This Podcasting Production Masterclass will be offered again in January 2025.
Introduction:
This is a wonderfully complete, hands-on workshop, designed to get you from zero to a finished podcast you have planned, recorded, and edited in three incredibly useful modules. And that’s even if you have no previous experience.
In today’s crowded digital landscape, podcasts can gain the trust of your listenership, increase brand awareness, and amp up engagement in an entertaining, informative, and authentic way. Podcasts enable intimate storytelling and relationship-building that fosters trust. They position your brand as an industry thought leader and provide direct access to prospects.
In this interactive course, award-winning podcast producer Susan Finch will teach you the skills to execute high-impact branded podcasts in-house. Her clear, detailed, step-by-step approach includes planning, production, promotion, and growing your audience. It will dramatically shorten your learning curve, saving you weeks or months of trying to figure it out on your own, so you can launch your podcast that much faster.
The course modules include examples, templates, and hands-on activities. You’ll learn how to use AI tools as timesavers in writing scripts, doing research, and writing promotions. You’ll develop your own podcast strategy document, record sample interviews, and edit an episode. And you’ll get expert feedback at each stage.
In Module 1, you will learn how to develop podcast ideas that support your marketing goals. We will cover assessing your target audience, planning compelling episode topics, and crafting effective show formats. You’ll learn how to assess your competitors’ podcasts so you can differentiate yourselves from them and find potential alliances and partners to ramp up your content and quickly raise your profile. We’ll also recommend podcasting platforms, equipment, and content creation tools.
Module 2 focuses on high-quality podcast production and post-production techniques. You will get practical experience recording interviews, editing episodes, and adding professional in-house-created commercials and calls to action.
Finally, Module 3 covers distributing and promoting your podcast through social media, email marketing, and other best practices for growing your listenership. This includes using your previous episodes, playlists, and topic-focus series.
Key Takeaways:
- Develop podcast strategies tailored to your marketing objectives.
- Get hands-on experience planning, recording, editing, and distributing podcast episodes, including learning about:
- Process setup.
- Timing for each part of a podcast, from intro to closing and CTA.
- Using music.
- Creating intros and commercials.
- Setting up templates for video and audio editing.
- Creating branding graphics.
- When to submit to podcast apps.
- Receive expert feedback at each stage of the production process.
- Learn how generative AI can save you time.
- Learn about promoting your podcast, including:
- Creating posts to promote your episode.
- Landing pages and social media automation.
- Using email.
- Capturing leads.
- Growing your audience.
- 3 steps to creating industry partnerships.
- Measuring results with Google Analytics 4.
- The role of paid traffic.
- Bonus: Host/guest pre-production checklists, publishing prep checklist, templates, and assets you can use immediately to support your podcast creation and launch.
(Can’t attend a live workshop? No problem. These workshops are recorded for enrolled students, and we’ll send the recording, slide presentation, and any supplementary materials within a day of completion after we’ve had time to edit the recording.)
Module 1, Podcast Strategy and Pre-Production
Special Pricing: 3-module Series of Masterclasses for $1,100 is now 50% off—$550.
Description:
In this course, you’ll work on your Podcast strategic plan, and we’ll review and discuss it together. Discover and implement insider strategies for developing a podcast concept that captivates your audience and achieves your marketing goals. Save time and frustration through proven frameworks for identifying your niche, crafting episodes, and planning an effective format. We’ll uncover the secrets to building a show that tells compelling stories and establishes your brand as an industry thought leader.
To make the most progress, we recommend that you come prepared with the following items:
- Potential name for your podcast.
- A basic description of what the podcast is about.
- Knowing the goal of your podcast—egos, leads, authority, etc.
- Who is your audience?
- How many team members will be involved?
- Frequency you can commit to.
Key Takeaways:
- Incorporating AI to assist as you plan how you want to use podcasts to support your marketing strategy by building credibility, establishing thought leadership, and connecting with your audience.
- Formulate how you will create content that resonates with your audience.
- Walk through creating each of the elements of effective podcast episode planning and publishing, including outlines, guest research, episode write-ups, and titles. AI prompts will be heavily used to save time and better intrigue your target audience(s).
- Gain experience developing podcast show ideas and mini-series to always have episodes ready to roll—even when a guest is a no-show.
Module 2: Podcast Production and Post-Production
Special Pricing: 3-module Series of Masterclasses for $1,100 is now 50% off—$550.
