Narrative podcasts are on the rise these days, as many podcasters are preferring to host story-driven shows. In a narrative-style podcast, the host must know how to layout an amazing way of storytelling, which is engaging and to the point.
So, for that, below, we will mention the steps to make a narrative podcast.
Step 1: Develop a focus and the episode’s topic
Firstly, the podcaster has to think or focus on the type of podcast season. This accurately means that you need to have an overview of the whole podcast show, then you have to think about what the episode focuses on.
You have to think about the ideas you will cover in the narrative podcast or in which part of the episode.
Step 2: Write the storyboard and keep track of other things
Now think about a storyboard, which will visualize every step-by-step direction of what will happen in the whole podcasts production process. Like thinking about the questions and answers that will be laid out in the podcast. Thinking about the interviews that are needed to make the story more feature and content-rich.
You also need to think about the sounds that are going to get used in these storytelling podcasts. So, the storyboard must also necessarily the guests that are going to get include to answer each aspect of the show. So, the storyboard is about outlining everything that is going to happen in the show.
If a group of people has great organizational skills that, surely, they will achieve the most soothing results easily. So, to check on the organizational and productivity level of the show, there must an object to calculate the progress level.
For instance, keeping track of the interview tape, the interviewee's contacts or appointments, schedule for the production of shows, researching the contents, online information found, and checking its validity.
Step 3: Conduct your interviews and transcribe them
Once you get the idea about the total episode or what will be spoken about in the podcasts, it is now time to fix appointments with experts and public events that can help more information about the topic.
The reporter needs to create a questionnaire beforehand and submit it to the interviewee; he/she must be thorough interviewed before the interview. The reporter should not forget to carry field equipment like a recorder.
Now move on to transcription; they are substantially important in a narrative podcast, as after recording, you need to work with your audiotape. So, find out the best quotes from the audiotape without manually adding every single line into the script. You can use specified software to systemically segregate each quote or important word for each episode.
Step 4: Write the first episode script
Coming to the most crucial part, i.e., the scriptwriting phase. So, in this phase, the scriptwriter or the narrator uses every piece of information and builds a narrative with everything they have acquired, like the episode storyboard, the interviewee transcripts, background research, etc.
So, add the quotes in the scripts and form a complete narration out of it. You need to keep in mind giving an equal amount of time and space to the narration and interview tape. This assures that the narration isn't. prolonging with wide elucidation, and the listeners can listen to different voices, so to keep their attention glued.
Step 5: Make an audio draft
Before permanently recording your podcasts for recording, try to record it for once as a trial. Make a spare audio recording as that will help in finding the flaws and mistakes in the narrative and later improve them.
You have to use a digital audio workstation for audio production. In the draft audio, you must also include the four basic audio groups: i.e., music, which may be (intro music, in episode music, and credits music), the ambient sound, the narration from the reporter, and audio description of the interviewees.
Step 6: Listen, edit, rinse and repeat
After having the draft audio file recorded, produce it to the team for the podcast editing, as they will judge what is wrong and what is correct, what does and doesn't work out in the narrative. If your narrative is vague, try to clear it. Keeping in mind about giving adequate time to each interviewee, place the quotes correctly if needed, think about tweaking with the background music so that it becomes more compelling.
Put all the feedbacks into one place and keep on fine-tuning the audio. Keep on following the basic steps of creating the script, making the audio, and listening to the story until it is completely fine-tuned and is presentable to the audience.
Step 7: Add FX and normalize the audio
After having the final audio draft, you can add FX to “mix” the sound to make the audience stay glued to your fiction podcast. You can add EQ because it will make the sound more pleasing and soothing to the ear; you can also further use a compressor that compresses the louder sounds.
Some plugins can dampen background sounds, such as breathing noises less harshly, providing a clear output to the audio.
Some podcaster even uses 'normalizers' that make every audio and music in podcasts have a similar volume so that listeners don't have to adjust the volume every time.
Step 8: Upload it
So, when you feel that the podcast is completely ready to get posted, you can upload it. Be sure to mention the credits and links to your blogs or websites or other things.
Step 9: Market the podcast properly
After the episode has been aired or is live on the Internet, be sure to share it or advertise it on major platforms like Facebook, Google, or Twitter. Marketing your podcast is much needed, as that is the only way you will gain better listenership, which is important for a podcast show to grow.
Remember to create content accordingly with nations if you want to gather international listenership.
Conclusion:
So, yes, that was all about narrative-style podcasting. It may sound tricky and lengthy initially, but yes, you and your team need to strive hard to gain popularity. Creating audio, making mistakes, and re-doing it is normal, so you need to do it to get your podcasts more refined.
Thus, editing your podcast time by time, bring the best out of your writing and narrating skills, and market it. Remember, a wrong way of narration makes a good story sound worse.