Simplify Your Podcast Production with a Show Map – Episode 105

[MUSIC IN – GHOSTHOOD FEATURING SARA AZRIEL “LET’S GO” BEGINS]

MARY: When you start a podcast, it usually starts with that idea, that spark of what you want to say, oh, man, I can talk about this forever. And then you start mapping out maybe the topic ideas, and you’ve got a whole list of all your topics that you can run for every episode. And that’s amazing. And yet sometimes podcasters forget about the how. How do you deliver this message? What sort of structure are you creating to share your messages and stories so that you can connect with your listener? 

So today, we’re going to talk about all the other parts of your episode, aside from that main topic or the specific guest that you’re going to have on your show. This is your show structure. It’s about how these crucial elements that surround your main part of the episode, how they work side by side with your ideal listener to create a successful and honestly, simpler way to create each and every episode. So in this episode, we’ll help you figure out how to lay out your next episode and build your confidence to create more episodes for your podcast, all with ease. 

This is episode number 105 on the Podcaster’s Guide to a Visible Voice.

<< WOMAN SINGS: So so so so let’s go >>

MARY: On the last episode, I chatted with Jamie and Darren of the Island Miles podcast.

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They talked about the structure they have for each episode. That was one of the highlights for me. It totally reminded me about how this is part of the foundational piece that I always talk about, how structure is part of their success story in creating each and every episode, and it can be part of yours as well. Structure makes things easier so that you don’t have to sit down and go, okay, what am I going to talk about today? And how do I deliver it? What do I start with? How do I get in? What do I say? And then how do I close off? And how does this podcast end? Do I just keep talking until I run out of ideas? Which honestly does happen with some shows. So producing a podcast becomes a bit more seamless when you have that structure and you can put that producer hat forward before you even hit record. So let’s talk about what the structure is. 

[MUSIC IN]

As I said on the last episode, Jamie called it a show map. In radio, where Jamie and I have our background, your show has a limited amount of time, your radio show. So, if you’re on the air for an hour or even four hours, like I was back in the day, you might think that’s a lot of airtime to fill. Like, I have four hours to talk. But really, when you break it down, you have a structure. It reveals what you want to talk about and when to talk every time you turn on your mic? Because when I did the four-hour shift, there was a lot of music playing. I was on a music radio station. Sometimes we had to talk about the weather at a certain time. There are certain sponsors, there’s different promos, and really I may have one or two sections where I can actually ad-lib and talk about something different that I’m not forced to. 

And that’s how radio works. It’s structured that way. It’s very, very structured. So I want to take that idea into podcasting, but make it more flexible so that we’re not stuck in these boundaries that a radio created. But podcasting can be more fun. So I want to take the equivalent of this into podcasting and into what you do. So let’s break this down a little bit to reveal your own show map and start and figure out what this foundational piece is for you and how it looks for your specific show. 

[MUSIC ENDS]

So I’ll have a couple of examples in this episode for you to listen to and to really hone in on what works or doesn’t work for you and just give you some ideas. Okay, so your show map, like any good map out there, like, you know, Google Maps, I go in, it always gives you options, the direction that you will take, right? It’s not like there’s only one path. There sometimes is only one path and that’s fine. But most of the time there’s more than one option. 

One option is like the direct route. One option, if you’re on a bike, it will take you through less hills. Another option is like the meandering scenic route. And your show map can do all of those things too, depending on your specific episode. So by the end of this episode, you’ll get some ideas for these foundations for your map. And by no means will this mean your map is rigid, okay? Just treat it like a Google map. There’s lots of options for you to be flexible with your podcast within the boundaries that you create for it. 

[MUSIC IN]

So let’s start with your show format. And in format, it’s answering these type of questions. What type of episodes will you create or plan to create? You know, if you haven’t started your show yet, this is a great time to really hone in on these foundational pieces. Will they be solo episodes? So you’re just talking behind the mic to your listener interview, which is very, very popular these days. Could also be a roundtable discussion with three or four different people. It could also be a narrative show where there’s a full story arc with music and sound effects built right in. It could also be a combination. You can have solos and interviews or interviews and roundtables. You can combine two or three of these options. 

This may also mean you need sub-maps to be more detailed in specific episodes. So that way it will relate more to a solo episode show map versus an interview-style show map. And I’ll share more specifics as I go through some of my examples on what to do, whether it’s a solo or interview-style type of show. 

