July 4, 2020
Having created more than 60 episodes of my Scottish Business
Network series, I’ve learnt quite a few things about podcasting – partly from
my own blunders, and partly from speaking to other podcast hosts. If you’re
thinking about launching a podcast series, these 11 tips might help.
1 Content is more important than equipment… When someone starts a podcast
series, a lot of their attention can be consumed by the technology and the recording
equipment. But by far the most important thing to think about is the content. What
makes your podcast different to what’s already out there? Why should people listen
to it? What will make your audience recommend it their peers?
If you create a podcast bursting with genuinely compelling content, people won’t
mind if it’s recorded over a crackly telephone line – we’re all used to that anyway
from our pandemic-prompted reliance on online conversations. So think carefully
about the format, themes and contributors that will bring the podcast to life. Get that
right, and everything else will fall into place.
2 …but you do need equipment too. The first time I was interviewed for a podcast
was by Steve Watson for the excellent Stack indie magazine podcast. I was
surprised that the recording process consisted of him simply turning his iPhone on.
But it turns out that an iPhone (and possibly Android phones too) are excellent for
recording podcasts. I used my iPhone for many episodes but did then upgrade to a
Zoom H4N Pro voice recorder. Then, when lockdown hit and I couldn’t meet my
interviewees in person, I switched to the Zencastr platform, which is user-friendly,
free to use up to a limit and provides excellent sound quality (way better than Teams
or Zoom). Another good option is Squadcast .
Both Zencastr and Zoom (the recording device rather than the digital meeting
platform) were recommended to me by Scotland-based Matt Alder. Matt is host
of The Recruiting Future podcast, which has huge download stats, particularly in the
US – see the link to his excellent podcast blog at the end.
3 Turn the record button on. Often, the best advice is the simplest. Whatever you
do, make sure you press the record button. I conducted a 30-minute interview with
the fascinating Greenock-based entrepreneur Poonam Gupta before she gently
pointed out that I didn’t seem to be recording our conversation. I was lucky – she
graciously agreed to immediately do the whole thing again. However, another
advantage of switching to an online recording platform such as Zencastr is that you
can see the soundwaves on your screen, so you know whether it’s recording – or
not.
4 Help your interviewee. A lot of people feel anxious about being interviewed – it's
a feeling I've had when the tables have been turned. I think it’s partly because the
interview process is an unnatural way to have a conversation and partly because
some of us worry that we'll ramble on, won't be able to answer a question or will say
something we'll regret.
As a result I usually send the people that I interview my questions in advance. It
makes them feel more comfortable when it comes to the recording and gives them
time to come up with some thoughtful answers. But that doesn’t mean we
necessarily stick to the script. There needs to be scope for spontaneity and, once
they've hit their stride, I will also throw in any extra questions that spring to mind.
5 You’re part of the entertainment. I’ve spent my career interviewing people, so I’m
comfortable with coming up with questions, putting interviewees at ease and
encouraging interesting responses. But the big change for me when recording
podcast interviews was the realisation that I had become part of the entertainment.
You can't just rely on your guests. You have to bring energy to the presentation,
choose your words carefully, attempt to sound vaguely perceptive and possibly even
mildly amusing.
6 Don’t be annoying. When someone is talking to me, I have a habit of chipping in
with a string of ‘yeah’, ‘right’, ‘aha’ etc. That’s okay in the course of a normal
conversation but if you have to listen to someone do that throughout a podcast
episode, it's annoying. In an early episode, I was so enthusiastic about what I was
hearing that I simply wouldn’t shut up. I now try to remain quiet when the other
person is talking. And another advantage with Zencastr and Squadcast is that you
get a separate audio file for each person on the call, so it's easy to edit out
distractions.
7 Do it live? Prior to lockdown, one in four of my podcasts was recorded live in
London in front of an audience of anything up to 80 people. This undoubtedly adds
an extra shot of adrenalin. In my case, the interview is part of a programme of
Scottish Business Network sessions so I have to stick to a strict timing of 40 minutes.
I keep one eye on the clock to ensure I cover everything I need to, and sometimes
need to gently interrupt my guest to keep things moving along. It can also be harder
to concentrate with so many pairs of eyes looking on and I've found my mind
wandering on occasion.
But a good live interview provides a wonderful buzz and, as well as being great
entertainment for the audience, some of that atmosphere translates nicely into the
finished recording.
Since the arrival of the pandemic crisis, these live events have been transferred to
Zoom, with several of my podcast episodes to date recorded in front of large
numbers of people sitting at home on their sofas. It works really well, although the
quality of audio on Zoom isn't always brilliant.
8 Edit out the bad stuff. Unless you and your interviewees are word-perfect
geniuses, it’s likely that your content will benefit from a careful edit. I import my audio
files to Garageband on my MacBook, but there are plenty of other audio edit
packages you can use. I then listen to the whole recording, editing out any awkward
silences, excessive rambles, mistakes etc. I then record an intro and an outro, as
well as adding my musical jingle, and two short clips from the Scottish voiceover
artist Jenny Dunbar. I'm then ready to export the file as an MP4. If you're looking for
a jingle for your podcast, I originally got mine from Jamendo , and found the selection
a lot better than other online libraries I looked at (although you do have to pay a
small licence fee). However, I'm very fortunate that the Scottish composer Chris
Tolley has since composed and recorded a new jingle especially for the podcast,
which was a real treat.
