Episode 140. Best Tips for a Weekly Video Podcast

If you’ve decided to click into this episode, that suggests to me that you’ve either already started your podcast, or you’re thinking of starting one soon. If this is you, then something tells me that you also have a desire to become known for your story, your ideas, and your perspectives. By sharing all of this through a podcast, you know that this can pave the way one day for super cool opportunities somewhere down the line.

For example, maybe one of your 3-year dreams is to create speaking opportunities. Maybe you’ve always felt that you didn’t look like a speaker. Maybe you feel like you’re too introverted. Or maybe you feel like it could be possible in 10 years, but maybe not three.

Despite all that, you always have an opinion and you always have something to say. And despite not being the loudest in the room, you know that when you’re on stage, people shut up and listen.

Or maybe your dream is to create a group coaching program that attracts the best-fit clients from all over the world. Or maybe you want to have a popular podcast where you bring on super cool guests who are genuinely honored to be on your show. Or maybe you want to build a community and host in-person events.

Whatever your dreams are for the long term, the common thread that underlies all of these dreams is that you can actually start laying down the foundation for each of them, step by step, right now.

And how will you make this happen?

Well, it all starts with building a body of work that lets you become known for your unique thought leadership, story, and how amazing you are at what you do… And this is exactly the work we will do inside The Thought Leader Club.

For some of our clients inside The Thought Leader Club, compressing the timeline to their 3-year goals will mean starting and growing a weekly podcast this year. For others, it might look like a blog, a YouTube channel, or weekly social media content on the Internet. The vehicle is ultimately dependent on the client’s strengths and preferences as a content creator, but we all share the same goal: To become known for your unique thought leadership and build your career as a thought leader.

Our next cohort will start on March 11, 2024. For the exact details of the program, you can hop on over to cheryltheory.com/program. This is also where you can submit your application to join the next round of The Thought Leader Club and book a discovery call for us to discuss how exactly this program can support your 2024 goals, as well as how building a body of work and becoming known for your thought leadership fits into your 3-year vision and goals.

In this episode, we are specifically going to speak to those of you who want to start or grow your podcast in 2023 or 2024.

I want to address some of the most common challenges for podcasters. Whether you’re planning to do an audio-only show or a video podcast show, how to create the time and energetic capacity to create a weekly episode is arguably the biggest question for most podcasters, especially on top of everything you have going on in your business, careers, and personal life.

I want to touch on topics such as how to minimize your editing time, how to write your episode scripts quickly, and also how to manage your time and energy.

In This Episode:

How to record your video podcast in a way that requires minimal editing

Tip #1: Get a really solid webcam, record your video and audio simultaneously with Zoom, and record in a way that doesn’t require editing.

Let’s break this down.

First, I use Zoom to record my video podcast, because Zoom saves your recording as both a video mp4 file and an audio mp3 file. So, one recording gives you both files, separately.

The reason I use Zoom as opposed to, let’s say, QuickTime, which is another software available on your computer, is because Zoom lets you pause the record and resume recording at any time, multiple times.

Now, I will add a quick disclaimer and say, I have not conducted research on whether there are any other softwares that allow you to do something similar. I’m sure there are, but I suspect that for most of us, we already use Zoom in some capacity and likely already have this software downloaded on our computers.

For me as a solopreneur, ease of access as well as keeping my expenses as lean as possible are factors that matter to me. Hence, I personally opt for Zoom as the software of choice to record my podcast episodes.

Which is also why I suggest getting a good webcam because a good webcam will produce superior video quality compared to the webcam that’s already installed on your laptop, and it is most likely a cheaper alternative to getting an actual camera. Currently, I use the Lumina webcam.

One downside to using Zoom that I do want to note is that Zoom will do this thing where it decreases your video quality. So, the mp4 file that is saved will have slightly reduced video quality compared to what you’d expect, even if you are using a good webcam.

