6 min
The Top 5 Ways to Improve Podcast Performance Just One Tip from Your Podcast Performance Coach
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- Marketing
You’ve got a great show idea, valuable information to share or insightful guests to interview but your show isn’t quite up to the caliber of your brand. You need a performance overhaul!
Good news, I’m sharing my top 5 tips for improving your podcast performance as part of this 4-part series (check out the first in the series on the top 5 tips for marketing your podcast).
If you’re going to market your podcast, and your podcast is all about showcasing your expertise and driving interest in your brand then you better make damn sure you sound good.
Without further blah blah blahing, here are my top 5 tips to make you a better podcaster :
Stand Up! One of the biggest problems with many podcaster’s performances is that they sound half asleep. Which translates to bored and boring. You want to sound comfortable behind the mic but not like you’re snuggled up on the couch! Get up and give us some energy. You need to show up behind the mic and that might mean dressing up (even though I don’t often condone pants, dressing up might get you in the right professional mindset), bring some energy and entertain your listener. Add 10%. Imagine that there is a little gremlin inside your mic that is stealing your energy. Robbing your personality. Pilfering your enthusiasm. But, he just takes 10% and the only way to get back to full strength is to add that 10% back into your performance. And would it kill you to smile? Inject More YOU. I can’t see you so it’s harder for me to get to know you. This means that you have to make a concerted effort to add a little more of you in the mix. Show up authentically, don’t water down your personality (or create an entirely new personality), and let us into your real world. A great way to inject a bit more of yourself in your performance is to remember to add in personal stories and tell them the way you would around a dinner table. These can serve as analogies or examples but they also give the listener a bit of a window into your world. Just keep them short - remember the show is not about you! Be Present During Interviews. I can’t tell you how much steam comes out of my ears when I hear a podcast announce the next question after as they completely ignore what their guest has just said. You know what I mean… “so that’s how I ended up face to face with a lion”. “Right. Interesting. So my next question is what’s your favorite color?” Stay in the conversation. Be present. Ask the question every single listener wants you to ask! Follow your outline, sure, but don’t sacrifice the actual conversation to do it. Don’t start at the beginning. If you want to grab the attention of your listener and your guest, don’t come out of the gate with a ho-hum question like “tell us about yourself” (which isn’t even a question) or why did you write this book? Find a nugget, something unique to start the conversation with (um that means prep) but when you can capture everyone’s attention with a unique talking point or question, then we’re all in! You can always come back to how they started their career later. Start strong and that doesn’t always mean at the beginning. Represent! Being a good host (just like at a dinner party) is important. You want to take care of your listener. Don’t assume your listener knows a damn thing. Leave no one behind. If your guest is getting into the weeds with some technical jargon, or an unfamiliar industry term, jump in and say, “what’s that?” Or “explain that is for my listener”. This little move keeps your listener in the conversation because once they don’t know what you or your guest are talking anymore, they lose context and you lose a listener. And it’s okay to mention or talk to your listener too. They’re expecting it. Acknowledge them and represent them when speaking to your guest. That’s your job (they’ll love you for it). This is listener centric podcasting.
If you want to be a
You’ve got a great show idea, valuable information to share or insightful guests to interview but your show isn’t quite up to the caliber of your brand. You need a performance overhaul!
Good news, I’m sharing my top 5 tips for improving your podcast performance as part of this 4-part series (check out the first in the series on the top 5 tips for marketing your podcast).
If you’re going to market your podcast, and your podcast is all about showcasing your expertise and driving interest in your brand then you better make damn sure you sound good.
Without further blah blah blahing, here are my top 5 tips to make you a better podcaster :
Stand Up! One of the biggest problems with many podcaster’s performances is that they sound half asleep. Which translates to bored and boring. You want to sound comfortable behind the mic but not like you’re snuggled up on the couch! Get up and give us some energy. You need to show up behind the mic and that might mean dressing up (even though I don’t often condone pants, dressing up might get you in the right professional mindset), bring some energy and entertain your listener. Add 10%. Imagine that there is a little gremlin inside your mic that is stealing your energy. Robbing your personality. Pilfering your enthusiasm. But, he just takes 10% and the only way to get back to full strength is to add that 10% back into your performance. And would it kill you to smile? Inject More YOU. I can’t see you so it’s harder for me to get to know you. This means that you have to make a concerted effort to add a little more of you in the mix. Show up authentically, don’t water down your personality (or create an entirely new personality), and let us into your real world. A great way to inject a bit more of yourself in your performance is to remember to add in personal stories and tell them the way you would around a dinner table. These can serve as analogies or examples but they also give the listener a bit of a window into your world. Just keep them short - remember the show is not about you! Be Present During Interviews. I can’t tell you how much steam comes out of my ears when I hear a podcast announce the next question after as they completely ignore what their guest has just said. You know what I mean… “so that’s how I ended up face to face with a lion”. “Right. Interesting. So my next question is what’s your favorite color?” Stay in the conversation. Be present. Ask the question every single listener wants you to ask! Follow your outline, sure, but don’t sacrifice the actual conversation to do it. Don’t start at the beginning. If you want to grab the attention of your listener and your guest, don’t come out of the gate with a ho-hum question like “tell us about yourself” (which isn’t even a question) or why did you write this book? Find a nugget, something unique to start the conversation with (um that means prep) but when you can capture everyone’s attention with a unique talking point or question, then we’re all in! You can always come back to how they started their career later. Start strong and that doesn’t always mean at the beginning. Represent! Being a good host (just like at a dinner party) is important. You want to take care of your listener. Don’t assume your listener knows a damn thing. Leave no one behind. If your guest is getting into the weeds with some technical jargon, or an unfamiliar industry term, jump in and say, “what’s that?” Or “explain that is for my listener”. This little move keeps your listener in the conversation because once they don’t know what you or your guest are talking anymore, they lose context and you lose a listener. And it’s okay to mention or talk to your listener too. They’re expecting it. Acknowledge them and represent them when speaking to your guest. That’s your job (they’ll love you for it). This is listener centric podcasting.
If you want to be a
6 min