Read the instructions carefully, highlighting the major questions or tasks being asked and goals of the assignment. This resource provides a list of questions to consider about your assignment. If you have questions, ask your instructor or TA during their office hours, or make an appointment with a writing consultant from the Judith Anderson Herbert Writing Center.

Review assignment requirements such as length, intended audience, the purpose, and the style of the podcast. The assignment may ask for a podcast in which you report your research, present an argument, or interview a subject.

Familiarize yourself with the podcast genre. If you’ve never done this type of assignment before or would like a refresher, review common expectations and features, and/or listen to samples.

Composing a podcast will require you to work in (1) a linguistic mode, in which you think about what to say, and (2) an aural mode, in which you think about what your audience will hear.

• Linguistic composition occurs when you write your script and plan the content and structure. 
• Aural composition occurs in the recording and editing phase, when you pay attention to things like pacing, clarity, and audio transitions.

(This step should take 5% of your project time.)

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Gather any readings assigned for this project, your notes from class lectures and discussions, and any other sources you’ve already identified.

It’s a good idea to start by familiarizing yourself with university resources available for podcasting –to help shape the kind of podcast you plan to produce.

While podcast recording equipment can be as basic as a voice recording app on your phone, The Studio at Hodges Library has a range of microphones and equipment that may be useful as you record and edit your podcast. You can always request a consultation with Studio staff to help you select software and equipment for your podcast. The Studio staff have also compiled a list of podcasting resources.

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For podcasts, as with other multimodal assignments, it is important to select a topic that is do-able within the time allotted. 

If you have the option to choose the topic and focus for your podcast, select one that matters to you!  

• Ask yourself: What do you want to know more about? What topic corresponds to issues you’re already interested in? What do you think others will be interested in knowing about? Try doing some brainstorming through the center-of-gravity technique, creating a concept map, or mind-mapping.
• As you brainstorm, start a list of keywords that you can use to search for relevant sources.

To craft an effective podcast you’ll need to consider the rhetorical situation in which you’re operating–understanding who your audience is, what they value, and how best to communicate with them. Consider these questions to help you identify your intended audience. Composing for the general public is different from writing the academic essays you may be used to, so be sure to check out this article on reaching public audiences. 

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Draft a working outline of your project. A standard podcast script usually contains the following elements:

• An introduction that describes the purpose of podcast and introduces the host and any additional speakers
• A presentation of the main ideas
• Transitions between topics/segments (these can be verbal or achieved through sound/musical cues)
• Interview questions for your guests, if applicable
• Concluding remarks

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Now that you have an idea of both your topic and what the finished podcast might look like, draft the podcast script.

While some elements may be unscripted–such as conversation or interview responses from “live” guests–your draft should include introductory remarks, a script for your main talking points–perhaps using a beginning-middle-end story structure–and any interview questions you plan to ask. 

When writing your script, remember that you’re creating something audiences will listen to rather than read.

This process will be similar to constructing other reports or arguments you’ve written, but in addition to having a logical argument, successful podcasts pay attention to elements such as:

• Storytelling: Rather than analyzing sources as you would for an academic essay, consider
  • using anecdotes as a form of evidence, and/or
  • including stories from credible sources (e.g. popular news sources, your friends or family) that support the narrative that you are trying to build.
• Pacing: Remember that people have more difficulty following an argument they are hearing than an argument they are reading. To help listeners understand your argument, you might
  • use shorter sentences to maintain audience focus, 
  • link back to your main idea/thesis several times throughout the podcast, and 
  • organize your argument into brief paragraphs to make it easier to re-record a section.
• Tone: Podcasting gives you options to consider the kind of tone you want to create for your audience.
• Citation: Include verbal citations for any external sources that you are using in order to attribute your ideas.

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Once you have drafted your podcast script, think about any additional elements that should be accounted for in your plan, such as:

• Introductory and concluding music
• Sound effects
• Audio sourced from archival news footage/interviews
• Interviews and audio from other sources (e.g., other podcasts or radio)
• Interviews with “live” guests. To prepare for live interviews, consider:
  • Conducting preliminary interviews with people to get a sense of their views
  • Designing open-ended questions that allow the interview guest to provide useful information that is relevant to your topic. 

In addition to the audio and podcasting resources provided by The Studio at Hodges Library, you might consider the following fair use archives for sound effects:

• Freesound
• BBC Sound Effects
• SoundBible’s Royalty Free Sounds
• SoundGator
• Incompetech
• Silverman Sound Studios
• Free Music Archive

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First, conduct your own review of the assignment guidelines and/or rubric provided by your instructor.

Write down at least 2-3 major elements you think you may need to revise. Think first about things like the main idea of your podcast, the organization of the supporting points you make, and the clarity of your overall narrative. 

In addition, consider rhetorical effectiveness–is your podcast appropriate for the audience you’re trying to reach? 

Get feedback on the above from your instructor or TA during their office hours, from the Judith Anderson Herbert Writing Center, or from a peer. 

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Revise as needed, based on your own review and the feedback you received. 

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Make sure to rehearse the revised script a few times before you reach the recording stage. You might want to mark elements such as tone, speed, pronunciation, or pauses on your script. Pay attention to:

• Pacing: Make sure that you read from the script in a clear manner and be careful not to read too quickly. In order to give your listener time to process, it is ok to include pauses between sentences or sections.
• Inflection: Think about tone and the way that you are inflecting your sentences as you read through your script. Make sure to inflect questions in a way that distinguishes them from assertions, for example. 

(This step should take 10% of your project time.)

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Once you have a final draft of your podcast script, you’re ready to record your podcast.

Make sure to record in an environment with as little background noise as possible. 

First, prepare the technology you will need to record both your portion of the script and any interviews or conversations that you plan to conduct. You may choose to use an audio recorder on your phone;  reserve an audio room at The Studio in Hodges Library; to check out a microphone, headset, or digital recorder from The Commons Equipment Desk. If you are recording directly to your computer using a microphone, or using an audio room, the most commonly used software for producing podcasts is Audacity, although there are several other possibilities.

As you record, pay attention to pacing, inflection, and, if your podcast includes an interview or conversation, unscripted moments in which you may need to deviate from your script to ask things like follow-up questions.

(This step should take 20% of your project time.)

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Once you have recorded the elements of your podcast, you are ready to edit the files together.  Using an audio editor such as Audacity, you can incorporate and edit your recordings. See this quick start guide to podcasting for an example of how to incorporate sound effects in Audacity.

(This step should take 10% of your project time.)

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Review your podcast an additional time and seek out feedback as desired.

Check the assignment instructions to make sure you met all the requirements for the content and formatting of your podcast, including file format and publication (if applicable). Double-check that you have cited all sources (ideas, information, paraphrases, and quotes) correctly and that your reference/bibliography/works cited page, if required, is accurate. 

(This step should take 5% of your project time.)

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