ABOUT

A podcast is something your audience can carry with them. It’s portable. It’s intimate. Their life carries on while they enter someone else’s world. The Guide to Podcasting is divided into two courses, the first will help you target that person; to know and appreciate what it is they want to listen to and when they want to listen to it. You can then move onto the second course, Podcasting: Making It, when you will learn how to produce and promote the podcast. As part of the process you will be asked to create a trailer (which is a short promotional audio clip) to promote your podcast which will be shared with the Thomson Foundation’s Journalism Now community. But for now, sit back, relax and we’ll begin to tell you the story of how to make a podcast.
(*Figure end of 2020. Source: The Guardian – Spotify credits podcast popularity for 24% growth in subscribers.)

COURSE SYLLABUS
01.Understanding podcasting
1.1 – Catherine Mackie introduction
1.2 – Quiz – What is a podcast?
1.3 – How tuned in are you?
1.4 – Knowledge check – Talk to the guest
1.5 – Summary
1.6 – Your turn
02.The big idea
2.1 – Introduction
2.2 – Exercise – Why make a podcast?
2.3 – Sum up your idea
2.4 – Working title
2.5 – Developing your podcast idea
2.6 – Using your checklist
2.7 – Selling your Big Idea
2.8 – Knowledge check – Pitch your podcast
2.9 – Summary
2.10 – Your turn
03.Knowing and engaging your listener
3.1 – Introduction
3.2 – Exercise: Who are you talking to?
3.3 – Audience expectations
3.4 – Measuring success
3.5 – Growing your audience
3.6 – Exercise – Your listener
3.7 – Summary
3.8 – Your turn
04.How to tell your story
4.1 – Introduction
4.2 – Quiz – What’s the format?
4.3 – Popular formats
4.4 – When things go wrong
4.5 – Exercise: Pros and cons
4.6 – Summary
4.7 – Your turn
05.Getting the structure right
5.1 – Introduction
5.2 – What’s in an episode?

5.3 – How long
5.4 – Genre
5.5 – Bringing it altogether
5.6 – Summary
5.7 – Your turn
06. End of course survey
6.1 – End of course survey

LEARNING OUTCOME

By the end of this course you will:

Know what is meant by podcasting
Recognise the importance of podcasting as a medium for storytelling
Know the elements needed to make a podcast
Be able to identify and engage your audience
Be aware of the different formats and genres in podcasting
Know key questions to ask around structure