Writing scripts for any show, be it television, a documentary, radio, or even a podcast, is no easy task. It takes considerable thought, planning, time, and effort to create a format that the host, co-hosts, and guests are comfortable following.
A dependable podcast script template is one of the essential tools to make your show a significant success. It helps you and your guest speakers follow a pre-set pattern, reducing risks of sudden verbal slip-ups, hesitations, glitches, or hiccups of any other kind.
But to write a perfect script, you need to keep some very crucial aspects in mind, such as your audience, the niche, air-time, and others. Consider the following information carefully to understand the most vital aspects of an excellent script template.
1. Make Segments
According to statistics, nearly eighty percent of people in the US are now aware of what a podcast is, and this number is up by a whopping thirty percent compared to the last decade. In effect, this means that people know what to expect when they tune into podcasts and can quickly leave if the content does not meet their expectations.
To avoid that from happening, you can split your script into various segments, each containing critical information that must be covered in a particular episode.
For instance, consider having three segments in an episode that describes how to make a specific food item. You can tell your listeners about the dish and what makes it unique in the first segment. You can tell them what ingredients they will need to make the dish in the second segment. Finally, you can give them a detailed description of making the item in the last part. This way, you can avoid leaving any crucial information out.
2. Keep the Tone Conversational
One of the most challenging things about creating a podcast script is to keep the tone light and conversational. Otherwise, you may end up reading it in a flat, monotonous way, giving the listeners the impression that you aren’t interested in your own show. Therefore, avoid using heavy words, include some light banter with a co-host or guests to ensure audience engagement.
Also, you can give yourself the liberty to go off-script once in a while to keep things more interesting. If unsure about doing this in real-time, you can try it during a recording session and edit out the parts you dislike.
3. Use Delivery Notes to Describe Critical Scenes
Any good podcast script template will surely have delivery notes that indicate laughs, pauses, sighs, emphasis, and other dramatic effects. These notes are highly critical as they breathe life into your script, ensuring you deliver the message in clear tones with the proper emphasis.
Another reason delivery notes are essential is that they help you describe scenes to your audiences in very vivid terms. Remember, your listeners do not have visuals to refer to when listening to a story, so they rely solely on your voice to understand the entire picture. Invariably, delivery notes can help you describe images, people, personalities, scenery, and anything else in a distinct, vibrant, and detailed way.
4. Maintain a Steady Pace
It is prudent to avoid unexplained long pauses and other unnecessary clatter in the podcast so that it is entertaining to the listener. Also, a good speed of delivery is neither too slow nor too fast. Instead, it is somewhere between the two, where you can speak clearly and precisely, pronouncing words with utmost clarity. Moreover, always note your podcast’s progress to ensure you aren’t changing your speed or using too many fancy words and confusing the listeners.
5. Include Advertisers and Sponsor Messages
Typically, the amount of script space you allot your sponsor depends on the amount of control the brand wants over their advertisements on your podcast. Some sponsors offer a pre-written script solely for their ad that you will have to follow unquestionably, while others may give you points that you can add to your episode in your own way.
It is advisable to work with your sponsor and advertisers on an effective script to avoid getting stuck with a seemingly cold and indifferent message.
6. Have a Powerful Outro
Writing an engaging introduction is far easier than drafting an impactful and potent outro. The trick is to include words of appreciation for your sponsors, guests, and even the audiences for their attention and time. Moreover, never fail to mention upcoming promotions, events, and other exciting programs.
Finally, you must always have some powerful CTA (Call-to-Action) elements in your podcast outro that compel people to subscribe to your channel (or show). Effective CTAs sound authentic and aim to help the listeners understand how simple the task you are asking them to do is.