For me, this isn’t a big enough issue for me to reconsider another recording mechanism or another recording software. But, if video quality is something that is really important to you, you might want to research other options that won’t compress your video quality and still allow you to record both video and audio.

Now that we got the tech out of the way, let me share how I record in a way that doesn’t require any editing afterward. This is going to be super anticlimactic but I promise it is going to change the game for you.

When I’m recording, I will first Record 2-3 paragraphs. Meaning, I will literally read my script out loud. Then I will pause and literally hit the stop recording, and then I will drink water, breathe, swallow saliva, fix my hair, and so on. Then, I hit the resume recording button, pause for like a second, then continue speaking.

And that’s it! That’s how I record my podcast episodes. The key thing to note here is that I take many, many mini breaks while recording. But the breaks actually don’t take up that much time. For instance, a 30-minute episode usually takes me 40 minutes total to record. Where 10 minutes out of that 40 minutes are mini breaks.

Taking breaks actually allows me to maintain my energy throughout the recording. Because one of the main concerns I’ve heard from podcasters is that they struggle to maintain that enthusiasm and high energy for their entire episode. I’ve found that when I take many mini breaks, it’s a lot easier for me to maintain that energy throughout the entire episode.

Another reason why this approach has profoundly impacted my podcast episodes is because of the pauses it intentionally creates.

A common misconception that tends to come up whenever I share my pausing approach to recording with people is that they’re worried that doing so will create super long awkward pauses. And that they need to either 1) start speaking immediately after hitting the resume recording button, or 2) they need to edit the pauses later to make them shorter.

But the thing is, the pauses are actually not a bad thing. Especially if you intentionally add a longer pause at transitions between different sections or different key points of the episode.

One thing I’d recommend doing is that in your script or outline for the episode, literally write down reminders to pause. Know that we as human beings naturally speak with pauses between our sentences when we jump between key points.

If anything, having a longer pause actually adds to the audio experience for the listener because it doesn’t come off as you speaking in one long run-on sentence. There are actually pauses to separate sentences or key ideas or key passages or key sections.

To summarize tip #1: Get a really solid webcam, record your video and audio simultaneously with Zoom, and record in a way that doesn’t require editing.

Sounds good? Awesome. Let’s move on to tip #2: know your scripting style, and practice your speed at writing your script.

Tips for being more efficient at scripting your podcast episodes

Tip #2: Know your scripting style, and get faster and faster at it

To start, I want to address a super common concern that podcasters have. Oftentimes, writing a podcast script can feel like such a long, big task. In your head, you’ve already planned to block out time throughout the week to work on your script.

But when the time gets closer to actually sit down and write, you feel so much friction. And the friction can feel like such a big hurdle, so much so that you don’t get any words on the Google Doc.

To help you decrease that resistance to writing your episode scripts, I want to first have a chat about some options available to you when it comes to the script. Then, I want to share two more specific tips that will help you speed up your writing.

So far, there have been four different types of podcast scripting styles I’ve personally tried out. As I share some of these styles, I’d love to invite you to consider which style or combination of styles might be your preferred way to script.

Option 1: Fully Typed Out Paragraphs – I find that although this option is definitely the most time-consuming, because you’re probably typing full sentences and paragraphs, this method works best for podcasters who are either 1) not super confident with speaking off the cuff and/or 2) identify as good writers. For me, most of my solo episodes are full scripts.

Option 2: Bullet Points / Key Points – I find that this option is best for people who naturally have a knack for speaking on the spot and enjoy the fluidity of not having a fully written script. This is also for those who don’t necessarily identify as good writers but still need a bit of structure. For me, I like to do bullet points for my bonus Q&A episodes, which leads me to the third option.

Option 3: Q&A Style – For some people, they can respond really well to questions or prompts. If so, consider structuring your script, or even the full episode, in a Q&A format. Whether you gather questions from your audience or make up the questions yourself, you can definitely write a script by asking yourself questions and responding to them.

