Podcasting is a powerful medium to share your message, connect with your audience, and showcase your personality. But how do you write effectively to complement your podcast's voice and tone? In this article, you'll learn some tips and tricks to craft engaging and consistent written content that matches your podcast's style and purpose.
Before you write anything, you need to know who you are writing for. Who are your ideal listeners? What are their needs, interests, and preferences? How do they communicate and consume information? Knowing your audience will help you tailor your writing to their expectations, preferences, and level of understanding. You'll also be able to use the appropriate language, tone, and format to connect with them and keep them engaged.
Writing to match your podcast's tone/voice requires these three things: 1. That you have taken the time to think about the tone/voice you want to have on your podcast. You could be, for example, authoritative, chatty, wise, insightful, a good listener, a good questioner, etc. Make a composite of 2-3 terms/phrases you want to describe yourself as a host. 2. Write the web or marketing copy, book or articles and then when you take a second pass to edit them, ask yourself (or an objective friend or employee) to tell you if the 2-3 words/phrases you chose are evidenced in the writing sample. 3. Modify! There's no good writing (anywhere!) There's only good rewriting. It's important to be aligned, so take the time to make this work.
Your voice is your unique way of expressing yourself. It reflects your personality, values, and perspective. Your tone is how you adjust your voice to suit different situations, contexts, and emotions. For example, you might use a friendly and casual voice for your podcast, but a more formal and authoritative tone for a guest post on a reputable website. To define your voice and tone, think about how you want to sound and how you want your audience to feel when they read your content. You can also use adjectives, examples, and guidelines to describe and illustrate your voice and tone.
I say this as a writer first, but hear me out. Complementing your podcast voice through writing may actually be thinking about the problem backwards. I'd argue that your writing should inform your podcast voice. Writing is a way of clarifying what you think. It's the lab where you test out ideas, phrasing, tone, etc. My advice: See what resonates most in your writing, and bring the best gems to your podcast. And, don't be afraid to repeat choice phrases verbatim. Your message will be seen as consistent long before it's seen as cliche.
Your writing should align with your podcast in terms of content, style, and purpose. You don't want to confuse or disappoint your audience by writing something that contradicts or deviates from what you say on your podcast. For example, if your podcast is about personal development, you don't want to write a sales pitch for a product that has nothing to do with your topic. Similarly, if your podcast is humorous and informal, you don't want to write a dry and academic article. Your writing should support and enhance your podcast, not undermine or distract from it.
One of the most important skills for any writer is to use clear and concise language. This means using simple and familiar words, short and active sentences, and logical and coherent structure. Clear and concise language will help you communicate your message effectively, avoid confusion and ambiguity, and maintain your audience's attention and interest. You'll also sound more confident and credible, which will boost your authority and trustworthiness as a podcaster.
If you're following a script, take this lesson from radio and TV news. Write short sentences, using the Subject > Verb > Object format. It takes a lot of concentration to read and record longer sentences. Short sentences are easier to read when you're recording, ensuring that you'll make fewer mistakes as you read.
No matter how good your writing is, it can always benefit from editing and proofreading. Editing is the process of improving your writing by revising, rearranging, adding, or deleting words, sentences, or paragraphs. Proofreading is the process of checking your writing for errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, or formatting. Editing and proofreading will help you polish your writing, eliminate mistakes, and ensure consistency and accuracy. You'll also improve your readability and professionalism, which will enhance your reputation and credibility as a podcaster.
Be consistent with your tenses. The most powerful approach is to write in present tense. Bring our audience along for the ride.
The final step to write effectively to complement your podcast's voice and tone is to test and measure your writing. Testing means getting feedback from your audience or other sources, such as analytics, surveys, or reviews. Measuring means evaluating your writing based on your goals, objectives, or metrics, such as traffic, conversions, or engagement. Testing and measuring will help you assess your writing's performance, identify its strengths and weaknesses, and make adjustments and improvements as needed. You'll also learn more about your audience and their preferences, which will help you write better for them in the future.