While many podcasts begin with the initial idea of “just press record and let it fly,” there are actually a number of factors to consider before releasing your show. Having some legitimate brand identity from the get go brings a whole host of benefits, including instant recognizance, higher clickability, and an individuality that helps people latch on to your show. The title, logo, cover art, trailer and music all influence the potential listener even before they hear your voice. One might think that these are superficial accoutrements that should only be reserved for more established podcasts. Yet after a recording a few stray episodes, the need for these elements becomes instantly apparent. A sampling of the barrage of thoughts begin to invade the beginner podcaster’s mind:
1. Where is my trailer to inform the potential listeners of what the show is all about?
2. How can I streamline the intro and outro of each episode so that I’m not stumbling on my words each time I introduce the show?
3. How can I intelligently edit outs bits of the show that are unnecessary or embarrassing?
4. Where is the visual recognition that my listeners will rely on for familiarity and reinforcement of my show into their daily routine?
Whether or not you necessarily have plans to become a full-time podcaster, you at least want to produce your show in a way that grants you limitless opportunity. You never know who is listening, and you don’t want them skipping over your valuable content because of choppy edits and a less than stellar presentation.
Let’s start with a logo. There is great power in a logo. This logo can be displayed throughout all of your content and social media profiles. The logo can be displayed in your shorts, during your video podcast episodes, and even your titles and lower thirds in your video podcast. One key logo area is a static transparent display (almost like a TV Channel) in one of the corners of the video. Now that you have a logo that can be incorporated into all kinds of associated media, it’s time to implement the logo into your podcast cover art.
Cover art is what people will see when opening your podcast on Spotify and Apple Music. When one opens their phone and sees the notification that you’ve posted a new episode, they’ll see your cover art. As they listen while scrubbing dishes, tending to the dog, or mowing the lawn, they might reach for their phone to pause, rewind, or simply to answer a text. Again, they will see your cover art. This underscores the power of podcast cover art to establish a connection to the viewer/listener.
Small acts like this all add up to a significant branding of your show, and that visual recognition plays on the senses of the viewer more than you might think.
Having a pre-recorded intro and outro can be incredibly helpful to bolster your identity to your listeners, granting your podcast a similar recognition as a theme song that one might remember from a classic TV show. The intro can get the listener hyped up, communicating precisely what the podcast is all about and the message that is being espoused. This prerecorded intro can also smooth things out if the beginning of the episode is particularly casual. The outro can work as a reprise of this opening theme that bookends the narrative, and can also serve as a call to action for people to like, subscribe and follow on various social media channels.
A well-developed Trailer can entice potential viewers/listeners who have stumbled their way into your show’s YouTube Channel or podcast directory listing. I can say from personal experience that I am far more likely to embark on a podcast binge if there’s a trailer on the show page. The best length for a trailer is 1:30-3 minutes MAX. A trailer is a more in depth overview of the general M.O. of the show–its origins, the history of the hosts, the whys and hows of the production, and what viewers can expect when jumping in. The Intro, Outro and Trailer should be recorded in a different environment than the usual podcast–think a more immersive, documentary-interview-style atmosphere. Here are a few examples of Intros/Outros/Trailers that we have recorded.
Within those three given examples is an astonishingly important element: Music.
Music is often taken for granted, as we are inundated with it at all points of the day from various sources. Yet if we pause to consider how background music affects our perception, we can see that it works on a similar level to smell in its connection to memory and sentiment. Now, I know that music is technically not a sense in and of itself. Yet I think that most would agree that when they hear a defining song from their childhood, graduation, wedding, etc. they are mystically transported to that very moment in a way that no other sense could activate. If one identifies with a piece of music, it burrows so deeply into the soul that it has the ability to unearth emotions and revelations that would otherwise remain buried. Consider all of this when choosing, commissioning, or writing/recording the music to your show. What is something that your audience will be genuinely excited to hear, no matter how many times they listen to it? What is something that just SCREAMS “let’s talk baseball cards!!” ?
