The following is an article written by Jack J. Ward. This was originally posted on his myspace blog.
Top Ten Podcasting Do’s and Don’ts
Do’s and Don’ts in this Crazy Pod-verse As we complete Season 3 of the Sonic Society, I find myself reflecting back upon the year, and also upon a number of things I’ve learned.
Some of these have come from hard looks at myself and how I operate, and some have been precious little lessons people have taught me… sometimes through frustration.
I’ve been tempted on more than one occasion to send an email or message back to some of these kind folk to thank them, but considering I learn (like most human beings) more from the mistakes than from the successes, I figured that might be rather rude.
I almost didn’t write this a number of times, because quite honestly, who am I? I’m just a fellow podcaster who’s learning along the way. I’m reminded by the saying, “If you meet Buddha on the road, kill him.” I’m tempted to add the modern expression, “If you meet the Social Media Expert on the Internet highway, run over him.”
Which brings us to our list.
1. Social Media Experts.
I’m going to go out on the limb and say there aren’t any. Just like being a panacae programmer really doesn’t exist, neither do social media experts. Social Media includes everything from applications like Facebook and Twitter, to blogging, podcasts, newsgroups and beyond. You can have solid experience in one or two fields, but there’s just too many specialties out there. You’ll never find a lawyer good at everything, and you’ll never see me put “Social Media Expert” on my business card. I do what I do, and there’s no way I can tell you that I know everything about Podcasting. I won’t pretend to.
This doesn’t mean I’m ignorant. It means I’m focused. (At least I’d like to believe so.)
Part of my focus involves Interviewing and being interviewed, and this leads us to the next points.
2. If you’re going to interviewed in a Podcast, know something about the podcast and the Interviewer involved. It takes little time to download someone else’s podcast and listen to them. Listen to the tone of their podcast. Are they upbeat or relaxed? Do they have a specialized theme, or is it a free-for-all? Will you be expected to be an expert or a fun personality?
I’ve had guests who knew nothing of my show, and they admitted it, or worse still pretended they knew something and were woefully unprepared to answer questions when I referred to things in the Interview.
Everyone wants to be important in this medium… even in their own little corner. Take the time to make your host feel important by knowing a little bit about what they do. Nothing makes an Interviewer more at ease than saying, “Yes, I love your show. My favourite moment was….” and mean it. (See the last point)
3. Don’t Name Drop in the Interview.
Shannon, God bless her, spent nearly an hour cutting out every sentence that name dropped “famous” podcasters in one interview. She cut the interview down from over thirty minutes to just ten. I kid you not. I’m tired of hearing “the usual suspects of hall of fame podcasters” in every podcast. I truly am. If you’re going to name drop, make sure its relevant to your projects. Not “I was talking to…” or “… and I were hanging out and…”. If you must name drop or give a shout out to a hero, try to pick someone new to the landscape. Someone most people haven’t had a chance to listen to. Share the love, don’t build on your own reputation.
4. Keep your Interviews as Tight as Possible.
This is the radio geek in me, I admit. There are a few exceptions where conversation is the theme of the entire podcast and someone turns on a microphone and things let fly. Usually liquor of some sort is involved.
If however, you’re invited on a show that has a set time frame, and a specific theme that is not “just shooting the stink” so to speak, it behooves Interviewee and Interviewer to understand the constraints and time elements.
As a rule, don’t say in an hour what can be said in twenty minutes. Don’t say in twenty minutes what can be said in 10. Don’t say in ten what can be done in five, and if you’re interviews are clocking past an hour, you really need to work on making it easier for your editor (usually yourself.)
Which brings us to the next point.
5. Collaborate on the Interview Before Hand.
Having a guide as to what you’re going to cover, how long it will be, what the focus is, and what you both want to accomplish as Interviewer and Interviewee’s is not a bad thing. Verifying the time factor, and the content is key in making the Interview effective. Hand out a series of questions before hand to the person being Interviewed if you can. Get them to both edit and include their own. Agree on your purposes, and worry about tit-for-tat later.
6. Tit-for-Tat is all that.
Many times the person being involved in my world is a fellow podcaster, a fellow writer, or a fellow actor or producer. If they approach you for the Interview, I don’t think its bad form to ask for something in return. And if someone doesn’t ask something of you, take the time to ask them. If you’re a podcaster yourself return the favour. INVITE them on your show. Find an excuse to bring them. Not only will you make them feel they are appreciated, BUT WANTED.
