Business Podcasting Basics – Part 4

We are going to jump right in and talk about practicing and preparing for your first business podcast. Before you dive right in and start recording your business podcast, it’s a very good idea to practice using the tools you’re going to use, like your microphone, recording software and if you’ve used an online service be sure you understand how it works. Study any user guides, checklists or tutorials provided so you can avoid any potential mishaps or malfunctions.

Practice using your microphone and get comfortable speaking into it before attempting to go live. If you’re too close, your listener will hear every breath sound, sniff and sigh. If you are too far away, your voice may echo, sound fuzzy or be hard to understand.

Tip: Don’t eat, chew gum, suck on candy or slurp your soda while you’re recording unless you want to annoy your listeners more than you entertain them.

It’s a good idea to upload a few sample casts to and listen to them on different devices so you can check your sound quality and make any adjustments to your equipment or presentation before your first show. It’s also a good idea to get someone you trust to listen to your samples. Find someone who tells the truth. They can let you know if the process works and how you sound.

The day of your podcast, make sure you give yourself plenty of time to prepare before the show. If you have a guest, check in with them a few hours ahead of time, to make sure they are ready and excited to go at the specified time. Remember, they are probably a little nervous too, so pump them up for the show with a few words of encouragement.

Here are a few more tips:

  • Make sure you’re well-hydrated and have a glass of water ready just in case your mouth gets
    dry. (just don’t gulp it on air).
  • Test your microphone again right before the show to make sure it is working.
  • Make the room as quiet as possible. Close the doors and windows. Turn off any fans or air conditioners.
  • Lock out the pets. You don’t want to have to compete with Fido’s bark or have princess kitty bumping your mic while you’re on air.
  • Unplug the house phone and silence the ringer on your cell.
  • Warn the family not to disturb you during the podcast. If you have to put a sign on the door!
  • When it’s almost time to go on air, warm up your voice and take a few takes a few slow deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling, before you speak.

Once you’re on air introduce yourself, your business and your guest (if you have one). Make a little small talk to warm up your listeners and let them know what they are going to learn by listening. You should also let them know how long the show will last and any other information you think will help keep them tuned in until the end of the show, like teasers and offers that they have to stay to the end to get.

Hint: Free prizes, gifts or discounts related to your products and services work great!

At the end of the show, thank your audience for listening and provide any links or information your viewers will need to find out more. You can do this by directing them to your website, blog or even an online file sharing site like Dropbox. Remember not everyone is going to listen to your live broadcast, so record your show and upload it to a hosting service like we discussed in your second lesson to create an RSS feed so that listeners can easily subscribe and tune in when it’s most convenient for them. Also, if you plan to distribute your podcast on iTunes. If you need more information on creating an RSS feed here is a nice Wiki How tutorial.

We hope today’s tips on how to craft a business podcast were helpful to you. Stay tuned for the conclusion to this series.

This Valorous Circle blog post on business podcasting contains licensed content from a third-party source.

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