9 The host with the most? Podcasts are hosted on a platform that generates an
RSS feed which, in turn is picked up by other podcast services – i.e. you can't simply
load your podcasts up to iTunes, you need a host to create the RSS feed that iTunes
then feeds off.
There’s been an explosion in platforms offering podcast hosting. Like many people
who weren't really sure how to go about it, I chose Soundcloud because I'd heard of
it and used it for posting and listening to music. It's worked fine for me after a bit of
initial fiddling around with the settings but is really better suited to musicians.
Prompted by a recommendation from fellow podcaster Sue Stockdale, I have since
used Spreaker for two client podcasts I have produced, and find it a better option.
I upload each episode to my Soundcloud/Spreaker account (you'll need to pay for a
Pro account after hitting an upload limit) and a short summary of the content. People
can access the episode directly on Soundcloud/Spreaker but, over time, numerous
other platforms will pick up the RSS feed without you having to do anything – I've lost
count of the number of platforms that the Scottish Business Network is now available
on. The only platforms I had to manually apply to be included on were Spotify and
iTunes – both were straightforward.
10 Get yourself a podcast buddy. I frequently talk to other podcast hosts to share
ideas and I have a monthly call with the former athlete, explorer, motivational
speaker and previously mentioned Sue Stockdale, who hosts the suitably
inspiring Access To Inspiration. It always gees me up.
11 Keep going. There are a lot of podcasts out there. Unless you’re a celebrity or
already have a massive social media following of relevant potential listeners, it's
going to take a long time to build up an audience. The key is consistency and
persistence. Choose a frequency (mine is fortnightly) and keep pushing them out
there. Encourage anyone who contributes to the episodes to share them to their
followers. And enjoy it. The best part of podcasting for me – far and away – has been
listening to the extraordinary people that have shared their stories with me.
Want any help creating a podcast? Do get in touch.
www.allencomms.co.uk
The Scottish Business Network podcast – six of the best
I present and produce my podcast series in partnership with the Scottish Business
Network (SBN). I highly recommend the SBN as a brilliant forum for networking with
other ambitious business people – it's well worth joining.
As a former journalist, I began interviewing leading business people in front of an
audience at SBN events, and the quality of the interviewees was so high that it
seemed like a good idea to share them more widely. I launched the podcast as a
fortnightly series, with a mix of live interviews and others that I conduct one to one.
I’ve been very fortunate with the fascinating array of people I’ve interviewed. They’ve
all been great – but here are five of the dozens of episodes that stand out for me:
1 For truly thought-provoking insights into the purpose of business, I recommend this
interview with Mel Young, founder of the Big Issue in Scotland and the Homeless
World Cup.
2 Or for the extraordinary achievements of a young explorer and motivational
speaker, listen to Mollie Hughes, who climbed Everest twice and skied solo to the
South Pole before she reached 30.
3 My 50th episode featured the wonderful Poonam Malik, who arrived in Scotland
from India in 1999 with two suitcases, £35 and a British Council scholarship to
Glasgow University. She's now one of the best connected business people you'll
meet, with an astonishingly broad portfolio of roles across science and enterprise.
4 I've interviewed quite a few sports people as part of the series. A highlight was
interviewing David Sole, captain of the last Scotland team to win rugby's Grand
Slam, and now a sought-after CEO coach.
5 There's great diversity across the series, and a slightly different episode came
about when I interviewed the Scottish composer Chris Tolley (mentioned earlier).
From his early days working with Andrew Lloyd-Webber to writing music for TV, film
and his own releases, he has a fascinating story.
6 And a businesswoman who stands out for all kinds of reasons is Dr Marie Macklin.
She has overcome dyslexia and a close brush with death to become an
extraordinary force in urban regeneration – 'rocking the economy', while inspired by
the music of Simple Minds and the symbolism of her gold spray-painted killer heels.
To access all episodes, simply search for 'Scottish Business Network' on iTunes,
Spotify or any if the usual poodcast platforms.
[The pics are from live interviews featuring Sheila Flavell, Chief Operating Officer at
FDM Group, and Brian Duffy, CEO of Watches of Switzerland.]
Recommended links
Matt Alder’s excellent blog How To Build A Successful Podcast is well worth reading.
And if you're interested in talent and recruitment, his The Recruiting Future podcast
is a must-listen.
Christopher Phin is Head of Podcasts at DC Thomson, and has lots of interesting
insights on podcasting. Check out his interviews with Laura Kelly Dunlop for PPA
Scotland's Magazine Stories, Sue Stockdale's Access To Inspiration and alongside
two other highly knowledgeable podcast hosts, Peter Houston and Esther Kezia
Thorpe, in this episode of Media Voices. All three series are also highly
recommended in their own right.