How much writing do you do for your podcast? Maybe you write just a little – a guest intro, an outro. Maybe you write a LOT like me and my team. Maybe you’re somewhere in between. Regardless, you do have to do some writing as a podcaster, even if you’re just writing your questions.
So, here’s my question: How can we, as podcasters, improve our writing, so that we can maximize the quality of our speaking?
Jo Piazza is the bestselling author of seven books and she’s written thousands of articles for major outlets including the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, and yes, she writes, hosts, and produces 3 podcasts on the iHeartRadio network.
Here’s what she’s learned while writing at the highest level for the past two decades, and how YOU can take her lessons, and take your podcast writing to the next level.
Jo Piazza’s Top 3 Podcast Writing Tips
According to Jo, podcast writing is much different than the print writing she was used to.
Why? Because, according to Jo, “podcasting and audio consumption is passive consumption.” For example, if you’re reading a book, that’s usually the only thing you’re doing. With podcasts, however, you’re usually listening and doing something else at the same time like riding your bike or walking the dog. Because you’re sharing your listeners’ attention you have to work extra to keep people engaged with your show.
If you’re thinking this seems like a really difficult task, you’re not alone. It is difficult, but it isn’t impossible. Luckily for us, we have Jo, a writing expert who is sharing how she keeps her listeners engaged.
1. Elicit an Emotional Response From Your Reader
Back when Jo was writing one of her novels, her book agent gave her a piece of advice that she still uses to guide her print and podcast writing to this day.
“She said, you have to make sure to surprise and dazzle your reader at least once a page… but if you’re not doing that, then you’re not really giving them a reason to keep going. You have to create little feelings of joy, or piss them off. Make them have an emotion, at least once on every page.”
Since we’re writing for audio, we don’t have pages, but a good rule of thumb would be to create this spark about every 500-700 words. The main idea, however, is still to make your audience feel something.
It’ll take some forethought to do this, but it doesn’t always have to be complicated. Dazzling your listeners could be as simple as telling a joke to make them laugh, or relating to them on a deeper level. It could also as complicated as telling a suspenseful story with unexpected twists and turns.
2. Switch up your audio often
Imagine you’re sitting in class in high school, with a monotone teacher droning endlessly on. Chances are, you probably would have zoned out pretty quickly. Now, what if the teacher opened class by talking for a few minutes, played a short video about what they were teaching you, and then ended the lesson with a class discussion. You’re much more likely to pay attention the lesson longer because the changes in sound and points of view are refocusing your brain.
You want your podcast to be like the second lesson because you have some really cool, interesting things to say, and people should pay attention!
“You have to make sure that your points are really succinct and that you’re also switching up your [voiceover] with other kinds of sounds and sound design in order to keep the listener engaged again, to make it more of an experience, rather than just something that they’re consuming.”
If you’re an interview show, this could be as simple as switching up the length and the complexity of your questions, including special segments that are consistent across episodes, or adding in voiceovers. You could also include music, sound effects or sound bites from relevant events.
You can find an example of this in our Grow the Show episode with Damona Hoffman, where we included clips of her being introduced on various television shows.
At the end of the day, it’s all about being creative and figuring out how to vary your audio in a way that makes sense for your show.
3. Write your intro last
According to Jo, your podcast intro is one of the most important parts of the episode, and you should use it to create FOMO. After listening to the first few minutes of your show, they should feel like if they don’t listen right now, they’ll miss out on a crazy, hilarious story, or an incredible nugget of wisdom.
“[The intro is] the most important thing that you’re going to write…” Jo says. “In those [first] 90 seconds, you’re supposed to be conveying everything the episode is, so write the episode first.”
Writing the episode before the intro probably seems counterintuitive, but hear me out.
If you write the intro first, you are writing the most important part of the episode without really even knowing what the episode is yet. It’d be like trying to sell a house without actually having been in the house yourself. You might have an idea of what it looks like from photos, but it’d be difficult to convey to potential buyers just how great the master bedroom is if you haven’t experienced its greatness for yourself.
Similarly, your intro is meant to sell your podcast to potential listeners. Writing the episode first allows you to really understand what you are selling and better convince them that they should be listening to your amazing show.
In conclusion…
Thoughtful, engaging episode writing is essential if you want to level up your podcast. Practicing and honing your audio writing skills won’t necessarily be easy, but if you apply these three tips, you’ll be on track for podcasting success.
Listen to our full Grow the Show episode with Jo Piazza to learn more about her podcasting process.