So when you create your main show map, let’s start brainstorming what you want in your episode. How do you want your listener to travel along with you on this map of yours? If we go back to Jamie and Darren’s example, they talk about how they wanted to start the show with music in a fully produced intro. That way it grounds the episode, it makes it sound professional, and it’s like, bam, listener knows, intro, the show is beginning. Just like any other show you may have seen, right? A TV show, something on Netflix, a movie, something you’re streaming. There’s usually an introduction of some sort so that you know the show is beginning. 

Jamie and Darren also wanted their listener to know about upcoming races. That was really important to them. They wanted the podcast to be a hub for their listener to know about what’s coming up next. And they always have an intro as well. They wanted to review what they’ve been up to, maybe their latest trail run, their challenges that they’ve been having along the way. And then they close out too with what’s happening in the next episode. They ask for feedback and also to encourage you to sign up for those upcoming races. 

So those are some general ideas of what I hear when listening to their show with their show mapping. But then you might also be thinking, what about this whole middle section, right? Like, the actual content of the episode? This is where the flexibility comes in. They could have a guest and then they’ll interview that guest, or they can just keep going with their tips and tricks and it will just be the three of them. So it’ll be more of a roundtable discussion-type episode. 

So when you have the structure, you’ll know how to get in and out of your episode, what you’re actually going to be talking about, and how to close the episode or get out. And with that show format, they know exactly what is going to happen. Even with that flexibility in the middle of whether they have a guest or not. These elements will guide you in creating a show where you know what’s going to come next and you have that confidence in your voice because you do know what’s going to come next, right? You already know this is the next point, this is the next point, and this is how we’re going to close the show. 

So it gives you that confidence which equates to that professional sound that most people are actually striving for when they’re like, how do I sound professional? It’s also about knowing how to get in and out of what you’re going to say.

[MUSIC ENDS]

Let’s take a look at another example. We’ll use my show here because I know you listen to it. So, maybe you’ve never listened to it with a show map type of an ear, okay? So if you’ve been listening for a while, you’ll start to recognize where the pieces of my show map come in. But I’ll lay it out for you here. When I start each episode, as you heard with this one, I have my episode-specific intro. 

So there’s the theme music, it plays, but then I record something very specific for this episode. It’s different each and every time. I like to start with intrigue. You know, that big question. It could be something that I’ve been pondering myself about the industry, or it could be something a client has asked me before, and I’m just turning it into a solo episode. It could also be a guest interview. So in this little intro, I’ll also do a quick introduction of the guest in relation to the big question that I have off the top. 

All of this lays the foundation for what the episode will be about. So no matter the format of the rest of the episode, this is where listeners come in and start the show. I have music behind my voice, and I keep it nice and short because I know people want to get straight into the episode and start learning. So after I speak, I edit in the music so that it has the vocals or the singer that sings the Let’s Go piece in my song before the music fades out and the actual show starts. 

So from here, if it’s a solo, I just go. I say what I need to say. I have all my bullet points, I lay it out. Sometimes I have some script and I just say what I need to say. If it’s an interview, I go straight into a quick welcome and then go right into my first question because I’ve already done the introduction beforehand, right? So when I have that guest, we just get right into that first question. 

And then with that guest, when I end the episode, I always end with the same question. What are you excited about right now in podcasting? This way, we end on a positive note, and it kind of closes everything out, and it gets everyone, including you, the listener, thinking about how they can be excited by either the same thing that the my guest was, or also your own thing about your own show. 

And then now we’re getting to the closing part. So then in that guest episode, after they answer that question, I fade in my music, and then I get to my episode outro. So here, this is where I review the episode with the big takeaways, I ask for feedback, and I preview the next episode. I do this as well in my solos, too. So, this is part of that general show map that I have. 

And then finally, I also close out with my produced outro, which is the one that already has the theme music, and it has the exact same words that I say every time, right? It’s just something I plunk in, and it has where I basically just say, thank you, goodbye, thanks for listening, and hope you share the episode, right? Okay? 

So in a nutshell, this is how I structure my show map. And I’m not saying that my show or Jamie and Darren’s show is the way to go. These are just some examples of how you can create some structure so that when you go to start planning out your episode, you have something to work with, because each and every podcast is different, and then each and every episode is different too. So, having your own map will guide your way. 