I composed the music for the three examples above. The main idea for each project was to first create a distinct melody that describes the narrative arc of the show. Crafting each song essentially from scratch (save for a few altered drum loops here and there) provided a unique opportunity to create something that is inextricably tied to the show. When the intro music fades into the episode, the listener is neatly tucked into the show. When the outro music starts to fade in as the hosts are wrapping up, the listener reaches that same warm feeling that might be achieved while witnessing the ending credits of Jeopardy with the theme music and sponsorship announcements. This familiarity creates a routine for the listener–a bond that is VERY hard to break.
I have surely felt this very phenomenon throughout my long tenure as an avid podcast consumer. Enter: the Poog theme song.
It’s no secret that Poog, the Neo-Jungian Philosophy Masterclass cleverly disguised as a health and wellness show, is my favorite podcast of all time. Within the first week of listening nearly 3 years ago, I had already developed a significant connection to the music. The theme song, composed by Theda Hammel, is an offbeat explosion of seemingly disparate instrumentation and rhythmic themes that ultimately serve to create one of the most uniquely apt podcast theme songs I have ever heard. There are three key moments associated with music in the show. First, the show is book-ended by ads. There is a certain sense of satisfaction when you finally reach the trademark theme song, which opens with what sonically appear to be electronic hand drum samples combined with mystical synth swells. The music fits perfectly with the cover art, which features hosts Kate Berlant and Jacqueline Novak optimistically gazing up to an all encompassing, emanating light. The theme continues throughout the pre-recorded intro of the show, as the lines conclude “This our hobby. This is our hell. This is our naked desire for free products. This is Poog.”
There is then another segment of the intro, recorded separately for each episode. This outlines the topics that will be covered in the episode. The music then dips to the background as the introduction transitions to the cold open of the episode (my personal favorite: the “Hit em with that high octane Poog” medley). It continues to fade out as the conversation unravels.
The editor makes skillful use of a meditation-bell-like stinger that is inserted when there is a transition to the either the show or the ads. This highlights the importance of including simple motifs that can be repurposed when needed to signal key points in the show. The next significant musical moment of Poog occurs during the ad breaks. The final moment of the theme song that takes the listeners to the ad features a signature rhythmic break, with a “Dun dun dun pa, dun dun di di duh duh bum bum. Dun dun dun pa, dun dun di di di di duh duh bum bum BOOM.” Listening this rhythm each morning for years has conditioned my brain to the point that I started cracking my eggs to the rhythm of the beat. Here’s some embedded audio for proof:
So when choosing or composing the music for your show, you must think: how do I get my listeners to the point where they are cracking their eggs to the beat?
The ending of each episode features a fade in as the hags begin to wrap up the conversation. When they finally sign off, the same quirky “Dun….BA BA BU BA” permeates the soundfield, followed immediately by a unison “That was Poog” along with a darkly threatening call to action.
The very idea of editing a video podcast, and to what extent, has become somewhat controversial as the medium has evolved. Initially, the whole idea of a video podcast was to circumvent the sensationally stylized, overly edited quick-bite Broadcast news style of interviewing. Considering that a typical podcast episode runs for 1-1.5 hours, one could argue that it’s not the optimal environment for in-depth, moment to moment editing and variable framing/composition. However, the art of video podcasting has not only reached the quality and filmographic depth of broadcast news and documentary cinema–it has in many ways surpassed it. I’m most consistently impressed by the cinematic evolution of Chris Williamson’s Modern Wisdom podcast, which is one of the few in which the quality of content and production are aligned in the highest echelon.
Provided that your video quality is top notch, the framing is compelling and engaging, and the audio is well mixed, the next step is tastefully cutting out slight lulls and awkward misspeaks to make your podcast flow more cinematically. Our hit short on Embolalia outlines the
editing process that we employ to subtly assist with the flow and intelligibility of our clients’ podcasts.
Stay tuned for more upcoming articles on how to use skillful editing tricks to elevate the cinematic value of your show!
