The Basics of Podcasting for Beginners (Part 2)
Okay, so in our first article, we covered the materials you need to start and manage a podcast. Now, I am going to share with you some advice and tools that will help you get started. So, let’s get to it!
- Theory of Change – no matter what you want your podcast to be about, starting with this template will help you get a much deeper handle on how a podcast can help you create the kind of change you want to see. If you are starting one, you obviously have a why, this will help you identify your assumptions, as well as develop metrics for measuring your success. I used it when I started the Reframe series, and wrote them down in my personal notebook and it helped to figure out that I really wanted to have conversations with Desi folks that were interested in making a positive impact in the world. This led me to identifying very specific types of folks onto the podcast. And it also helps me to figure out how to ask questions in different ways, and to understand my own strengths in speaking with those folks.
- Story of Self – so, this is a tool developed by CHIRLA, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights. The head of the organization did a training for my team at the Equity Research Institute where he asked us to share three questions. They were:
- What is one big challenge you have faced in your life?
- How did you overcome it?
- What lesson and values did you take away from your experience?
This helped me initially frame the interviews that I had with folks. I was able to pull interesting and unique stories out of them that would have otherwise remained hidden, without this structure. I also would send them the questions before hand, which helped them to choose the stories they felt most comfortable sharing with others.
- Network Asset Mapping – So, when I started off initially, I didn’t feel confident enough to even start, but I threw myself in, feeling that I would figure it out as I went along. A tool that helped me in this stage was network asset mapping. Network asset mapping is an exercise where you develop a list of friends, neighbors, relatives, work, school, organizational contacts that can help you accomplish your goal. I used this exercise to help me to connect with the people I had in my life that might be interesting to interview. The nice thing was, because I was starting to interview folks I already knew, I had buffer space to learn the process. I could become comfortable asking questions, learning the tools, and developing a process. All of this might have been a lot harder if I began by just cold calling people to bring on. So, I would highly encourage working with this tool to help you initially.
- Now, you might be wondering after all these things, but Arpita, how do I actually make the ask? Everyone says yes, but I don’t know how to get a solid commitment for recording. How am I supposed to get them to follow through? Well, here are the logistical steps that I learned when struggling with this early on. The best way to get people to help you with your podcast is to: 1) Start by asking if they can do an interview, and if so, nail down a date immediately + send a calendar invite. 2) Create a list of interview questions and send them over once you have nailed down a date. This can happen a few days before the call. Give them enough time so they can really think about what they want to say. 3) Send them a reminder email one day before the interview is set to happen to make sure they can still make it. This last part is important because people are quite busy and can forget that the event is happening. So, sending a small nudge will help you a lot.
Now that I’ve shared these with you, let me know what works for you and if you have any questions or additional recommendations to add to the list!
Best,
Arpita
