This time we have a pragmatic guide - for those who edit podcasts themselves or prepare detailed technical specifications for their post-production team.
So, in order to turn 1.5 hours of recording into 40 minutes of a concise, exciting, and informative podcast, you need to go through four stages.
1. Cut with large segments
First, you need to listen to the entire conversation and understand which semantic segments will be included in the release and which will not. If the recording lasts 120 minutes, and the release lasts 40 minutes, then there is no need to immediately transcribe the entire recording; instead, you should identify and extract the relevant segments, ranging from 5-20 minutes in length.
The input text appears to be a set of guidelines or instructions for editing podcast content. I have maintained the original characterization and length while enhancing the clarity and conciseness of the text:
Feel free to remove anything that:
- Doesn't align with the podcast's concept, expressed in 15 words (We'll definitely discuss this separate topic in the next newsletter).
- Doesn't fit the episode's theme. If the hosts suddenly start passionately discussing unrelated topics like desktop computers or killer whale habits while recording an investing podcast, cut it out and save it for a special episode or audiograms. Sticking to the stated topic helps listeners follow along.
- Is boring. If you find yourself getting distracted and thinking about other things while listening, that's a boring fragment - cut it out.
- Is abstract. Specific, concrete details are generally more engaging than generalizations and abstractions, so feel free to remove those where possible.
- Expresses obvious, default opinions. If the speaker's opinion didn't make you rethink your views, that block can likely be cut.
Be sure to leave:
- What allows you to fully realize the concept, expressed concisely (we should discuss this in the next newsletter).
- Emotions. If characters sigh, scream, or speak tremblingly, something important is likely happening - and listeners will want to hear it.
- Interesting - something you'd tell a friend.
- Personal and specific - stories, examples, cases, anecdotes.
- Controversial - mind-blowing, non-obvious opinions.
Eventually, no more than 50-60 minutes should remain in the work (another 10-20 minutes will be removed with more subtle editing).
If everything cheesy and boring has been cut off, but the timing is still more than 60 minutes, then we cut off the interesting stuff, but put it in a separate folder - it will be used for shorts and extras.
2. Do the first 7 minutes
Often, in the first 7 minutes of an episode, the hosts only have time to greet, introduce the participants, explain the format, topic, and concept of the podcast - in other words, do the most mundane part. However, it's during these first minutes that the listener decides whether to continue or turn off the podcast. It's like playing board games: everyone wants to have fun, but no one wants to learn the rules first. Similarly, our listeners don't want to listen to something boring initially.
Therefore, the editor thinks about how to engage the listener from the very beginning. They can use different techniques:
- Create intrigue - promise something or ask a question, the answer to which will appear later. For example, in the "Naked Mole-Rat" podcast, the host tells a story at the beginning of the episode: he was on a safari and observed the life of elephants. All the elephants seemed equally complacent. But at some point, the guide suddenly whispered, "Stay away from this elephant!" Why? How did it all end? These questions will hold the listener's attention until the intrigue is revealed.
- Give a flash-forward - a preview of interesting things: at the very beginning, post a selection of fragments of the most interesting things that await the listener ahead.
- Provide introductions and explanations not at the very beginning but as the release progresses. Imagine: a guest's voice comes on, they immediately tell something exciting - and only ten seconds later, when the listener is sufficiently intrigued, you make a remark: "This is my guest so-and-so talking about her experience of flying into space." This way, you will save your listeners from long ceremonies.
The editor can use these techniques or invent their own. It's important that the first 7 minutes of a podcast engage the listener enough to keep them tuned in to the episode.
We worked on the first 7 minutes more than on assembling the remaining blocks - because it is during this time that the listener decides whether they want to stay.
3. Collecting blocks
When editing a conversational podcast, the same rules apply as when editing text. The release should have:
- A general theme. The issue should include everything necessary to exhaust this topic, and there should not be anything unrelated to the topic.
- Blocks (sub-topics). Each block reveals one aspect of the topic. The block should contain everything that allows you to reveal this aspect, and there should not be anything superfluous.
- Questions. Each block may contain several questions. Once a question is stated, there should be a meaningful answer underneath it, and there should be nothing irrelevant to the question.
It is not always possible to strictly comply with these rules: if the conversation turns out to be confusing, then trying to assemble it in clear blocks may lose its naturalness and charm. The editor must do everything to make the issue more structured without spoiling the charm of the conversation.
4. Clean
Here's what needs to be removed:
- Promote oneself. Guests come to the podcast recording, among other things, to promote themselves, their services or a new book - and that's normal. Sometimes such phrases precede an interesting argument or help the listener better understand the character. But often they are simply unnecessary. When deciding whether to leave such a phrase, you might think: is this information interesting or useful to listeners? If not, then cut it out.
- White threads: "Alex, ask Tembot the question we discussed in the cafe." During the recording, the participants constantly agree: what we will discuss now and what later, who to say what, when to take a break or how to place the microphone. All of this should be cut unless you're going to make meta-commentary or backstage a feature of the episode.
- Repetitions. "How are you? How are you? Who wants to be the first to tell how they are?" - Repetitions should be avoided, as they are unjustified.
- Jokes that didn't land. Determining which jokes to keep and which to discard is a matter of taste. However, if the participants in the conversation did not respond to a particular joke, it can be considered unsuccessful and should be removed.
- Unnecessary introductory phrases: "I do this." Sound engineers remove filler words and clauses, but longer phrases should be cut out by the editor, ensuring that the remaining phrase sounds natural without the introduction.
- References to cut content. Guests often refer to what they have already mentioned earlier. If the editor removes the initial reference, subsequent references should also be removed.
- Dead-end branches. When the presenter introduces a new topic or asks a question that does not lead anywhere, the conversation veers in a different direction, leaving the presenter's remark hanging. Such dead ends should be cut out. The listener focuses on the presenter, who helps navigate the flow of information by voicing episode topics, blocks, and summarizing results. If the presenter asks another question, the listener expects to follow, so it is important not to lead them into a dead end.
- Phrases taken out of context. Sometimes, the editor formally follows the statement but distorts its spirit by taking a phrase out of context. Without facial expressions and gestures, the phrase may be perceived differently. It is better to ensure that the spirit of the statements is respected, especially if the podcast covers complex ethical topics.
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That's all.
I hope this guide will help you optimize your own episode work or manage your contractors more effectively. Don't forget that you can entrust this work to us - we do it brilliantly.
For example, listen to our ongoing podcasts:
If you want to be the first to receive the latest articles, subscribe to the weekly Newsletter in Linkedin
For example, listen to our ongoing podcasts:
- Crossing the Desert. This is the first reality podcast about business in the UAE. You're about to discover the journey of an enterprising individual who unexpectedly found himself in Dubai and is now striving to establish his roots here. Prepare for dozens of incredible stories!
- Everything is Personal. Navigate the ups and downs of successful tech professionals with "Everything is Personal," a conversational podcast presented by Fortis and hosted by Victoria Belousova, Fortis' Chief HR Officer.
If you want to be the first to receive the latest articles, subscribe to the weekly Newsletter in Linkedin