One exciting thing I've noticed as a freelancer is how ideas, strategies and skillsets can translate from one project to the next. Podcasting is one of those that can draw from experience in writing, interviewing, editing and content planning.
If you have any experience in content planning, it will set you apart in podcasting. You'll need to be able wrap your mind around a few things:
Is your topic broad enough for regular production?
Is the cadence you're planning on consistently sustainable?
How will you promote it, and who is your audience?
Writing interview questions for a podcast is similar to what you'd do for a written article. You want to make your interviewee think (without stumping them on purpose). If they're thinking hard about your conversation, it's likely that your audience is too: which creates engaged listeners.
Keep the basics in mind: who, what, when, where, why and how. And, have a few bonus questions ready, too. Be prepared to follow the conversation where it leads so that it sounds natural. If it gets too far off track, you can always edit. Don't forget that anything you're saying to the person you're interviewing, you're saying to your audience, too.
Make sure to take some time to prep your interviewee to make sure they know what to expect and are comfortable with the interview process. The better they feel about it, the more engaging your conversation will be.
There are plenty of free tools available for recording and distributing your podcast, including Zoom (recording), Audacity (editing) and Spreaker (distributing). As you're conducting your interview, be sure to pause and listen back to make sure there are no technical issues or glitches that would diminish the end quality of your podcast. Echoes and muffled voices are hard to listen to and may hurt your engagement.
The average length of a good podcast is between 20 and 60 minutes, with 30 minutes being the sweet spot.
For your launch, make sure there are six episodes published and ready to listen to. From there, begin to follow your regular cadence, releasing one at a time.
If you're providing podcasting services as a freelancer to clients, make sure you account for planning, interview preparation, interview time, editing, show notes, distribution and analytics in your proposal, discussions or packages. There are many ways to provide podcasting services, and the best way begins with a discussion with your client on exactly who is responsible for which aspects of the podcasting process.
This article is based on a virtual mastermind from the Get Freelancing Community, that dives even deeper into everything discussed here. Catch the replay for free right here!
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