[MUSIC IN]

Now, you might be thinking, okay, that’s all well and good, but what about the actual meat of the episode? You know, that main part, when I do my solo, it’s the actual content, when it’s the guest interview, it is the guest, right? This is where the majority of what people listen to. And as I said before, this is where the flexibility lies. Here is where your show prep will come into play. You know, what types of questions will you ask your guests? What kind of story arc are you planning to get out of your guest in this episode? If it’s a solo, what’s the outcome that you want your listener to know of or to do and to take action? How do you want to tell these stories? Whether it’s guests or solo or whatever? How do you tell these stories and get from point A to point B, you know, ultimately the beginning of your episode to the end of your episode? 

This is where a lot of experimentation also comes into play. You won’t know what works or flows for you until you try it out. And like I said on this podcast many, many times, that’s the beauty of podcasting. Each episode is an experiment. So try something new now on your very next episode that you’re going to record to see what invigorates you. It makes podcasting much simpler and fun. And then if you’re like, you know what, that was awkward. That didn’t really work. Don’t do it again. Let’s review, let’s tweak and then repeat what actually works. If you actually go back to episode 60, it’s called Planning, Structure, And Mindset Before You Hit Record, I’ve got a sample workflow for recording your episodes, which would be a good little accompaniment to this episode, if you haven’t touched on that one yet. So I’ll leave a link to that one as usual in the show notes. Or you can just go back to episode 60. 

[MUSIC ENDS]

And if you’re paying attention, I’m getting to the part now where I’m going to start closing out the episode. This is part of, like, the conclusion piece of my show mapping. So I want you to start thinking about your own structure. You may already have one and you don’t even realize it’s there, right? So listen back to your episode. Think about your episodes. Do you have an episode-specific intro or outro? Do you want one for your ideal listener? Will they need to have one? What goes into it? Do you have different segments or notes that you bring up with the majority of your episodes? And that becomes part of your show map piece? 

So go back, take a look, and you might already see a pattern. You’ll start seeing some things that take shape each and every time. So take this pattern and write it out. Map it out so that you have a foundation and template to work off of. And each and every episode, when it’s time for you to create a new one, you bring up your template and you get going to work. You’re plugging in the missing information and working through what your latest episode will look like and sound like. 

[MUSIC IN]

So let me know if you are like many podcasters who didn’t even realize they had a working structure, or if you’re ready to just start one. You want to make your life a little bit more simpler for podcasting. What are some of the things that you do to make your podcast stand out in your show map? 

I also want to challenge you to start listening to other podcasts this way and get a feel for how they either have their show map. Or, as Darren was saying in the last episode, that he’s listening and he realizes now that they don’t even have one and it’s all over the place, which really isn’t a great listening experience. And again, your podcast is all about your listeners, so if they’re not enjoying the experience, they probably won’t come back. 

So email me your thoughts VisibleVoicePodcast@gmail.com or send a voicemail from my website VisibleVoicePodcast.com There is a purple “Send Voicemail” button on the right of your screen and you can leave your feedback for me there as well. 

[MUSIC ENDS]

On the next episode, it’ll be my final interview of the year of 2025 before I have one more solo and then it’s my winter or year end break. As I look back on the past year in podcasting, I wanted to explore more about the unique copyright and ethics challenges that come with podcasting, so I’ll be chatting with Meg Wilcox. 

Meg is an Associate Professor with the Journalism and Digital Media Program at Mount Royal University, that’s in Alberta, and co-director of the school’s Community Podcast Initiative. She’s also currently pursuing her PhD at the University of Glasgow, where her research examines how podcasting and new forms of digital storytelling can help underserved communities and individuals tell their stories in ways that reflects their communities, their values, and their lived experience. This is actually going to be a juicy one, so we’re definitely going to talk more about that too. So tune in the next time on the podcast with Meg Wilcox.

[OUTRO MUSIC IN – SHOW CLOSE]

<< GHOSTHOOD FEATURING SARA AZRIEL “LET’S GO” BEGINS >>

MARY: Thank you so much for listening to the Podcaster’s Guide to a Visible Voice. If you enjoyed this episode, I’d love it if you shared it with a podcasting friend. And to reveal more voicing and podcasting tips, click on over to visiblevoicepodcast.com.

<< WOMAN SINGS: Let’s go >>

[MUSIC ENDS]