Podcasting done right, CNET style
Everyone wants to get into blogs and podcasts and vodcasts and social networking and yada, yada, yada, but most don’t know how to do them right — especially news organizations.
New media can teach old media a thing or twenty.
CNET’s Buzz Out Loud podcast is an excellent example of how to do podcasting right. It’s smart, informative, funny, sometimes caustic and always worth your time. It’s an original podcast for the CNET site, unlike many popular podcasts which are just MP3 versions of existing radio or TV programs.
For those of you who haven’t heard it — but should really check it out ASAP — it’s a daily podcast about technology news. Typically, the podcast deals with several recent topics within the technology world and will often delve into some of the nebelous legal issues surrounding today’s tech world. If you want to be up-to-date on the latest tech news, without spending your whole day reading stories, the Buzz Out Loud podcast is a great resource.
It would be great if other journalism companies made a podcast in a similar vain that dealt with foreign policy or sports or any number of domestic issues. A lot of sites, however, have “podcasts” that are just clips from their radio or TV shows. ESPN is a prime offender of this.
The problem with just taking a radio show and making it into a podcast is that you aren’t utilizing the format properly. Most radio shows are meant to be 1-4 hours in length because listeners come and go. As I listen to some so-called podcasts like Bill Simmons’ BS report, I can’t help but to think how boring these podcasts are. They are long and needlessly drawn out, like they have to fill up a large amount of time.
And even if a journalism company takes the time to break up a radio show into smaller parts to be made into separate Mp3s, those clips are still usually poorly paced. There just isn’t a sense of urgency with those clips, which can often make them poor podcast material.
The Buzz Out Loud podcast is whatever length the show it needs to be based on what is or isn’t in the news, which means the show is fast paced and razor sharp. It’s always interesting and fun. It’s the opposite of most long-winded radio shows and isn’t beholden to any sort of time frame or format.
Making a good podcast isn’t hard, and there are a few things to always keep in mind.
1. You need a good subject and focus.
Making a podcast without any guidance is kind of like making a blog without any guidance.
Chances are it won’t be a good podcast. Buzz Out Loud is about the latest technology news. Your paper could have a local politics podcast or local sports podcast, for instance. But focus is important. And don’t hesitate to be creative like Buzz Out Loud.
2. Make it sound professional
People have more tolerance for low video quality than they do for poor audio quality.
We have been treated to years of stellar audio thanks to movies, radio and TV. Plus, even when the audio is clear it can be hard to understand people or words. When it’s not clear, it can make your podcast very hard to listen to.
This means by a good recorder and a few good mics. It also means making sure the volume levels are consistent. Nothing drives me crazier, and thus leads me to turn off a podcast, than widely differing audio levels. I shouldn’t have to be constantly adjusting my volume levels just so I can know what is going on.
There are plenty of podcasts that sound good. People aren’t going to stick around for the few that don’t.
3. Don’t force the issue
Buzz Out Loud bills itself as “CNET’s podcast of indeterminate length.”
Why? Because you never know how much there is worth talking about for a given episode, especially when you do a daily podcast. This is why daily radio shows often feel forced or why radio hosts seem to be taking an inordinate amount of time to tell a story. They have to fill up a certain amount of time.
You don’t have to on the Web. There are no rules or time slots to fill. Sure, you can general guidelines like a 30-50 minute podcast, but often less is more.
Keep your show fast paced and don’t try to mimic radio. If everyone wanted to hear radio, they would be tuning into it instead of tuning it out.
4. Let the Web tell the rest of the story
Don’t just make a podcast and call it a day.
Use the Web to tell the whole story. CNET has show notes from Buzz Out Loud that link you to the stories they talked about on that days episode. The Web is so much more powerful than either TV or radio.
Harness that power.
CNET also shows e-mail from viewers every day, which you can see on the show notes page. Part of not acting like a radio show is encouraging a stronger two-way stream of communication, kind of like blogs, another new media disruptor. This means soliciting e-mails and comments and utilizing social networking.
Buzz Out Loud also has a message board that people can discuss issues that appear on the podcast. It’s just a great way of giving users more than the minimum. Unfortunately, the minimum is what most news organizations try to get away with.
And, as you probably have seen by now, Buzz Out Loud has its own page dedicated to it on the CNET site. It makes a wonderful package and helps demonstrate how a well-done podcast is unlike anything the old media has seen before.
I’ve been an avid podcast listener for years, and, if you want to do podcasting right, you have to really embrace the format.