In this video, Christine shares the biggest levers to making a good podcast a great one. Tips include quality of content, investment of the show host, and how specific you are willing to get with your topic and audience.
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Transcript:
Hey, welcome back to our show host series. I actually recorded this video for last week, but I had not adjusted some settings on my camera, forgot. So video was not great, was out of focus. And I wanted to bring you a nice video, even if you’re just listening. So today’s episode is actually about how to make a good podcast great, or another way to put that, how to tell the difference between a good and a great podcast if you’re a show host or producer and you’re trying to make sure your show stands out in some general ways. And I’m going to share three tips. There’s obviously a lot more, but I think these are the most helpful right now. What I’m seeing are the longest levers that make the biggest difference for show hosts and producers taking a good podcast into a great podcast. And since there are millions of shows and about a quarter million that publish every week, it is worth it to make the effort. If you’re using podcasting for business or for something you really care about that you want people to fall in love with and listen to and share, I think it’s worth the extra effort. If you’re just doing it for fun and hobby and you’re like, I’m already at max capacity, then this is just good information. But if you really are like, no, I want to make something that is really stand out and achieves a certain purpose, I think these tips will help. So tip number one, which you won’t be surprised to hear, is that you might be tempted to think, if I just really improve the video quality of this podcast, it’ll take it from good to great. Video podcasting is all the thing, especially in chat shows for thought leaders and experts and conversationalists. So I really just need to up my video quality and do a fancy setup and it’ll be a great podcast. But the truth is, if your show isn’t good without video, it’s not going to be great with video. Video literally is just like an expensive icing on the cake. And so I really want you to use that as a litmus test for yourself. Like if you have been kind of caught up in thinking, I just need to improve like the fanciness or the visual element. It’s just not true. Like that can enhance it will not take a podcast from good to great. So kind of run your show through that test. Is this show good enough to be great without any video? And then if you do have the resources and capacity to add in great video, awesome. But it is not what will make the difference. Tip number two is actually about the show host. And I would say 80% of a great podcast is the show host. So if you are the show host and you’re like, well, I don’t want to podcast if I’m not the show host, that’s OK. But take it really seriously. Improve your skill sets. Get coaching. Get feedback. Get a producer. Be open. Be humble. If you want to make a great show, it’s actually on your shoulders as the show host for the vast majority. And if you’re a producer, maybe you work within a larger brand, It’s really important to choose the right show host for the show. That could mean you rotate between hosts for a while before you find the best one. It might take some courage to tell the person who wants to be the show host, like we actually have a great option that we think will really be best went forward. So be picky about the show host and about obviously their skills and their personality, but like how coachable they are, how open they are to feedback. Are they willing to learn and grow? Because if you have a show host who’s like, no, I’m good and I don’t have bandwidth and I’m not interested in developing this or prepping, really hard to make a great podcast. Okay, tip number three, and this is something I said again, but I actually think it is a huge lever that has a big impact, is to focus the topic and the audience of your show into a specific niche as you can, as makes sense. And this is because way back in the day when I started working in podcasting, there were just a few podcasters. So as long as they were interesting and cool, they could kind of talk about anything with anyone and people would listen because they’re like, this is so cool and new. And that’s just not the case anymore. We’ve done that. And so if you’re just talking to kind of everyone about anything, it’s really, really, really hard to be a great podcast these days. But if you’re willing and interested and curious enough to go deep into an either audience or topic or both, like really serve a niche audience or really focus in on a specific topic, it is so much easier to make a great podcast because we all know it. We’re all nerds about something, right? And nerds geek out and they love to go deep in the thing that they’re into. And so think of like who nerds out about this topic that I want to share on or that I’m an expert in or that I’m interested in or that blah, blah, blah. Really commit to that, especially as you’re building a show for the first while. the more niche you can dial into, whether that’s topic or audience, the greater your podcast will be. And I know that may be hard to swallow, but trust me, you will hear this advice time and again from legacy show hosts and producers. The really awesome, great shows usually started or stayed really niche. And there’s ways to talk about a lot of things even within a niche podcast. We can cover that in another video, so leave me a comment if you want me to dive into that. But it is truly a lover that will make a good podcast great if you can commit to serving a niche audience on a specific topic. And as you know, the deeper you go into something, usually the more interesting it gets. So quality over quantity, right? And topics. Okay, I think those are just the three top tips. I’m gonna share in this video There is a lot more that can take a podcast from good to great So if you have specific questions like well I’ve heard about this or I’m thinking about this or I’ve been doing this for blah blah blah long and I want to understand like Specifically what would be good for me to do next just leave a comment. I’m happy to reply I can give you ideas. I can do more videos if you have specific questions. I know sometimes generic advice It can be hard to apply, but I really hope that you can take these tips and focus in. And obviously, if you feel a little stuck, even after watching this video, it might mean it’s time to bring in a producer or an expert or some new consulting and advice. Obviously, we do that. You can hire us to do that. But even if it’s like someone else in your company or your brand or a really good friend or another friend who’s a podcaster, like ask them for their feedback. and be like, hey, what do you think would make my podcast a great podcast? Like, what would take it from good to great? It’s really helpful to get outside advice, whether you pay for it or source it within your network. Sometimes we’re blind to our own babies, right? We’re like, oh, they’re so perfect the way they are. Or like, this is as good as it can be. But sometimes little simple tweaks actually can take a show from good to great. I’m not saying they’re easy to do, but sometimes they’re pretty simple. Sometimes it’s changing a show host. Sometimes it’s going deeper into a niche. Sometimes it’s changing the format or the cadence, giving yourself permission to maybe follow curiosity. Even if you’re like, I don’t know, not everyone will be into it, but maybe the people who’ll be into that topic are the people you want to be talking to. So those are just some extra encouragements for you on this topic of taking a podcast from good to great and Obviously subscribe to the channel because we’re gonna bring you more tips and insights weekly and I’ll see you the next video
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