How To Be An Effective Podcast Host
Last updated on March 2nd, 2020
All podcast listeners have a checklist by which they evaluate a podcast. For listeners, that checklist remains constant, whether it’s a professionally produced by a well-financed podcast content company like Gimlet or produced by a new podcaster with a microphone and a dream.
Certainly, the topic of the podcast is critical and the more unique the subject matter, the better. Witness the business podcast Spectacular Failures, which focuses on the demise of some of the largest companies in the world or Mo Rocca’s Mobituaries about fascinating people that have died.
But even the most expensive production values and social media-friendly topics cannot compensate for a podcast host that cannot captivate an audience. In the TV world, the Ellen Degeneres Show has been on the air for 17 years and during that time 32 other talk shows have debuted and been canceled. Why didn’t they make it? It’s simple. The host – Ellen DeGeneres.
On radio, hundreds of shock jock shows have been born and died over the last 20 years while Howard Stern still dominates.
In podcasting, being a compelling host is also critical to success.
The natural question is: How does someone become an effective podcast host?
The host with the most
First, connect with your audience as the host. Don’t talk at your audience or bombard them with jargon, overly formal talk or that “DJ voice.”
For example, 99% Invisible host Roman Mars excels at drawing his audience into a compelling narrative about topics such as Atari’s ET video game debacle or the history of sand. Mars creates that intimacy with listeners so that they embrace the illusion that he is talking just to them.
Second, practice, practice and more practice. Get comfortable with hearing the sound of your voice. Before your first podcast, record multiple practice sessions. Don’t just focus on the technical issues such as the “umms” or word salads and tongue-twisted silence. Get comfortable speaking through the microphone directly to your audience.
“Some aspiring podcasters focus so much on the script and the sound engineering that they forget the most important part,” explains media consultant Tara Belinsky. “That’s your skill as a host.”
“I’ve advised new podcasters to record 30 sessions before actually recording their first podcast episode,” Belinsky continues. “Practice as a host does make close to perfect.”
If you feel comfortable as host working from a word-for-word script, then write the script more like a speechwriter so it sounds conversational. Use pauses, word emphasis and short sentences to make the script sounds casual and more improvisational.
The knowledge and the passion
As a host, you must have knowledge of your topic and the passion that your audience can hear in your voice. Think about Switched on Pop music podcast co-hosts, songwriter Charlie Harding and musicologist Nate Sloan. In addition to the chemistry that sparks the podcast, their collective infatuation for music infects the audience with that same yearning. It makes perfect sense that a songwriter and music professor would host a podcast about music. If instead, their podcast was called Switched on Mops and tried to entice the audience with tales of cleaning the house, their expertise and their desire would be sorely lacking.
“A good host can provide a passion IV for the audience,” says Tara Belinsky. “For example, on the Political Junkie podcast, host Ken Rudin doesn’t just discuss current politics but encourages nerding out about politics and political history with his weekly trivia quiz and ScuttleButtons ‘waste-of-time’ exercise that encourages his listeners to actually identify themselves as political junkies.”
Interviews that sparkle
A good podcast host conducts a guest interview focusing on the conversation. Something You Should Know is a successful podcast that began as a radio show more than 20 years ago. Host Mike Carruthers describes the show this way: “The podcast offers me the opportunity to pass along fascinating and useful intel to listeners that they can actually put to use in their lives.”
On the October 17, 2019 episode of the podcast, Carruthers welcomed author Carlyn Beccia on the show to discuss monsters, just in time for the Halloween season.
“We try to make our topics relevant to the season and to the listeners so her book about the origin of monsters was ideal for the episode,” says Carruthers.
Beccia was well known for her award-winning children’s books such as The Raucous Royals, Feel Better with a Frog in My Throat, and They Lost Their Heads. Beccia’s book Monstrous subtitled The Lore and Gore and Science behind Your Favorite Monsters details the origins of a wide array of monsters such as Dracula, werewolves, King Kong, Godzilla, The Kraken and zombies.
Mike Carruthers has his take on author interviews. “The toughest part of a podcast interview with an author or any guest is keeping it interesting. I have a little voice in my head that keeps asking me right from the start of every interview ‘Is this really interesting?’ or ‘Is this going on too long?’”
Carruthers continues, “That’s why I asking the right questions and actually listening to the guest does engage your audience.”
Beccia recounts her interview on the Something You Should Know podcast.
“Mike Carruthers, the host, was very gracious,” begins Beccia, “and the staff there do something very smart. They request that you watch a short video that tells people exactly what is expected from them during the interview.”
Carlyn Beccia’s interview on Something You Should Know was, not surprisingly, a success all-around with Beccia reaping rewards in increased visibility for her and sales for her book Monstrous.
“Any insight you or your guests can offer must be meaningful and impactful for your listeners in particular,” says media consultant Belinsky. “Just remember that if you are doing interviews, you have to make it your mission to uncover key insights during the conversation with your guests. So if a guest gives a fluff answer, it’s your job to dig deeper. If they go off topic, you’ve got to gently guide them back to the important stuff that your audience needs to hear.”
Content is royalty
Presenting your content in an engaging manner is obviously important, but you have to have interesting content as well. An engaging host with boring information might be better than a boring host and boring content, but it certainly isn’t optimal. The key is to bring both interesting content and engaging presentation of the content. A podcast is a really valuable tool for delivering content, so you need to put the time in to compile interesting content for each episode.
“When compelling content is coupled with an engaging host who connects with the audience,” begins Tara Belinksy, “then your podcast is in the lane for success.”
For new podcasters then, putting the grunt work into hosting skills is a critical piece to the successful launch of your podcast.
Comments
Comments are closed.