Option 4: Repurposed from Elsewhere – This is something I do for quite a number of my episodes, which is where I will take an Instagram post or story or email that I recently wrote, and then insert it into part of my script. I’ve also repurposed from past worksheets and resources I’ve created, and from past podcast episodes. Looking back, there’s been a number of past episodes where most of the script is actually repurposed from multiple shorter pieces of content, and I only have to write a tiny bit of fresh new content. Although most of the time, I’d write more new content and only part of the episode is repurposed.

When you have an inkling about which style, or which combination of styles, works best for your content creation skills and natural communication strengths, the next step is to, over time, practice getting faster and faster at this scripting style.

There are two specific tips I want to offer regarding this:

First, I want to share a relatively recent example. For the script of Episode 137 of The Side Hustle Club Podcast, I literally wrote my entire script while sitting in a stuffy, packed food court inside a mall in Vancouver, Canada on a busy Saturday.

I had literally just gotten my hair done at a salon nearby the mall, and I had some time to kill before meeting a friend for dinner. So, I sat down at the food court and started to type.

That’s the first thing, which is that you can create content anywhere and everywhere. I also want to quickly shout out to 2019-2021 side hustler Cheryl, who would even record video Instagram stories in public!

This skill of being able to create content from anywhere and everywhere actually goes hand in hand with the next thing, which is the skill of being able to generate your ideas and get clear on what you want to talk about quickly. So that you can not only type from anywhere and everywhere, but you can also actually have things to type onto your Google docs or Notes app on your phone.

Here’s the thing: when it comes to the podcast episode scripts that have been the easiest and fastest for me to write, they are, hands down, the ones that were inspired by a recent event or personal experience. Not the episodes where I was heavily concerned with “What would a coach in my industry talk about?” or “How can I make sure this gives value to my audience?”. The more I tried to box myself into what I think I should be talking about, the harder the content felt.

This was exactly the case for the script for Episode 137 of this podcast. For this episode, I was merely writing down my reflections of something that had recently happened. I was noting my observations around not only what was happening around me externally, but also the thought processes and emotions surfacing internally.

In addition, I included lessons and key takeaways I wanted to offer the audience, based on the actual events that occurred both within me and outside of me. All of these things were immediately accessible to my brain, because I was leveraging the information already inside of it. Perhaps another way to describe what I was doing is that I was documenting something incredibly recent.

When you combine these two skills (which are, firstly, the ability to write and create from anywhere, and secondly, the ability to recount and share about something that happened very recently), you begin to write faster and faster.

These are some major pointers I want to offer when it comes to scripting.

Getting more things done by working according to your energy levels and being more productive

Tip #3: Understand your overall energy work style

Similar to knowing your scripting style, I also want to discuss understanding your overall work style and how it correlates to your energy levels.

A common question I receive is: “Cheryl, how are you so productive?”

Honestly, I used to somewhat dread that question because my usual response was, “I suppose I just work quickly and efficiently.” Now, with hindsight, I can confidently say that having a “managed mind” during my working hours is only part of the answer.

A significant contributor to my ‘productivity’ is this: I work according to my energy levels.

After discussing with multiple clients and peers, I’ve observed two general “energy work styles.” Some individuals work well in intense sprints or bursts (for example: content batching in a full day, conducting all client calls within two days of the week, etc.). 

Meanwhile, others, including myself, prefer to work in numerous, shorter time blocks spread out throughout the week.

Personally, I get depleted easily. If you ask me to endure four hours of back-to-back Zoom calls, I will quite literally perish. Similarly, I will refuse to spend even three consecutive hours writing my podcast episode.

Instead, here’s what I’ve found works for me when it comes to creating a 30-minute podcast episode:

  • I’ll first have several time blocks (ranging from 30 minutes to 60 minutes) where I write my episode script (total time = 3 hours. Although sometimes I might need 4 hours).
  • I record my episode in 1x 30-40 minute sitting. I pause my recording every 5 minutes to breathe, drink water, cough out phlegm, etc. Then I resume the recording. This is how I’m able to record in a way that does not require any editing of the audio or even video.
  • I simply spend 5 minutes adding on the intro + outro jingles, and make sure that the audio volume is more or less consistent throughout the whole episode. Then, I export the file.
  • Finally, I spend a max of 10 minutes uploading and publishing the episode on both audio podcasting platforms as well as YouTube!

