For every successful show that uses the “no-planning” approach, there are hundreds of others that only entertain or provide value to those talking into the microphone.

The reality is that most podcast episodes can be made better with some planning. 

Naysayers will tell you that the danger is having things so rigid that the episode sounds like it was scripted. Bt some podcasts are scripted -- leaving no room for ad-libbing --  and quite successful.

And then there’s a middle ground, where some of the episode is scripted and some is more off-the-cuff. Yes, you can mix flexibility in with structure.

Where some podcasters run off the rail is when they try to mix in ad-libbing as they are following a script. That’s bad, as it’s often glaringly obvious to the audience when these asides occur. Or it frustrates your audio engineer who’s using the script to try and score the episode.

But you’re probably ready to reply with this pearl of wisdom from the great thinker Mike Tyson: Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face. But, with few exceptions, the risk of being punched in the face when you’re recording is pretty slim.

Even if your show is like my show (meaning it’s very extemporaneous), there's still room for planning. In fact, it’s almost a guarantee that you're doing planning right now. Excluding live-streamers who repurpose the audio of their streams as a podcast, every reasonable podcaster knows the topic they wish to talk about. That’s what drove them to the microphone in the first place.

having a topic means you’re already doing some planning. So why not take it further by adding in three more easy pieces to your new-found love of episode planning?

• Find your angle - The topic is what you’ll talk about. The angle is how you’ll talk about it and is the unique point of view that only you can bring.
• Strong beginnings & solid endings -  Even hosts of the most extemporaneous of shows should understand how the episode is going to begin and how that episode is going to end. 

Every podcaster can approach “the middle” differently depending on their ability to vamp or entertain without having notes or a script in front of them.

It would mean the world to me if you told one other podcaster you know about Podcast Pontifications. Pick up the phone, jump on the Zoom call, whatever. But please personally reach out to someone and tell them to check out Podcast Pontifications