Description:
Level up your podcast production skills through hands-on training in recording high-quality episodes. From microphone techniques to editing workflows, we’ll shortcut the learning curve on creating professional-grade content. We will walk through writing, and recording your introductions, commercials, and outros for your specific show and audience and you will then work on creating this for your own podcast production. We will use AI prompt engineering to kickstart your writing to save time and target your audience. You will gain insider tips on conducting great interviews, improving your audio, and efficiently editing episodes that enchant listeners. We will record short episodes for each of you. Before the final module, you will receive the final edited version, transcript and SRT file that you can use.
Prior to this workshop module:
- Bring a working intro and outro script to start as a base.
- Ideas of where you will host your show.
- The equipment you will be using—or will be buying. Ideally, you’ll have the equipment so we can do sound checks and sample recordings. If not, we will use what you currently have available.
- The software you will be using to edit—at least knowing which you are leaning toward. (See list of free software trials we recommend below).
- Sample commercial for your company.
- A demo “guest”.
- A demo topic.
- An outline for a 5-minute episode (approximately 140 words are spoken per minute).
We will be using leading tools for podcast production, and we suggest you download free trials of these tools:
- Adobe Audition for recording and editing the audio files we will create in class (Download the free trial of Adobe Audition here: https://www.adobe.com/products/audition.html)
- Adobe Premiere Pro (Download the free trial of Adobe Premier here: https://www.adobe.com/products/premiere.html) and Camtasia Studio for video editing of an extract from your episodes. (Download the free trial of Camtasia here: https://www.techsmith.com/download/camtasia/)
- Riverside.fm (Create a free account here: https://riverside.fm/pricing/switch) and Zoom (Create a free account here: https://zoom.us/pricing) for remote interviews
- Adobe Photoshop for graphics—(Download the free trial here: https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop.html#mini-plans-web-cta-photoshop-card)
- Google Slides for graphics and promotional materials.
Key Takeaways:
- Learn tips and techniques for high-quality audio recording, including microphone selection, ambient sound, and interview skills.
- Understand and create the podcast production workflow, which includes recording, editing, mixing, adding intros/outros, and formatting.
- Gain hands-on experience recording podcast interviews and troubleshooting audio segments—each participant will be able to record a short episode.
- Learn post-production techniques like editing, compilation, adding sound effects, transitions, etc.
Module 3: Podcast Distribution and Promotion
Special Pricing: 3-module Series of Masterclasses for $1,100 now 50% off—$550.
Description:
Reach your ideal listeners and grow your audience through smart distribution and promotion strategies. Get proven techniques for launching with a splash and expanding your podcast through organic discovery, partnerships, and paid advertising. We’ll unpack the secrets to building a community of engaged fans who eagerly await each episode. Unlock growth without getting lost in the weeds. You will create a promotion workflow for your specific podcast and share it with the class for feedback. In class, we will create a ‘boost’ package template as the base for your promotional materials to share with guests and walk through the simplicity of adding an episode to your blog/site through WordPress or HubSpot.
In class, we will:
- Utilize your episode transcript and AI to create a sample Boost template for your test show using the guest and topic info you provide.
- Use your company’s social media presence as a space to create sample posts to appeal to YOUR target audience.
- Get a hand from AI prompt engineering to create a sample blog post using an episode, the transcript, and boost.
- Add the episode to a playlist we create on Spotify along with complimentary episodes. We will use AI to search for shows in your space to help us track down ideal strategic partners.
- Craft a LinkedIn post that engages the guest, and their company and strikes up a conversation your team can participate in.
- Cross-promote the episode to content on the main site—services, events, or products.
Prior to this final workshop module:
- Bring the final name, the branded graphic square 1200 x 1200 jpg or png (this can be changed before you launch – it is for demonstration and template purposes).
- What the email address will be for your show and the URL.
- Who is the hosting company going to be for the podcast—e.g. Podbean, Soundcloud, Libsyn, etc.
- Host bio and photo.
- Sample episode guest photo, title, bio—if you want to have a “guest”
Key Takeaways:
- Understand podcast hosting platforms and how to distribute your podcast effectively.
- Learn how to develop a promotion strategy across social media, email marketing, and other channels.
- Discover best practices for growing your listenership through SEO, partnerships, guest swaps, and more.
- Analyze podcast metrics and learn how to continually improve the show over time.
How to Convince Your Boss Why You Should Take This Workshop:
- Competitive advantage: Podcasting allows you to connect with your audience in an intimate and authentic way that builds trust and loyalty. Having high-quality podcast content will help you stand out from competitors.
