thereby fail. Don't be something you're not and don't be somebody you aren't. Proudly admit your faults and your audience will bond with you. Of course keep it appropriate at all times and never admit to a felony, unless of course the statute of limitations has run. But you get the point.

Before you start podcasting you'll need to identify the people who you think will be listening to your podcast, your target audience. What is their sex, their income level, their geographic location, their marital status, employment status etc. Look at your Google Analytics, your podcast server analytics, as well any other information you can accumulate about your likely audience. Look at market surveys, there's plenty of them available to you on the internet at no cost. Never assume your audience composition, because invariably you will be incorrect and suprised. You can never do enough research to make these determinations. Once you've been running your show for a while, go back and reexamine your demographics and analytics and see if your audience is who you expected it to be. Are there more males than you thought? More elderly, less retirees. Perhaps you'll need to adjust your content accordingly. Never pander to your audience, but it's okay to cater to their wants and needs. Remember, there's often a fine line between pandering and serving. 

This could be the most important thing you do. Naming your podcast is perhaps the first major decision you will make once you decide to do a podcast. Too many would be podcasters put too little thought into this important task. A great name can propel your podcast into the stratosphere. A bad name could condemn it to obscurity. All too often podcasters choose mediocre names that do nothing to help them promote their brand and their podcast. You need to put a lot of time and thought before you name your podcast. Get feedback from friends and family. Search trademark and copyright databases to be certain that no one has used it before. Make sure that you're unique. Remember that consumer product companies and big pharma spend untold millions every year naming their products. And it pays huge dividends for them. Tide, Crest, Clorox, , Lipitor. The list goes on and on. So what's in a name? It could be your very success or failure.   

Welcome to Viral Podcasting. If you want to start a podcast or you're looking to bring your existing podcast to the next level, you've come to the right place. I suggest your purchase two books that I believe you will find extremely useful and perhaps indispensible to your podcasting career. First, my mentor, Valerie Geller's book Beyond Powerful Radio: A Communicator's Guide to the Internet Age?News, Talk, Information & Personality for Broadcasting, Podcasting, Internet, Radio and my book Viral Podcasting: A Proven Process to Earn a 6 Figure Income from Your Show. They will help you succeed and become an effective communicator and podcasting business person.  I've been podcasting for nearly 6 years. During this time I've had 10's of millions of downloads. I've figured out the formula for audience success and monetary success. It's not easy, but if you're willing to do the work, you can do it too. It requires a committment of time, effort and love. There are many others out there far more successful than I, but if you asked them how they did it, most would be unable to explain it to you.  There was a lot of soul searching, second guessing and perserverance involved. Many times I thought about quitting and selling real estate or something else. But when I really thought about it, I knew that podcasting was a calling for me and that there was nothing else that I wanted to do. So here I am, nearly 6 years later, showing others how it's done. Remember, it's not the destination, it's the journey! Kerry Lutz, March 2017