Best Practices for Writing for a Podcast
In part 1 of this series on podcast writing, we examined the power and value of working with a writer for a podcast. If you’d like to learn more about why considering a formal writer might be a good idea for a show, I’d suggest you check that piece out.
In this one, let’s get a bit more tactical. Now that you know how working with a writer might be important to a podcast, what does that process actually look like? What steps might a writer take to help craft the narrative direction of your show?
Let’s get into what that looks like, on a step-by-step level.
Step 1: Sit down with the creator/host of the podcast and talk through the show’s purpose
This is arguably the most important step of the whole process. Before one actually writes anything for a podcast, it’s crucial to understand what the show is looking to accomplish. What is the concept for the podcast? What is the story that is being told? What is the creator’s target audience? How long will each episode be?
Schedule some time to meet with the creator of the show and get answers to all of these questions. Understand why you are writing and who you are writing for. Getting this process out of the way early will ensure that you have clarity of purpose when starting to plan and then write.
Step 2: Huddle up with the host before interviews
In much the same way that learning about the show before working on the show itself is necessary, prepping before interviews take place is also a good idea. Touch base with the host to get a rundown of the plan: who the guest will be, what their backstory is, what questions will be asked, etc. Also make sure to know how this person fits in with the concept of the show overall - why does this guest fit on the podcast? Try to have an idea of what the interview will encompass before it takes place.
Step 3: Sit in on the interview
Accompany the host to interviews for the podcast. The writer can just sit in on the interview with headphones on while the host and guest(s) talk. During the interview, take notes as thoughts or insights take shape. Highlight certain key moments of the interview - when an interesting topic is introduced for instance, or when the guest lights up while talking. Try to pick out themes of the interview that you can develop further as you write. Timestamp which points in the interview are the most interesting so that you can return to them.
If you are unable to attend the interview in person or virtually, don’t worry too much. You’ll receive the audio file of the interview after the fact that you can listen to and follow the same process. However, it does help to sit in if you can so you can pick up on key moments during the live experience.
Step 4: Take the transcript from the raw interview audio and paste it into a document
This is the step at which the writing process starts in earnest. Utilize a service that converts the audio from the interview to a full transcript (at StudioPod, we use Rev, but there are many others out there). These services will identify the interviewer and interviewee, at which point you can read through the entire conversation.
Start to make notes about which parts are essential audio and which can be narrated by the host of the podcast. Start to build a narrative arc to the show. Our process involves color coding the transcript with parts that are crucial as compared to those ripe for narrative overlay.
Step 5: Write the host’s narrative script surrounding the interview audio
After you’ve run through the interview audio and transcript and organized it to your liking, start to write the narration that will structure the episode. Pull out themes that arose during the interview and surround the interview clips with them. Surface the episode’s narrative arc by building a compelling story around the interviewee’s insights.
Once you’re done surrounding your interview audio with an introduction, narration, and closing, you should have a full episode script ready for production.
Step 6: Sit in on the narration session with the host of the podcast
This part is important: once you’ve finished your script, be sure to sit in on the host’s narration session itself. In this session, you will listen in as the host reads what you’ve taken the time to write. You’re writing for someone else’s voice, and you want to make sure that what you've written sounds good when spoken. Listen to how your narration sounds out of the host’s mouth. Does it flow well? Are there any words that don’t fit your host’s cadence or speaking style? Make any revisions as necessary.
This is also an important point to remember that you are writing for the ear and not for the eyes. Take note of any sentences that may have looked good on the page but don’t sound right when spoken audibly.
Step 7: Listen to your finished episode
Once the narration has been recorded and the podcast has been produced, listen to the finished product. Make sure that everything flows as intended, and send any last edits along to the team involved in production. Hopefully by this point, there is little if anything that needs to be amended.
Once this episode is done, put a bow on it and gear up for the next one!
Hopefully this article has provided good practical information as to how a writer can tactically work on a podcast. For any follow-up resources or questions about the podcast writing process, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the StudioPod team for guidance.
