Next big decision you have to make is scripted versus unscripted versus notes. Now you listen to some of the most successful podcasters. Very few of them have it written out the way the traditional CBS ABC Evening News does where the anchor man's or anchor woman's script is written out word for word on the teleprompter. podcasting is typically less structured, less formal, and it's more conversational. It also is a lot less expensive and time consuming. If you don't write out the script word for word.

Now, some people fancy themselves writers and fancy themselves is quite clever. Maybe you do that. But certainly if you're going to have a podcast for more than three minutes long, it becomes very, very time consuming to write and rewrite and edit out a huge script. Now it's one thing if you're doing a corporate podcast for the CEO and you Have a 30 person corporate communications department and you can just put two staffers on this project for a once a week podcast. I'm assuming most of you in this course, don't fit that description. But if that's the case, you certainly could script something out.

Even though I don't recommend it then because it's hard for non full time news people to read scripts, and sound natural. That's really the main reason I don't like podcasters using written out scripts. Now, certainly, if you have an advertiser, if you have a sponsor, and they have a specific message and a website, to then go to that script, nothing wrong with that. If you want to have an opening where you sort of pack a lot in your sort of wedding people's interest and you're promoting the first 30 seconds if you want to have that written now. There's nothing wrong with that. But for most of your show, I believe you should be having a conversation about this subject you have passion for if you've got regular panelist, fellow reporters, fellow music enthusiast, have your debate, have your conversation.

You certainly don't want it to sound scripted. Ever see some of those really, really cheesy infomercials where it's supposed to look like a talk show. But it's like, Well, I'm glad you asked me that, Jim. That is and you can tell the the person is kind of reading a cue card off the side and it's supposed to be an interview. It's easy to spot that people can't stand that. So I would certainly not recommend trying to script out conversations with people.

What I do recommend, the best thing for most people for a podcast is to just have an outline, not say I have an outline. This is my entire outline. For this course. I'm not reading a teleprompter now. I'm simply having a conversation with you. Because this is a subject I have a passion for.

I've made Thousands of audio and video podcasts and I have worked with an awful lot of people on this subject and it's a passion I have. So I'm just sharing with you, that's what you want in your podcast too. So I would definitely stay away from having everything written out. Because a, it takes a lot of time B it can sound stilted. I also be a little cautious about never having any kind of notes because it's nice to have a roadmap. It's nice to have some structure.

You certainly want to give people some heads up of what to expect on today's show, today's podcast. And that's the beauty of having notes so I wouldn't go all notes. I wouldn't go no notes. I go right in the middle and have an outline bullet points, certainly their websites you want to mention, if you are introducing a guest, I wouldn't have them email you their two page biography, I would ask them for two or three sentences. And then you can certainly read that if you want to, but make it as conversational as possible. You listen to the people who've really been most successful in the audio format.

I look at not just podcasts, but people who started out earlier in radio. Howard Stern. I mean, how often do you hear howard stern read something? He sounds like everything he says is completely off the top of his head, conversational. Now he plans some bits. Obviously, he's given some thought to it.

But it's not about reading. And it's not about memorizing a script, unless he is a paid advertiser. Back when he was on the regular Airways, well, that he would do it. But it's about conversation. It's about sounding conversational sounding like a real person. And if you're a real person, it means occasionally having a mistake, a stammer Ah, and an M, and that's what we're going to talk about next.