Total estimated time = 4-5 hours max (And bear in mind that I script my entire episodes word for word).

The key thing to note here is that this 4-5 hours is spread out over four days. Personally, my energy style does not work well in long intense sprints. I’m definitely a “work in moderation” type of gal.

The takeaway I want to offer is this: Observe your energy levels and know how you work best.

For example, consider how much downtime and rest/recovery you need throughout your days and literally schedule it into your calendar. If you know that you need recovery time after a Zoom call with a client, don’t schedule anything during that recovery time.

Sure, sometimes we need to leverage all the pockets of time that we have to get something done or be “productive,” but also consider leveraging the pockets of time to manage your energy and/or recover.

One more thing to consider is to know the variables that influence your energy levels and hence your work style. This includes how much sleep you get, the foods and beverages you’re consuming, who you spend your time with, how much exercise or movement you have in a day, the brain intensiveness of the things you do throughout the day, and so on. 

This might sound like Wellbeing 101, but it sure does impact your energy levels and hence your overall capacity to get things done.

Finally, there’s no ‘better’ or ‘optimal’ work style. It’s not a case of Type 1 > Type 2 or vice versa. The grass isn’t greener on the other side when it comes to this.

After all, all of us just want to get things done, right? So please, pay attention to your energy levels and how you operate most efficiently, and start working according to your “energy work style”.

Overall, you will get faster and more efficient.

You can start laying down the foundation for each of your big, audacious dreams

The common thread between all three of these tips is that, in theory, it sounds simple. But actually putting these tips into practice, episode after episode, week after week, that’s a whole other story.

I promise, with my whole heart, that you will get faster and faster at applying all three of these tips and get even more efficient at producing your weekly podcast, so long as you’re committed to practicing your skills week after week, month after month.

And just for fun, I actually went back to look at my Google Calendar from 2020 when I was just starting out my audio-only podcast, as well as 2022 when I was starting to do a video podcast.

2020

2022


What we can take away from this comparison is that you will get more confident in your skill of creating podcast content, whether it is audio only or both audio and video.

This also means you will get faster at creating long-form content over time. This also means you can create even more or even longer episodes over time.

I know that for the podcasters listening to this episode, you too are hoping that your podcast will not only grow its audience in the short term, but you also hope that it will be the reason why you attract clients or other amazing opportunities into your business, career, and life, in the long term.

Honestly, whatever your dreams are for both the short term or for the long term, the common thread that underlies all of your big, audacious dreams is that you can actually start laying down the foundation for each of them, step by step, RIGHT NOW.

Inside The Thought Leader Club, we will start laying down the foundation for those dreams, today, by teaching you how to build a body of work and become known for your unique thought leadership. In 4 months, you will develop a set of skills to help you:

  • Become known for your unique thought leadership and build your career as a thought leader.
  • Build a body of work that not only showcases the depth of your thinking and the caliber of your skills but also compels best-fit clients to want to work with you and you specifically.
  • Proudly become known for something, which attracts both clients and opportunities that you once felt were out of reach for “someone like you”. But because you now know how to build a body of work and become known for your unique thought leadership, you now see that you’re completely capable of making these opportunities happen.

Again, our next cohort will start on March 11, 2024. For the exact details of the program, you can hop on over to cheryltheory.com/program. This is also where you can submit your application to join the next round of The Thought Leader Club and book a discovery call for us to discuss how exactly this program can support your 2024 goals, as well as how building a body of work and becoming known for your thought leadership fits into your 3-year vision and goals.

I’ll see you inside The Thought Leader Club 🙂

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