Scott Bourne listed some storytelling tips for your podcast. I love his angle. It’s not just about interviewing, it’s not about having great content, it’s really about telling a story.
One of my clients is an outdoor photographer named Peter Wood. His podcast is called Go Fishin’ and he interviews people whose hobby is hunting and fishing.
I’ll tell you something – I’m not interested in hunting or fishing. Not by a long shot. But since I have to listen to each podcast that my contractors edit so I can give the final thumbs up, I listen to Peter’s podcast each week.
Let me tell you, after listening to Peter’s podcast, I still have no desire to go out to the bush with a rifle to hunt ‘coon, but his podcasts are so terribly interesting simply because he tells a story.
And the number of downloads really hit home. His podcasts are averaging just under 70 downloads after only 3 episodes. Most will average anywhere between 15 to 20. The number of subscribers are low, but that’s no surprise since we still have to find a better way to educate people on how to subscribe to a podcast, as highlighted by Michael Geoghegan, Jason Van Orden & Scott Bourne.
I remember attending a live podcast recording at the International Podcasting Expo back in October. I sat in for just a few minutes, then left because the host was asking boring, obvious questions. Her first mistake was reading the bio of her guests – which clearly stated why they accomplished the goal they set out to do – and then starting the interview with this question:
“So, what made you decide to do this task?”
Grrr…how annoying. Having a list of questions is one thing and saying that content is king is another, but as Scott says, it’s more about telling a story, engaging people with colourful words and then setting the scene.
Listen to Peter’s podcast. Read Scott’s advice. Then modify your style so you’re not just asking questions, but that you’re telling a story through your podcast.
Technorati: podcasting, jason van orden, Michael Geoghegan, scott bourne, peter wood, go fishin
Great post, Leesa. I think the thing we all need to remember is that, in shape (if not use), podcasts are radio. Want tips on how to create an interesting podcast? Listen to THE RADIO (CBC being a great example).
And what are your thoughts on length? I have to confess that ‘casts that edge into the 40-minute-plus range make me a bit mental. I know that part of the issue is technology, in that editing takes time and equipment, but I think many podcasters could be just as good (and not too polished) if they reigned themselves in a bit. What do you think?