- Positive ROI: Podcasts provide a lasting content marketing asset. The episodes continue generating value long after production. According to Nielsen, podcast episodes deliver a 10-to-1 return on investment.
- Highly skilled workforce: Gaining podcasting skills in-house means you can develop branded content without relying on external studios. Your team will be able to execute podcast strategies quickly.
- Thought leadership: Consistent, high-quality podcasts position your company as an authority in your industry. Listeners will come to your experts for insights and perspectives.
- Direct access to prospects: Podcasting opens new doors to contacts and prospects by enabling natural conversations. Guests on your podcast can become partners and advocates.
- Expert-led: The instructor has produced award-winning podcasts heard by millions of listeners. Your team will learn from this real-world experience.
Additional Podcast Statistics:
- 75% of B2B marketers use podcasting as part of their content strategy (Source: Semrush).
- 51% of B2B marketers say podcasting delivers the best ROI compared to other content formats (Source: Convince & Convert).
- 78% of B2B podcast listeners say podcasts are a good source of discovering new suppliers/partners (Source: HubSpot).
- The most listened-to podcast genre among B2B audiences is interviews at 39% (Source: HubSpot).
- 67% of B2B podcast listeners prefer episodes between 21-45 minutes long (Source: HubSpot).
- The most common podcast production schedule for B2B brands is 1 episode per week (37%) or 1 episode every 2 weeks (35%) (Source: HubSpot).
The Presentations:
- Step-by-step instructions for planning, recording, editing, and distributing podcasts.
- Hands-on activities to gain experience at each stage of the process including:
- Strategy in naming your show.
- Evaluating the competition.
- Creating the systems and schedules for all pieces of your podcast.
- Learning how to create outlines and questions for a specific guest.
- Tailoring content to your ideal audience.
- Successfully recording episodes to cut down on editing time and the need for outside editing services.
- Successfully recording your intro, outro, and commercial for your show template.
- Creating the show template.
- Creating the “boost” package for your guests and teams.
- Set up measurements to track your show’s reach, and success using your podcast analytics and Google Analytics.
- Creating your follow-up plan for guests and topics to give previous episodes new life and continue to build your audience, reach, and authority.
Download Material:
- As a bonus, at the end of this series, you’ll be able to download checklists for setting up a show, maintaining the tasks for each episode, and promotions afterward.
- You’ll get a file of slides that can easily be used to create episode graphics to be used on social media for promoting current and past episodes.
- You’ll get a sample of a typical guest package to encourage your guests to add the episode to their own sites and share it with their followers and lists.
- You’ll be able to download checklists, and templates for maintaining the tasks for each episode.
- We’ll provide you with a list of free resources to submit your podcast to for greater reach, and how to use some of the additional free tools.
- We’ll go through transcripts and boost packages to make the most of your content and give you a sample.
- You’ll also get a file structure to keep your show on track so there are no missing steps.
Who is the course for?
Marketing managers, digital marketing managers, social media managers, thought leaders, authors, those who regularly speak on stage or would like to do more speaking, professionals who want to be seen as a valuable resource to their prospects, clients, and strategic partners. Marketing professionals who have been handed the task of “doing the podcast” for the company and don’t have any idea where to start.
The Presenter:
Susan Finch
Podcast Training, Production and Marketing Services
Funnel Media Group
A PR and Marketing professional for over 35 years, Susan Finch gives you control of your marketing plan AND translates geekspeak into plain English. Over the past 12 years, she’s been producing podcasts for various B2B companies including VanillaSoft, Altify, ConnectAndSell, Siemens, Branch49, Chief Outsiders, SimiTree Health, Quest Diagnostics and more. Currently, she produces nine weekly shows and another six that are twice or once a month. Start to finish, she guides her podcast hosts and teams into creating successful shows. She’ll create a customized marketing plan that includes thorough use of your great content using video, voiceover audio, strategic alliances, and client advocacy. Susan offers clients assistance by creating training materials, libraries to allow them to delegate in-house, or take the reins themselves. Susan brings a new perspective to the knowledge you have and may take for granted. Everything she does involves one or more of these elements: Create, Teach, Inspire, Advocate. Her clients know they’ll have to do some work, but they will all admit they are grateful for the knowledge and control they gain. Many still choose to have her do EVERYTHING, but some only come back quarterly for tune-ups and have her review their sites monthly to keep them running smoothly. Her speaking events include training sessions, inspirational talks, workshops and more. https://funnelmediagroupllc.com
Workshop dates and times:
This Podcasting Production Masterclass will be offered again in January 2025.
