1.The format I’m using is a loose conversational interview format. It varies a bit depending on who I’m interviewing every week. Some weeks I’m interviewing people who are really into the conversation, and other weeks people are more nervous or have planned their answers more tightly and “stick to the script” (I provide interview questions in advance). The reason I’m gravitating towards this is a) it fits better with the book project to capture a plurality of voices and perspectives and b) I enjoy podcasts with more than one voice more. They hold my attention longer.
2. I’m doing a “cold open” for all my episodes where I give a 2-5 minute summary of what the hook is, or what the main take-away is, then a “getting to know the guest” segment, then “theories” then “application” and finally a “take-away” segment. But it’s a loose format, so sometimes we wander in our conversations from this structure, and I want the wandering and exploration to be okay.
3. Supportive, exploratory, fun, conversational.
4. I have picked a theme song, yup! See the sample below!
5. And I do include some sound effects. I want the podcast to be differentiated from the book in bringing some of these topics to life as much as possible. So when we are talking about something that has an auditory component, I try to include that component in order to make the podcast more immersive than the text would be.
Here’s a short sample from the intro of one of the episodes of the podcast I’m currently working on. Let me know what you think!
Hi! I like the idea of the cold open. I’m listening to a new podcast now (Quitted with Holly Whitaker and Emily McDowell) and I didn’t know this is what it’s called, but they do a 5 minute kind of check in and then they contextualize the interview. It took me a minute to realize they recorded this opening AFTER they did the interview. I like that because it’s a chance to maybe summarize key themes and to also note things you might’ve wish that you asked in hindsight.
When you say “the book,” is your pod geared around a book you’ve written or do you mean your pod will be reviewing different books?
Hello Karen. Yeah for some reason the title of this post isn’t showing up in WordPress but my current podcasting project is to accompany a collection of essays I’ve co-edited with a colleague of mine. The book is due out this summer, and I’m making the podcast both as an open access educational resource and as a pedagogical tool for anyone who adopts the text for a class. The link to the book description is here, if you’re interested.
And a few podcasts I really like use the cold open format. It’s not always the right format, but when it works, it works! So I’m trying it out!
https://www.canadianscholars.ca/books/gender-sex-and-tech
Okay! That sounds really creative and cool.
What a great idea to supplement a book with the podcasts. I have a daughter at TRU right now and it’s been interesting to hear her response to assigned podcasts versus an assigned chapter. I do think she’d be most appreciative of the ability to switch between formats.
I’d be curious to hear what she thinks. I don’t work at TRU, but do work in higher education and have some thoughts about how to use this in a flipped classroom style.
Thanks for sharing the idea of a ‘cold open’. And it’s helpful for me to think in a nonlinear way about developing each episode–that the opening might be written after the main segment has been completed.
Yes, exactly. As I get more confident with my editing I’m able to think a bit less linear about the project, and it’s really creative and fun!
I was pretty confused listening to the beginning of this podcast. Thirty seconds of “oh no, is this what all of this podcast is going to be like?” Hahahaha. I guess promo audio for a video game is not a style of podcast I enjoy.
For the podcast I co-host (Book Club for Masochists: A Readers’ Advisory Podcast) each episode begins with a “cold open” that’s a short snippet that’s cut from another section of the podcast. In 5-20 seconds it will (hopefully) give at least a broad idea of what the topic of the podcast will be and (again, hopefully) be somewhat funny. It then cuts to our theme song and then we begin the podcast and introduce ourselves.
Sometimes when I’m editing the show I know exactly which piece I want to use, and other times I end up listening to the show again when everything else is done to find something. I don’t know how or why I decided this was the format to use, but I think we’ve been doing it since the first episode.
Some examples from recent episodes (some of which work and some of which don’t…)
Architecture Non-Fiction:
Meghan: “The architect has an argument about designing spaces that are more functional and beautiful and tailored to the individuals and family instead of just being, like, “I’ve got this much money I’m going to make as much house as possible.””
Matthew: “That does seem like the American way though.”
Meghan: “Right? Bigger is better.”
Sequels and 2022: The Year of Book Two
RJ: “Yeah, my resolution last year…was it last year or the year before? I had a resolution one of these years that was “read one single book.””
Matthew: “The last two years RJ.”
RJ: “I haven’t read it! No! Of course not! Have you seen what the world is like? I don’t have time to read 500 pages of a book that’s not for this podcast.”
Amish Romance:
Matthew: “They bought gummy worms? I’m like, “Do Amish people eat gummy worms?” Like, that just seems weird to me.”
Tillie: “Well, Amish people can eat pretty much whatever they want.”
What is a Book?
RJ: “I have a question about our hypothetical, two-page “not book.””
Anthropology Non-Fiction
RJ: “So, “Anthropology good but also, anthropology bad” is I guess the short version of my point.”
Books and Food
Matthew: “This wasn’t even splatter, this was just spaghetti fell off my fork onto the page of the book and I’m like “oh no, oh no, oh no”.”
RJ: “Just full spaghetti.”
Matthew: “This is why you shouldn’t read and eat at the same time.”
Transcribing all of these makes them seem incredibly non-funny now, hahahahaha.