Playing someone’s promo is a good start. But really, if someone interviewed you, and you just played their promo, are you really doing them a service? If you’re running a podnovel, have them take a small role or read from your “preview”. Include them. Don’t make them feel like they are helping you to fame, and they should be lucky to do so, like 7.
7. NEVER Send a Friend a Form Letter. (Or to Any one)
Nothing shows you don’t care more than a form letter. If you have to send a form letter then at least at specific information to the letter about the people and theior podcast so that it doesn’t SOUND like a form letter.
Be aware that many podcasts have more than one host. Even if you’re friends with that host, include everyone involved in the Podcast. It may take some more time, but no one wants to be just a rung to someone else’s success. Be gracious and realize the people you’re soliciting for help are just as busy as you, and just want to be part of the family. Not part of your team. Part of the family.
That’s an important distinction.
Remember the community is based on the relationships you’ve built. If you don’t know the people you want to be involved with, are they really the people you want to be involved with?
I know from personal experience that the slightest misstep can ruin friendships and break up allies. It’s important to try to be as professional, and yet as humble as possible.
8. Sincerity is the Hardest Thing to Fake
I love Audio Drama. I’m an omnivore. I eat up all kinds. Good, bad and indifferent. I burned off 50 gigs of audio works just in the past three months, and I do this EVERY three months. I’m passionate about this stuff. It juices me like almost nothing else.. with writing itself coming in first place. I hope people can hear the sincerity in my voice when I talk about this passion of mine, because I’m very grateful, and will be eternally so to do the things I do. Getting any kind of positive reinforcement from our listeners is simply the icing on the cake for me. I really am touched by their love of this medium, and I don’t know what we’d do without the folks who let us know every day how they feel, but the truth is.. I’d do this if it were just Shannon and myself as the only people who knew about it.
Be sincere in all your dealings. The great Peter Gzowski once said in the documentary “The Family” about CBC that he became a good interviewer by finding something interesting in every one he interviewed. Sometimes it wouldn’t work, and in those cases he faked being interested. But what he found, was that in feigning interest, he actually often became interested despite himself. Once again, take the focus off you, and really be interested in those around you. Ask yourself how you can help someone who helps you. Phone into THEIR voice mail once in a while. Write them that email to let them know you listen to their show. Give them some of the time back they give you for listening to your show or talking with you every week. Last point about hubris.
9. If you Google Yourself Regularly You’ll Go Blind.
I’ve seen many folks in Twitter complain that their name only reaches 2 or 7 when they hit Google. Life’s too short folks. As long as you’re on the first page, you’re doing AWESOME. If you’re not, you will be. A casual google of Sonic Society and various iterations gets some interesting results.
Just don’t be blinded to the truth. The truth is to focus more on your content and less on the results. If you build an amazing podcast and do all the things you should be doing. They will come. I honestly don’t even check my podcast statistics even monthly. Perhaps I should, but I don’t need the stress. Most of the time I forget about them. I won’t when I’m monetizing, but for the meantime. I want to focus on my viewers, not my own gratification at the numbers game.
10. Work Hard. Play Hard. Have Fun.
This is a no brainer. I’m not saying if it gets tough quit. I’m the last one to believe that. I’m saying, let it get tough and have fun along the way. Too many podcasters fade because they get all excited the first dozen episodes and then let their attitudes and minds fly to other shiny keys. The super stars in my mind are those folks that do what they do, like the little Engine that could, chugging along week after week and then the next thing you know they’ve got 5,000 listeners each podcast because they’ve focused on that one thing they do to make people happy.
The Ward’s have a number of sayings. One is “You can do anything you want, except strike a match on a bar of soap.” and another is simply “You work hard, and you play hard.” The unwritten rule is you have fun in all parts of the process.
When I sit down and write. No matter how hard the problem. I love it.
When I sit down and edit. Unless I’m rushed, I actually really enjoy it.
It’s important to be in the moment, and appreciate it when it comes because if you don’t, it’s time will pass and you’ll not even have the fond memories of its passing.
And that’s my top ten list. Do with it as you will.
Just don’t run me over on the Internet Highway. Come up with your own!
Jack J. Ward
Tell me what you think, my opinion coming soon.
WNDRWolf
This is a very dark story. You may not want the kids to listen to.
